Clueless Guy needs advice about makeup application.

[JohnD]

Hi,
we are thinking of opening a school here in Italy teaching airbrushing courses. One of the courses i suggested is Airbrushing Makeup. I'm pretty handy with the airbrush as i've been using this tool for 15 yrs and i'm sure i can adapt a system to work with airbrush makeup. I won't be teaching the students how to achieve effects with makeup, just how to apply the makeup with an airbrush. However i would like to do demos at shows and achieve reasonable results.
The only problem i have is i have a very basic knowledge regarding makeup. I know i have to prep the skin before i begin and apply the foundation base, then i can add the cheek and eye colours. But i don't know how to chose stuff like the right foundation colour. So my main question is, when i am choosing a foundation base, do i match my foundation colour to the skin colour, or do i aim for a shade darker, or even lighter and work up to the natural skin type? Am i making a big deal out of something that is pretty trivial?
Thanks for any help :o
John

 

[Ruthlm]

maybe a make up course would be benificial? just a basic one to guide oyou through the basics? hth

 

[JohnD]

Ruth i understand where you're coming from but for the while i only need to know how the foundation colour is chosen. After that it seems to be down to personal choice regarding eye shadow and the rest. Also i'm in Italy and my Italian isnt perfected, so i would probably be unable to understand the finer points :sad:

 

[Ruthlm]

the only thing I can think of then is to maybe try utube, heres a wee link for you, have a good look throug them and then maybe have a go on your wife etc to see how it works for you maybe. What airbrush make up is it you will be using?

YouTube - make up foundation how to get right shade

 

[dandelionpoppy]

Think Ruthlm's advice is the way to go. I would definitely consider a basic mu course first. I'm also aware that Italian women are very savvy and keen on cosmetics!
One bit of basic advice is that the shade should be matched to the natural skin-tone. Colour would be added through blusher, bronzer, contouring etc. The jaw-line is a good place to test; you should not be able to see any difference in shade.

 

[JohnD]

Thanks guys. Soon after i posted i did find some great stuff on youtube and a search engine, and most confirmed what you said regarding selecting the correct foundation colour.
Dandelion you'd be amazed regarding Italian women. Nail art and extentions are just satrting to become acceptable in Italy. The UK is so far ahead regarding the cosmetic industry. We attended the Beauty Show in Bologna last week and the new stuff they were introducing to the public are things we saw 5 years ago in the UK.