This past summer I had the honor of observing and working beside Nick Caridi for a day. Nick is one of Dior’s top National Makeup Artists, who balances incredible talent and expertise with a hysterical personality and sunny disposition. Nick was very pleasant to be around not only because of his witty jokes, but also because the man is a walking encyclopedia of beauty tips and tricks. It was the middle of July and we were stationed at the Dior beauty counter in the Saks Fifth Avenue in Midtown NYC for a promotional beauty event. The Dior beauty counter offered a free skincare and makeup consultation from Nick. I became in charge of creating face charts (with a list of products and step-by-step instructions) for each client that he worked with. With each new client, came a plethora of new tricks courtesy of Nick. After a long 9-5 work day I left Saks feeling exhausted, yet empowered because in a single day I had gained a whole new set of knowledge on beauty. There were five tricks that Nick taught clients on that day which I continue to use. I truly do believe everyone should know about these tricks as well… so without further adieu, the top five list:
1. The Spoon-Eyeliner trick: Take a spoon and cover one edge of it in liquid eyeliner and before the eyeliner dries, press the edge of the spoon directly over your upper lash line. The result: perfectly done upper-eyeliner. The secret: the curve of the spoon’s edge resembles that of the human eye; therefore, when you press the edge of the spoon above the upper lash line, the eyeliner transfers onto the skin, leaving a perfect and straight line of the liquid eyeliner.
2. The Glistening Skin trick: Take a few pumps of body lotion and then add some crushed up white, shimmering eye shadow (or a loose powder eye shadow). Mix the two together and then apply liberally to arms, legs, and chest. The result: glistening skin that catches the light (and looks fantastic in flash photography). The secret: the pressed powder consistency of an eye shadow can be turned into a loose powder by taking the end of a pen/makeup brush and scooping out/crushing the product.
3. The Perfect Blush Color trick: Turn your hand palm up, then pinch one inch from the end of your middle finger. The color that the tip of your middle finger turns (blood rushes to the pinched area) while you pinch is the blush color you should wear. The result: you are able to pick the perfect blush color by finding the product closest in color to your pinched finger. The secret: the idea of blush is to make your cheeks to look rosy as if they were “just pinched”. It is easiest to pinch the end of your middle finger and hold it up against products for a color match as opposed to pinching your cheeks and having to hold the product up to your face in a mirror.
4. The Spoon-Eyebrow Stencil trick: Take a spoon and place it directly under your eyebrow (and slightly over your eye). Taking a domed eye shadow brush filled with a matte brown shadow (chose an eye shadow color depending on your hair), and fill in the brows above the spoon. The result: you are left with a perfectly sculpted brow using a household item as your stencil. The secret: the curved end of the brush doubles as the perfect curve for under brows.
5. The Long-lasting Lipstick trick: After applying your favorite lipstick color, take some translucent powder and lightly tap on top. The result: a gorgeous lip color that is guaranteed to last for hours on end. The secret: the translucent powder locks in color and sets the lipstick in place. Your lips may feel a bit dryer and have a matte look to them, but the color is sure to far outlast the wear after a regular lipstick application.
So, give these tricks a whirl and prepare to be amazed! If you ever have the chance/hear about an event in which Nick is hosting, I’d highly recommend going!
And finally, a picture of the artist, Nick Caridi: