We all have our beauty routines, carefully tailored to our skin type, lifestyle, and budget. Nevertheless, it's always a treat to see a beauty pro at work, getting a voyeuristic look into their short cuts, tried-and-tested tricks, and industry insight.
We were lucky enough to meet Pixi's Global Makeup Artist Amanda Bell at the brand's flagship store this week. We've long been advocates of the cult Glow Tonic, but we were introduced to a broad range of Pixi's skin and makeup offerings, from the multitasking lip and cheek stain to the surprising two-minute face brightening miracle.
Amanda created a spring makeup look for us, taking us from her skin-prepping heroes through to her favourite application cheats. Click through to see how to create a '70s spring look, straight from Amanda's arsenal of Pixi products.
Skin
"First up, I use the Double Cleanse for a hydrated finish. This was launched in January in collaboration with queen of cleansers Caroline Hirons. It’s got an emollient oil side, and a treatment cream cleanser side. I massage the oil into the skin, which has camellia and safflower oils, and evening primrose, so it's a delicate treatment.
Next I liberally spray Glow Mist, a lavender and neroli-based spritz to perfectly prep the skin and make it glow. Then I apply the second, cream part of the cleanser, which has peptides and aloe vera for a beautiful, hydrated finish.
Then I go in with a little bit of Glow Tonic, which is our hero product. It’s an alcohol-free toner with 5% glycolic, an extract of sugarcane, which hydrates and soothes as well as gently exfoliates. We’re going for a strong lip look, so you can actually use it across the lips as a gentle exfoliator."
"I’m going to do an usual step now, using the Glow 02 Oxygen Mask, which is a self-oxygenating mask and only takes a few minutes to bubble and froth, really calming and soothing the skin with probiotics and lavender. This is great if you have sensitive or tired skin - it’s an instant pick-me-up. There should be a clarity to the skin once you’ve used this. Remove with a damp cloth after two minutes.
Next, I take the Glowtion Day Dew, a moisturiser with lavender and pure mineral mica in it, giving it a pearlescence, so it smells delightful. I work it in in circular movements, polishing it into the skin. You can mix this in with your foundation to give it a lustre effect, if you want an extra dewy finish.
Then I use the Rose Oil Blend on targeted areas that need a bit of moisture. It’s a great blend of oils, Damascus rose (super hydrating), pomegranate (rich in Vitamin C), geranium (great for combination skin), and sweet almond oil. It’s gives really lovely hydration but without any greasiness.
Next, I apply velvety primer Flawless and Poreless, which has a little bit of Shea butter, which gives that moisture, but sets in a smooth and perfectly diffused glow."
"I like to let the under-eye concealer sit on the skin while I’m doing makeup, so by the time you come to blend it, the warmth of the skin spreads it seamlessly. I paint an upside down triangle with Correction Concentrate. "
Makeup
"Going straight to the eyes, I’m using a matte shade just as a base, a pumpkin colour from ItsEyeTime. I take it across the whole of the lid as a colour wash, using the same density all the way across. Then I layer some texture in with a saffron tone from the same palette and then blend that in.
Next, I go in with a yellow gold, and holding my brush upside down, place it on the lid for an impactful deposit of colour. Then, I use the Crease Brush to sweep a brown colour in the crease of the eye before blending this all in."
"Next, I use the Endless Silky Eye Pen in a mulberry colour close to the lash line, enhancing the root of the lashes, making them look longer, thicker and more intense. Using a small Cat Liner Brush, I blend it out in light feather strokes to give a bit of extra drama to the lash line.
I like to cocktail mascaras, as the perfect mascara can often feel like the search for the holy grail – there isn’t one that does everything. It’s all about a blend. I’m using the Black Lacquer Lash Primer first. This one is black, not white like Tippex, so you get an elongated length to the lashes by gently coating them. The second mascara, a Large Lash number, adds thickness. For the lower lashes, I’ll wipe the mascara wand with a tissue to take the residue off, making sure what goes through the bottom set isn’t too heavy.
If you find that your mascara melts under your eyes, look at the eye cream you’re using. If it’s oil-based, heat from the eye will melt the formula, so switch to a gel or a lighter textured eye cream. Waterproof mascaras can be quite severe though, so don’t use them everyday."
"I use a water-based foundation, with chamomile, green tea and lavender, so it’s a real treatment as well. I use the Full Cover Foundation Brush, which has a dense head, so even though the H20 SkinTint is a light foundation, the brush will polish the pigment into the skin for a flawless finish with maximum coverage. I start applying in the centre of the face, which is where we get oil production, so we have more to cover, like open pores and breakouts. With this product, you can layer, so any part of the face that needs extra coverage, go in and work into the skin. I always go in with my hands as a final finish to blend.
I want to use a bit of powder, as this foundation has a glowy dewy finish. One way of keeping it to a minimum is to not use a talc-based powder. The Quick Fix Powder has an old school ingredient: corn starch. This has been around forever, and soaks up excess shine on the skin - there’s no added pigment, so it won't change the base colour, I'm just using it to add a time prolonging element to the makeup."
"On the lips, I’m using GelTint & SilkGloss in quite an unusual 70s colour, which you can use as a stain on the cheeks too. On the lips I go in with the stain first, using a brush to tap onto the lips. I very gently go over with a second layer to intensify the colour, before putting a hint of orange on there to warm it up.
Next, I put the tint on the apples of the cheeks and work it in. Your apple is the area traced down from the iris and across from the base of the nostril. Take the product up in a teardrop shape up towards the hairline from there. Pat with your fingertips before it dries for a lovely flush of colour without it being too strong."
Voila! A 70s spring look that's super easy to create (on-trend mullet not required).
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