Scoop Alert!! Exclusive Interview with Kat Lieberkind, Makeup Artist to the Stars, and the Unconventional Tricks She Used on Her Oscar Nominated Client

I'm lucky, very luck!! I met talented Kat Lieberkind, makeup artist to the stars while working on a photoshot with a renown photographer several years back, and now I have a beauty insider access to the makeup tricks she employed for the Oscars. Kat is an expert at making starlets look not just beautiful, but flawless. She worked with Pink, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford, and Sharon Stone. Mentored by legendary celebrity makeup artist Billy B, who has created some of the most iconic looks on the biggest stars in the last 25 years, Lieberkind worked on editorial for international magazines such as vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazar as well as commercials for Dior, Victorias Secret and Bebe to name a few. This past Oscar weekend Billy B created Pink’s makeup for her performance while Kat worked on Beau Borders, who was nominated for Best Sound (Lone Survivor).

 

 

With perhaps the highest concentration of cameras anywhere in the world, the Oscar’s red carpet is where style-setting stars are celebrated and hair and makeup trends are established.
 

"At the 2014 Oscars I noticed a lot of emphasis on the cheekbones with blush and highlights. In order to create that look successfully, blending the colors is very VERY important." Instead of using Blush directly on the apples of the cheeks, and bronzer to create a strong line under the cheekbone, Lieberkind  likes "MIXING the cheek color with a bronzer" creating a more natural healthy glow that blends seamlessly.  "I love the cheek colors from Bobbi Brown, they are very close to the colors of naturally flushed cheeks. Benefit also has a great matte natural looking bronzer named, Hoola. It looks great on almost everyone with exception of the fairest complexions."

Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick in Juicy Clementine

The 86th Annual Academy Awards was a bold moment for lip colors!! Instead of the typical parade of bright red, we saw many memorable, rich lip hues. "I saw some gorgeous bright lips on the red carpet. At the moment I’m completely in love with Clarin’s orange-red lipstick, Juicy Cementine".

Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick in Juicy Clementine is a gorgeous bright orange that (true to it's name) adds a juicy splash of color and screams spring with fun vibrancy!! Read Major Trend Alert for this Spring!! It's opaque formula, has a strong color pay off, yet unlike most high pigmented lip colors, it feels creamy and moisturizing and has a satin finish.
It's being touted by Clarins as 'the first age-defying lipstick' that offers more than just
vibrant color. Looking at the ingredient list, I do find it to be the case, as the formula includes a triple action:

    •    Intense nutrition, suppleness and comfort in an instant thanks to a combination of 100% plant waxes: Mimosa, Jojoba and Sunflower, Cocoa Extract as well as Shea Butter.

    •    Phytosphingosine, a type of lipid that occur naturally in the outermost layers of skin, reinforces the skin's protective barrier, protects against dehydration. Research shows it is effective in regulating damaged epithelial cells and it seems this ingredient can also be a cell-communicating ingredient (Source: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, October 2003, pages 1135–1137).

    •   Palmitoyl Oligopeptide - an innovating peptide boosts collagen synthesis (look out for a full in depth post about this ingredient in skin care in the near future).

Clarins lip products made major headlines this Oscars ceremony, after Best Supporting winner, Lupita Nyong'o, pulled a tube of HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm out of her clutch and drops it into Ellen's 'tip hat', during the pizza tip gag.

"When I do makeup for celebrities I focus on bringing out the features, making the eyes “pop” and skin look flawless" Says Lieberkind.

"A black liquid eyeliner and small individual flare eyelashes and, of course, mascara are my favorites to emphasize the eyes without looking like you are trying to hard. It’s timeless and ageless."

"One of my new favorite products to create flawless skin is L’Oreal Miracle Blur, a colorless creamy product that I like to apply on the skin as the last finishing touch. It works as Photoshop’s ‘blur- tool” in a bottle. I will describe it, as if you look at the skin through a frosted window; it minimizes how much you notice details such as imperfections, redness or wrinkles. On guys I use it without foundation and it looks like there is no makeup at all."

L'Oreal Revitalift Oil Free Miracle Blur

Unlike a primer, Kat uses Miracle Blur AFTER foundation. According to L'oreal; 'It's Not a Moisturizer.  It's Not a Foundation.  It's More Than a Primer. It's an instant skin smoothing finishing cream.  Miracle Blur was specially formulated with a distinctive cushiony texture that instantly blurs lines, wrinkles, pores and uneven texture.

Opti-Blur Technology diffuses light on skin for a soft-focus effect, with Dimethicone Crosspolymer, a silicone elastomer that's
non- comedogenic,  leaving a velvet-soft matte finish.  

The first thing I did after this interview was to get my hands on L'Oreal's Miracle Blur. For those of you who are familiar with the trick of using a chafing relief cream as a primer (crazy, I know, but it works!!), It's very similar to Monistat Soothing Powder Gel. However, I do find it to be a little more blurring, perhaps because it's slightly more concentrated with Dimethicone.

The very second thing…was to get Clarins Lipstick in Juicy Clementine. LOL!!
Now all I want is a fancy reason to put some hot lips on ;)

Wishing you glamorous spring nights,

Enhancing Your Lips With a Hue that's All Your Own. No, Really. It's (Almost) Magic.

I love natural, seamless makeup - the kind that looks like I'm barely wearing anything, yet transforms me into a more radiant version of myself with an invisible wash of color; as if "I rolled out of bed looking flawless".

I consider tints a pretty strong weapon in my arsenal. They make your lips look more luscious than usual, but since their pretty close to your natural lip color, people probably wouldn't notice it in person. It will just seem like your lips look extra lovely that day. Sneaky, ha?! ;)

Thus, when 'intuitive lip colors' started flooding the market, I got so excited I had to check them ALL out. Not kidding, my collection screams addict, LOL!! They go on clear, but then change color, in what advertiser's claim to be a response to your unique pH level, creating a customized pink shade that's most flattering to you.

How Dior Addict Lip Glow Looks on My Lips

Yes! The concept is so genius, it's unbelievable- so I had to get down to the bottom of it for some reality check. The main ingredient that provides the effect is a colorant known as “Red 27,” a red dye which is colorless when dissolved in a waterless base. When it comes in contact with moisture, the change in solubility and pH causes the dye to turn bright pink.  The product appears to change with your personal chemistry because the color changes when it comes in contact with moisture from your lips, or even just the humidity in the air. The color isn't really that "personalized", but the lower the pH, the pinker and more intense the color, so it's not a generic shade of pink either.

The Results: are stunning in my opinion; the color comes to life and glow anywhere from a sheer light pink to a gorgeous bright pink, but in a sheer form that looks as natural as the tint you might have after eating fresh berries.
    •  It's great for a date night , since date won't worry about kissing you and getting bright
       color everywhere.
    •  It's a perfect neutral lipsticks that goes with basically any makeup look.
    •  Great for when you are out in the sun and don't want to look made-up.
    •  Fool- proof application

Doutzen Kroes demonstrating the look for L'oreal. L'oreal Magique BB Blush. Dior Addict in Glow. Madina Milano in Revolution

My favorite is Dior Addict (hmm..they predicted I would become an addict, ha?!) in Lip Glow, because it's more a lighter pink that you can control by applying more layers- the more layers or moisture you add the brighter it becomes. Loreal Paris Magic BB Blush a brighter option if I want more of a rosy flush, and Madina Milano glows brilliantly.

Pink Kisses,