Flawless Face Tutorial With Laura Mercier’s Benjamin Ruiz

Laura Mercier has been a brand that many makeup artists love to work with. However, the brand is actually very dedicated to empowering their clients so that they know how to use their products. Laura Mercier’s Global Makeup Artist, Benjamin Ruiz, was in Singapore two weeks ago, and Daily Vanity scored a personal consultation with the man himself. Benjamin has been with the brand for 17 years, working very closely with THE Laura, and he has been the appointed makeup artist to work on several high-profile events, including the Ophrah Winfrey Show, Golden Globes, Emmys, Fashion Week NYC, London, Paris, as well as editorial shoots for magazines like Elle, Vogue and Allure.

Advice #1: Flawless face is key to great makeup

Benjamin commented that too many people spend too much time on perfecting the eye makeup, when what’s most important is creating a flawless face. That’s why, he places a lot of emphasis on getting this canvas right. There are four steps to getting the flawless face:

Step 1: Prime. Using one of Laura Mercier’s bestsellers, the Foundation Primer (SGD52), this will be the very first thing to apply all over the face. It acts as a buffer between the skin and external elements, and also help hold foundation so it will last longer. I was very surprised to find that this primer spreads really easily on the face (unlike some other primers that I know of that requires some tugging before it can get onto the whole face) and it’s also very lightweight.

Step 2: Foundation. One of the most famous products in Laura Mercier has to be the Tinted Moisturisers (SGD68) because it’s very hydrating, is enriched with vitamin C and E, and comes with SPF20. Instead of covering the look of skin, this actually helps to even out skin tone. In Benjamin’s words, he wants his clients to hear compliments like “your skin looks great!” instead of “your foundation looks great!”

Step 3: Conceal. This can be achieved with the Secret Camouflage (SGD46), which Benjamin affectionately calls it the “Photoshop”. It has two shades for you to get just the right colour you want to cover dark circles and blemishes, without settling into lines and wrinkles.

Step 4: Set. Finally, use Loose Setting Powder (SGD56), a silky powder that contains a light-reflecting ingredient so skin looks even more radiant. This is applied using a rolled on method using a sponge, instead of dusting.

Advice #2: Concealer should be applied after foundation.

Benjamin debunked the confusion about whether concealer should come before or after foundation and said that foundation provides the base for the foundation, then concealer corrects blemishes. A good concealer should be able to work perfectly on its own, without being “covered” up by foundation. This is achievable if you’re able to mix colours (like an artist would) to get the exact shade that you want.

After spending time on helping me achieve flawless-looking face, Benjamin went on to fill in my brows (I really love the new shape that he helped me achieve!) and used the Eye Basics in Wheat on my eyelids as a primer. This can also be applied alone without the eyeshadow because it gives a natural shade that helps highlight the eye area.

Then, we tried the new Caviar Stick Eye Colour. This is inspired by the iconic Caviar Stick Eye Liner from the brand, and will only be launched in April 2013. I am impressed by how the colours just refuse to budge no matter how you may rub it.

Benjamin used the Pink Opal shade on my eyelids as a base, before applying a few shades from the limited edition Baked Eye Colour Palette from the Arabesque Collection, newly-launched for Spring 2013, on top of it.

Advice #3 Experiment with the unlikely colours

It was particularly interesting when Benjamin popped a bit of the blue shade from the palette at the inner corner of the eyes, that really helped to make the peachy eye makeup pop.

Gel liner was lined close to the lash line, and Benjamin chose violet, which made the eye makeup look subtle and surprisingly wearable.

Cheek colour and highlighter were applied only on the apples of the cheeks. Benjamin said that just a touch of it is good enough to make the look more radiant.

Finally, he applied a lip colour and lip gloss that also come from the new Arabesque Collection on me.

We will be sharing more information on Laura Mercier’s Spring collection – so, watch this space!