Lip gloss is making a comeback, predicts Marc Jacobs Beauty global makeup artist

If you’ve been up to date with your beauty news, you may know that Gilbert Soliz, global makeup artist for Marc Jacobs Beauty, was in town last month to share with us about the newly launched Marc Jacobs Beauty Coconut Collection.

Daily Vanity had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with him, and asked him for tips he can give women in Singapore to deal with the makeup-melting weather over here. He will also share why he thinks liquid lipsticks may not always remain the most sought-after product, and that lip gloss is making a comeback.

Don’t avoid highlighters, work smart with them.

Most of us have naturally oily or combination skin types, which means that we assiduously avoid anything that creates even more shine on our faces, such as highlighters. However, we’ve seen how much highlighters can help to really accentuate your cheekbones and other high points of your face, making you look more sculpted and creating an illusion of sharper features. How can we use highlighters to our advantage?

“Strategic placement is important,” says Gilbert. “There is good shine, and there’s bad shine. You want shine on the perimeter of your face, and you want no shine in the centre so you don’t look oily.” He was also sympathetic about our constant battle with oily skin.

“I totally hear you about the humid weather conditions, but there’s still a way to experiment with trends and make them functional and very wearable despite your climate.”

What trends are coming up?

Summer is the time when new trends start and old trends fade away. As Gilbert is well-positioned as an industry insider, we eagerly asked him what are the upcoming trends to look out for. “Healthy, glowing, glistening skin is definitely in,” he says.

Gilbert is enthusiastic about the brand new collection. “The Marc Jacobs Beauty Coconut collection is inspired by Marc’s love of coconut water. We deconstructed the actual coconut and used five forms of it in order to hydrate the skin, giving it a beautiful, healthy, radiant finish.”

Lip gloss is coming back

What about lippies? Matte lips have been all the rage for the past year or more, with every brand coming up with their own version of liquid lipsticks. This trend, however, is at its peak, according to Gilbert.

“Gloss is making a comeback,” he says. “Sexy, shiny and juicy lips are making their way back in.”

Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer Lipgloss retails for SGD 42 at Sephora stores and Sephora.sg.

You may not realise that this will help your makeup stay on.

Getting makeup to stay intact despite the heat, humidity and perspiration that is part and parcel of our everyday lives is a challenge. We asked Gilbert how he had been dealing with the heat in Singapore, and he was surprisingly enthusiastic about how much he likes it, compared to the chilly rain he faces in his home base of New York City.

“I actually am appreciating the weather,” Gilbert cheerfully responded. “I’m loving what it’s doing for my skin, my allergies. I feel better!”

The humidity may be great for our respiratory systems, but it plays a huge role in how long our makeup can last as well. We ask what tips he has for us to help keep our makeup intact for longer in Singapore’s weather.

“One of the best ways to ensure durability is doing your makeup in sheer layers,” Gilbert says.

“Even applying a touch of setting powder really helps to cement and take away moisture so that the makeup stays put.”

Bronzer doesn’t have to make you look muddy

Almost every beauty guru we can find on YouTube are huge fans of bronzers, and their makeup routine is never complete without including the contouring shade on their faces. Despite the huge trend around bronzers in almost every other part of the world, it has never really quite taken off in Singapore? Probably because we are afraid of it looking too harsh, or too muddy on our skin tones.

Gilbert, however, says that it just comes down to picking the right tone of bronzer to use.

“Our limited edition O!Mega Bronze Coconut Perfect Tan in Tan-tastic is a neutral bronzer, so no matter how fair you are, it will always look soft, not red and not too dark,” he says, showing Daily Vanity the beautiful bronzer pan enthusiastically.

“You can also use it in other ways. I often use it on the eyes just to create a shadow, or on the nose to create a contour.”

Marc Jacobs Beauty Limited Edition O!Mega Bronze Coconut Perfect Tan in Tan-tastic retails for SGD 69 at Sephora stores and on Sephora.sg.

What are the top 3 beauty items every woman should carry?

We all have different favourites when it comes to makeup products, but what are the top 3 essential items that Gilbert thinks every woman should carry in her purse? He took a while to consider this question, before he answered, “A tinted lip balm, because the lips need to be succulent and plump. And eyelash curler to open up the eyes.”

He took an additional few moments to consider the last one, before looking at the women around him.

“I think the Southeast Asian woman can never leave home without doing the brows, right?” There was enthusiastic agreement around the table.

“So for you guys, I’d say a brow product.”

The Marc Jacobs Beauty product to look out for this season?

The Marc Jacobs Beauty Coconut collection has just recently been launched in Singapore to much fanfare, especially when it was inspired by a tropical ingredient so close to home. We asked Gilbert what product within the collection he was most excited about.

“If I had to choose just one,” he ponders. “I’d pick the Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Dew You?. It’s a beautiful luminizer that has a golden, peachy hue which works beautifully on a lot of different skin tones. It has a soft, velvety finish, but still shows off that gleam. It gives the body and face a glow-from-within sheen, not like an artificial, fake highlight. I use it on the body, on the shoulders, on the legs, because it just gives that gorgeous glow.”

Marc Jacobs Beauty Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Dew You? retails for SGD 69 at Sephora stores and Sephora.sg.