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Makeup News and Tips With TV Make-up Artist Corinne O’Brien

By January 22, 2010

Television make-up artist Corinne O'Brien. Photo: Krista Lee Photography

Makeup is one of the most simple and accessible ways to instantly change how we look and feel. However, keeping up with the innovations within the rapid-changing beauty industry requires the advice of a professional who can help us get the most out of the tidal wave of products that come our way each season. Corinne O’Brien is one of Toronto’s foremost television makeup artists.  She creates TV-ready looks for networks including Global, Sportsnet, and CTV and her client list includes sports celebrities, news anchors, politicians and actors. She also teaches makeup techniques  at the College of Sports Media in downtown Toronto and consults for private clients as well as commercial and fashion work.

Here Corinne shares some of her trade secrets and offers us some helpful tips about products and application techniques that will help us look great – and save our sanity!

So what’s new and exciting in makeup at the moment? Any particular innovations that make your job easier?

The newest technology in makeup, especially used for high definition television is mineral makeup.  It is basically a pure pigment, crushed minerals, that are inert (can’t support bacteria growth) and covers extremely well.  This is being used more and more by makeup artists in the industry as with HD, we need to cover more with less product.  Minerals are a naturally occurring product (even the colouring agents used come from minerals) so tend to be very healthy for use on the skin.  This is helpful as the talent tends to have minimal reactions to the products, therefore breaking out less and making our jobs much easier.

A look created by Corinne O'Brien. Photo: Virginia MacDonald

I love mineral makeup but had no idea about the anti-bacterial benefits – it just got even better! So, does it cover as well as you need it to for TV or do you  use any special techniques? And what’s the best way to apply mineral powder for every day use?

Television makeup has come a long way over the years and with the introduction of HDTV has become even more common place.  Many television stations have turned to minerals as an answer to this unforgiving medium.  In the past, makeup used for TV was a pancake, oil based product that was applied quite heavily and was often orange in colour.  Fast forward to today and we are looking at a finished product that is quite different.  The made up TV face of today’s anchor is fresh, clean, well covered but invisible to the eye.  Mineral make-up helps achieve this very well.
Mineral makeup can be tricky to apply and takes a little trial and error to get used to but once you master these easy application techniques, you will never go back.  Minerals essentially mimic the look of natural skin and adhere to your skin’s natural moisture as well as to each other, so layering is key with this product.

For every day use, use a kabuki style brush, load it up and apply to your skin in a circular motion.  This will buff the minerals up to a velvety finish.  Be careful not to buff too much though, or you will be shiny, remembering that minerals are crushed rocks and can be buffed into a high shine.  Set the minerals with a spritz of toner, hydrating spray or even water to allow the minerals to set and take away that powdery look.
For a TV face, the application is a bit different as we don’t want any shine to the skin.  Minerals applied with the same brush but in quick downward strokes, gives full coverage with no shine. Adding an anti-shine product on the skin prior to using the minerals creates a matte, TV friendly look, but remember to find a mineral anti-shine product to keep in line with the products you are using.  Since the minerals adhere to one another, if more coverage is required, you simply add another layer until you achieve the desired effect.

Do you have a favourite brand?

Jane Iredale, which ET Canada, Global News and Sportsnet all use exclusively!

How do you play up smaller, more deep-set eyes? It seems you can do all kinds of things with larger eyes, as we see in makeup tutorial videos, but those techniques simply don’t translate with a smaller eye.  Any tips?

The application techniques for a deep set eye and a small eye are the same.  Use a highlight first to make your eyes stand out.  Highlighting the brow bone, inner tear duct, and eyelid in a light shimmery shade, this adds to the dimension of the eye.  Your crease colour should be a light to medium tone, not too dark and stay away from black as it closes the eyes in.  Line the upper lash line as close to the lashes as possible, keeping the line very thin.  Curl your eyelashes and apply two coats of mascara.  Finally, fill in your eyebrows slightly above the core to lift the entire eye area upwards.

It’s interesting to hear what a professional uses personally. What is the one beauty product you can’t do without?

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip Plumper in Sydney.

Which essentials do you carry in your purse?

Concealer, blot powder and lipstick.

And do you have a favourite feature to work on?

My favourite facial feature to work on is the eyes. They are so expressive and can you can totally change the way a person looks and feels.

Indeed! And that’s why we love makeup. You can view Corinne’s make-up portfolio and learn more about her work at her website Make-up by Corinne.


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Submitted on January 22, 2010 in Curls, Cosmetics, & Clothes.

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1 Comment

Denise Grayson

Denise is a Canadian living in England who is fascinated by the fusing of fashion and art. Her obsession with the details and an insatiable urge to share beautiful discoveries drives her Paris-loving blog, www.TheSwelleLife.com, and recently she opened Swelle Boutique at www.swelleboutique.com which offers exclusive one-off and limited edition dresses and accessories.

has contributed 59 articles to Models & Moguls.

Comments (1)

 

  1. D'Arcy Mann says:
    January 25, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Hopefully there won’t be some sort of controversy between Corinne O’brien and Jane Leno ;)

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