Put your best face forward
Put your best face forward
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ever wake up, stumble into the bathroom and find that the face
and hair style of the person staring back leave you desperately
craving for something different?
Sometimes, things can get a bit radical, like having to resist
the urge to take a pair of scissors to that uncoiffed mane you
have been growing since the age of five.
For others, especially timid souls fearing after-shocks of
major changes, something a little subtler will do. We called on
the makeup and hair experts at Martha Tilaar's Sari Ayu at Puri
Ayu in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to show their stuff in a mini
makeover for one of our staff.
The Candidate: Tantri Yuliandini, 26, is a business reporter
at The Jakarta Post. She was the first (OK, the only) person to
step forward when we asked for volunteers in the Post's newsroom.
So, why throw caution to the wind and get a makeover, risking
plummeting self-esteem and public scorn and ridicule if all did
not turn out as hoped?
"I'm a virgin when it comes to makeup," Tantri confessed. "I
have never put on my own makeup before, other than the basic
powder and lipstick and I've never had the courage to have a
department store makeover. So I really wanted to see what a
'professional' would recommend for me, in terms of shades,
colors, etc."
Makeup Matters: Makeup artist Lucia Pan started out by
evaluating Tantri's overall look, from her face shape (an
inverted triangle) to her skin color (tawny).
She began with the eyes, often a problem area for women.
Tantri has large eyes, but Lucia said there would be a tendency
for them to appear "bulging" if the wrong makeup was used.
Lucia applied a brown eye shadow from Sari Ayu's range.
"It's better to use matte colors, and avoid light or bright
hues for eye shadow, and do not use eye pencil on the lower lid,
so that eyes will stand out without sticking out."
Pronouncing Tantri's full eyelashes "good", the makeup artist
used an eye pencil to make them neater and give them definition.
Her eyelashes were curled, and concealer was used on the dark
shadows below her eyes.
Tantri has dry skin, and liquid foundation containing
moisturizer was dabbed on. Lucia then applied blush, starting
from behind the ear and moving along the cheekbone to give a sun-
kissed, full-cheeked look.
"Tawny skin does not take color well, so it's best to stick
with dark tones, or the pastels that are now popular -- don't try
anything too flashy," Lucia said, noting that cream and gold were
among the shades suitable for an office environment.
After shading the nose area to provide more definition, Lucia
worked on Tantri's lips, which she said were asymmetrical. She
used a lip pencil to define a symmetrical shape of the lip, and
filled it in with lipstick.
With five-and-a-half years as part of Martha Tilaar's artistic
team, Lucia has learned what makes good skin. Her expert advice
is to use moisturizer in the morning (preferably one with a
sunscreen) and night cream to cleanse thoroughly and follow with
toner, and use a facial scrub every two weeks.
Hair Hints:Tantri's hair is short, but hair stylist Arnold M.
Domingus said it appeared flat and heavy looking, with a center
parting that accentuates the inverted triangle shape of Tantri's
face.
He first used a roll set to provide more volume. He then moved
her parting to the left and brought the hair forward, saying her
hairline was too high.
"Volume is always better, because it opens up the face and it
makes styling easier," Arnold said.
Arnold's recommendations for good hair are to try to wash it
once every two days to avoid stripping away precious oils, use
conditioner (even people with oily hair should use it on the
ends) and rinse their hair thoroughly.
He recommends that people use separate shampoo and conditioner
instead of the shampoo-and-conditioners on the market, but warns
against overconditioning, which will lead to the hair appearing
flat and lifeless.
"Also try to avoid using a hair dryer every day, because it
will dry out your hair eventually," Arnold said.
Final Impression:At the end of they day, after having herself
tweezed, trimmed and touched up, how did Tantri feel about her
new look?
"The overall result was, I think, a bit too 'high,'" Tantri
said a few days later. "I could never recreate something like
that again, and it wouldn't work for me anyway -- but I learned
some valuable tips, such as picking out colors, and how to apply
shadows and blush.
"So now," she added, "with a little more practice I'm able to
make myself up!"
Interested in getting a makeover? Send your details, including
a daytime contact telephone number and your problem areas, to
Sundaypost@thejakartapost.com.