Trish McEvoy: The Power of Makeup: Looking Your Level Best at Every Age - Softcover

Chapter 1: A Passion for Makeup

I love the power and wonder of makeup. Absolutely adore it. There is simply nothing that is more transforming or more glamorizing. Makeup is an instant lift and, on certain days, a real lifesaver. Makeup has also made me dear friends with so many women, yet another reason I love what I do. Nothing bonds women faster than a shared tip, a great new color, or some really good advice. The minute a woman sits in my chair, I know that we'll soon be chatting up a storm and laughing. What's not to love about makeup?

This book is designed to be your own makeup consultation. If you're like many of the women I've consulted with over the years, you're probably excited yet a bit intimidated by the prospect of a makeup consultation. About the intimidated part, let me put your mind at ease right away. Makeup is not some kind of exclusive, rarefied art.

Makeup is something everyone can master. Yes, I am a makeup artist, and my eye is better trained, my hand a little more practiced, but that's because I've been at the trial and error thing a lot longer than you have. I am completely self-taught, and I consider myself to be still learning. I experiment, I play, and I'm open to trying anything at least once.

Have an open mind. Follow my advice and you will have a better understanding of makeup and makeup products. That knowledge will give you confidence about the makeup you choose to wear and how you apply it. Most of all, I hope to show you how much fun you can have along the way. Makeup is all about possibility, the pleasure of discovery, the adventure of creating your individual look.

On an emotional level, makeup is an instant pick-me-up. When a woman comes to me, she's eager to learn. I derive tremendous enjoyment and satisfaction from watching her do it all on her own. I set out to make my client feel better about herself. If you look good, you feel good: it's really that simple and that fundamental. By the time you finish this book, I want you to feel that makeup is your friend.

One of the many other reasons I love makeup is that I truly enjoy the time I spend applying it. My makeup application is the one time of the day that I give myself for sheer luxury. Because we're all so busy, those few minutes can give you the time to collect yourself as you prepare for the day (or evening). Makeup can provide the kind of private time in which not only do you transform your look, but you transform your mood and get ready to face the day.

You Can Do It

When I was a child, I used to spend hours meticulously coloring in coloring books. I discovered that if you pressed harder on the crayon, the line was more defined. If you pressed lighter, the effect was softer. Oh, how I strove to get each picture perfect! And that's really how good makeup happens...with the patience to blend properly, and then blend some more. Looking your best is doable. It's just a matter of knowing your style, organizing yourself, and learning the techniques that truly make a world of difference.

I will walk you through every step, telling you exactly what you need to know, what works and what doesn't. Each makeup product is a building block, applied step by step, Level by Level (a concept of mine we'll soon explore at length). We'll make sure you master the basics before you move on to anything more advanced.

I've put a lot of time and thought into making makeup easy. Easy is key, because if something is difficult, I won't do it, and I suspect you won't either. I've developed and patented the planner -- a binder of makeup -- the sole purpose of which is to edit and organize your makeup and tools for use at home and on the road. There's no reason to carry every product you own everywhere you go (unless you want to, of course, and some women do). Nor should you be rummaging around at the bottom of a bag for a lipstick or wondering where you last left your favorite blush. It's great to have all your makeup in one place. That way you have exactly the products you need at your fingertips exactly when you need them. Editing your makeup is simple, and I'll teach you how to do it.

I've also come up with a system of application that I know works. I have good reasons why you should apply products in a certain order, and I will share them all with you. I want you to enjoy yourself, but I also want you to get it right, so that by the time you leave the makeup mirror, you have the confidence to forget about it.

Confidence is the most flattering thing in the world. The secret to achieving confidence is to have peace of mind and be comfortable in your own skin. That's why I'm here -- not to reinvent your personal style, just to enhance it. You've spent a lifetime cultivating the way you live and dress, and I respect that. I want you to try new ideas, fresh colors, and great techniques, but only within your comfort zone. You have to feel at home in your face, and your face has to complement your total look, including what you wear. My goal is to help you look your absolute Level best and have a good time in the process.

I want you to see that good makeup is an exciting reality you can achieve. It can make you look younger, fresher, and more glamorous. Makeup can be magical. I'm an optimistic realist. I want you to stop looking at what's wrong with your looks and focus on what's right. We'll magnify the positive and minimize the negative. I'm a firm believer that it's all in your attitude. A positive spirit can accomplish anything it sets out to. I've seen it happen firsthand, starting with three special women in my life.

A Legacy of Glamour

Let me tell you about three of the greatest female influences in my life. In their own separate ways, each woman was obsessed with beauty yet used her brain and drive to make beauty work for her.

For the first five years of my life, I lived with my grandparents in Berlin. My grandmother was a strong, dynamic woman who owned and operated a perfumery. There I would play with the beautiful bottles and jars and watch her help clients. Given the day and age, it wasn't easy for a woman to be an entrepreneur. My grandmother encouraged me to play, dress up, express myself, and make believe. I also experienced the magic of scent. I was fortunate to have spent my formative years with this extraordinary woman.

When I was five, my mother took me and my sister to live in France. Our life in Versailles was different and difficult, but my mother always strove to look her best, with her special purse and whatever fashion piece of the moment she could afford. Style was important to my mother. She was a glamorous woman with a sense of fantasy. I can remember being mesmerized while I watched her apply makeup, spray on perfume, and slather on body lotion. I was twelve when she brought us to America, where we began the next chapter of our lives, in Georgia.

As I look back, I can't help but admire how gutsy my mother was to leave her culture, kids in tow, and begin anew. Blessed with a can-do attitude, she became successfully self-employed selling exercise machines. (I'm sure her customers took one look at her svelte figure and bought a machine on the spot.) I still think of my mother as a glamorous movie star. Now in her seventies, she still looks fabulous, still lives in Georgia, and when she goes out driving in her little old white convertible, she wears leather driving gloves and just the right amount of makeup for her style.

The third influential woman in my life is my mother-in-law. She was a homemaker who poured all her energies into her marriage, two sons, and daughter. My mother-in-law, now in her mid-nineties, is as elegant as she is strong. A fabulously stylish woman, she is always done from head to toe, starting with her salon-coiffed hair and beautifully tailored clothes. She tells it to you straight, pulling no punches, yet she's always a lady about it. You have to admire such a spirited, truly beautiful woman.

What I've learned from all of these women is that a sense of elegance is essential. When my mother had tough times, it would have been easy for her not to care about how she looked, but she insisted on looking her best. My mother has always believed that no matter where you are or what you have, you have to have that specialness in your life that elegance brings.

My Path to Beauty

You have to find your own way in this world. Moving from Germany to France and then to America, I learned how to size up a situation, adapt quickly, and stay open-minded. Change can be a good thing, but I turned it into a great thing. I learned that there's no reason to be scared of the unknown. I also discovered that I loved meeting new people.