J-Lo's make-up artist gave me midlife beauty advice. Here's how it went

Telegraph

a day ago

What do Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Salma Hayek have in common? Huge super-star status, yes, but they also share the talents of one of the most highly sought-after men in the beauty business: the 41-year-old Albanian-American make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic.
His usual glam takes nothing short of two hours to execute, from foundation to bronzer to intricately placed lashes. While this may work ahead of the Met Gala, it is unrealistic for those amongst us who have a mere few minutes to apply a little lipstick in the morning. Thankfully, Dedivanovic's own range, Makeup By Mario, is pleasingly uncomplicated. A best-selling brand at Sephora, his range is so good you'll often find his eyeshadows and foundations by the dozen in the kits of other leading make-up artists (that's a good sign).
He simply knows how to make skin over 35 look its best. So while we aren't able to commit to a lengthy routine and a dozen make-up products to execute a full glam look, Dedivanovic insists a few simple tricks can make all the difference. Here are his quickest, savviest pieces of advice to better make-up.
Skin prep
'Well-hydrated skin is the key to any good make-up look, so always start by using a very emollient moisturiser on your skin, depending on your skin type,' says Mario. He likes The Cream and The Rich Cream by luxury skincare brand Augustinus Bader, but if your budget doesn't stretch into the hundreds, another excellent emollient moisturiser favoured by make-up artists is Skin Food by Weleda. Don't worry about the primer: 'A good, hydrated base enables your foundation to apply beautifully, and the moisturiser allows the make-up to grip onto the skin better, too.'
Skin Food by Weleda, £9.50, Boots
Concealer and bronzer
Two of the products Mario swears by for any complexion is concealer and bronzer. The trick is using them in the right way. 'If you have a highly pigmented concealer, you need far less than you think,' he says. 'Dot where you see shadow and gently blend it out with your finger or a brush, rather than applying a huge sweep of concealer under your eyes or across your cheeks. You'll always need less than you think and a modern concealer won't need lots of powder on top to 'set' it.' Using this technique means you can skip foundation, too.
Next, the product Mario thinks every woman of any age can benefit from: a good bronzer. 'Adding some warmth to the face makes all the difference, so look for a cream texture that melts into the skin and apply it in thin layers to the tops of the cheeks and temples,' he adds. His Soft Sculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer is excellent and is one of the most natural-looking bronzers on the market.
Soft Sculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer, £34, Sephora
Frame the eyes
Hooded eyes? No problem. Framing the eyes without fear of make-up transferring onto the eyelids is something Mario specialises in. 'The best way to draw attention to the eyes without using any lid space is by using a technique called 'tight-lining',' he says. For this, apply a gel eyeliner in the upper waterline, so you get the illusion of more dense eyelashes at the root. 'You can also wing the corner a little without doing a full flick,' he adds.
As for mascara, and in particular if you have fine or sparse lashes, 'coat the root of the lash and 'wiggle' the brush left and right to saturate the roots of the lash,' says Mario. 'Then flip the brush vertically and run it across the lashes, side to side.' Eyebrows should be filled in with a light touch, too: ' For a simple, natural look, focus your brow pencil on the outer half of the brow, and extend the brows slightly. Stay clear of the inner half of the brow as this can make the eyes look closer together.'
Add some colour
For Mario, using a lipstick and blusher in a colour you're drawn to (rather than a shade you think you should be wearing) is a great way to add some 'vibrancy and healthy youthfulness to your look,' he says. The golden rule for lipstick or gloss is to always anchor with a lip liner 'to create the shape of the lips and enhance the lips as much as possible. A liner will always ensure your lipstick won't slide, too.' If you're unsure as to the colour of lip liner to pick, one or two tones deeper than your natural lip colour is a great place to start.
As for blusher, Mario is a big fan of cream textures. 'Sheer cream blushers add the look of bounce and cushion on the skin,' he says. If you are weary of cream blushers sliding on the skin or disappearing come lunchtime, 'use it on the skin after powdering your face,' says Mario. 'The cream blush will grip onto that powder and the powder will soften the shine from the blush a little.' The bonus? 'The cream blusher will have a much longer wear on your skin,' he adds. Try it – it works.