| | |
This month’s Image Article:
Neutralize and Correct
By Tommy Parsons
As a teenager, I was always interested in makeup and anything having to do with the art of cosmetics or special effects. When visiting the sales counters at large department stores, I was amazed at the large variety of colors available to ladies in the early 1960s. During that period, I noticed some peculiar foundation colors. I knew there was an infinite amount of skin tone colors in the cosmetic spectrum, but these new colors were something a little different: minty light green, pale violet and a grayish yellow. Little did I know that this was a brief introduction to colors specifically used for neutralizing and correcting.
I would love to take credit for the concept of neutralizing and correcting skin discoloration, however that credit is due to the veteran makeup artists who worked in color film and television, and during the technical advancement that occurred in Hollywood from the 1940s through the 1960s.
The principle of color
For many years, understanding how to use color to "neutralize" unwanted tones and skin discoloration was taught, learned and practiced by Hollywood makeup professionals. In recent years, this concept has been replaced by concealers and cosmetic products that camouflage rather than neutralize. If you use enough product you can eventually cover anything, however the makeup might be so thick you are able to carve your name into it. Most of these products are practically useless because they are not available in the colors necessary for true skin tone correction. The majority of concealers are highly pigmented versions of their corresponding foundations; lighter tonal colors that highlight the under-eye area and attempt to cover dark circles, redness and other skin discolorations. It is the word "camouflage" that we have to get away from and utilize the principle of color.
Consumers and industry professionals have been led to believe that if they use a lighter shade of concealer, it will eliminate unwanted color. In some paramedical and postsurgical instances this might be necessary, but in most cases, layering on color simply does not work. A thick coat of color certainly cannot be used in high-definition film or photography, as the camera will instantly read the thickness. This concept translates to everyday use; the last thing a woman wants to wear is something that appears caked on or shows that she has tried (and failed) to cover up something on her face.
So how do we go about covering up blemishes and discoloration before applying foundation? Before we even start, we need to understand four things: color theory, the colors for cosmetic correction, our formulations and the application process.
Certain colors will do the work for us when it comes to removing discoloration within, underneath or on the skin.
Light is the key factor and the main tool we work with. Without light, we cannot see our work. The selection of white light is important. To see this firsthand for yourself, try doing someone's makeup under a blue flood, and notice the difference when they are in normal light. White light also comes in a variety of colors. These colors range from a reddish-orange white, such as the lamp beside your bed, to the blue-white lights on most new car headlights. Both examples have many white light colors between them, including normal daylight. All of these white colors are measured in temperature variations called Kelvin (K). The light beside your bed is about 2,800 K, while car headlights are about 7,000 K. The lower the Kelvin temperature, the warmer the shade of white light, and the higher the temperature, the bluer the shade of white light.
If we go outside on a clear day at noon and the sun is directly overhead, that is the color closest to the pure white light that we need to work with when applying makeup. The color temperature is about 6,000 to 6,500 K. If you apply makeup in this color temperature and it looks good, makeup in other color temperatures (e.g., house 2,800 K or studio 3,200 K) will look fantastic. In your home, there are dimmers somewhere. Turn the dimmer on full, then watch the color of the light as you slowly turn the knob back to off. The light goes from white to a very reddish-orange.
White light in your house has the same basic concepts. The light beside your bed is a very red-orange color if compared to the florescent lights. Those fluorescents look very greenish compared to the mini track lights.
The key here is to realize that white light comes in a spectrum of colors, just like a prism displays a spectrum of colors on a wall. This is the basic starting point for correction. You must be working in the correct light. Even the best surgeons use great lighting—most hospital surgical lighting is 6,500 K. As a fun exercise, go outside on a clear day around noontime and apply your makeup. Then go inside and see just how good you look.
In the chart below, you will notice how using a yellow-green cosmetic as a filter eliminates the unwanted redness from the light. That concept is very simple. Choosing the right correction color is even more simple. You just have to remember which colors eliminate others.
In most cases, layering on color simply does not work. A thick coat of color certainly cannot be used in high-definition film or photography, as the camera will instantly read the thickness.
Red and green, blue and orange, and pink and brown are all color duos that cancel each other out. For example, someone who has blue tones under the eyes would use a color that has a little orange in the undertones to correct or neutralize the blue.
White light comes in a spectrum of colors, just like a prism displays a spectrum of colors on a wall. This is the basic starting point for correction. You must be working in the correct light.
Color neutralization
Red and green, blue and orange and pink and brown are all color duos that cancel each other out. For example, someone who has blue tones under the eyes would use a color with a little orange in the undertones to correct or neutralize the blue. Someone with a reddish-colored blemish on the face would use a color with yellow-green makeup undertones. It is important to remember to never use pure red, green, blue or orange to neutralize. Use a color that has undertones of red, green, orange, blue or pink for the correction.
For years, ladies thought they had to purchase this lighter color in the form of concealer for use under their eyes, where they would simply pile it on. But this type of concealer is actually called a highlight and is used to assist the shading color (blush) in lifting and accenting the cheekbones.
The magic appears following the application of these neutralizing colors. Usually you have just camouflaged the unwanted colors by just pouring the makeup onto the face to eliminate them. Neutralizing is completely different. Remember the light part? The reason we see the redness is because the light reflects off the area of redness on the face and bounces into our eyes, where our brains tell us we see red.
If we could stop or adjust the redness, maybe we could eliminate the red reflection. If we added a very small amount of red over the top of the red area on the face, it would obviously turn even redder! So what color would we lightly add to make the red go away? If you are thinking something like yellow-green, you are right. Take your brush and use a very small amount of the red neutralizer (yellow-green) color to stop the red light from reflecting. This lets the normal skin color through and makes it appear as if there is hardly any makeup on.
What about the blueness under the eyes? That blue color is the same as the red; small amounts of blue color are reflecting (through the skin) and going to your eyes, where your brain is saying "Yikes! It is blue." The solution is simple: grab the blue neutralizer and apply it as you would the red neutralizer. Your blue neutralizer is going to have an orange-coral undertone. Brown circles would need a brown neutralizer, which has a pink undertone.
The smaller, the better
I cannot stress enough how important it is to use a small amount of neutralizer or correction product. If you use too much, you will not have a red or blue area on the face, you will have instead a yellow-green or orange-coral spot. That would look many times worse than the original problem.
Now you understand the concepts and can cover red and blue marks on the skin. But what about purple? That requires a two-stage approach. First, cover the redness with a red neutralizer. This time, rather than apply it so that the natural color of the skin appears, add it so that the red disappears from the purple and the only shade you see is blue. This now requires an additional step. With a power puff—not a brush—press loose, clear, color free, non-translucent powder into the red neutralizer and remove the excess with a powder brush. Then use the blue neutralizer to remove the redness on the skin. After applying these two colors, add loose powder as before. This covers the purple.
Ta da! Now you finally know how to disguise that heinous tattoo on your client's daughter's back. All jokes aside, the key concept of flawless cover-up makeup is to ensure the correct lighting for proper application, and to use the right color-neutralizing products in appropriate amounts.
Tommy Parsons is the director of DMK Cosmetics, where he works with the company's international team of distributors in marketing, education and training. Parsons has an extensive background in the makeup industry. He has been a makeup artist for various entertainment corporations, and has worked with a multitude of major celebrities including music stars, politicians and pageant contestants. Parsons has also designed colors for numerous professional cosmetic brands.
Let us know your thoughts about this article...
|
| |
