Many brands are currently offering virtual beauty consultations as COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing make it hard to complete these in real life.
M·A·C is one of these beauty brands who is conducting appointments via FaceTime, with the introduction of four different consultations: Ask M·A·C, Complexion Perfection, Eyes on You and Lip Service. Ask M·A·C is a free 15-minute consultation while the other three cost $49 each (which is redeemable on product) and go for 30 minutes.
Despite being a beauty editor, I’ve never had a virtual consultation before so when M·A·C invited me to try one of its offerings, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to makeup, but I do enjoy eyeshadow. But, because I have slightly hooded eyes (similar to Blake Lively’s eye shape) I feel like my eyeshadow application doesn’t cater for the shape so well.
The process of booking is super simple: head to the M·A·C website and choose which consultation you’re after, then select the date and time that works for you. Then, your M·A·C makeup artist will call you via FaceTime and your appointment begins.
My consultation was conducted by the lovely Carol Mackie, a senior artist for M·A·C, who began by asking a few questions about my makeup use: do I wear a lot? What was I hoping to learn? What was my level of artistry? And then we got started.
As I have blue eyes, we went with a bronzy colour to bring out the colour. Carol showed me a M·A·C eyeshadow that would work and asked me to find a similar shade in my beauty collection. Then, she demonstrated the application on her own eyes and asked me to copy. Carol explained each step of the process and gave clear directions. Given this all took place over the phone, it could have been difficult but it honestly wasn’t.
As we went through the process of building the eyeshadow look with darker colours and the addition of a shimmery shade to finish off, Carol gave me helpful application pointers and was able to recommend which M·A·C products that would work best.
If you haven’t experienced a virtual appointment before, the thought of FaceTiming a stranger could feel a little daunting. But, my consultation with Carol was so straightforward and genuinely informative and she made the whole process so easy. After my appointment, my sister remarked that my eyeshadow looked “noticeable but natural”. I’ll take that as a win.
For those with hooded eyes, this was Carol’s advice:
- Start with an eye primer, like the M·A·C Prep + Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base. I didn’t have any eye primer with me, so Carol said I could sub it for a little concealer.
- Then, using a light colour like the M·A·C Eyeshadow shade Omega (in my case, a rusty bronze) and brush it over the whole eyelid. Take a small brush and dip it into the eyeshadow and gently brush this on the lower lash line.
- Next, take a slightly darker colour eyeshadow (like the M·A·C Eyeshadow shade Saddle) on a brush and work it into the crease of your eye, making sure to extend outwards in order to give the illusion that the eye isn’t hooded.
- Finally, add a swipe of shimmery bronzed coloured shadow(similar to the M·A·C Dazzleshadow Extreme shade Yes to Sequins) in the centre of the eye and a little bit in the corners of both eyes.
- If you make a mistake at any point, Carol recommended blending the shadow out with a clean brush or popping on a little concealer to cover it.
- Finish the look by using an eyelash curler to make your lashes appear fuller and pop on a swipe of mascara.
Read more stories from TheLatch— and follow us on Facebook.
