Siddhartha is a makeup artist and just came back from a lovely holiday. After quite a busy period of two week in Copenhagen with Ilse de Lange (indeed, the Song festival), fashion shows in New York, Milan, and Paris, where she worked back stage for Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, Chanel, and Céline, and after a couple of beautiful editorials, it was now time for that well-deserved holiday. From which she just came back to share with us her beauty tips and tricks.
Morning ritual
“I can’t start my day without coffee and a glass of lukewarm water. I tore my ankle ligament in January during the fashion week. It was painful and it caused me to become stiff in the morning, forcing me to do exercises to warm up. So if I’m doing those then why not add 20 push ups and 90 seconds of planking. I’ll then brush my skin with a dry brush. Not every morning because it’s a bit of a chore, but I try to do it more often these days. I’ll then take a shower, which I’ll end with cold water. It’s so refreshing and good for the skin. It helps prevent cellulite and stimulates the blood circulation. I’ll cleanse my face with the SoPhyto mousse — it smells very pure and organic with olive leaf — and the Clarisonic. I’ll then apply Susanne Kaufmann’s serum, which I discovered in Copenhagen. It’s a natural brand that instantly makes your skin glow. Her hydrating mask is also great, it smells good, and feels so soft.
Makeup
“I don’t use a lot of makeup products on myself. I always brush my eyebrows upwards and put some Anastasia gel on them. I’ll curl my lashes and apply a bit of lip balm on my eyes and cheek bones. Depending on how fresh I look, I sometimes choose for a MAC Cosmetics lipstick in the colour Ruby Woo. It’s not orange or pink, but blood red. That colour fits everyone, it’s matte, it won’t give you yellow teeth, and makes you look radiating. A colour like this will always make you look classy.”
Red carpet essential
“I think it’s important to take good care of your skin. I mean, a radiant, glowy, and healthy skin. You need to look fresh, not clogged up. MAC Cosmetics’ Strobe Cream often helps in achieving this effect. It’s got a nice pearl shimmer which makes your face shimmer too. You don’t want this on your entire face, but you can cover up some areas with foundation or concealer. You could also first do a stimulating facial massage, that will also give your face a nice shimmer. I often do that for Ilse when she’s performed a lot or slept badly.”
Favourite brands
“I like to work with MAC Cosmetics. They’ve got such nice, deep pigments in their colours. I also like the structure of their eyeshadows. I often use Dermacolor, Armani, and Laura Mercier for the basis. I really like the latter’s Secret Camouflage, it’s such a great product.”
Eyebrows or lashes
“I tend to look at eyebrows over lashes. I think eyebrows are most of the times more important. You don’t necessarily have to emphasise them, but they should look well-groomed. I feel the instant need to brush someone’s eyebrows if I see a couple of hairs hanging.”
Million Dollar Tip
“The Clarisonic facial cleanser. It’s really good because it polishes your skin. You won’t be bothered with dry flakes or a washed our colour on your face. By cleansing well you’ll get a skin as soft as a baby’s. It makes your skin shine and look more awake and pretty. It’s also a good basis for your makeup. If you’ve cleansed your skin well and are blessed with a good skin, you probably don’t even need a basis.”
Favourite perfume
“I love Maison Martin Margiela’s Replica Beach Walk fragrance. The description is sun-kissed salty skin. It’s a fragrance comparable to a day at the beach on which you’ve swum, sunbathed, swum again, and put on sun lotion. I love that combination. Especially in the winter.”
Undiscovered beauty product
“Vaseline or lip balm. It doesn’t really matter which one. A lot of people only put some on the lips, but you can also put it on moving eyelids or cheekbones. Your skin will shimmer and look great.”
Never leave home without
“I won’t leave the house without my eyelash curler because I’m really addicted to it. I’ve got very straight lashes and if I don’t curl them, I’ll look tired. Curling lashes will make you look alert and awake. I forgot it the other day and ran to the pharmacy to buy one. I usually have ones from Kevin Aucoin.”
Ilse’s look
“I really like to blacken Ilse’s lashes. She’s a blonde and so are her eyelashes so if they’re not very black she’ll look a bit pasty faced. I’ll also always use a nice blush and lots of shimmer in her face. She’s got a nice porcelain skin which lends itself perfectly. I give everyone a shimmer though, it looks great and fresh on everyone.
