The New “Smoky” Lip and More Summer Looks from a Top Makeup Artist
Whether she’s luminizing Kendall Jenner’s skin for the new Miu Miu campaign or putting the finishing touches on models backstage at Victoria Beckham’s spring show, New York makeup artist Fara Homidi’s sleek, sophisticated-with-a-cool-girl-twist aesthetic sets her apart. Now she’s made a luxe, minimalist makeup line that works as well backstage and on shoots as it does for a long day at the office or a major night out. The colors are rich and melting and easy to apply with your finger or a brush. And they come in the chicest packaging. Here, her favorite looks right now—which just happen to be perfect for summer.
LOOK 1
SMOKY LIP COLOR
Soft and lived-in, the beauty of this look—like its smoky-eye cousin—is its hazy, offhanded cool. Smooth on the cushiony priming balm in Homidi’s lip compact first for a soft, hydrated base. “Then fill in your lips with whichever shade you love for your skin tone,” she says. “With a lip brush, buff out the color, starting at the center of your mouth and working out toward your lip line. Last, go back over the edges of your mouth with the brush’s feathered tip to diffuse the pigment for the smoky effect.”
LOOK 2
MATTE RED LIPS WITH FRESH SKIN
“This is an easy way to look instantly pulled-together,” says Homidi. The look starts with her brilliant Face Compact, which contains a double-duty foundation-meets-concealer that she applies sparingly with fingers or a brush. “You want freckles, flushed cheeks, and your real skin texture to peek through,” she says. Once skin is perfected, she highlights it simply with the Shine Baume in the same compact: “Smooth it at the high points of your face—the cheekbones, along the bridge of your nose—for glow.” The finishing touch? Gorgeous matte red lips. Note: If you love a sun-kissed look, brush on hydrating bronzing gel, then swipe on the lipstick.
LOOK 3
FULL LIPS AND A SMOKY EYE
The original smoky—the smoky eye—has an eternal cool, especially for evening. “Apply black or brown liner along the lash line, buffing it out,” says Homidi. “Then smooth suede-brown cream shadow over your lids, fanning it out and upward.”
A neutral lip looks beautiful with a smoky eye, Homidi says. “Using a shade that’s close to your natural lip tone, glide the pencil along your lip line, slightly overlining the Cupid’s bow and the fullest part of the bottom lip and following the line closely everywhere else,” she says. “We made our pencil formula creamy and blendable but also long-lasting, so it’s ideal.” For a less natural, more playful ’90s contoured lip look, choose a shade that doesn’t exactly match your lip tone. Either way, “finish with a slick of gloss for a juicy sheen,” says Homidi.
LOOK 4
THE SCULPTED FACE
“Skin prep is so important for this look,” says Homidi. “I couldn’t live without The Rich Cream from Augustinus Bader.” Massage it onto clean skin before applying makeup—the burst of hydration plumps lines, boosts radiance, and leaves skin looking instantly smoother and softer.
Then use color that’s slightly lighter than your natural skin tone to sculpt: Homidi uses a lighter shade of foundation from her face compact or a contouring formula to create a chiseled effect. “Using the buffer brush, glide the pigment from the corner of your mouth, sweeping upward toward your cheekbones,” says Homidi. “Do the same thing starting at the corners of your eyes, sweeping up toward your temples. Then blend in the lines until they seamlessly meld with your skin. It’s a subtle underpinning technique to look more refreshed.”
