Make Up For Ever

Make Up For Ever began in 1984 in Paris, when Dany Sanz, a former Fine Arts student, set out to make products for makeup artists. Her first collection, Artist, transposed her own painter's palette into makeup, with 100 colors designed for everyone. The name came from the idea of makeup for pros, for you, for ever, which arrived while she was painting a performer's body on a theatre set. The AQUA liners were tested with Parisian aquatic ballet performers, which is the sort of detail I love. That heritage shows in the eye group. The Aqua Resist Color Pencil comes in a 24HR waterproof version, and the Color Ink liquid, the Graphic Pen and the Smoky Eyeshadow Stick follow the same waterproof idea. The Artist Color Pencil works for lips and eyes, and the Artist Waterproof Color Cream is a shadow and liner in one. The Aqua Resist Brow Filler, the Volume Artist mascara and the Mini Artist To Go palettes cover the rest, and the HD Skin cream palettes for face bring the artist idea to cheeks. For liner shades to wear, a brightening liner and what to pair with it is a useful comparison.

HD is the line that made the brand a studio name. Make Up For Ever created high-definition makeup, with the HD line in 2008 and Ultra HD in 2015, for film and TV cameras. The HD Skin foundations here are the Hydra Glow with hyaluronic acid, the Matte Velvet Blurring Powder Foundation and the Long-Lasting Waterproof Natural Matte. The Balancing and Perfecting Natural Finish Longwear Foundation and the Super Boost skin tint are the lighter options. For concealer, the Smooth and Blur and the Full Cover Multi-Use versions are available, and the pressed and loose powders set them. The Step 1 Primer Color Corrector in a redness version goes underneath, and the #118 foundation brush, 160 blush brush and 156 flat blush brush are the tools. A fit test for base: check it by a window, since HD makeup was made for cameras that see detail. What I would skip is layering a matte powder foundation over a dry patch, and using the Hydra Glow there instead. For more on bases, foundation by finish and powder foundation that looks like skin add context.

The lip group is built on the Artist idea too. The Artist ColorGlow Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm is the soft one, the Rouge Artist For Ever Matte Lipstick is the opaque one, and the Artist Liquid Color is a waterproof blush for lip and cheek. The Artist Color Pencil lip liners include an Extreme Smudge-Proof version, and Super Boost is the plumping gloss, also in a kit with a mini liner. Line the lips with the Artist pencil, fill in with the matte lipstick, and finish with Super Boost in the center for a fuller look. If the ColorGlow balm is what you want, use it alone on days when you want almost nothing on. For liner shades, a look at lip liner cheat shades is a good reference.

The last four pieces are the multitaskers. The Artist Color Crayon comes in a waterproof multi-use stick and a creamy one, the Color Correcting Step 1 Primers are for redness and tone, and Mist and Fix 24H is a hydrating setting mist. The crayon is the one I would pick for the idea of a single tool: eyes, lips and cheeks. The Color Correcting Primers sit under foundation, and the setting mist goes over everything once the face is done. That order, correct first and mist last, is a simple routine in four steps, and it works for a quick morning as well as a long day. For choosing among primers, primer matched to what your skin does is a good guide.

My Make Up For Ever kit would be an Aqua Resist pencil, an HD Skin concealer, an Artist lip pencil and a Mist and Fix. Her first collection of 100 colors still sets the tone. The brand has been part of LVMH since 1999 and opened its Academy in Paris in 2002, so the idea of teaching others is still part of it.