Eight glasses of champagne are poured. Eight faces are scrubbed clean of make-up and eight cosmetic bags are opened, so all the powders and paints spill out.
‘Ok everyone, take your usual foundation and let me see how you apply it,’ instructs make – up pro Daniel Sandler, who’s been creating faces for magazine shoots and catwalk shows for over 20 years. With his own cosmetic range and a studio at urban retreat in Harrods, Sandler’s now launched a service where he, or one of his personally trained make up artists, will visit your home to teach a master class.
Myself and my seven make up aficionado friends do as we’re told, giggling. Truth is, as we start to dip and dad, I feel self conscious, exposed. It’s strange, having an expert police something that you usually do, almost without thinking, alone every day. That private moment when you put on your public face; when you dive into your trusty box of tricks, with its unique mix of recent shiny purchases and old faithfuls with scuffed logos, dodgy hinges and powder worn into running tracks. As these items are scrutinized, it feels like having the head designers of Agent Provocateur go through your underwear drawer, knowing they’ll eventually hold aloft an aged pair of baggy knickers.
‘Your foundation is too grey’,’ Sandler says to my friend Anna, who has the sunniest of natural tones. But he approves of my ex – colleague Sue’s Yves Saint Laurent Teint Mat Parfait Foundation (her favorite tinted moisturizer because, she reckons, it doesn’t collect in fine lines). Then he tries to cajole my best friend and minimalist make up wearer, Jacqui, to try more than just a light veil of powder. By now, I’m convinced I look too rosy. ‘No, your complexion is good, but your concealer is too light and chalky,’ he answers. I don’t let on I only bought it yesterday.
After offering individual advice, Sandler takes centre stage to talk base, explaining that fingers are fine to apply foundation, but wielding a brush can give a cleaner finish. And with that, he demonstrates on my neighbor, Julie, applying one of his mineral sheer tints. A base brush isn’t something any of us use, but in a flash, her already amazing skin looks like it’s been airbrushed.
‘Only use foundation where you need it. If you slap it on everywhere, you drain the life out of your skin,’ he warns. At this point, I think I actually have too much life in my skin, having become all hot and bothered at the prospect of playing host (would I be dragging my friends to the cosmetics equivalent of a Tupperware party?), but Sandler is the perfect compere, managing to be reassuring without sounding patronizing.
And so concealer. According to Sandler, the right one will minimize blemishes and shadows, but it shouldn’t look like you have something pale sitting on your skin. Immediately, I see my face with fresh eyes – I look like a panda in reverse. Now I can see that my passion for extreme concealing is flawed.
‘You should buy concealer from the dame range as your foundation, because the shades work together,’ we’re told. ‘If you’re stuck with a concealer that’s new [that would be me], mix it with a smidgen of your foundation and when it runs out, make the switch.’
We learn umpteen other tips. For example, if you apply a bit of concealer to the top of your lip line, your mouth instantly looks fuller. And if you bland it on eyelids, your lashes look blacker.
But the fun really starts when it comes to powder – mainly because Sue overloads the powder puff and performs a mushroom – cloud manoeuvre. Sandler is unable to keep a straight face, but makes the serious point that we can clearly see how too much powder can knock the glow out of a beautifully applied base. He also shows us how to contour with blush and bronzer – a feat all of us shy away from.
Vicky, who long ago abandoned blush because she couldn’t get it right, has a mini epiphany: ‘I didn’t think I had cheekbones. But I have!’ I notice a change in the way she looks at herself in the mirror – it’s more confident ‘ I can’t believe the color he’s suggested actually works,’ she adds, ‘I’d never have picked it in a million years.’ But that’s one of the helpful things about the Sandler road show: using the shades you’d never normally flirt with, let alone try in a shop.
Ann –Louise is the most sussed with her make – up and, in contrast to Jacqui’s barely – there approach, adores a really – there result, but it’s interesting to see how Sandler adapts the same techniques to each of them.
And even though Jacqui remains unconvinced that foundation is for her, watching friends being made up can be just as instructive as being worked on yourself.
Clearly, some of us have the right products, but we are using them in the wrong way.
Others, Anna included, own shades that are off –beam. As she’s getting married in June, she’s using the session to assemble her capsule collection and within an hour, she’s turned into a ruthless editor. ‘If it’s wrong, it’s gone,’ she cries, throwing her make –up, clattering, into the bin.
‘You’re all so critical of yourselves,’ notes Daniel.
‘You concentrate on things you hate, but people don’t zoom in 2in from you face. So when you’re making-up, stand back and get an objective view.’
Other nuggets of advice: bend your mascara wand into a 45 degree angle; add more to the outer corners of your lashes for more flattering drama; invest in a pair of Shu Uemura eyelash curlers and ditch brown mascara because it’s ‘utterly pointless’.
Perhaps the most valuable thing I learnt is that my brows, which I’ve always considered my best feature, are too thin.
Extolling the virtues of Julie’s more natural brows, he pencils mine thicker. I look in the mirror, expecting to loathe the change. I reluctantly admit, it takes five years off my face. I also rediscover the fun of experimenting. Daniel worked on the Jenny Peckham spring/summer show in Milan and we try out the look – which includes gold eyeshadow, swept up to the brows, and I decide maybe, just maybe, I’ll go on a gilt trip this spring.
As the evening winds down, we realize that if you leave with just two ideas (or in Anna’s case 12), it’s worth while. Not everyone is going to follow all the advice.
While Sue agrees to ease off on the powder, she’s not giving up her liquid eyeliner – which Daniel thinks is too harsh – for love nor money. But she agrees the session is a rut –breaker.
‘It’s about bonding,’ concludes Jacqui. ‘When women remove their make up, barriers come down. Putting it on together builds confidence and it get you talking. Call it lipstick therapy.
Daniel Sandler’s Make – up Masterclass costs 90 pounds, including champagne, for a minimum of five people. Call 019 23845370 or visit danielsandler.com
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