How to Balance Matte and Shimmer Makeup Together

by Jaime Richards 0

Some years matte is in, and sometimes it's shimmer. This year, just which finish is it, anyway? Makeup artist Brett Freedman says it's a little bit of both. "We're going into a matte/sort of satiny vibe," he says. And here's how to do it up right:

• Instant Iuminesce: "It's shimmer in certain spots," says Brett. To give your makeup look a little more punch, he recommends Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl ($30). The champagne-toned luminizer, which gives a healthy, subtle pink glow to most skin tones, can be used on the top of the cheeks, brow bone, eyes, and lips.
• The eyes have it: "I've been doing a lot of really velvet lids [lately], like taking a pressed powder or just a really light matte [shade] and just doing the lids super matte," he says. Adding a little shimmer on the brow bone or around the tear ducts keeps it from looking too flat. Brett's tip: Drugstore brand Prestige makes some great colors, like teal and slate gray.