KEEPING UP APPEARANCES :Sometimes less is more when it comes to make-up.
YOU KNOW BY now that I love my make-up, but our Carmel Daly makes me look like a total lightweight. Glammed up to the nines at 9am and constantly maintaining it throughout the day, she would fit right in at the New York offices of Mad Men.
“Why do you use so much?” I thought, but more diplomatically asked ‘how do you keep it up?’ ”
The floodgates opened, with a litany of uneven skin needing to be covered up with foundation, face requiring constant touch-ups with powder to keep everything in place, and a list of items that had to accompany her at all times in a large make-up bag.
I saw immediately that this was a case well beyond the ken of the general practitioner, and it was imperative that a specialist be called in. I won’t pretend that I didn’t use my influence and position to secure her an appointment with one of the top consultants in the field, who just happened to be available at a nearby Estée Lauder counter. Alan Pan is indeed a specialist – at making women happy. He shows them how to look more natural and sends them off with a prescription of products to use to achieve this.
Carmel arrived for her consultation with her usual full face on, and confessed to Alan that she used foundation to cover up and even out her skin. He assured her that there were other ways to perfect skin, and prescribed a once-a-week peel (€46), which is a gentle but intensive treatment which claims to result in refined and radiant skin. Her prescription also included the award-winning Perfectionist Serum (€57), which smoothes skin and lifts complexion, and Idealist Pore Minimizer (€57). The ultra-rich Re-Nutriv products would also nourish and treat Carmel’s skin both day and night, he claimed.
Alan’s all-time favourite Estée Lauder product is Spotlight (€37.50), a sheer lotion which gives skin a healthy and even-toned glow and also tones down discolourations over time.
Face Primer Plus (€28) gave the foundation that all-important grip for all-day wear, and then Alan demonstrated how to cover up imperfections with Ideal Light Concealer Pen (€27). Doublewear Light Stay In Place Make Up (€34) was selected for its light finish but durable nature – and was applied with a foundation brush. Lauder’s “imatch shade selector system” gave the perfect colour for Carmel’s skintone. A light sweep of Mineral Loose Powder (€34) kept everything dewy. He completed the look with natural, eye-enhancing shades, and used a bronzer to highlight cheeks. He used a soft rose shade on lips. Carmel emerged looking glowing and gorgeous.
This was all done six weeks before this photo was taken, and I was dying to quiz Carmel on her transformation. “The biggest plus is that I am shine-free for the day,” she said, and she is thrilled at the perfect colour-match of her foundation. Instead of a slew of products, a lipstick is all she carries now. She describes the concealer as “the best product in the world” and has been foundation-free on her weekend walks, a situation previously unthinkable. “It’s all about the preparation, and priming my skin for make-up, so I need to use a lot less colour and my skin feels great.”
pclarke@irishtimes.com
Alan Pan will be at Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork, May 6th-9th. Contact Estée Lauder counters for an appointment.