When the man responsible for Gigi Hadid and the Kardashians’ ultra-glam party make-up comes to Dubai, you rock up with a pen and pencil and write every tip down carefully. Or you get us to do it for you, which is exactly what we did when the marvellous Belle Femme invited Patrick Ta over from LA.
Given that party season is upon us, we asked Patrick Ta to talk us through a Dubai-worthy, glamorous evening look, using Kuwaiti beauty and social media sensation Fouz Alfahad as his model. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: The Now Brow
“I’ve done her eyebrows first using Anastasia Beverly Hills’ brow pencil in a medium brown. Go in upward strokes to mimic the hair. Then use a concealer underneath them to shape and further perfect using a 239 brush from M.A.C. Use a concealer in the same colour as the foundation you’ll apply later.”
Step 2: Prime Time
“I do eyes before skin so if there’s any fall out, I can clean it. I start the eyes by priming the lids – I’m using Soft Ochre by M.A.C, which has a yellow undertone since we’re going to be doing a dark brown smoky eye. This will allow the true colour of the eyeshadow to pop as it’s a neutral base. A primer is important for the eyelid since it’s so hot in Dubai and eyelids tend to get oily. This will prevent your shadow from creasing and gives you eight to 10 hours of wear time so it’s great for a night out. I feel like Dubai never sleeps!”
Step 3: Eye Eye
“I’ve applied the foundation I’ll be using as her base onto her eyelid using a damp beauty blender. I’m using the Armani Designer Lift Foundation. It’s great because it’s medium to full coverage so if you’re a girl who doesn’t like a full face, you can apply less, but if you want a full Dubai beat-down then it’s perfect! I then set the foundation with a loose powder from Guerlain.”
Related Story: How To Contour Like Kim Kardashian
Step 4: Blend & Blend Again
“I’ve started off with a base coat – Fawn by Anastasia Beverly Hills. I’ve chosen a medium brown to put in the crease and I’m using a 224 brush from M.A.C to blend it in. When most of it is off the brush I wipe it all the way up to her brow bone. From there I’m going to use a black eyeshadow with a thin brush because I want to apply it precisely into a cut crease. I then go back in with my blending brush and blend into the brow bone again. You can never blend your eyeshadow enough. I make the lid a bit lighter, then apply a darker shadow onto of it to create an ombre effect. Then I add a brown shadow under her eyes to tie in with the top. I’m using 86 Trace from Chanel which is a great true brown. Then I add a little bit of carbon black underneath her eyes as well. This is a universal smoky eye – I think it looks good on everybody.”
Step 5: Get In Line
“I applied a black eyeliner on upper and lower waterlines and used a face wipe to clean up any fall out. Then I applied a smoulder into her waterline to further enhance that sultry look and blend it out with a pencil brush before adding false lashes. Since we’re doing a party look I’ve applied mink lashes. I love them because they’re so fluffy and fluttery. I applied the glue on the lash strip and let it get a bit tacky so application was easier. That’s the secret to applying lashes. If you’re doing it yourself it’s easier to apply with tweezers. Always measure them beforehand to make sure they fit – you may have to trim the ends.”
Related Story: Best Brow Bars In Dubai
Step 6: Shine On
“Now it’s time to prime. I’ve applied an illuminating base with my fingers – this one is Eisenberg’s Gold Elixir. It really hydrates the skin. Then I put on the Armani Designer Lift foundation straight onto a sponge and blend it right into her skin. The bottom of a beauty blender is wider so allows for quicker application and the pointier end is more for putting concealer under your eyes and into hard corners of your face. It’s really important to dampen the blender so it doesn’t soak up all your product. Girls in Dubai need their make-up to last so I’m using a mattifying moisturiser from Murad which hydrates but also closes your oil glands. I used a sharp, flat foundation brush to shape around the eyebrows as I don’t want to cover the work I’ve just done, then go in with a blending brush around the eyes.”
Step 7: The Shape Of Things To Come
“I’ve used Custard concealer from Nars which is a great concealer that I use as a highlighter as well. I’ve applied it under her eyes in an upside-down triangle for that Kim K effect. I’ve used Armani Liquid Summer in 100 to slightly contour her cheekbones. A funny thing that someone from Belle Femme said to me was that contouring is like the new Chanel bag.”
Related Story: 5 Make-Up Tips Every Woman Needs
Step 8: Bronze Age
“I applied a setting powder –La Mer Translucent Powder in Number 5 – mostly in her T-zone as in pictures you don’t want that to be shiny. Everywhere else can be a little bit dewy but not that. I then applied a cheap bronzer that I found in a drug store in LA. The colour and pay-off is beautiful. For foundations you shouldn’t risk using cheap ones but for eyeshadows and blushers etc it doesn’t matter. Foundation is the majority of your look, though, so you want to spend a buck or two.”
Step 9: Get Enlightened
“I’ve applied an illuminating product – Global Glow from M.A.C – with a fluffy brush and putting it on the high points of her cheekbones. Then I’ve used a light blush from Nars called Madly in the same place, before a powder highlight to add a little glow.”
Step 10: Lip Service
“I’ve applied a nude lip line in Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk before some gloss to finish. There’s no right or wrong way of doing make-up. You should just do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Unless you’re drawing on Sharpie eyebrows, that’s the only thing…”
Patrick with Fouz
Photography: Syed Ali
