Beauty Tips From Celebrity Makeup Artist Sam Fine

When it comes to black celebrity faces, makeup artist Sam Fine seems to have worked his magic on them all. His long list of clientele include Vanessa Williams, Iman, Chanel Iman, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Tyra Banks, and the list goes on!

BlackVoices recently had the pleasure of catching up with the makeup guru while touring Ricky's NYC in SoHo.

During our visit, Fine was generous enough to share a few makeup tips as well as give us the scoop on the latest fall trends. From lashes and mascaras to foundation and blush -- BlackVoices has got you covered!

Fall Trends:

We can expect rich emerald shades, beautiful violet shades and smokier eyes. We're really going back to glamour and it's what we're seeing on the red carpet from celebrities. They want the glamour; they don't want a clean look. If they're doing just a clean look, they're pairing it with a red lip or a burgundy lip that still says glamour.

Makeup Tips:

Powder vs. Liquid vs. Cream
Sam Recommends: Black Opal
Powder is the least amount of foundation that you could wear, but everything builds from that. When you get older, using better coverage makeup will help you look more polished. Liquid foundation has a bit more coverage than powder and cream foundation gives you the most coverage. Women of color deal with hyper pigmentations, scarring and varied tones; cream foundations can really pull those tones together. It's one of my favorite products to use.

Sponges vs. Brushes
Sam Recommends: Beauty Blender
I prefer sponges over foundation brushes. Many people are into foundation and concealer brushes which work well, but I feel sponges help you regulate coverage better. They hold on a little bit when you're blending and even work well with applying primer. I can also gauge coverage better with a sponge that holds on to a little bit of product.

Mascara
Sam Recommends: L'Oreal Voluminous-Waterproof
While on set, I've found that L'Oreal's Voluminous mascara builds faster. You can put on a real thick coat, go on to something else, curl it, and then reapply another coat of mascara. Since, it's waterproof, it dries faster. A lot of people argue that you're supposed to curl your lashes after you apply mascara, but that's not always the case. If you wipe the brush clean and do a real thin coat, it's equivalent to putting a little hairspray. The extra coat helps it lasts longer.

Individual Lashes vs. Strip Lashes
Sam Recommends: Red Cherry 747 (small & medium)
Individual lashes are all about reality. However, if you're going for all out glamour, a false lash strip is the way to go. When you do a smokey eye, you really have to fight for that lash to be seen from behind that shadow, which is why false lash strips are preferred. Age also has to do with lash selection. If you're someone like Iman, who's 55 years old, your lashes and brows thin out as you age. I need something that's going to enhance her lashes and make the most of them, which is why I'd use a false lash strip versus individuals on her. False lash strips are easy to manipulate and build on.

Blush & Bronzer
Sam Recommends: Matisse, NARS' Taj Mahal blush, Laguna and Cargo
I like to use a few colors from Matisse because their shades speak to women of color. They carry really dark, rich burgundy and raisin colors as well as wood fawn type shades that look great on women of color. For me, bronzer often takes the place of blush; especially in the fall months. Bronzers are great for women with fair to medium skin tones who tend to lose color in the fall. I send Cargo to Vanessa Williams all the time.

Replacing Makeup/Tools:

Mascara: You should be replacing your mascara at least once every three months because mascara is prone to holding bacteria, regardless if you don't use it on a regular basis. Fresh mascara has better application, it doesn't dry out and you can be assured that it will go on beautifully.

Sponges: If you're using a sponge for foundation – whether it's liquid or cream – then it's going to hold on to a little bit of that moisture and that's going to attract bacteria. For me it's important to buy the disposable kind but if you invest in something like the Beauty Blender you want to wash it every week.

Liquid Foundation: Have you ever noticed that liquid foundation sometimes begins to separate? This is the result of heat and humidity, which often causes foundation to go bad. Placing your foundation in the fridge can prevent this and help your foundation last longer.

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