The key to perfecting natural, effortless makeup, according to Rose Letho.
If there was one word that captured the mood of everyone at the start of makeup artist Rose Letho’s masterclass last weekend, it was overwhelmed. Beauty trends have been moving at an unprecedented pace – there’s milky skin, movie lips and even a case for painting on under-eye bags. For every great lip liner, there’s a thousand others to sift through to find it.
Sure, for any beauty aficionados, it might be exciting to try and decode the noise. But for others (myself included), it’s not easy feat. So, when Rose Letho, a Melbourne-based makeup artist known for her editorial work (and her own glass skin), announced she was hosting two skin and makeup classes, I knew I had to go.
Want to read more beauty tips from the pros? Head here.
Set in the picturesque Saloon Store, the three hour session was dedicated to teaching the foundations of skin health, how to effectively prep your skin and tips for natural, effortless makeup application. The class came with a goodie bag (including products from Merit, Sabi and Studio Pelle), but Rose also suggested participants bring their own beauty essentials, so she could step us through applying them effectively.
Walking out of the class, I felt armed with a new attitude. I didn’t feel like I needed to take drastic measures to cover up or contour my face into something else – but I felt excited to put what I’d learned into practice. For those of you that missed it, here are six lessons I’d scribbled down into my trusty notebook.
Lesson one: Skip your morning cleanse
It should come as no surprise that skincare is a major part of Rose’s beauty regime. Her signature beauty look is a hydrated, dewy base, after all. Even with that in mind, you can imagine my surprise when she started off the class by declaring that she doesn’t cleanse her face in the morning.
As someone with a history of acne and dermatitis, Rose’s mentality is to “let the skin microbiome be”. And it’s not just Rose – after speaking to my desk buddy, Holly Villagra (a fellow eczema sufferer), she too has given up on a morning cleanse.
Instead, Rose’s personal routine goes like this: double cleanse at night, rinse face with cool water in the morning (hot shower water is strictly off limits) and dab some bioderma micellar water across her T-zone.
Lesson two: Ice your face
My next favourite lesson involved taking an ice cube to the face to aid in lymphatic drainage and inflammation. Rose began this step with a gua sha tutorial, going up to her temples and back down along her neck, however, when she’s short on time, she will simply rub an ice cube along her pores.
I’ve also started doing this since the class and it’s quickly become the best part of my morning routine. Not only does it help me wake up in the morning, but I’ve found it reduces any puffiness around my face and given me a noticeable glow.
Lesson three: Pat, don’t rub
Something Rose kept referring back to was the benefit of patting product in, rather than aggressively rubbing. Pressing, she said, can help lock in your serums and avoid causing any unnecessary friction. Simple, but effective.
Lesson four: Less is more when it comes to concealer
Shockingly, you don’t actually need a crescent of concealer underneath your eyes (this was news to me). In an attempt to hide my ever-present under-eye bags, I didn’t realise how much product I’d been packing on.
Rose’s approach is that less is more. After a layer of SPF and a tinted, mineral base (she recommended Bare Minerals’ Complexion Rescue), she began by dabbing some concealer onto the back of her hand to warm up the product. From there, she applied a tiny amount onto the darkest spots on her inner eye with a lip brush (which you can find a W Cosmetics for a steal), and to any blemishes she wanted to cover up.
Lesson five: Spritz!
Another small step, but one she swore by: spritz your face with a hydrating mist (any!) constantly. Locking in moisture is a massive part of Rose’s approach, so in between almost every step, she would pass around a bottle of Mac’s Fix+ Original and encourage everyone to get their face a little wet.
Lesson six: Don’t underestimate the power of an eyelash curler
Rose also took us through the key to good brows (brush them back and forth before applying a gel), her hack for blush (use it on your cheeks and lips), and the trick to good bronzer (she loves she Isamaya Sculpting Stick), but my next favourite lesson was even more straightforward.
Pulling out a basic lash curler, Rose instructed us to do a simple five to ten pumps on each eye before swiping on a dash of mascara. The difference between her eyes was undeniable and I promptly ventured in W Cosmetics straight after the class to buy one of my own. And let me say – I’ve been raking in the compliments ever since.
Lesson six: Your beauty bag can be a mix of high and low
Given Rose’s career as a makeup artist has seen her travel the world, working on Fashion Week shows for designers like Issey Miyake and Roberto Cavalli (to name a few), it was a surprise to hear how much her own beauty bag is a mix of both high and low products. From a $35 goat’s hair brush from the Hub General Store, to blushes and lip liners from W Cosmetics, her key is shopping smarter. By doing that, it frees her up to splurge on a serum or beauty treatment.
Keep up with Rose here.
