By now, several of you have seen images of Nicole Kidman walking the red carpet with what appears to be a terribly blended white powder on her face.
I also found this shot of poor Zachary Quinto who has suffered a similar fate.
So what's the real scoop here? I've seen discussions where all sorts of ideas were tossed around such as a bad makeup artist to the possibility that the celebrity quickly doused their face in rice powder prior to exiting their limo to problems with cocaine. However, none of these options, no matter how sensational, hold true.It turns out the culprit is HD powder, most likely the beautiful fine white powder from Makeup Forever.
As I mentioned in my last post, I recently spent some time in LA. One of the reasons for my trip was to attend The Makeup Show, a really great trade show and conference put on by The Powder Group. In a world that grows increasingly more digital and where HD is becoming a popular format, much emphasis was put on HD makeup. The theory is to have a finer makeup that appears invisible on the skin so as to minimize the appearance of makeup on the skin on the large screen TV most people now have sitting in their living room. Some in the industry feel that older styles of foundation and powder are not appropriate for this format and therefore the age of HD makeup was birthed.
HD makeup in it's truest form is not the culprit in these photos. As with all new trends, there is a learning curve and it can be trial by error. Many HD powders contain light reflective particles that can have an adverse reaction under some camera flashes, similar to a sunscreen containing titanium dioxide. If it is used too heavily or not blended enough, you will get a result similar to the photos above. As it turns out, HD powder is not the best product to use as a traditional blot powder (setting makeup, controlling shine, etc.) The real purpose and beauty of the powder is to to blur and smooth. In this case, it is amazing on large visible pores, lines and wrinkles, or anything else that can cause uneven texture resulting in an "EEK!" moment when it is broadcast to the masses in all it's HD or digital glory where ones eyeball can take up a substantial amount of your 60 inch flat screen.
For best results, apply your foundation and concealer. Use a traditional powder to set and control shine where needed and if needed. Just dab and blend it through the T-zone and make sure to hit the corners of the nose. Adequately blend it in a circular motion with a fluffy powder brush. Follow it up with a dab of HD powder (a little goes a very long ways so be light handed, you can always add more if need be). I prefer to use a duo fiber brush for this. These are the brushes that have black bristles at the base with lighter, fluffier white bristles at the ends. Buff, buff, buff in a circular motion on any areas you'd like to blur - lines, wrinkles, large pores, etc. Buff, buff, buff, and buff some more in small circular motions - don't whisk it all over the face as you might with a traditional powder but be very targeted with your placement.
Don't be scared of these products! They can have a beautiful effect for brides or anyone having their photo taken. An HD powder is so light that even a man would feel comfortable wearing it so I highly recommend it for grooms, actors, or male models and even a client needing corporate head shots. However, if you are concerned, snap a quick picture with a flash camera to see if it is blended enough. You'll really only run into this issue with night photography or if there is a harsh flash being used. Under normal circumstances and natural light, visible powder will not be an issue.
Good luck and happy makeup!
Amy Gillespie, professional makeup artist, Portland, Oregon, Makeup Forever, HD makeup, Nicole Kidman, Zachary Quinto
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