Rapee ‘Fluke’ Chusuwan demonstrating how to get Sisley’s summer look.
When Rapee “Fluke” Chusuwan had lunch recently at TWG Tea, Siam Paragon, he was greeted by a couple of fans, one of them a pretty bride-to-be enthusiastically asking him to do her make-up on the big day.
Two decades ago, the one-time funky university lecturer became a make-up artist known for creating dreamy bridal make-up. He’s now one of the country’s few male beauty bloggers, at Always Fluke, and is easily recognisable by his swept-back silvery hair.
“As with everything else in life, applying cosmetics is about moderation,” Fluke said. “Less can be more, and sparingly applying make-up is particularly relevant when living in a hot and humid climate, such as the one here in Thailand.”
After lunch, he demonstrated how to put on beat-the-heat make-up at the Sisley cosmetic counter, Paragon department store, where more fans stopped by for his beauty tips and techniques.
“You actually follow the same routine but with long-wearing and matte formulas, with the complexion make-up aiming for a natural look and a velvety finish that brings out the beauty of the skin,” he said.
A matte foundation generally works better for summer make-up, which has to withstand sweat and sebum secreted during the day. His advice is to pat the skin with tissue paper to absorb the sweat and then use blotting paper to eliminate the oiliness, followed by a touch-up with a little powder.
Magnetic eyes in emerald green.
“Wearing thick foundation can be a beauty disaster, as, mixed with the sweat and sebum, the caked-up make-up can crack and become patchy or streaky,” he said. “The heat can also redden the skin. Hence, choose a lighter-coloured foundation on the face, whereas a darker one can be used for shading the outline to frame the face.”
A light application of liquid foundation is enough, he added, and can be set with foundation powder instead of loose powder, followed by a spritz of mineral water, to prolong staying power.
A concealer is a must-have to brighten skin under the eyes whereas a blusher when tapped on cheeks leaves a veil of diffused colours, mimicking a natural and healthy flush.
“Use both pink and orange shades, tapping the pink on cheekbones first and then the orange as a subtle shading,” he added.
With limited time, completing the complexion make-up plus a sweep of lipstick may be enough. If more time is available, then continue with primping peepers.
“There has been a continuing trend for eye and lip pencils that quickly and conveniently do the job,” he said of Sisley’s Phyto-Eye and Phyto-Lip Twist XXL pencils, available in new, summery shades.
His technique is to use two shades, the lighter framing the lips and then blended with the brighter colour applied on the rest of the lips — the resulting glossiness providing a nice contrast to the fresh, matte complexion.
Two to three shades can be smudged on eyelids, the darker one as a liner lengthening the eyes, whereas a coat of mascara makes the eyes pop, with Sisley’s new So Curl wand amplifying longer- and thicker-looking lashes.
“Co-ordinating with this season’s fashion trends, the eye and lip pencils come in bolder colours,” he noted. “Women may shy away from using these bright hues, but this is the time of the year to be more colourful. If not a wash of amethyst or emerald on eyelids, then use them as an accent at the end of the eyes, to liven up the face.”
The eye make-up routine also includes shaping brows, which can be quickly carried out by colouring the middle part with a brow pencil, then brushing outwards to disperse the colour on the rest of the brows in order to obtain fuller-looking arches.
“Doing make-up is also about creating a balance. Check this out when completing the process. Sparingly applying make-up in the first place allows you to easily add on colour and avoid overdoing it,” he said.
L’Orchidee blush and highlighter.
Sisley Phyto Twist Eye.
Phyto-Lip Twist.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.