MEET ACHELLE DUNAWAY – CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF E.L.F. COSMETICS
“The best beauty secret is to feel confident; if you feel beautiful you’ll have a beautiful day,” says Achelle Dunaway, the creative director for the uber fun and accessibly priced e.l.f. cosmetics brand. Since joining e.l.f. in 2005, Achelle has made the process of gaining confidence through beauty easier and easier with the introduction of the e.l.f. Mineral and Studio Collections, as well as expanding into the nail and bath & body categories.
As a makeup artist, Achelle has worked on celebrities, musicians, and entertainment personalities. Here, she shares some easy-to-adapt makeup tips with Beauty in the Bag.
Tell us a bit about your background. How did you become a makeup artist?
I started at e.l.f. in 2005 and it has been and continues to be an exciting journey to which I feel very blessed to participate in. I became a certified makeup artist shortly after I started with e.l.f. to get a deeper understanding of professional application techniques.
Our readers always want to know how to make makeup last. Any tips?
This is a great question! To keep makeup lasting longer apply a primer as your base for your eyeshadow and foundation, this will act as a holding agent for your makeup. You can also use a setting spray that is a “hairspray†for your makeup, if you will. Also waterproof eyeliner and mascara is a great way to keep makeup lasting, as well as using a lip stain/marker to saturate your lips with color for long-lasting wear.
Do you have any other at-home makeup tips?
Always, always wash your face before bed and moisturize morning and night. This is key to helping keep skin hydrated and supple. A great trick for making sure you have the perfect look is to apply makeup by your window for the best natural light. This will give you an accurate read on how your foundation looks and how dramatic your eyeshadow colors are.
Concealing dark under eye shadows is always a challenge. What do you suggest?
A quick way to look bright eyed and well rested is to apply under eye concealer with skin brighteners. This helps to conceal any dark under-eye circles and creates a youthful glow to the face. First apply a moisturizer like e.l.f. Eye Refresh to hydrate the skin. Then use a concealer; I like the e.l.f. HD Lifting Concealer—the formula is infused with key ingredients vitamin C, green tea, and mulberry for lifting and soothing benefits, and helps improve skin texture. Afterwards, set the concealer with a powder like e.l.f. Undereye Setting Powder; this light-diffusing powder camouflages fine lines, dark circles, and imperfections with a brightening pearlized effect that attracts light for a natural glow, while the vitamin C & K infused formula helps to restore and strengthen skin for a revitalized appearance.
The mission of e.l.f. is to market makeup at very reasonable prices. How does the company keep costs down yet offer quality products?
We often ask the question, “Why do other brands overcharge?†We pride ourselves on luxury products at an affordable price. We keep costs down by not marking up with attributed celebrity endorsements and huge advertising costs. We also purchase in large quantities, which help absorb costs.
If you could create any beauty product, what would it do?
Well that’s pretty much my job 😉 but if I could have super powers I would love to create a natural non-invasive way to be able to “photoshop†your face to look your ideal flawless self without needing any makeup. Sign me up for that!
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