Laura Mercier turns 20 this year. To celebrate, Benjamin Ruiz, Global Makeup Artist for Laura Mercier, paid Australia a visit. While he was here, we asked him to take us through his top tips for creating the iconic Laura Mercier Flawless Face.
Here are Ruiz’s top tips to achieving a beautiful looking complexion that’s ideal for work (but can still be ramped up for play).
#1 Pick your primer
“Laura Mercier has created a primer for every skin type and every occasion,” says Benjamin Ruiz. “Perhaps you need a little bit more hydration, perhaps you are going away on holiday where it will be hot; it is about wardrobing the primer that it right for you.”
#2 Reconsider tinted moisturiser
Yes we all know about tinted moisturisers now, but twenty years ago, it was something very new (and exciting). Don’t put the idea aside in favour of foundation, says Ruiz; a tinted moisturiser is the ideal weight for a daytime work (or lunch) look.
“This is something that French women would always do,” says Ruiz. “They would get a moisturiser and add a little bit of tint and some SPF. Laura did not create the tinted moisturiser but she is responsible for taking the technique and introducing it to the world.”
Another tip for the tinted moisturiser? “The beautiful thing about tinted moisturiser is you can wear it alone, or you can mix it into your foundation to sheer your foundation out,” says Ruiz.
#3 Enlist the right tools
The technique of cushioning is big news right now, but Ruiz has been enlisting latex sponges for years. “You can use your hands or a sponge [to apply the tinted moisturiser],” says Ruiz. “What I like to do is press and roll the sponge into the skin.”
#4 Let skin shine through
“All Laura Mercier foundations can be built up,” says Ruiz. “Do one [application] over the face, then build foundation where you need a little extra coverage. The goal is to keep the integrity of the skin. Where you have good skin, let it come through.”
#5 Enlist the modern way to apply concealer
The key is to complexion perfection is to find a concealer formulation that will go the extra mile – and apply it after your foundation or tinted moisturiser.
“There was once a time when they would say to put your concealer on first, then add your foundation on top. The problem with this was that you would move your concealer away…” says Ruiz who always enlists concealer post foundation application. “You also do not want to put a creamy concealer on the face because it will migrate and move,” adds Ruiz.
Ruiz’s concealer of choice? Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. “It’s my photoshop in a compact,” he says. “You have two shades and you put it onto the back of your hand then mix your perfect shade. It is oil free so it’s great if you have a blemish.”
#6 Work the culprit areas
Pre-empting where foundation will vanish is the key to all-day flawlessness. “A lot of people get allergies around the nose, so your foundation disappears there first,” says Ruiz who prefers a sponge over a brush to apply foundation. “Come in and build it up, right there. If you have dark spots or a birth mark, you can take the product and use your fingertip to press it on. For someone who wants to create a Photoshop experience on marionette line, go a little bit lighter and add it to that area. You are playing with lights and darks. Press it in; just in the area you need to diffuse the darkness on the face.”
#7 Finish with powder
Use a makeup puff to massage powder rather than a brush will give you the perfect base.
“A brush superficially adds powder so that is catches on the hairs,” says Ruiz who blends Secret Brightening Powder into skin with a velour makeup puff. “Pick up the powder and tap it into the lid, fold [the puff] like a taco and then press and roll it into the skin.”
