'Pretty' Debuts! Meet TV Makeup Artist Corinne O'Brien

 Makeup artist Corinne O'Brien. Photo: Krista Lee Photography

Welcome to the debut of Pretty! It's a new weekly makeup and beauty column highlighted with a bi-weekly post by Corinne O'Brien, a renowned network televison makeup artist based in Toronto. As The Swelle Life's resident beauty expert she'll be answering your makeup questions so we'd love to hear from you! I've known Corinne for nearly 20 years (I just had to lie down) and she's always had a flair for making herself look great, so it's little wonder she's built a successful career transforming others.

The art of makeup, according to Corinne, is more than just enhancing a person’s outer appearance. It is the ability to bring out an individual’s beauty from within. (It's good news that she can do this as my outside sometimes can't pull it off on its own.)

You can see her work on one of Canada’s national sports networks, Rogers Sportsnet, where she resides weekday as the key makeup artist for all on-air talent. Her love of makeup has led her to share her expertise with aspiring students, currently teaching at the College of Sports Media in downtown Toronto.

To kick off Pretty we have our first Q&A with Corinne, submitted by reader Argielene. She wants to know what we all want to know: 

What is your favourite skin care regimen to create a flawless canvas for makeup? Any tips for breakouts and pesky zits?
 
CO: "My personal favourite skin care line is Dermalogica and I use their products twice a day to keep my skin in top condition. It's important to properly cleanse, exfoliate (if necessary) and hydrate the skin before you apply any makeup. I suggest getting a skin consultation to assess what specific needs your skin type requires. After your moisturizer has absorbed, apply a skin primer. This creates a perfect base for your makeup and will smooth out any fine lines and larger pores you may have.

"You've all heard this before, but make sure you always wash your face before you go to bed, never go to sleep with makeup on.  That is a big no-no as it's very ageing and the products will breed bacteria in your skin.

"Lastly, get a facial. I try to go when the seasons change, but if you can only make it once or twice a year, that's ok. This will help keep your skin in top condition and keep blemishes to a minimum. If you do happen to get a blemish make sure you keep your hands off!  Breaking open the skin will only allow bacteria in and it could get infected, resulting in scarring.  If it's really bad, stop by your facialist's office so she can extract it the proper way."

*Any products mentioned in Pretty are done so on an informal basis, these are personal favourites named to share advice only. There is no sponsorship of this column. If there ever is, we will tell you!

Corinne will be back in two weeks to answer your makeup and beauty questions. You can submit yours in the comments section of this post or email us. We'd love to hear from you!

In the meantime, you can join us next Wednesday for more beauty indulgence!  

Second photo by Virginia MacDonald

Comments

[Josephine]

Any tips welcome. Look forward to this column! xx

[Denise @ Swelle]

Thank you, Josephine! Let us know if you'd like to hear about anything specific!

Denise xx

[Tammy Park]

ooooh, love this new feature! I have a question, I hope it's not too late for tomorrow.

As a new mom, I barely have time for makeup before heading out the door and lack of sleep leaves me feeling like I look older than I am. Are there any tricks of the trade I can utilize to freshen up my appearance without a lot of fuss?