(Not so) 'Pretty': Theories on the Celeb 'Powder Face'

Trendstoppers: Ashley Judd, Nicole Kidman and Uma Thurman

Bad makeup...why does seeing it on others make us feel kinda good inside?  There are a ton of pictures out there of celebrities with no makeup, bad makeup and makeup flubs and we just eat it up!  This week we're addressing the recent phenomenon of celebrities showing up on the red carpet with chalky white powder all over their faces.  Why does this keep happening, and if it's happening to them - having had a professional makeup artist to blame - how can we ensure that it won't happen to us?

While I can't tell you the exact cause for this makeup mishap, I do have some theories from personal experience.  Yes, this has happened to me, but I have been lucky enough to catch it in the chair and thankfully have had no one walk the red carpet looking a hot mess!  I have heard many speculations as to why this could be, blaming it on everything from a bad makeup artist to a drug problem!

My career in television has really taught me a lot, particularly doing makeup on athletes and ex-players - needless to say boys sweat a lot!  I'll be doing a makeup, the guy is sweaty (sounds fun, I know!), I prep his skin, do his makeup, blend it all and when I'm finished, I notice this white powder resurfacing all over the place.  What I've figured out is that if you perspire, the powder resurfaces and when the skin dries, the powder sits on top of the skin.  It's really unfortunate as it looks terrible if it goes unnoticed, but is easily re-blended back into the skin.

Another idea is that the new HD microfine powders are so light that they are not getting blended properly into the skin and their light diffusing properties may be reflecting off the flash of the camera. 

Lastly, SPF could be the culprit.  You should never wear SPF with flash photography as it reflects light causing your makeup to look white in pictures.  This could include foundations and powders that have SPF in them.

Whatever the reason, it sure makes us feel better that makeup can be tricky and even the pros don't always get it right! 

- Corinne O'Brien

In two weeks our resident makeup expert Corinne O'Brien returns to answer your beauty and makeup questions. If you would like to submit yours to be answered in a future column just use the Contact link in the menu in the banner!

Comments

[WendyB]

I've been wondering about this!!