What’s In My Beauty Bag: Erin Heather

Sure, maybe those of us who played with dolls put our toys away for good some time before junior high, but we love that we still get giddy whenever we have the chance to get a peek inside the beauty cabinet or walk-in closet of a style trailblazer we admire. Playing dress up might evolve into a refined and informed talent as we get older, but getting inventive with looks never stops being fun. In Vv Magazine’s “What’s In My Beauty Bag” series, fashion icons and beauty experts tell us all about their favourite beauty products of the moment and why they love them. Today we present, What’s In My Beauty Bag: Erin Heather…

Who: Erin Heather
Occupation: Makeup artist & hair stylist
Hometown: Ottawa
Current city: Toronto
Claims-to-fame: fashion clients include Louis Vuitton, Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, Joe Fresh, and Penningtons.
Your “Eat, Pray, Love” moment: travelling extensively after university, and working in the Middle East, makeup artist and hair stylist Erin Heather moved to Toronto to launch her professional artistry career.
Additional credentials: a long list of corporate clients  such as The Governor General of Canada, The Canadian Forces, Canada Post, Bank of Montreal, MTV, as well as Sears and Target.
Finish this sentence: I believe…in the importance of empowering women to feel confident, strong, and beautiful.

Makeup artist & hair stylist Erin Heather reveals what the surprising realities of her beauty regime and what she looks for in her favourite beauty products.

As a professional makeup artist and hair stylist on-the-go who always has to look put together and fashion-forward, I look for products that offer me beautiful results that are quick and easy to achieve. If a product makes it to my personal makeup bag, it’s because I know that it can perform under pressure, and offers guaranteed results every time. I don’t have time in the morning to fuss around with finicky products that need finessing, and I don’t want to have to worry about touching myself up every hour, either. There are therefore certain must-have products that will always have a home in my beauty bag.

When I’m on the run to get to a photo studio for a call time at 6am, I don’t have much time to spend on my own personal makeup and hair, so I look for products that achieve maximum results in the minimum amount of time. When I’m working on set with models or clients, I want them to know that they are star of the show. I choose for myself a fresh-faced look, and a tousled softly-wavy hairstyle that allows me to be classic and chic, and never overwhelming.

First I focus on my skin…

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Foundation
This is one of my personal favourites for a polished everyday look. I have combination skin with some redness so this foundation’s gorgeous natural matte finish with medium coverage is perfect for me, and never feels heavy, or like it will clog my pores. To keep things looking a natural possible I prefer not to powder after foundation. If I get a little shiny looking in the late afternoon, people just think I’m working the glowy look.

I have fair skin with neutral undertones, and my shade level changes throughout the seasons. I always keep two colours in my bag. A foundation that matches both your shade level and your undertone is crucial for bright beautiful looking skin. The wrong undertone can make you look tired, or older than you are, and the wrong shade can make your skin look dull, or can result in the dreaded line of demarcation. Don’t be that person who sabotages her look! Beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin! If you need to get two colours to mix up the right match for you, just do it. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

YSL Touche Éclat
This gorgeous little creature is a miracle worker, and something that I will never be without. It is my “take away to a deserted island” product. The formula comes in many different colours, and can be used in different ways. I keep two colours in my bag – one with tint of peach, and a second one that matches my undertone, but is a step brighter than my overall skin tone.

The peach one is my best friend after a late night shoot: A few dots over my blue-tinted under eye circles, one over that that little shadowy nook on the inside of your nose, and another at the very outer edge of my eyes and all of a sudden I look awake and alive again. Then I quickly swipe the brighter shade onto the tops of my cheekbones, under my brows, and at my cupid’s bow, to add some subtle highlights to my face.

Stila Convertible Color
For cheek colour, nothing beats the Stila Convertible Colors for me. I honestly can’t get enough of their creamy-smooth texture and their easy application.

A lot of people seem to be afraid of cream blushes, but as an artist, they are my first choice for creating a natural looking flush. My go to brush for application is definitely a synthetic hair kabuki brush. The key to looking cute, not clown like is to buff colour onto your cheeks in sheer layers, and build up until you’re happy with the results. Like most things in life, slow and steady wins the race.

My favourite colours for this time of year are Poppy or Lilium – they mimic the look of the flushed cheek that you might get after a brisk walk outside. While I have my compact open, I use my fingertips to dab a bit on my lips to get a really natural tint.

Unless I’m creating an elaborate fashion forward look for myself (rare!) I want my cheek colour to look like it could potentially be my own, and not something that just sitting there on top of my skin. Especially in winter, when flaky skin can hit us when we least expect it, cream blushes are perfect for melting right into your skin.

NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow
Now that my skin is all done, I finish everything off by doing my eyes. I’m a firm believer that less usually really is more.

For a pretty day look, I’m a fan of using two colours and some mascara. This winter I’ve been using Europa, a gorgeous pearly sheer pink to give a pretty brightness to my lid, and Subra, a reddish brown Marsala-esque hue with a beautiful dimensionality to add some depth to my eye shape,  and to pick up the green colour in my eyes.

If I need to go out to a fashion event, I can add a bit more of Subra to create a quick and easy soft smoky eye, that’s never too dark or harsh looking.

Benefit They’re Real Mascara
I finish off my eyes with one or two coats of mascara. If it’s a good hair day, I’ll use one coat. If I need a little more pizazz to jazz up my finished look, I’ll add two coats for a kittenish Bardot vibe.

This mascara is amazing because it makes it easy to give my long but slightly thin lashes some major oomph.

Bonus!!

Joico Texture Boost Spray and Dry Oil Spray
I’m a big fan of hair that French girl hair that looks effortless, and definitely not overdone.

To help out my fine chemically treated hair, I always reach for a texturizing spray to give it some body, and then finish it all off with something to add some shine and softness.  A few quick twists around a 1 inch curling iron, some Texture Boost Spray to encourage the tousled look, and a bit of Dry Oil spray and I’m done.

As the day goes by, if I see a behind the scenes photo about to happen, I don’t have to worry about each wave looking perfectly placed just so. I just ruffle it up a little bit with my fingers and get back to the business of beautifying the client in my chair.

Photographer by Tiffany Sin/TiffanySPhoto.ca and styling by Mirna Temeljkovski.

If you enjoyed snooping through Erin Heather’s makeup bag as much as we did and want to ask her some of your own beauty regime or beauty product questions/recommendations, tweet at us at @ViewTheVibe and we’ll loop the beauty expert in for a Twitter talk on the do’s, don’ts, and why-the-eff-nots of gettin’ glamourous. Do you use any of the fab products featured in Vv’s “What’s In My Beauty Bag: Erin Heather”?