Makeup Must-Haves with Mathias Alan
Mathias Alan is the only professional working makeup artist in Los Angeles with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry that also has a YouTube channel and a strong social media following. Mathias has worked as the head makeup and hair artist on E! television shows such as The Soup with Joel McHale and The Fashion Police with Joan Rivers. His work has also been featured on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, RuPaul’s Drag Race, TLC, The Style Network, Access Hollywood and MTV. His quickly-growing YouTube channel is focused on education and his viewers learn how to use specific products in detailed, step-by-step tutorials featuring models, personal clients, and women of all nationalities and age ranges.
What are your must-haves when you are on set?
This is one of my favorite powder brushes because the shape of the brush makes it perfect for setting a foundation in a humid climate or on oily skin with a generous amount of loose finishing powder. I personally find that when you’re working with an oily complexion, you need to be more generous with your setting powder. This brush is extremely soft, however it really applies a lot of powder on the skin while making it look airbrushed at the same time. It’s also my go-to brush for touch-ups on my actors over the course of a long, 15-hour shooting day.
I have used this brush for so many different purposes, from applying powder blush to liquid highlighters to body contouring to bronzer. It’s not too small and it’s not too large; it’s just perfect for so many uses and the hair is extremely soft. This brush is also a go-to brush in my kit for setting under eye concealer with loose finishing powder in a soft, delicate manner.
How do you make foundation look flawless?
When applying liquid or cream foundation or concealer, I really want precision in my application and the tapered tip of this brush makes it extremely easy to apply. I also really like the dense fibers in this brush and it works very well with liquid foundations as well as heavily pigmented creams, helping my makeup application look smoother. It’s also perfect for applying cream blush and liquid highlighters, instead of using fingers, which can make that kind of product look patchy.
Are there any brush mistakes to avoid?
I love this tapered, mini crease brush for small detail work on the eyes. Many people use too large of a crease brush to apply pigment from an eyeshadow palette. The smaller head size of this brush, as well as the pointed tip, really help it pick up a lot of pigment, especially in dark shade ranges, and put it precisely where you want it to go (and even blend at the same time).
So many women use extremely large powder brushes to set their face or apply bronzer or blush. My personal preference, after doing makeup for over 25 years, is to use a powder brush with a tapered tip so that I can get the application of powder or bronzer or blush in a specific area. I then lay the brush on its side to sweep and create a softer, airbrushed appearance away from the center of that initial placement.