Get Sketching

The Illamasqua School of Make Up Art have developed a new technique called Skin Sketching.

It's not a brand new concept as it was first seen on Greta Garbo in the 1940's, she used a black pencil to create the illusion of depth in the crease and ever since make up lovers have tried to re-create this image but are in search of the right products.

Modern lives are bound in an endless chain of time constraints, practicality, and tiny clutch bags, which conspire to make the luxury of make-up application before, during or even after work an endless challenge.

Therefore, the Illamasqua School of Make-Up Art, a hub of unbridled creativity, has developed a simple yet brilliant solution to tick all the boxes of time, practicality and space saving – the Skin Sketching Technique.

Skin Sketching enables you to define, contour and highlight your face all using Illamasqua Medium Pencils. Choose from the two categories of neutral or vibrant tones to create a wide range of looks, from subtle contouring to bright graffiti for your eyes!

Watch the tutorial to see how to easily these pencils blend and how with a darker pencil you can take your looks from Day to Night.

The Secret of the Skin Sketching Technique: Neutrals

1. Smudge Medium Pencil in ‘Vow’ (nude apricot) all over the eyelid to reduce redness and blemishes and create a soft nude base.

2. Draw Medium Pencil in ‘Flinch’ (soft charcoal) along your upper socket line and under the eye for definition.

3. Scrawl Medium Pencil in ‘Honour’ (rich brown) on the outer third of the eye and on your bottom waterline for sexy smokiness.

4. Blend the three colours together with Blending Brush I.

Alternatively, experiment with Illamasqua’s array of Vibrant Tones to tap into Summer’s colour-blocking brights trend.

This technique is simple and requires less tools and products than it would normally to achieve a similar effect. In 2009 I created this look for a contest on YouTube, The brief was to create a eye make-up look using ONLY pencils. No eyeshadow, bases or creams were allowed, I used blue and brown eyeliners and the effect was very good and actually didn't crease like I imagined. The Illamasqua pencils are creamy, long lasting and blendable so the finished look will be flawless in comparison to my look.

The beauty of using pencils is that you can create highlight, shade and colour without bursting your make-up bag.

Illamasqua Medium Pencils   £13.00