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Renowned makeup artist, Chay Roberts, shares his tips and favourite tools of the trade for the ultimate in autumnal beauty.
Photography by Ryan Robertson
Eyes
Autumn is a perfect time to reach for richer jewel tones. Smoke out the eyes with colours like sapphire, amethyst or emerald. Keep everything else neutral to ensure the focus stays with the eyes. I love Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Amethyst Aphrodisiac for its rich colour and simple pencil-like application. Huda Beauty’s Emerald Obsessions Palette has some beautiful eyeshadows with a rich and highly pigmented colour pay-off.
Brows
I like a defined but natural and soft looking brow. My favourite brow pencil is M.A.C Veluxe Brow Liner because it has the soft, matte finish of a brow shadow but can be applied with the precision that a sharpened pencil affords. M.AC.’s Shape and Shade Brow Tint is a liquid brow liner that I also love to use to enhance the brows. I use it to feather-stroke faux hairs into the brow. Doing this adds fullness to the brow in a natural-looking way.
Lips
A bold red or rich wine lip is a great statement for autumn and an easy way to create a bit of drama with minimal effort. I love a good liquid matte lipstick for its highly pigmented opacity and longevity. Some of my favourites are Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in Starwoman, Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncensored and Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Disorderly. Make sure to line the lips first for an extra precise lip line. M.A.C‘s lip pencils are my favourite in Cherry, Russian Red, Nightmoth and Vino. A strong lip is best paired with a low-key eye makeup look, like a champagne eyeshadow or a casual flicked eyeliner.
Skin
Flawless, radiant skin is desirable no matter the season. Hydration is key. I’m currently using Antipodes Glow Ritual Vitamin C Serum. Dior Forever Skin Glow is my go-to foundation because it is lightweight, radiant and long-wearing. I layer that with Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer to brighten under eyes and/or spot cover. Finish the skin with Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick. I press this beautiful, glassy-looking gel highlighter along the high points of the cheekbones, eyelids and brow bones with my fingers.
Photography by Mike Rooke
Photography by Holly Sarah Burgess
5 minutes with Chay Roberts
What first inspired your career path into makeup artistry?
From a young age I’ve been inspired by the glamour of celebrity, red carpet and fashion. I grew up in the 80s and early 90s and was heavily influenced by Kevin Aucoin’s work on the supermodels like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, as well as recording artists like Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Mary J Blige. His work is amazing and was very inspiring to me, and really encouraged me to follow the path of makeup artistry.
Though there are bound to be many, can you share some career highlights?
I’ve had lots of moments that have been highlights. My first magazine cover, the first billboard I saw my work on, even seeing my work for a commercial job on the back of a bus! But I really love working with performance artists and musicians, so the time I spent working with the hair and makeup team on The X Factor was a great highlight for me. I love the excitement and energy backstage. It feels good to be a positive contribution to the process of these aspiring artists’ experience.
What fuels your creativity?
My creativity is often influenced by interactions with my friends and the people I work with. I could be introduced to their interests through conversation or intrigued by the way they solve their creative challenges that make me look at the way I may be going about things.
Your favourite look to create is?
A smoky eye never hurt nobody! Whether it’s dark and broody, metallic and reflective or bright and punchy, my favourite look to create is a big blown-out smoky eye.
What’s one of the simplest but most game-changing makeup tips you’ve picked up during your career?
My simple makeup tip is to use your hands and fingers to apply your liquid and cream products. Nothing is better than using the warmth of your fingers to melt the concealer into your skin, dab and blend cream blusher into the cheeks or swipe and smooth eye cream across the lid.
If you had creative licence to work with anyone in the world, who would you choose and why?
I’d love to shoot with David La Chapelle. His work with some of the most iconic celebrities from the 90s and early ‘00s in film and photography was epic, dramatic, beautiful and controversial. I’d love to be able to contribute to one of his iconic creations.
You have three products to transform a look from day to night worthy of any glamorous celebratory event. What are they and how would you use them?
1. Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow across the eyelid to add sparkle and glamour to the eyes. The dove foot applicator makes it easy to apply a swipe of shimmer and the formulation means that you get the glitter without the fallout.
2. YSL Beauty Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. Layer this mascara for dramatic volume.
3. Finish the lips with M.A.C Clear Lip Glass. I love the high sheen finish it gives