Meeting MAC Cosmetics' Gregory Arlt

In {almost} six years of beauty blogging, I never imagined I'd get to meet a makeup artist successful enough to actually be the makeup artist to the stars. For people who make a living out of their looks, I think that a fantastic makeup artist is one of the biggest investments they will make.

Dita von Teese by Gregory Arlt

Katy Perry by Gregory Arlt

"The trend is to look pretty,"

Arlt begins the afternoon MAC Techniques session at Blue Leaf. Instantly, I was inclined to like the man -- he was funny and joked all throughout the night. Personally, trends are nice and they keep us from looking dated rather than classic but I'm not too sure as to when a trend stops so I do steer away from them most of the time.

"The trick to a five minute makeup is giving yourself 20 minutes more," says Arlt. More than the discussion about the actual trends {smoky greys, strong lip hence my fuchsia lipstick every day HA HA}, I enjoyed his little tidbits of makeup tips. "Your primer is your secret weapon, it acts like a Velcro for your foundation to help minimize your pores and keeping your makeup on. It's a must for the red carpet. Arlt recommends MAC Prep + Prime, MAC Fix+ which is a vitamin mist. "

Condition the lips in the beginning of the makeup preparation." This step ensures that the lips are well moisturized before applying a matte lipstick on by the latter part of the makeup application."

Work downwards with foundation. "For women who have facial hair, this makes sure that peach fuzz is blended well into the skin."

If you only have time for one eyeshadow, use a shimmery eyeshadow. "This technique is a personal favorite --- peachy, gold, champagne eyeshadows always brighten up the eyes without looking too made up. A favorite is Bobbi Brown's Champagne but Gregory Arlt's recommendation, All That Glitters, is a winner, too:

"Concentrate on the parts of the face that has mobility like the eyes and the face." During the demo, Arlt applied MAC Dazzle Glass on model Ann Umali's lovely face. It instantly made me want to grab a tube.