Trained cosmetologist, makeup artist and director of operations at Modern Day Mogul (do check out their lovely collection of vintage style bow ties), Heidi Hicks has been in the beauty industry for a long, long time.
Taking some from her busy schedule to talk to us at SPICE, the makeup marvel – who is also well versed in the art of social media and is an utter joy to interact with (her warmth can be felt even via email) – tells us what she’d love to change about the beauty industry and what makeup’s really for…
SPICE: Hiya Heidi! Please tell us, what does beauty mean to you?
Heidi Hicks:Beauty is the goodness one beholds and appreciates, whether felt or seen of any object or being.
What is your day-to-day beauty routine?
A natural honey and glycerin facial cleanser, and moisturiser is a must. I don’t wear make up every single day, but when I do, I keep it light and prefer a natural look with maybe a pop of colour on the lips and cheeks. It all depends on what I’m feeling during the application.
Do you have a signature look?
I will wear a light blush or bronzer and highlighter combo, a tinted gloss on the lips and mascara, after applying spot coverage with foundation. I’ll switch the shades and colours used depending on how I feel and what I’m wearing.
What would be your must-have beauty product?
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Stick – I use it to soften and exfoliate my lips.
If we were to open your makeup bag, what other brands and products would we find?
Kevyn Aucoin brushes, bronzers, blushes and pencil; Embryolisse moisturiser; Eucerin’s ‘Make Up Forever’ coloured mascara, lip and ‘Aqua’ eye product; Inglot eye shadows and gels; Black Opal foundation and lipsticks; Maybelline mascara;, a MAC brow pencil and various tinted lip glasses; Iman and Urban Decay lip glosses and ‘Glide On’ eye pencils; a La Femme Blush Palette; Japonesque tweezers; beauty blenders, and a few other things.
What are your beauty dos and don’ts?
Above all things, I take care of my skin. Do try makeup of different colours and textures. Do make sure hands are clean before application begins. Do use a light hand and add more product if desired. Don’t skip grooming brows, even when allowing them to grow to become fuller, or for correcting them – it makes such a difference. I don’t get comfy. I wow myself sometimes…
Whose makeup do you always admire?
Artists whose work I look for and have learned the most from are (in no particular order): Kevyn Aucoin, James Vincent, Taryll Atkins, Sandradene Fearon (FACEONU), Sam Fine, Danessa Myricks, Victoria Duke and Jennifer James.
Can you please share an “oh no, I didn’t” moment with us?
A photo shoot I had in a makeup class. It started out right. I kept going. It went wrong.
If you had to give just one beauty tip or piece of advice, what would it be?
Take care of your skin.
What is your beauty fantasy?
To have my make up done by a favourite mua who will have me looking like a bronzed and golden goddess.
If you could, what would you like to change about the beauty industry?
I’d like to see (and hear about) less vanity and more beauty from pro artists and consumers. Make up is to enhance a person’s own beauty, not create a person, unless it’s for a movie or play. People skip seeing beauty before the make up is applied. Some may disagree, but having worked in the nursing field for many years, my thoughts and appreciation for certain things will be different than that of someone without that experience.
Fans can follow Heidi via Facebook (Facebook.com/MsHeidiHicks) and check out her top 10 beauty products for SPICE, here.
Image source: Missmerli.wordpress.com
