Celebrity MUA Nina Park's 'Gwang' Makeup Tips
We were beyond excited to have celebrity and fashion makeup artist Nina Park pay a visit to Glow Studio Downtown, and then to have her teach a master class all about how to get your ‘gwang‘ on! One look at her Instagram feed, and Nina Park is undoubtably the queen of glowy, dewy, natural makeup. Not to name drop, but have you seen Bella Hadid, Camilla Belle, and/or Zoe Kravitz? #Goals
Nina led a full house through her take on the glowy ‘gwang’ makeup look with our lucky team member Jackie as the model for the day! Here’s a recap of Nina’s ingenious tips!
Jackie’s natural, glowy look!
1. BUT SKIN FIRST
Not only are we huge proponents of prioritizing your skin as skincare experts, but makeup experts Daniel Martin AND Nina Park also emphasized the importance of taking care of your skin first before applying makeup. Nina’s skincare routine is a multi-stepped process that emphasize ‘chok chok,’ dewy, plump skin.
To begin, start with a cleansing water like Blithe’s Anti-Polluaging Pink Himalayan Salt Cleansing Water to remove all traces of dirt and residue. Then, prep the skin with a toner (hello, 7 skin method!) followed with a sheet mask. The sheet mask is a tip that comes straight from the red carpet – remember sheet mask selfies from the likes of Lady Gaga, Chris Pratt, and Justin Bieber? Celebrities, they’re just like us!
The DIY mask in action!
If you find yourself without a sheet mask handy, Nina shared her recipe for a DIY facial mask treatment involving chilled green tea and cotton pads. The caffeine naturally found in green tea helps to de-puff, soothe, calm, and reduce inflammation on skin. Leave the soaked cotton pads on the areas of the face that need it most for at least 5 minutes
Seal it all with with a moisturizer, preferably one that also helps to prime your skin for makeup and grips it!
2. Massage in your products for a boost in circulation
Nina is a firm believer that massage can release tension in the face, help to boost circulation and ultimately contribute to a radiant, healthy makeup look. Nina applied a sheet mask to the model’s cleansed face for an instant boost of hydration, then used a face roller to drain puffiness and promote circulation. She then gently massaged in the serum and cream steps into the skin in circular motions as well to help absorption. Our model’s face emerged from this mini-massage glowing and beautiful.
3. C.R.E.A.M – Cream (textures) Rule Everything Around Me
The absolute key to a glowy makeup look is in the texture of the products applied! For that natural finish, use cream-textured highlighter, contours, and blush for a easily blended and flawless look. If powder is required to set and mattify, use sparingly! Strategically powder the areas that need it the most (aka where you tend to get shiny at the end of the day). There is no need to powder the entire face, which is a sentiment Daniel Martin shares.
Fun fact: when celebrities are under the bright flashing lights on the red carpet, a white, reflective setting powder can sometimes appear in photographs. These powders contain silicones which refract the light from the flashes for a ghostly, ghastly white finish!
4. Order of operations matter!
The actual order of your routine will impact the finished and final look of your makeup. For a long-lasting natural (read: not cakey) look, Nina has a couple unexpected tips! Since the goal of the look is ‘gwang’, moisturized and plump skin are key. Too maintain that effect, hydrate the skin first before all else. Then, though this may seem a little backwards, apply your (cream) highlighter first, then contour and blush, all BEFORE foundation. Foundation and base color can just be applied over the areas that are not yet covered, like ‘filling in the blanks’. This helps to keep a natural look without layers of makeup building up over the day. Additionally, always apply your cream-textured products before any powders! If extra definition is needed, powdered highlights, contours, and blushes and be lightly dusted over.
5. A little extra glow never hurt anyone
For an ultra-editorial, high fashion take on the glow makeup, add a little bit of lip gloss to the high points of the face, where the light hits. In a pinch, add in your skincare like LJH’s Vita Propolis Ampoule for that extra oomph!
Get your glow on!
The Glow Recipe Team