mario

10 things I learnt from Kim Kardashian's make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic

Body Work Columnist
April 6, 2017

Any self-respecting make-up junkie will have heard of Mario Dedivanovic... He is, after all, one of the world's biggest make-up artists and, very importantly, responsible for the Kim Kardashian contouring that (arguably) made her famous. So when Mario came to London to launch Nip + Fab's new make-up line, I jumped at the chance to attend a masterclass with the man himself and learn ALL of his tips and tricks. Two hours and LOTS of scribbling later, I've condensed to bring you the top 10...

1. When you're contouring, apply a dark shade of cool-toned brown to the hollows of your cheekbones, and blend upwards (he specifically said 'do not blend downwards'!) into the temples. This makes it looks natural and blended in photos.

2. If you need to contour your nose - and, FYI, Mario only recommends doing this if you really feel you need to - use a very light shade of contour.

3. Want Insta-perfect selfies? Contour along the jawline - Mario says this makes a massive difference in photos. Also apply to centre of the underneath part of your chin and blend outwards to lessen the look of a double chin.

4. Mario uses both creams and powders for contouring, but tends to stick to powders for red carpets, and cream for photoshoots... Creams move around a lot and need touch-ups!

Kim often travels the world for Mario's make-up masterclasses

5. Blur out the edges of your contour with a damp beauty blender. This gets rid of any telltale lines.

6. When it comes to highlighter, don't go too close to laugh lines - this only serves to emphasis the wrong areas... As does applying highlight to your nose when you have a bump on the bridge, says Mario.

7. To give his clients some serious glow when they hit the red carpet, Mario applies highlight above the brow bone, on one side of the chin and on the same side of the forehead. This means that when they move on the red carpet, they look shimmering and glowy.

8. Onto blusher. Mario's very much an 'apples of the cheek' kind of MUA, and he says applying it there helps to take away from darkness of the under-eye area, especially in photographs.

9. Trying to cover bad skin? Mario's top advice is to spot treat the areas of concern, rather than blanket applying your foundation/concealer. It might take more time, but the results are worth it.

10. To finish off your look, Mario recommends a setting spray - specifically a silicone-based spray, to create a dewy glow.

The Nip + Fab make-up range is available now at nipandfab.com. 

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