When you think Carnival, you think music, fun, costumes and bright colours. But even though it’s mas, you don’t have to look like “fright night.” There is actually the right way to apply your make-up for Carnival. Local veteran make-up artist Lester Rauseo made it clear and simple, the steps to getting that pretty Carnival face without the horror.

“With Carnival you always go a little out of the norm, but there are really two basic looks—the Mardi Gras look, which is just defining the features of the face a little more. “You may see more contouring of the nose, darker eyebrows, longer eyelashes, brighter eye shadows, etc. “The other look is the more natural earth-toned look. I call it the washed look. “This is for people who want that more neutral make-up finish. “You do the complete opposite when applying this look—less is more,” he said.

Do it the right way

Nose
“Start with your foundation, then add your finishing powder with a brush, this makes a more even coverage. When contouring the nose, contouring begins from the eyebrow, down the left and right side of the nose bridge. “You can also use bronze eye shadow on the nose bridge, all the way down. Now this highlighter on the centre of the nose must match the highlighter on the eyebrow bone,” explained Rauseo.

Lips
“Lips are lined with pencil—burgundy is the more preferred colour to use when outlining the lips, then use lip colour to highlight on the inside of the lip. “You can break the rule and go black—only for Carnival, though, any other time this is a definite no-no,” he warned.

Cheeks
“You must contour cheek line from under the cheek bone toward the ear. Use the contour line as a guide to where your brushes should go when highlighting the cheek bones. “To finish, apply the blush in same direction, just with a slightly upward stroke over the contour line.”