Makeup Artist Passant Kholaif Shares Her Top Tips for a Flawless Look

Passant Kholaif is a 24-year-old self-taught makeup artist, who always loved makeup and used to be the makeup consultant among her friends. It all started when she began working in the corporate field, and she wasn’t quite sure that this is what she truly wanted and was passionate about! Then her friends and family pushed her to take her talent to the next level, and that’s how everything started.

We sat down with Egyptian makeup artist, Passant Kholaif, so she can give us some tips and tricks on how to make our eyes look wider, lips look lusher and how to properly contour our face and apply blush!

What’s the one makeup trend that women must stop following?

Definitely the sharp brows that are over filled in a squared shape at the beginning, and pretty much look like they were drawn on with a stencil. The eyebrows should always look lightly colored in, so they make you look youthful with a fresh face, rather than fake.

Blush is something that many women get wrong; how are we really supposed to apply it?

First of all, you have to identify your face shape and another important thing is that blusher should be applied on the cheeks only, neither the nose nor the forehead!

• For long face shapes: Apply blush on the apples and blend towards the temples.
• For oval faces: Apply blush on the apples of the cheek and blend with a blush brush.
• To slim a round face: Apply your blush in an angular motion  blending from the apple of the cheeks towards the temples.
• For square faces with a stronger jawline: Apply your brush in a linear motion a few inches from the sides of your nose.

Is contouring meant for every face shape?

Contouring is not meant for every face shape as there are some face shapes that are well defined and don’t need much. It’s not a big deal as some people think, and it is not a new trend, it has always been there. Some people take contouring to a whole new level and they almost appear like they are made of plastic. And all the contouring makes them look almost unrecognizable when they take their makeup off. I think that kind of contouring is too much.

Can you share with us your favorite base products, and why is it important to prepare your face before makeup?

My favorite foundations are Makeup For Ever Ultra HD and MAC Studio Fix. And it’s extremely important to get the face prepared before the makeup, starting from cleansing coming to moisturizing as everything else is based on it, so if it’s not based correctly that result will not be satisfying and definitely won’t stay for too long.

What’s the makeup trick that would make a girl’s lips look bigger?

Applying a lip liner that is the same shade or one shade darker from your lipstick can make your lips look bigger, but you have to take care not to go too far away from your actual lip line.

What’s the makeup trick that would make small eyes look bigger?

• Don't apply eyeliner all the way around your eyes: Doing so will cause your eyes to look smaller, as they will appear fenced or ringed in by the circle line.

• Extend the eyeliner beyond the outer corners of your eyes: This line should move upwards a little as well, mimicking a very long eyelash. This technique will make your eyes appear wider, but it is a tricky technique to do as well. If the eyeliner isn't applied symmetrically, it can make your eyes look lopsided

• Lighten the waterline: You might also want to line your wet line with white or other light color. It makes eyes look noticeably bigger, but be careful, as overdoing it will look awkward.

• Mascara, mascara, mascara!

True or false: Makeup can replace your sunscreen.

Makeup does not provide enough coverage provided by the sunscreen, so this is just false.

If I wear a hijab, does the color of my headscarf interfere with the colors of the makeup I choose?

Yes definitely, everything should be in harmony and contrast especially that the headscarf is really close to your face.