Beauty tips from The X Factor makeup guru

Dec 23, 2011 8:00 AM by Catherine Conelly

Posted in Beauty & Style / Makeup & Skin Care

Kristofer Buckle Gives Style Team Expertise

Kristofer Buckle is responsible for the A-list makeup artistry in several Allure and Vogue issues. He has been giving The X Factor contestants their show stopping looks all season and recently helped SheKnows give one little gal a big makeover.

The season may be over, but from makeup tips to styling advice, the team behind the The X Factor sizzle gave SheKnows some pointers on how to get an everyday A-list look. Kristofer Buckle, the man behind the brushes and the set's main makeup guru, shared what it takes to give even the simplest of them all the celebrity shine.

Color correction

The key to disguising a pimple? Color correction.

When you have to hide a blemish, Kristofer says, "You can use more yellow based concealer because that neutralizes the red that's in acne." Meaning, you hide a blemish with color rather than weight.

In the best interest of your pimple, use a drier concealer. Test the formula on the back of your hand; if it's glossy, it's not for pimples.

"When it comes to blemishes, or anything that's three dimensional that you want to conceal, you want to use a concealer that's not very emollient; you want to use something that's a little bit drier."

A reliable base

Kristofer has three simple steps to star power: A great base, eyes that pop and intense lip color. Even if you have blemishes, you still get a great base with the right foundation.

"Nothing says star power like perfect, beautiful skin. So even if you're faking it, it doesn't really matter." He adds, "It's really about getting rid of all those things that distract from your best features."

Flaring lashes

Next on his agenda: standout eyes. "Second, you really want to bring out the eyes," he said.

"Eyes are very expressive," Kristofer reminds us, explaining why enhancing the eyes is so important for The X Factor celebrity makeup style.

quick tip

"If you want to shift attention to the face, you can lighten your eyebrows with concealer so that you see your eyes more instead of the darkness of the eyebrow."

False eyelashes are a great way of doing that. It's instant glamour." Your reaction to applying falsies might involve a long sigh. So, we asked Kristofer for his tips and ideas on how to apply false eyelashes quick and easy.

"Most of the time when I see lashes going wrong, it's because they haven't been fitted properly. So, when you buy a lash, you want to lay it on your eye and see if the band stems past your eye. You want to bring it all the way to the inside corner of your eye, just where the bulk of your lashes begins."

Before sealing the deal with glue, use scissors to clip off extra length.

Luxe lips

"The easiest trick in the book to add instant glamour is to add a really bright or deep colored lip," said Kristofer. If you're going for The X Factor style, red is the go-to choice.

quick tip

For the perfect red lip: Use your finger to apply. It will help you to control the intensity of your lip color.

As for color code, if you have a lot of pink undertones in your skin, you would go with a more warm shade of red for your lip, what Kristofer refers to as more of a tomato shade.

If you have a more olive skin undertone, which is greener, you go with a cooler red lip. It's all about the undertones in your skin, he told us.