Clockwise from top left: Mosaic Powder & Puff (not shown), $60. NP Set Lipstick in San Francisco, $22. Camera Finish, $59. Auto Pilot Pre-foundation Primer, $49.50. Prismatic Eyeshadow Quad — Air, $49. Stick Foundation, $59. Stockist: 1800 814 572.
His name is synonymous with flawless, beautiful make-up. Now Napoleon Perdis has put his genius into print with the release of his first book, Forever Flawless.
“Sharing my knowledge has always been a big part of what I do,” the make-up mogul says.
“I’ve been a working make-up artist for more than 20 years and am forever being asked by customers and the media for make-up tips. I’ve finally brought all my knowledge and advice together in one invaluable tome.”
The book highlights the best looks for different ages, including the no-surgery facelift and the “teen commandments” for a fabulous formal, and everything in between. Perdis breaks down even the most difficult make-up looks into easy to digest how-to steps; no doubt inspiring his readers to try out new fabulous and flawless looks.
As one would expect, the book is peppered with products from the aficionado’s ranges, NP Set and Napoleon Perdis, but not so over the top that it reads like a glorified sales booklet. The images used throughout the book are very approachable and, although most of us do not own all the products, the step-by-step instructions could be applied to other make-up products already sitting pretty in your cabinet.
Though you might expect the book to be sprinkled (or perhaps soaked) with photos of his celebrity clients (who include Melissa George, Debra Messing, Natarsha Belling and Gemma Ward), Forever Flawless is refreshingly celeb-free. Perdis uses real women with a range of different skin tones and face shapes and to model his looks including before and after shots.
Forever Flawless is published by Allen & Unwin ($39.99).
Napoleon’s tips to go from the desk to drinks flawlessly.
Pro tips: From daytime to playtime
Balancing act:
For your day makeup, it’s all about balance. Focus on your eyes, cheeks and lips in equal measure. Define and heighten all features of the face uniformly by using blends of neutral tones or muted colours, and you can’t go wrong. For evening, choose a feature to dress up. Play up your eyes, your cheeks or lips, or for those who dare, emphasise all three.
Smoke it up:
Smoke up your eyes with dark shadow swept over the entire eyelid, then blend out gradually at the socket area. Add black eyeliner to the lower lash and in the inner rim of the eye for extra definition. Finish with a touch of highlighter such as Ultra Pearl #37 Champagne, to the brow bone to change your look from day to night.
Luscious lips:
Add a bold shade of red, pink or coral, and line the lips after lipstick application for added definition and precision.
Get cheeky!
Start with a dash of flush blush for a subtle hint of colour, then finish with a hint of gold luminiser on the cheekbone to instantly set the celebratory mood.
