In a world where shameless brides-to-be are competing on camera for a chance at an all-over surgical makeover (seriously, Bridalplasty?) and you can’t flip through your favorite guilty pleasure magazine without seeing a celeb’s curiously wrinkle-free forehead (hey, Us Weekly), it’s hard not to at least wonder what that “flaw” would look like after going under the knife or being injected by Dr. 90210.

But who wants to spend precious time and money correcting or enhancing a “before” when you can contour your way to a pain-free “after” in minutes using the miraculous makeup techniques of celebrity makeup artist Eve Pearl? Having spent some time contemplating what my own least favorite feature would look like after a procedure (read: rhinoplasty), I figured I owed it to both my nose and my pain threshold to schedule an appointment with the woman who Kelly Ripa calls “a magician” and the Today Show’s Meredith Vieira credits for giving her “brighter eyes, higher cheekbones, lusher lips and bigger breasts” – with just the wave of her brush!

“I’m not pooh-poohing plastic surgery, I’m just trying to give you other options,” Eve told me before performing my truly transformative makeup nip-and-tuck. And that she did! To get your own “faux-se job” (read: “faux nose job”), follow the master makeup artist’s expert tips and helpful hints:

1. Looking straight into the mirror, use a thin, flat concealer brush with a cream foundation two tones darker than your skin color to shade the sides of the nose to even out the bump. Begin the shading at the inner edge of the lashes and, while working down toward the nostrils, adjust the shading area to create the illusion of a straight nose. Helpful Hint: Keep the thickness of the dark shade to the width of your pinky nail or smaller to avoid making your nose look thick or dirty.


Shady Business: Eve uses a concealer brush and a dark cream foundation to even out my bump.

2. With a clean brush or a sponge, blend out and soften any harsh contour lines.

Dark lines go from harsh...


To barely there after blending!

3. Apply loose powder with a makeup sponge or powder puff to set the foundation. Pat gently with the loose powder when going around areas with contouring. Helpful Hint: To give the appearance of a shorter nose (which I myself desired), Eve applied a small amount of the dark shade at the rim of the nose between the nostrils to create a shadow.


A couple pats of powder – and minutes – later, Eve unveiled the new bump-free me!

For more pearls of wisdom from Eve on how to contour and color your way to a new and improved you (whether that means enhancing “the gals” or making a double chin disappear), pick up a copy of Eve’s fun and informative makeup guide, Plastic Surgery Without the Surgery, The Miracle of Makeup Techniques, or visit Evepearl.com to find out how you can get the Eve Pearl experience.


Photos courtesy of Eve Pearl Assistant and Makeup Artist Pom Pavee
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