Bobbi Brown

“As you can see, Karen’s not wearing any makeup at all…”

There I sat, feeling totally and completely naked and blinking wildly under the bright studio lights, as a layer of perspiration glistened on my forehead.

I’ve attended one-day makeup classes — sometimes called master classes — like this one before. Brand-sponsored classes usually held in large department stores. I really enjoyed the ones put on by MAC and Chanel, and yesterday’s, led by Bobbi Brown Manager of North American Artistry Marc Reagan, at the Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, was just as interesting and fun.

It followed a similar set up. There’s a fee to attend, in this case $100 (my attendance fee was covered by the company), which is then redeemable toward the purchase of products at the end of the class.

Marc, a seasoned pro on Bobbi’s elite Beauty Team, has worked his magic on celebs and backstage at Fashion Weeks all over the world. At yesterday’s class, he demonstrated a bunch of different techniques and products on a model and answered questions while the attendees followed along, applying the techniques and trying the looks on themselves.

This time was a little different for me, though, um, because I was the model.

When I was asked, first thing I thought was, “FUN!” Second thing I thought was, “Oh, gawd! He’s going to have to take off all my makeup first! Holy sh*t!”

I’m the type of gal who applies concealer and gloss just to go get the mail outside, so I was a little nervous at first to be up there in front of the class without my “armor.”

But once I got used to it (as much as that’s possible), it was actually kind of liberating…akin to wearing a crazy cool shirt or something and just not giving a hoot.

The two-hour class was jam packed with tips. Marc did a two-phase makeup look on me, first walking the class through a natural, everyday look with the basics before cranking up the drama with more color, and between turning my head left and right at Marc’s direction, I typed a few notes on my phone.

1. Ramp up the wear time of your favorite Bobbi Brown foundations by layering them with one of Bobbi’s facial moisturizers

Ever notice that Bobbi’s line doesn’t include a face primer? It turns out, that’s because all of the brand’s facial moisturizers contain a primer in the formula.

So smart, right? Layering one of Bobbi’s facial moisturizers under your fave foundation not only helps to hydrate and protect your skin, but it also extends the wear time of the products you apply next.

2. Keep two brushes on standby to apply under-eye concealer

When applying under-eye concealer, Marc recommends first applying with a flat brush before using your ring finger to pat and blend in the edges. The flat brush places the concealer where you want it on your skin, as opposed to just pushing it around.

Then, to set your concealer and ensure that it lasts through the day, fully load a tapered fluffy brush with plenty of powder (don’t be shy!), and gently pat that on top.

3. Bring a Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick with you in your makeup bag

Does Marc have a go-to Bobbi Brown product? As a matter of fact, he does! Bobbi Brown’s Foundation Sticks, and he says, “every woman needs one in her makeup bag.”

With the sticks, which Marc says always look natural and never heavy or cakey, you can build them up for heavier coverage, or sheer them out wherever you need less. You can also wear them alone or set them with a powder, and if you want to touch-up during the day, the Foundation Sticks even layer well atop powder.