Fall Red Carpet Beauty Trends At #TIFF2018 With Simone Otis

TIFF 2018 has come and gone, the stars shone, the films sizzled and now we await the next film festival and awards show to trend on our social feeds. However, despite the temporary film frenzy and high we all experience comes one everlasting impact – fashion and beauty trends.

The fall season without a doubt brings to us the hottest runways, film festivals and award shows that lock down the fashion and beauty trends that we’ll see for the next 6-8 months until the cycle repeats itself.

So, it was a pleasure for me to sit down with award-winning makeup artist Simone Otis at the Beauty Boutique Film Festival lounge by Shoppers Drug Mart during the Toronto International Film Festival to talk all things beauty. Here she sheds some secrets, provides some expert insights and encourages you all to let your fearless inner diva shine!

Daniel: You know, TIFF is all about beauty and fashion, and I find that the trends get set around this time and last throughout the entire red-carpet season. From your expert eye, what are the beauty trends right now?

Simone: It’s been actually interesting to see, we are in a period where there is the “no makeup look” to looks that are wild and crazy and completely editorial. Right now, no look is off the table. It’s a make-up extravaganza out there! Everyone is doing everything.

The classic seems to be sticking hard which is nice, you know like red lip, full lash, beautifully groomed brows. I feel like that’s the one classic look, which never goes out of style and I like that. Who doesn’t like a red lip and full lashes, beautiful brows, and a little soft believable contour?

Daniel: Have there been any of those looks, which you’ve been a fan of at TIFF 2018?

Simone: I saw Julia Roberts and she looked fresh and lovely, and that’s always a look again that kind of goes back into that idea of classics. She is playing up her lips, but not too much, her skin looks phenomenal.

Daniel: I’ve noticed that red is always popular when it comes to the celebs walking the red carpet, but it’s an issue for a lot of women out there, who are looking for a perfect red that can complement their skin tone and undertone. What are your tips here?

Simone: Well, you definitely can’t go the road that is very science and try to address undertones – it becomes difficult and hard to understand. For me, it’s simple when it comes to a red, make sure that you either choose a ‘cool red’ or ‘warm red’ or a neutral tone just based on your skin tone.

I’d suggest some of the colors in the Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks collection by Stila Cosmetics in “Bella” or “Beso”, which I do think you are kind of safe with. These light colors are very high impact with opacity. The opacity helps if you want to do red to suit a soft skin tone. With that said, don’t be afraid to go boldly opaque and perhaps matte and if you want, you can add a dab of gloss in the center. But if you really want an impactful mouth you don’t have to worry too much about it being too warm or too cold, do whatever you need to, to create a statement. If you’re still concerned, I would say go with a neon red because they suit everybody and they are a really high impact.

Daniel: If you looked at the Cannes a few years ago, there is a Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai she had that purple lip.

Simone: Oh stunning!  I love that, I think those kinds of lip colors, including a bold black lip are great on people of color. I think those deeper darker shades are something people are seeing and realizing ‘hey that’s not actually that edgy on someone who has a deeper skin tone’. Look at Rihanna for instance, who has an almost forest green lip or navy lip and it’s not that crazy. To be honest, it just gives you this richness. Women of color can really be experimental with the lip colors they choose.

Daniel: Speaking of skin, many get lost in the idea of colors and shades when it comes to makeup and cosmetics. But what about the skin? Isn’t that the single most important thing when it comes to creating a flawless look?

Simone: Oh, wait a minute, skin! The skin has been something to really talk about for last little while. There are so many available treatments that anyone can do at home. Great moisturizers, great serums, all these different gadgets. I think the skin has really taken leaps and bounds, which the average person can do, just like the celebrities. And it has become its own look, like ‘look at my skin, that’s my make-up today.’ Good skin has become a different version of highlighter too these days as people want to show off their natural, glowing skin.

Daniel: Apart from taking your make-up off and washing your face, what would be some of your tips when it comes to maintaining good glowing skin and enhancing it too?

Simone: I would say finding a very good exfoliator that you could use every day or every other day. You can find a milk cleanser to clean your face, something of which has more of an exfoliation to the skin. That’s a great way to make sure that you are very clean.

Everyone is talking about that double cleansing thing now, so I think that’s something too. It’s when you start with an oil-based cleanser to thoroughly cleanse the face to remove any dirt and makeup, then you follow up with a water-soluble cleanser to do a final deep rinse. A lot of people believe that you don’t wash your face once to get the all of the grim and grit out of your pores, so this new trend of double cleansing is really something that allows for clean skin.

Daniel: You know that I remember when I used to wipe makeup off my face, your face looks bare like there is no make-up. But then I wash my face with a cleansing device and all of a sudden, all this makeup starts coming out of my pores. It’s so naked to the eye, but it’s there.

Simone: I agree with you and that built-up over time enlarges your pores and it ends up giving you dark under eyes.

Daniel: What products would you suggest people play around with for daily, everyday wear?

Simone: For a daily basis, I love the NARS concealers. I think any of them are good, those are really good because the consistency is really good.

I love STILA Stay All Day liquid lipsticks, I think these are so great because they come in a range of colors and they really do stay on.

I love to play with all the glitters that they have. And they come in such a large range and colors, they are so easy to put on with the actual applicator. A lot of time you get those products and its hell. You try to put it on and that applicator itself starts taking it off. It’s just too crazy and fussy. But these are so easy that you can do with just a tiny little dab with a little line and you can do full lid or you can add a little to your cheekbones. They are just super fun and add something special.

Daniel: What would be your final piece of advice be for the guys and girls out there, when it comes to trying make-up?

Simone: Try them all and don’t limit yourself! Just know that the best thing is you can wash that off if you don’t like it – you are not committed.