Makeup Artist Sam Fine Launches A Signature Collection & Talks Beauty Rules & Challenges

Sam Fine's know for painting the faces of celebs like Gabrielle Union, who he was working with this week, Jennifer Hudson, Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell, and now after 20 years of working in the industry and a year of working with Fashion Fair Cosmetics as Creative Director, he's finally been given the opportunity to create a signature line.  I spoke with Fine about his beauty influences, rules and common makeup challenges for African American women. What have been your go-to cosmetics and tools over the years?

I’ve invested in several Shu Uemura brushes that I’ve had my entire career! Making investments in good tools is the beginning of every great makeup kit. I’ve also used cream foundations like, Fashion Fair’s Perfect Finish since the beginning of my career… and I still keep Brown Blaze Glo in my kit!

How have your travels influenced your new cosmetic line?

Throughout my career, I’ve traveled to many exotic locales… And most recently, I’ve traveled to Tokyo, Mumbai, Russia, Madrid, London and Brazil on a promotional tour and witnessed varying standards of beauty. My travels have helped me to curate a color collection that will inspire women around the world to enjoy rich, beautiful color!

What are some of the biggest makeup mistakes women of color make?

How are you going to find what works if you don’t make a few mistakes along the way? I appreciate the attempts made by each woman who picks up a new lipstick or eye shadow and steps outside her comfort zone!

One of the most challenging aspects of makeup for women of color is finding the right foundation formula and shade. Also, finding formulas – lipstick, eyeshadow - that payoff and appear rich against the rich hue of brown skin. These may be challenges, but many companies are beginning to expand their offerings for women of color, making it easier to put their best face forward.

What's your #1 rule when it comes to applying makeup?

Practice makes perfect and with any craft, the more you do it, the better you become. There is no art you can perfect without practice.

What's your favorite product in your line and why?

If I had to choose a favorite product in my collection, it would be the Supreme Eye Color Quads! Each quad contains four richly pigmented shadows with two, sometimes three different formulas – iridescent, shimmering and matte; the versatility is amazing!

Get Jennifer Hudson's Look

With her new figure and glowing complexion, Jennifer Hudson has been on everyone's radar these days.  I got the scoop from Celebrity Makeup Artist and author of The Basics of Beauty, Sam Fine, on how to achieve her  look for a recent shoot.

"Even though Jennifer has gorgeous skin, every great look begins with coverage," Fine commented.  African American skin tends to have various tones, so to even it out, he used Queen Collection Natural Hue Compact Foundation.  Because it's a cream to powder formulation, it looks very natural.

When choosing a bronzer always go one shade darker than your natural skin tone. On Jennifer, Fine dusted CoverGirl Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer to the outside perimeter of her face to create a "halo of a glow."  To add a pop of color, he used Cargo's Matte Blush in Laguna.

"I wanted to keep her eyes subtle and classic for this shoot so I went with a brown shadow by Shue Uemura," Fine remarked.  Skipping eyeliner, he went right to layering mascara to enhance her eye shape with CoverGirl LashBlast.  "It's important to allow mascara to completely dry in between coats.  Move on an do something else in between."

To perfect Jennifer's nude lip, Fine lined them with a shade darker than her natural lip color.  "One of the biggest mistakes women make is trying to perfectly match their lip liner to their lipstick," he stated.  "If you don't match it to your lips, it will look great with any shade of lipstick."  Lip liner also makes a great base for lipstick if you feather it into your lips when you're done lining.  He topped off her pout with Iman Cosmetics Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick in Citron and CoverGirl Shine Blast Lip Gloss.