Five minutes with...Dean Nixon from Master Makeup (and a Giveaway)!

Hello lovelies,

Happy Thursday! The weekend is just one short day away, woot! To kick things off, I have a great interview with Dean Nixon from Master Makeup to share with you today (and a chance to win one of his brushes, valued at $40, but more on that later)!

Dean Nixon from Master Makeup.

In case you haven't heard of him, he's a wonderful makeup artist with extensive experience in the industry (having worked all over the world, including the US, London, Europe, and Asia), with his recent role being appointed as the Dr Lewinns Skin Perfect Brand Ambassador. Dean has also had a long history of working with fashion superstore David Jones, having directed the makeup for the store's seasonal shows for the past fifteen seasons! He writes a 'how-to' column for the Herald Sun and has his own line of personally designed makeup brushes, called Master Makeup. I own his entire set of brushes (review to follow shortly) and let me assure you, lovelies, they are like a cloud on a handle! Perfect for applying makeup with, and oh-so-soft!

1) Hi Dean, welcome to The Made Up Maiden Blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us. You have an amazing history in the makeup and fashion world. When did you first realise your passion for makeup, and what started it?

It was pure accident getting into makeup. I had just moved home to Melbourne from Sydney, and wanted a career change after working in retail fashion. I was lucky enough that someone decided to take a chance on me. I had never done makeup before but always loved the idea of being a makeup artist. With 4 days of intense training, I was unleashed onto the world! The rest, I guess, is history.

2) Have you got any 'signature' Dean Nixon makeup tips to share with us?

The one thing I'm becoming known for is the one-shadow smoky eye. All you need is a good blending brush, a mid-tone eyeshadow, and concealer! Start with the concealer to even out the pigment of the eyelid. The trick is, this application of concealer becomes your light shadow shade. Then, blend the mid-tone eyeshadow, starting at the darkest point and blending to the lightest. Repeat the application process until you have the right amount of depth. You can then blend your eyeliner in to give more depth and open the eye up.

3) What's the one product that you think all women should have in their makeup collections, and why?

If I had to choose just one, it would have to be a bronzing powder. Bronzers are a great multi-purpose product as they can be used to give definition to the cheekbones, add a little colour to the face when you're feeling a little flat, and also help even out the skin tone a little. It's also been known to washed across the eyelid as a quick alternative to eye shadow and patted onto the lip.

4) What are some of the makeup brands you think deserve more attention?

There are so many makeup brands entering the market nowadays. I have always been guilty of favouring the more prestigious ones, however, what I'm finding now is that the budget brands are getting better and better! There is even a $2 range at Big W, called Boe, that has some great products. Don't get me wrong, I still love the luxury of the high-end brands, but I'm finding that nearly every brand has at least one great product.

5) What are three products that you ALWAYS have in your professional makeup kit?

This one is easy; Dr Lewinn's Skin Perfect Anti-Aging Primer, MAC Face and Body Foundation and my Master Makeup By Dean Nixon Brushes.

6) I love the name of your brush line, Master Makeup! How did you come up with the name and inspiration for your line?

Master Makeup was born as a masterclass business where women come to learn how to better apply their makeup in a simple, 3 hour, hands-on class. The name was a result of weeks of playing around with different name combinations until I finally settled on simply - Master Makeup. After holding a few classes and realising that woman really struggled with their applications due to a lack of good "tools", I set about creating a range of "must have", multi-purpose brushes that were all a woman needed to apply professional-looking makeup. Master Makeup By Dean Nixon was launched after two and a half years of development. 

7) You have three face brushes (Kabuki, Foundation and Concealer) and three eye brushes (Eyeshadow, Blending and Eyeliner) currently in your line. What made you choose these six to start off with?

When I was developing them, I looked to what I used most in my day-to-day makeup application, and started there. I then set about creating my own shapes and bristles, what I considered to be my perfect brushes. My plan was to keep it simple. 6 brushes is really all you need. I set myself the challenge of designing a range of brushes that I could do my entire job with. The idea behind this was that if I could do it, then it would be definitely all a woman would need to apply all her makeup.

8) For a bit of a stickybeak, what other brushes are you working on and how soon will they be available? I, for one, can't wait to see a blush brush!

Although I have made the Kabuki brush so it could be used for all powders, bronzers and blush application, I am definitely looking at adding a blush brush into the range, together with a brow brush. I believe this would finish off the range, and is expected to be ready early next year. My next product launch will be the brush cleaners I have been working on, and I'm looking at a May/June launch. I've developed a hygiene spray, and my favourite, a brush shampoo. 

I hoped you enjoyed getting to know Dean Nixon, lovelies!

I'd like to thank Dean for sparing some time to sit down with me and answer my questions. Don't forget to check out his website, where you can also buy his brush collection (hint, it would make a lovely Mother's Day gift)! He has also kindly provided my readers with a chance to win one of his amazing kabuki brushes. 

To enter, all you have to do is follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway is only open to Australian residents (sorry, international readers, I promise that another exciting giveaway will be available soon)! Remember, you must be a GFC follower of my blog, and you must leave a comment on why you'd like to win this brush! I will be checking, lovelies, and I'd hate to disqualify anyone because they hadn't followed the rules! Please also include your GFC name and email address with your comment. You can also tweet once a day to increase your chances of winning!

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Much love,

MM.

x

Note: This giveaway was generously sponsored by Dean Nixon from Master Makeup and is only open to Australian residents. Please note that the winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of the giveaway ending. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected. The winner's details will be provided to Master Makeup, who will be responsible for mailing out the prize. Please refer to the terms and conditions of this giveaway for more details.