Interview: Make-up artists Jasna Oklešen and Tina Fabjan on the mission of female beauty

The new Max Factor campaign is called #RevealYourXtraordinary, discover your uniqueness. Why are you two unique? What makes you different?

Tina: I am a very positive and flexible person. I like to meet new people in my life who meet me and above all I believe that everything happens for a reason. I try to find something good in every situation and I am a firm advocate of the positive. If you are honest with yourself and give good, it will come back to you.
Clear: We are unique because - despite being a kind of 'makeup competition' - we always support and trust each other.

The campaign highlights the notion of Xtraordinary. What is your first association with this word?

Tina: Something that makes you special and very unique. Maybe what you're best known for. It's that good impression, maybe even a feeling and experience, that sticks in your memory when you see someone for the first time.
Clear: An outstanding brand, outstanding products that last for years and years.

What makes you different from other make up artists?

Tina: We are simple and do not see each other as competition. At most, this is our advantage. We are meticulous in our work and we know the world of the cosmetics industry very well and we know what our market needs. We know how to give our make-up knowledge to women in a very simple and "homely" way. Because, at the end of the day, we too are just women, no better and no worse than the rest. And in this way we understand them and know what they need.
Clear: We understand that we can approach even a mere mortal, an average woman who doesn't look like a top model, because after all, we are ourselves, just an ordinary woman, with all the beauty flaws that other ladies also face.

Can you trust us with how makeup trends have changed over time? Which trend can't be forgotten, but would, for example, be considered a complete miss today?

Tina: Trends adapt a lot over time and arise by themselves, according to the current state of the world. To give an example: now, at the time of wearing protective masks, it is known how much the decline in lipstick sales has occurred. Why? Because the lipstick simply smudges under the mask. That is why the focus is now on the eyes and beautiful skin, because this is the most exposed. Thus, most attention is focused on eye make-up, rich eyelashes and well-groomed eyebrows. That's how trends throughout history adapt.
Clear: History always repeats itself, just in a slightly different form that is modern for a certain period. Smokey eyes were seen already in the 20s of the last century, when silent films were very popular, red lips can be found in the 50s of the last century. I remember a period in the 90's when thin eyebrows were fashionable, which is very funny now, because very thick eyebrows are fashionable. But that doesn't mean it won't happen again, because we could see these eyebrows already in the 60s of the last century.
Tina: I would agree with Jasna here - thin eyebrows are a trend that would be very difficult to accept among women nowadays.

What is the biggest mistake we women can make when applying makeup?

Tina: We want to get closer to the look from commercials, social media, etc. We want to imitate the make-up of celebrities and influencers. But not everyone is necessarily comfortable with this look. That is why I always emphasize that all make-up and all popular classic and permanent beauty techniques must be adapted to your face and proportions.
Clear: Probably that we want to look like someone else. Every woman can be beautiful, she just has to accept herself as she is. Our task is to emphasize this beauty so that they feel more confident.

Are women aware of their inner beauty or still not enough?

Tina: Too little. I can confirm this for myself as well. Make-up, clothes and hairstyle are just a little help to boost self-confidence. I believe that it is necessary to work on yourself and invest in a healthy mind. But I can certainly confirm from experience that makeup helps with self-confidence. Just think about how you feel when you groom yourself, what kind of body language you have at that time. In my opinion, the sum of everything is extremely important.
Clear: We often notice that precisely because of a lack of awareness of inner beauty, women try to emphasize outer beauty by exaggerating their make-up

Considering that the campaign reveals uniqueness - what is the thing that you make-up artists try to give the most when applying makeup and what to hide?

Tina: Emphasize the strengths of each individual woman. What makes it special, unique. That's why #ReveailYourExtraordintray. Because every woman has it. Some people don't know how to emphasize it properly, and this is where makeup artists come to the rescue. To show how easy it can be done.
Clear: Every woman is unique in her own way, because one is not the same as the other. We definitely try to emphasize at least one thing on the face that stands out. Whether it's the eyes or the lips depends on the individual, but we certainly adapt the makeup to her character and mood. We rarely change her into another person, unless there is a special desire to do so.

You can trust us when will vivid colors return to the eyelids again - if ever?

Tina: Colors? Why not? I know that bright colors are not very common on the eyes, but we can calm it down with the addition of black or dark brown. Colors invigorate us, especially when we are tired. That's why I myself am an advocate of being brave with colors. Older ladies in particular look good if we emphasize their lips with a lively shade and add it to the cheeks. Then their face just comes alive.
Clear: Vivid colors are seen mainly in teenage girls who know how to be bold, but also in older ladies who are stuck in the 80s of the last century. In any case, the essence of make-up is that a woman feels good with it. And if there are vivid colors in the game at this point - why not?

On Instagram, they are always smiling, full of life energy. Where do you pump it, where do you charge the batteries?

Clear: The positivity was always on our side. We are simply happy people and we love life and the people around us. We surround ourselves with positive people, which does not mean that we do not know how to listen to those who are less positive. We found that we have very similar principles, a lot of empathy, know how to be very loyal, and above all, we know how to support each other. For us, the glass is usually always half full, almost never half empty. If life offers us lemons, let's make lemonade 🙂
Tina: I think that Jasna has already said everything here and keeps it as a nail.

And finally, a classic: are this year's New Year's commandments makeup and those with which we will enter the new year?

Tina and Jasna: In any case, shiny skin and the choice of suitable hydrating foundations that can be brightened up with illuminators are very much in trend. You also can't go wrong with the right shade of the right red lipstick to spice up the look. May it last a long time. Well-shaped eyebrows, combed slightly upwards, are a hit this year and we believe they will be here in the coming years as well. Extreme 'contouring' is out, but more natural shading of the face is coming.