Make-up application and eyelash/eyebrow services
Domain 9 tests colour theory, face and brow mapping, product selection, lash and brow safety, and hygiene. Questions often ask you to correct a feature, choose a foundation undertone or decide whether an eye treatment can proceed.
Colour and face shapes
- Primary colours are red, blue and yellow; secondary colours are mixed from two primaries; tertiary colours mix a primary and a secondary. Complementary colours sit opposite on the wheel and neutralise each other.
- Undertones are warm (yellow/gold), cool (pink/blue), neutral or olive. Match foundation along the jawline in natural light.
- Face shapes include oval, round, square, heart, oblong, diamond and triangle; contour and highlight modify perceived shape.
Brows and lashes
- Brow mapping: start at the inner corner, place the arch at the outer edge of the iris, and end the tail at the outer corner.
- Tinting requires a patch test 24–48 hours before; avoid tinting immediately after waxing or threading because open follicles increase sensitivity.
- Lash and brow treatments are contraindicated with eye infection, stye, blepharitis, recent eye surgery and known adhesive or dye allergy.
- Lash extensions use cyanoacrylate adhesive; patch test and remove contact lenses before treatment.
Hygiene
- Do not share mascara wands or applicators; sharpen pencils; sanitise palettes; use disposable brushes where possible.
- Discard expired products and never add saliva or water to make-up.
Worked example
A client with warm, yellow-based skin wants a 'porcelain' foundation. The therapist explains that a cool pink foundation will look ashy and selects a warm, yellow-based match tested on the jawline in daylight. She sets it with a translucent powder and avoids over-cool contouring. The reasoning is undertone matching, not the client's preferred label.
Traps that cost marks
- No patch test for tint or lash adhesive.
- Tinting brows immediately after waxing.
- Sharing mascara wands.
- Treating an eye infection.
- Matching foundation on the hand rather than the jawline.
- Ignoring undertone and choosing by depth alone.