3 September 2023

Raffaella Solcia, an espresso with the Italian makeup artist

10:30am Venice, Italy. We’re taking an Espresso (5 Questions) with the delightful and beloved Italian Makeup Artist and Beauty Coach, Raffaella Solcia.

Buongiorno Raffaella, thank you for taking an Espresso with us. You are a well-beloved Makeup Artist and Beauty Coach and I understand you are celebrating your tenth year inside the fashion industry. That’s spectacular, congratulations! Tell us about that.

Buongiorno, I’m glad to be here with you this morning. Thank you, I have always been a lover of beauty with a life spent collaborating with some of the most important fashion brands. I love making people more beautiful.

My career began out of passion and then became a gratifying reality, I love calling myself a “beauty coach” for the broader approach I have with the world of beauty and skin care combined with the sector I’ve always worked in, which is fashion.

We’re here in beautiful Venice, any fascinating Venetian stories you care to share?

I have a very nice memory of a shooting we did at dawn, makeup at 4 in the morning and at 5 we were already in Piazza San Marco shooting with the square deserted, a wonderful moment. We finished around 6.30 and with the models still in their very long evening dresses we all entered the first café, Florian, on the square to have cappuccini and brioches.
How would you describe your approach to day makeup for the red carpet?

For day makeup of an important event, I like to make a very light but structured base, which lasts a longtime and the eye is very bright, but intense, I prefer natural tones such as browns, bronze, and earthy colors.
What are the emerging day makeup trends for Autumn, especially in Italy?

For autumn the trend that is emerging in Italy, but in general, in the world of makeup, is the makeup-no makeup with an extremely luminous light finish given by the use of luminous and light foundations and bronzer and blush mainly in cream with a satin finish.
Obviously, especially when it comes to natural makeup, the result depends a lot on the skin care that is done first, well-cleansed skin with the right degree of hydration is the “perfect canvas” on which to create.
You’ve been using our Hydrator 1 during your skin prep for day makeup on your clients.

Hydrator 1 is an excellent makeup base for all skin types due to its characteristic of not greasing the skin in any way while providing the right degree of hydration.
I use it before applying makeup, after a thorough cleansing, by doing small circular massages to reactivate circulation, so, as to make the skin more turgid and receptive, I wait until the skin has completely absorbed it.
Sometimes when the days are warmer, after applying Hydrator 1, I spray thermal water all over the face and then I start applying the makeup. This minimizes skin shininess that the heat can create over the hours.
Lastly, what is your favorite restaurant in Venice that you can’t miss when you’re there?

I really like the osterie on the canals where you eat typical Venetian fish cuisine, such as Ristorante da Raffaele, there you eat outdoors or under a portico overlooking a characteristic canal just behind Piazza San Marco.