For women, hair and make-up are the finishing touches for a polished professional look. Choose your colours and styles carefully so that you appear healthy, up-to-date and put-together. Hairstyles and make-up should be understated, unless your industry is fashion-forward. See ‘Masterful Make-up in Minutes’ and ‘Personal Care from Feet to Hair’.
Tag Archives: how to make-up
How to Apply Mascara on the Lashes – Not the Skin
Applying mascara can be a challenge unless you have a very steady hand and you are not afraid to hit yourself in the eye with the mascara wand. However, as a make-up artist I have found that the following tips help keep the mascara application off the skin and on the eye lashes:
Top Eye Lashes
- Look into the mirror not directly at the mascara wand.
- Know the length of your lashes. Then determine how much you need to look down while applying the mascara on the top lashes to avoid brushing mascara onto the lid or orbital bone.
- When applying, keep your eyes steady while applying a bit of pressure on the wand for stability of the application
- Don’t blink! Give your lashes a minute to dry first.
Bottom Eye Lashes
- Lightly brush the mascara wand back and forth over the bottom eye lashes like window wipers on a car.
- Don’t Blink! Give your lashes a minute to dry first.
Quick Tip for Long Lasting Mascara
Mascara is a great way to emphasize your eyes and make them look bigger. However the application is also important. As a make-up artist I find that the best mascara application for long lasting results follows these steps:
- Looking down apply a coat of mascara on the top of the upper lashes.
- Continue to look down slightly focusing on the mirror as you apply a coat on the bottom of the upper lashes.
These two steps will help to seal the mascara and make it last longer. Your eye-lashes will also look more finished and your mascara will appear more natural.
Make Thinner Lips Look Fuller
To make your lips look fuller, start by concealing your natural lip line with a concealer. Line your lips just outside your natural lip-line. Smudge the lip-liner onto your lips to soften the look of the liner. Apply the lipstick with a lip brush on your lips and cover the new lip line created with the lip liner. This will create natural fuller looking lips. Using lighter colours and lipstick with a frost or shine will also give your lips a fuller look. If you prefer darker colours add a little spot of a light shimmering colour to the centre of the top and bottom lips. This will add contour and give a more, pouty look.
Make Larger Lips Look Smaller
To make your lips look thinner and smaller, hide your natural lip line with concealer. Line the lips just inside your natural lip line. Smudge the lip-liner onto your lips to soften the line. Apply your lipstick onto the lips keeping the colour inside the new lip line created with the liner. This will create the illusion of thinner lips. Using a darker lip liner and lip stick without shine or shimmer will also make the lips look thinner and smaller.
Your Best Foundation Colour
Choose your foundation as close as possible to your skin colour. The best place to test this is at the jaw line. The reason we test the colour her
e instead of the wrist, cheek or forehead is because the skin colour will be different on every area. The colour of your neck will be different than the colour of the skin on various parts of your face.
Your best colour will blend into your skin tone at the jaw line and look natural next to the skin tone of your neck. Happy testing…
Choosing Your Foundation
The right foundation will last on the skin, be comfortable to wear and give you the right amount of coverage that suits your personality and needs. Choose foundation based on four things:
- Your skin type – knowing your skin type before you buy will save you a lot of head aches. It will make your foundation last longer and be more comfortable. For example a dry skin would likely want a foundation that adds nourishment and moisture to the skin. An oily skin would likely want something oil free.
- These days there are so many choices for foundation formulas. Although liquid is still the most popular, consider cream, wet-dry or mineral powder. Each foundation has different qualities.
- Coverage is something you should consider before buying your foundation. Do you want a natural look, a flawless complexion or something in between?
- After you have determined your preferences based on skin type, formula and coverage it is time to decide on finish. Finish is like the finishing touch. This is also where fashion and personal preference come into play. Do you want a matte finish, satin finish, velvety finish? There are lots of options. Choose the one you like the best or go for fashion.
Once you have narrowed this down then it is time to choose the colour. I will tell you all about it in my next blog post.
Conceal Blemishes and Dark Circles
Using a q-tip or a fine concealer brush, apply concealer to any area that needs extra covering. The best concealer colour is one that matches your foundation or the colour of the skin next to the concealed area (if you are going Au naturale). With your ring finger pat and press it into place. Concealer can be applied alone, on top or below foundation.
Prepare Your Face for Make-up
A flawless make-up application requires a bit of prep. Start with a clean face using products designed for your skin type. If your skin is flakey, exfoliate as part of the skincare process. Finish with a moisturizer designed for your skin type. Let the moisturizer absorb for about 15 minutes prior to your foundation application. Moisturizer will create the perfect canvas for your make-up masterpiece.
How to Apply Make-up to Look Younger – Part 2
Although good skincare and foundation and concealer applied properly will make you look younger, it does more than that. It will create the perfect canvas for your masterpiece. Try the following for a younger looking you…
Keep eyebrows groomed. Nicely shaped eyebrows will open the eyes and automatically give a more youthful look. For a more defined look use an eyebrow pencil. Match the colour as closely as possible to your hair colour or use a slightly lighter colour. If the hair is grey use a soft grey pencil.
As we age, our skin tone, hair colour and eye colour tend to soften. This can cause dark and bright colours and combinations with a strong dark/ light contrast to appear harsh on our skin, making us look older. If this is the case, try colours that are slightly softer and more muted instead for a more youthful look. Avoid using dark colours on areas that appear overly sunken.
Neutral eye shadow colours tend to be easier to wear. Be careful with extremely dark colours. Avoid frosted eye shadows on crêpe areas.
Give your eyes a more open look by curling your eyelashes.
Applying mascara can be a nightmare when you can’t see. Use a magnifying mirror at eye level or higher. When applying mascara on your upper lashes lift your head slightly. This will cause your lashes to lower slightly making it easier to apply your mascara on your upper lashes. Focus on the mirror rather than trying to look at the brush. With practice you will find it much easier to apply mascara.
If you have a double chin or want a stronger looking jaw line, sweep a matte brown shading powder under the jaw line.
Use blush without sheen on the cheekbones. Products with shine and or a frosted finish will enhance lines and wrinkles. For more prominent looking cheekbones, use a matte brown shading powder under the cheekbones.
If lips are aging try using a lipstick base. This will help to stop the colour from seeping into the lines it will also help stop feathering.
If lips are lined or wrinkled, avoid using a dark matte lipstick or a very frosted lipstick or shiny lip gloss all over the lips. Line lips with a lip pencil a more defined look.
For more make-up tips and application instruction see ‘Masterful Make-up in Minutes’
Kimberly Law AICI, CIP
Association of Image Consultants International (AICI)
Founding Director of
Institute of Image Training & Testing International (IITTI)
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