Fresh, flawless makeup is all in the details. To get it right, avoid the terrible too's:
too much color, too much texture, too many hard angles.
In your daily quest for ideal makeup, keep it soft and easy. Your foundation and concealer should be so well blended, people will be wondering if that flawless skin is naturally yours.
Smooth the surface. You can't have a flawless finish with a rough complexion, so take care of your skin's texture.
Make exfoliation part of your routine. Meet your match. If the undertones in your foundation aren't right, the look won't be either. Most of us fall into the yellow-undertone category.
Look at your foundation color in natural light to get the best match. It should blend seamlessly into your skin. To get maximum results from your foundation, make sure it complements your skin type. Dry skin calls for rich, creamy formulations, while oilier skin types should use oil-free formulas.
Look for the light. Without luminosity, foundation can leave your complexion looking dull. You can get radiance from shimmer sticks, bronzing powders or liquid makeup with shimmery finishes. Deeper complexions need only a touch of shimmer; lighter complexions require both shimmer and warmth to shine. But keep away from shimmers with a silvery or pink-colored base, because they can leave you looking ashy.
Keep shine in check, as there are good and bad shine areas. Keep the cheekbones and jawline dewy and radiant, but take down the shine factor at the top of the forehead, tip of the nose, and anywhere around the laugh lines. Use blotting papers and powder to minimize the effect.
Warm your cheeks. To further enhance your makeup, try a touch of color. Just don't overdo it with a severe "racer stripe" up the cheekbone. Try a gel or a sheer cream blush. Dab the apples of the cheeks and blend in a circular motion.
When you skip a good night's sleep, it's written all over your face. Cover dark circles and puffiness with these eye-opening tricks:
Line the lower rim of your eyes with an eyeliner that's close to your skin tone, preferably one with gold flecks. This is a modern way to brighten eyes. It makes them look larger.
Apply concealer around the entire eye and blend well. Concealer not only covers dark circles, but also helps your shadow to stay longer and brightens the area between your crease and brow.
Well-groomed brows open up the eyes. Pluck, leaving a natural arch. Then using a fine-tip brow pencil, fill in any sparse areas with short, light strokes along your arch line. Skip heavy black pencils and stick to more natural-looking deep browns. Finish by brushing on a prow gel. It further softens pencil marks and brings in a bit of shine.
To fully showcase eyes, finish with two coats of mascara, on both upper and lower lashes. Let mascara dry between applications. To clean up smudges, dip a cotton swab into your foundation for easy touch-ups.
We all like fresh and lovely lips. Here's how to get the look:
Begin with a balm; it smooths and preps lips for color. Sheer, flesh-tone neutrals are the look of season. If your natural lip color is a bit uneven (most are), use foundation on your lips first to even the tone, then apply your lip color with a brush.
If you're just not feeling a neutral or unlined lip, you can add more definition with a lip pencil that's slightly darker than your lip color. Use the liner only at the corners of the mouth. Fade the color into the lip with a sponge. Put on your lipstick with a brush, then purse your lips together to soften the effect.
Shadow and sculpt your face:
Contouring can be like a face-lift without surgery. It tapers the face to add or take away depth. All you need is a powder shadow one shade darker than your complexion and a contour brush. Be careful not to use too much color, though. Always remember to tap off the excess powder onto a tissue first.
To pick up droopy eyelids, add color to the lids from the outer corner to the center, then blend over the bone. Don't go higher than the crease.
To narrow the nose, apply color along the sides of the nose. but not directly onto the center.
To lift cheekbones, use your fingers to locate your cheekbones, then brush on a few sweeps of shadow in a diagonal direction toward the tip of the ear at the hollow of your cheeks. The result is softer if you apply in light layers.
To camouflage a double chin, shade the area just below the chin, right under the jawline, but not on the neck. Move the brush from left to right.
To define the jawline, brush the color directly under me bone from the ear to the chin.
For more tips and techniques on flawless makeup, download Flawless Makeup Tips, a free ebook.
Beauty Makeover walks you step by step in learning how to makeover your body and face.
For example: complete skin care, how to create a perfect set of smoky eyes, creating symmetry on the face when needed to correct imperfections, how to best camouflage those imperfections to achieve more natural-looking skin; body wrapping techniques, South Beach Diet recipies, your BMI Calculator, the approximate number of burned calories for various activities, your Daily Water Requirements Calculator tailored to your individual customized needs. The key to enjoying vibrant youthful health and slowing down the aging process is to discover some simple rules which will help you to maximize the stay young potential
of your skin.
