10 Makeup Tricks That Will Make You Look Like A Model
Enjoy!
Start fresh
Successful makeup needs to be applied immediately after washing, exfoliating and moisturizing your face. The combo of warm water, facial massage and your choice of cream, oil or serum gets things going by plumping up lines, buffing away flakes and hydrating dry or postmenopausal skin. This means absolutely no gaps between cleansing, moisturizing and applying makeup. To be clear: You can’t wash your face, eat, check your messages, shop online or talk on the phone, and then pick up where you left off.
Do eye makeup before face makeup
It’s the smart mess-free order. No worries about powder shadow fallout on cheeks or under-eye liner smears that can “dirty” foundation, blush or concealer and require a redo. Prepping lids with a primer or cream shadow first will keep eye makeup fresh and guarantee a smoother, more even application.
Shape Your Eyebrows
Shaping your brows needn’t be difficult, just follow these steps. Start by brushing your eyebrows with a spoolie, so the hairs sit naturally. Then, use a soft, waxy brow pencil to shape the outside of your brow with the thinner side of the tip. Using the flatter angle of the pencil, fill in your brows using short, hair-like strokes. Finally, blend some highlighter just below your brow bone for lift.
Brown or black gel-pencil liner powers up eyes
More pigmented than typical kohl pencils, less messy than brush-on gels and more flattering than harsh liquids or markers, these waterproof liners recreate firmer, more defined eyes. Rest your elbow on a table for a steady hand. Look in the mirror, raise your chin and sketch along the base of the upper lid in small back-and-forth movements. Start at the very outer eye and work toward the tear duct, tapering off three-quarters of the way in. Get close to the lash roots as possible to thoroughly fill gaps.
Splurge on a curler, but scrimp on black mascara
A quality curler — such as those by Kevyn Aucoin, Shiseido or Bobbi Brown — won’t pinch, crimp or break thin, dry lashes and can last for years. It’s all in the shape, hinge and padding. Position the open curler close to the base of the lashes, slowly close and hold for 30 seconds. Use simple, low-cost drugstore mascara in black like the pros do — no need to spend more, since you toss and renew it every three months. Slowly roll the mascara wand from curled roots to tips with a zigzag wiggling motion so that the heaviest concentration of product is at the base, where it thickens lashes.
Use neutral shadows to accent eyes
Natural hues — warm tones for dark eyes, cool tones for light eyes — never fail. There’s no need to do the whole contour deal. But know that a pale, shimmery shadow on lids can add sparkle to tired eyes, a medium shade in the crease and just above it can erase any fleshy overhang and make eyes appear larger, and the darkest browns and charcoals work as a smoky top coat for your gel eyeliner to soften the look or hide squiggles.
Go for glow and brightness, not coverage
Face makeup restores radiance and provides a healthy look. Go one shade warmer or more golden instead of a perfect match to counteract sallow, pasty, ashy skin and to neutralize redness or rosacea. Next, choose a foundation with the word “luminous” in the product name to ensure light-reflecting technology that gives your complexion an incandescent bloom — like swallowing a light bulb. Last, choose a dewy and sheer but highly pigmented grownup foundation and get over the not-wearing-makeup thing. Great-looking skin is your biggest beauty asset. And all those matte, powder, high-definition, total coverage or long-wear face products? Forget about them for good.
Use makeup brushes
Mature skin is textured with expression lines, tiny eye crinkles and bits of brown, red or blue discolorations — and it’s all OK. Even celebs have them — what do you think Photoshop is for? Heavy coverage fools no one; in real life, it just looks caked and faked. Silky synthetic brushes make makeup look skin-authentic. A foundation brush will prevent makeup from settling in crevices and corners. Start at the center of your face and blend foundation outward, fading off toward the jaw and hairline for a seamless application.
Blend bright cream blush high on cheekbones
It adds life and energy to your face, blends right into your skin for a natural-looking flush, and pulls attention to the eyes and away from distractions that might disrupt a fabulous look. Choose a vibrant and clear shade of pink, rose, apricot or red, depending on your skin tone. What looks initially startling fades as you tap-blend to melt seamlessly into the skin. Ditch the powder blush.
Change up your lip liner and lipstick
Match lip liner to your natural lip tone. Sketch the borders but correct a faded, asymmetric or thinning upper-lip line by slightly rounding the bow instead of drawing two new points. Then fill in the entire mouth with liner as a base to prevent ring-around-the-mouth and lipstick migration into lines. Choose a creamy lipstick — not gloss. If you prefer nudes, skip pale shades for ones to match your lip color and liner. Dare to try a new-for-you shade such as peachy pink, rose or red to play up whitened teeth and your dazzling smile.
