Archive for ‘Skin Care’

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July 29, 2010

Beauty At Any Age

If you keep on living, old age will certainly catch up with you sooner or later. But does that mean your skin must catch up as well? If you spend your time trying to get that fresh dewy look, here are some makeup tips to push back the hands of time and make you have younger, looking skin.

1. WEARING HEAVY MAKEUP

Wearing heavy makeup to give the appearance of a youthful face will make you look older, and draw attention to the lines you’re trying to cover up. To keep your skin looking youthful, skip the heavy makeup and choose a sheer foundation (such as Joy Lorraine Jojoba Foundation). Any excess foundation can be removed with a damp sponge. Keeping your skin well hydrated, and using a sheer foundation will give your skin a fresh dewy look.

2. WEARING A LIGHTER FOUNDATION SHADE

Wearing a foundation that is lighter than your natural skin tone, will add years and not youthfulness to your look. Instead, what you have done is make those lines and wrinkles much more noticeable. Opt for a foundation that is a shade darker than your normal skin tone for a healthy glow. This will make your skin look much younger.

3. HEAVY CONCEALER

Too much concealer under the eyes can make you look older, and draw attention to the dark circles you’re trying to cover up. As you age, the skin under the eye area gets thinner. Less is more, so your concealer should be as light as possible. Try applying your concealer with a brush for a more even distribution.

4. HEAVY FACE POWDER

If you have oily skin, use a blotting powder where oiliness is a problem such as your nose, forehead and chin to control shine. A light dusting of your face powder is enough to set your makeup and keep it looking fresh all day. However, using too much can make your skin look dry, and exaggerate facial lines and wrinkles. Stay clear of applying powder around your eye area unless of course, you want to advertise those lines on your face.

5. APPLYING BLUSH

When using blush, apply on the highest point on your cheekbones. Using a large brush, lift upward and blend on entire cheekbone area. A neutral color will flatter and brighten up all skin tones. (Try Joy Lorraine powder blush in Pink Brown.)

6. LIPSTICK THAT BLEEDS

As you mature, your lips become thinner and somewhat dry because it looses water and oil. Wearing lipstick can cause it to bleed into your natural lip line making it very unattractive. To alleviate this problem, try putting a barrier around your lipstick by using a lip liner to outline the shape of your lips. This will help to keep your lipstick right where you put it – on your lips. (Joy Lorraine Lip Liners does the trick.).

7. EVERY DAY LIPSTICK

If you have thin lips, the color of your lipstick will make all the difference in how you look. Women with fair and medium skin tone will look great in pinks and coral lip colors. Deeper skin tones will look great in deep pinks such as plums and berries. Stay clear of metallic or iridescent colors as these may prove too heavy for thin lips. Use a lip liner one shade darker than your natural lip line to outline the shape of your mouth. Apply your lipstick and add a sheer gloss to add fullness to your lips.

8. MASCARA ON BOTTOM LASHES

Mascara is an essential that you should never leave home without, but if you have crow’s-feet and dark circles, sweep a light coating of black mascara on your top lashes from the base to the tip to separate and make them look thick, and long. Avoid mascaras that are thick and clumpy to remove years from your eyes. Use less mascara on your bottom lash, or better yet, skip mascara altogether on your bottom lashes. (Try Joy Lorraine Super Lash Mascara in black.)

9. EYELINER ON THE LOWER LASHES

Unless you want to draw attention to fine lines and dark circles, stick to the upper lids instead. Draw a thicker line as you move toward the outer corners of the eye, to draw attention away from a droopy look. (Try Joy Lorraine Powder Liner Pencil)

10. SPARKLY SHADOW ON THE OUTER CORNERS

A little shimmer and shine can make your eyes look younger. However, refrain from applying to the outer corners because it magnifies the fine line around the eye area. Restrict wearing shimmer shadows to the inner corners, the centers of the lids, and just on the brow bone area.

Posted in Eyeshadow, Foundation, Liners, Lip Gloss, Lipstick, Skin Care | Leave a Comment »

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July 16, 2010

Au Naturel

For many women, using beauty products presents the challenge of striking a balance between having more enhanced facial features while still maintaining a natural look. Some feel they need to “paint it on” in order to cover up blemishes and make skin look more youthful, but they end up squirming in consequence when their friends can barely recognize them.

Here are some tips:

Before getting on the makeup side of things, it’s important to begin with a clean canvas.  Remove any dirt, old makeup, or other types of “residue” that will clog pores under a new layer of foundation. Once it is clean and moisturized, you can use concealer and foundation to cover blemishes and even out your skin tone.

There are several types of concealer- liquid, stick, and powders. Regardless of its physical form, it will prevent you from having to go heavy on foundation. Still, it is best to use the lightest in weight that will work for you. It should then only be applied where needed, such as under the eyes and on red spots, and then blended in so that it’s even with the skin- not too intensely, though, or you’ll just need more and end up with tidemarks.

Foundation is then used to create an even backdrop to the face. It’s important that you find a foundation that is as close as possible to your skin tone- while it may be tempting to go a shade darker for bronzing purposes, leave that for later via a bronzing powder and go with a shade of foundation that matches your face and, in turn, your neck, chest, and the rest of your body. Foundation comes in several forms including liquid, a stick, cream, and powder. Although a solid base tends to be better for coverage, liquids are lighter (less caked) and appear more natural.   If your skin is oily, dry compact powder and oil-free liquids are both good options. For dry skin, you may be better off with a cream base that will moisturize your skin. Be sure to even it out throughout your face, around your hairline, nose, jaw line, and into your neck to achieve a balanced tone that harmonizes with the skin below. You can then follow that off with a loose powder to keep foundation in place and absorb oil.

Beyond foundation and concealer, the degree in which you want to pursue makeup for your eyes, lips, and cheeks can depend on the occasion and your attire. Generally, if you’re looking to go on the natural side, less is more.

To enhance your glow, you can use a bronzer or blush, chosen according to which best complements your natural skin tone. Women with lighter/pale tones tend to appear more natural in blush. If your skin is tanned or an olive, however, you may find that you’re most compatible with a bronzer, although you could also mix the two in some variation that most naturally flushes your cheekbones. Be sure to apply it in light strokes to avoid going overboard.

As far as eye makeup, make mascara a priority. You may decide to go no further than it during the daytime, but it should be the one item you don’t leave off your face when trying to scale down your look to appear less made-up. However, if the occasion calls for you to take it up a notch, you may find that using a muted eye shadow will suit the occasion and bring out your eyes more subtly than loud or glitzy shades. Keep in mind that light colors emphasize your eyes whereas dark colors make them appear smaller. Also, if you use more than one color, be sure to blend in between the lines.

For natural lips, your goal is to add further definition without looking clownish. You’re best off using a lip color with low pigmentation, varying in a soft form from brown to pink according to the tone of your skin. If lips are dry, apply moisturizer or balm before adding any color.

Hopefully these tips will help you to use cosmetic products while continuing to appear as yourself, albeit a more vibrant version. Remember at the end of each day to use a makeup remover and exfoliating wash so that your face stays clean through the night and eases the makeup application process for the next morning.

Posted in Eyeshadow, Foundation, Liners, Skin Care | Leave a Comment »

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