In your daily quest for ideal makeup, keep it soft and easy. Your foundation and concealer should be so well blended, folks will be wondering if that flawless skin is naturally yours.
Smooth the surface. You can't have an impeccable finish with a rough complexion, so take care of your skin's texture. Make exfoliation part of your routine. We like Bobbi Brown Exfoliating Cream Wash and Dermalogica Daily Resurfacer (dermalogica.com).
Meet your match. If the undertones in your foundation aren't right, the look won't be either. For most women of color, products with pink or red undertones are off the mark. Most of us fall into the yellow-undertone category, but if you have any doubts, visit department-store cosmetics counters like Prescriptives or Clinique for an analysis and foundation samples. More great lines to try: Becca (sephora.com), Black Opal. Black Radiance and Iman. 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," says celebrity makeup artist Paul Innis. "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--they can leave you looking ashy.
Keep shine in check. "There are good and bad shine areas," says Innis. 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 kiss of color. Just don't overdo it with a severe "racer stripe" up the cheekbone. "Try a gel or a sheer cream blush," advises celebrity makeup artist Monifa Mortis. Dab the apples of the cheeks and blend in a circular motion. Formulations that do our complexions right include tarte Cheek Stain, Stila color pushups and Sonia Kashuk Cheek Sheers.
wake up those eyes
When you skip zzz's, it's written all over your face. Erase 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 says makeup pro Bianca Alexander of MAC Cosmetics. "It makes them look larger." Her favorite nude liners include Tendered, Bountiful Brown and PowerSurge, all by MAC.
Apply concealer around the entire eye and blend well with lingers. 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 an, strays below four 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, hobos brows in place, 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.
fresh and lovely lips
The lip du jour is unlined. Here's how to get the look
Begin with a balm; it smooths and preps lips for color. Try SCO Lip Balm or Blistex Pro Care.
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. Our favorite neutrals this spring include Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Raisin, Fashion Fair Lip Color in Sheer Bronze Clinique Glosswear for Lips Cream Shines in Rich Raisin and MAC Viva Glam V.
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
Wish you could soften a double chin or chisel out some cheekbones? We'll show you how. Contouring can be like a face-lift without surgery
THE TECHNIQUE Contouring 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.) And always remember to tap off the excess powder onto a tissue first. Makeup pro llana Harkavi, creator of the II Makiage makeup line, offers these technique tips.
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.
Bonus: The 5-Minute Face
When you're pressed for time (and most of us are), start with moisturizer. Then apply makeup with a sponge where needed. If you nave an uneven skin tone, use a compact foundation with a cream-to-powder finish to conceal problem spots. For a bit of high-pro glow, add a touch of bronzer like Nars Bronzer in Casino. Apply two sweeps around the perimeter of the face, then on the apples of the cheeks. Now add a coat of mascara to your lashes, and finish with your favorite lip color. Total time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds. Okay, you've got 30 seconds left to find your keys and be out the door.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARLO DALLA CHIESA
COPYRIGHT 2005 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
