Keeping You Up On The Latest Fashions
Traveling is a glamorous pursuit but it can also be quite taxing. Travel can suck the energy and life out of you especially if you’ve been at it for so many hours. It is rare for a person to get out of a long haul flight still looking fresh and stylish.
But if you think looking good while traveling is near impossible, that’s not true. If you follow these suggestions and tips you can look your best even at the end of your long travel. [Read more…]
The eyes are known as the windows of one’s soul. And the more they are enhanced when one has nice and thick lashes. This is the reason why women want to curl their eyelashes and put mascara in an effort to make their eyes look more attractive. Whether it’s to boost their self-confidence or be attractive to men, they’re doing the right thing.
Unfortunately, not many women are gifted with long and curly lashes. The good news is that one can use fake eyelashes today. They can either use the ready-made ones that they can just stick above their original lashes or they can use the latest eyelash extensions.
The extensions are more expensive and requires a steady hand to be able to glue them in the right areas.
Instead of cluster lashes, this involves gluing a single eyelash in between your existing lashes. Experts recommend that these be attached by a professional salon hair and makeup stylist.
[Read more…]
On television today, people who wish to improve their looks have many choices as to the reality shows that can help them with their fashion woes. There are several fashion makeover shows on different networks.
The most popular ones are What Not to Wear of the TLC Network, How Do I Look?, Dresscue Me. Each of these shows have their own rules that you need to follow.
Normally, participants are nominated by friends or their family and then agree to a session where they will be taught tips on how to mix and match clothes and shoes and provided with free clothing. What Not To Wear even brings their participant to New York City where the makeover takes place and where the fashion victim is given a $5,000 shopping allowance.
Dresscue, on the other hand, helps participant by remodeling used clothes and turning them into stylish dresses. Vintage style is what host Shareen Mitchell is known for. Mitchell admits she’s not really into selling clothes but she’d rather help people change their life by dressing them up in an affordable yet stylish fashion and boosting their self-esteem.
If you’re a fashion victim or you know somebody close to you who is, you can contact the network nearest your location and apply. It won’t hurt to help yourself or another person learn about the right ways to dress up on any occasion. The results will blow you and your loved ones away as often seen in the reactions of people after the person involved undergoes a beauty and fashion transformation.
Indeed, an improvement in one’s look and attire can help build a person’s confidence. And not only that because your friends and loved ones will also feel happy and proud of the change you have made to yourself.
Life is short but if you embrace changes without much hesitation, you have a great chance of achieving success and happiness in what you do. The result will be a happy and confident inspired to live life to the fullest.
In previous posts, we talked about preparing our skin, picking out the right foundation, as well as making those eyes look pretty. All of these things may seem quite complicated to the beginner, but what could be simpler than swiping on some color on those kissers?
Putting on a bit of lipstick is probably the fastest and easiest way to bring some color to one’s face. It can instantly brighten up one’s look, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay to take it for granted. It can, after all, also be the fastest way to ruin one’s overall look. This is why you have got to pay some attention to your lips – because they’ll probably catch everyone else’s.
It all starts with lip care
First things first: Never apply lipstick to dry, flaky lips. Chances are, you’ll end up with a very feathered look, or the product won’t be distributed evenly. Avoid clumpy-looking lips by using a lip scuff and some moisturizer on dry lips. If you want, you can even make your own recipe from ground oatmeal and honey. Use this mixture to exfoliate your lips gently before rinsing off.
It’s also a good idea to have lip balm with you at all times. You can either go for the colorless variety or pick out one with some sheen or color. There are so many varieties out there, and in yummy flavors, too! It’s also a good idea to pick out one which provides sun protection. After all, your lips get exposed to the elements, too.
How to use lip liner and lipstick
Now comes the tricky part. Many women underestimate the importance of using lip liner with lipstick. While it isn’t always necessary, depending on the look you’re going for, it can certainly help define your lips and give you a more polished look.
It’s usually a good idea to use a liner which is a shade darker than the lipstick you intend to use. If you have full lips, draw an outline within the lip itself. Thin lips will be given an extra boost if you line just outside the lip, while still following the contour very carefully.
You can then apply the lipstick within the outline you’ve just drawn. I would recommend using a lip brush to do this, just to make sure that you have applied the product evenly and precisely. To keep the color on for a bit longer, blot with a piece of tissue paper then reapply the lipstick.
Essential colors
It’s always a good idea to have a number of choices for your lip color, so that changing your look becomes easier. A few neutral shades are necessary, especially for the day and while you are in the office. Regardless of what you think, though, your collection can never be complete without a few darker ones. At the very least, you MUST have a red lipstick. MAC’s MAC Red is perhaps one of the most classic colors ever, but go ahead and see which variant of red you like best. You’ll never know until you try them, so don’t be afraid to test anything from red-orange shades to plum and blood-red hues.
Next to the eyes, it’s probably the lips that will define your look the most when you wear makeup. Make sure you make a good impression, whether you’re caught pouting or showing off that gorgeous smile!
Photos via maccosmetics.com and eyeshadowlipstick.com
When it comes to makeup application, perhaps the trickiest and understandably, the most intimidating, is eye makeup. Perhaps it is because of the limited space the eye area allows (which means you shouldn’t be making big mistakes), or maybe it’s the fact that there are so many products and colors that can be used for this area. It could also be because our eyelids and browbones are so different from each other’s, which makes it impossible to prescribe and employ just one technique for all the eyes of the world.
The thing is (and as cheesy as it may sound), the eyes are indeed the windows to one’s soul. When we look at someone’s face, the first thing we see is a pair of peepers looking right back at us. The eyes can speak volumes and say so much about a person, so this is why we should learn how to enhance them. In fact, the rest of the face can be completely bare, but if the eyes are striking enough, then the whole look is made.
Beginning with beautiful arches
Before even applying your makeup, make sure that your eyebrows have been properly groomed. Never underestimate the importance of beautiful eyebrows! If your arches are well-done, look neat and clean, and are shaped appropriately to the rest of your features, then you automatically look more attractive. Bushy unibrows can be somewhat scary, and sky-high, ultra-thin brows can make you look perpetually alarmed. Overplucked brows can also make you look years older, so go easy on the tweezers.
To make sure that you have the correct eyebrow shape, you can use the good old pencil trick which requires you to hold a pencil against the adge of your nose to help determine the length of the brow. However, I would personally recommend that you go to a professional brow architect at least once or twice before you attempt anything on your own. Then, you can start plucking on your own once the tiny hairs start growing out.
Now that you have nicely-shaped brows, you can make sure they look neat and manicured with the help of cosmetics. If you have full brows, you usually won’t need to use anything other than a brow gel to make sure everything stays in place. However, if there are some sparse areas or if your brows are not exactly of the same length, you will need to color these areas in. Even if you have black hair, it is usually not a very good idea to use the same shade for your brows. Try going a couple of shades lighter for a more natural and less severe appearance.
One of the easiest products to use is the e.l.f. Brow Kit. The tinted gel gives you the color you need while keeping everything where it should be. The powder helps set it and gives a clean and polished look.
Seeing in Full Color
Now as long as you have a guide to follow, the brows shouldn’t be that difficult. What happens when you get to the eyelids? This just might be the most challenging part of applying eye makeup. There are so many colors to choose from, so a lot of women don’t really know which colors to choose, how many to use at one time, and how to achieve the desired effect. Well, first of all, the secret to applying eyeshadow is blending. You don’t want to make it look as if you just plastered on some color. What you want is a subtle fade-out effect from the area closest to your eye going up to your browbone.
So, if you have a palette with you, use the lightest color fro your brow bone. Apply it just so it serves as a highlight. You can then use the darker shade on the eyelid. If you wish, you can apply an even darker shade just around the outer corners of your eye, or you can use this to outline the shape of the lid. Think you’re done? Not quite. Take a soft brush and use this to blend and soften the delineation between the darker and lighter colors.
The smoky eye is one of the most popular looks, but this doesn’t really work well during the day. Try to use lighter, more natural colors first, then simply layer on the darker, more dramatic shades right before you move on to your evening rendezvous.
Shimmery colors are great, but you will need some basic matte colors to make sure your look stays classic and clean. Bobbi Brown’s Day to Night Cool Eye Palette is a great choice! If you’re not so used to using eyeshadow yet, you can be sure that this set is a great one to start with. It will allow you to experiment with safer looks and eventually get bolder as you become more confident. It’s a must-have for those who already wear makeup all the time, too.
Opening up with eyeliner
Now, the eyes can easily get drowned out with eyeshadow, especially if you use a lot of light or shimmery colors. Make sure that your eyes still pop by using a good eyeliner.
I always say that eyeliner is one of my best friends. True enough, I rarely leave home without it. It can really make a difference between a sleepy look and one that appears fresher and more alert. As such, if you want to go for a really barefaced and natural look, you can get away with just a light foundation, lip gloss, and eyeliner.
Eyeliner comes in a variety of forms. You can choose pencil, liquid, or gel eyeliner. My personal preference is gel eyeliner, because I don’t have to sharpen anything, and it’s easier for me to apply than liquid eyeliner. There are some liquid eyeliners which get really runny, and it can be quite hard to cover up the mess. If you want to use a gel eyeliner though, you will have to get a special brush. Eyeliner brushes pick up the product better and give a more precise and defined look.
When you apply the product, start from the inside going out. You may have to use your other hand to stretch your eyelid out to help you draw a clean and even line. If you want to open up your eyes a bit more, just go a tiny bit beyond the edge of the eye to create an upward curve. Don’t go too far, though! Subtlety is still the standard here. If you want to use eyeliner under your eyes, do so sparingly to avoid looking too harsh. Apply the product along the waterline of your eye for a more striking look. To soften things up a bit, use a brush to apply a tiny amount of eyeshadow along the outline. Just try not to spread it out too much, or you might end up looking like a raccoon.
If you want to try using a gel eyeliner that glides on smoothly and gives a clean outline, try Makeup Forever’s Aqua Creamliner. The consistency is just right. Of course, it’s not a good idea to leave the jar open fro extended periods of time. Aside from exposing the product to contaminants, you are also drying it out and making it difficult to work with.
Go ahead and bat those lashes!
Last but not least, remember that nothing makes a girl look more mysterious than beautiful lashes. You can choose to get extensions, but if you’re not up for all of the maintenance that comes with these, then just use good mascara or put on the occasional falsie.
The first thing you should do is use an eyelash curler. There are some brands which heat up to hold the curl, but I wouldn’t really recommend those, especially since the eye area is very sensitive. Shu Uemura has a really nice curler with a sturdy rubber pad. You can use something like this – just remember to release the handle and not to pull on your lashes!
There are many mascara brands and types out there, so choose one based on the effect you need most. Do you need length, volume, curl, or all of these? Try to get a brand and type which is easy for you to handle. For instance, Shu Uemura’s Ultimate Expression Mascara is great for adding curl and volume, and since the brush is tilted, it is easier to handle.
On the other hand, if you don’t want any smudges or if you’re up for a more dramatic look, then try using false eyelashes instead. I’ve found these really useful during weddings and occasions which present the possibility for a bit of sentimentality. No mess! You can get full lashes or individual accents. Just apply the lash glue on to the edge, let it set for a few seconds, and, using tweezers, stick them on to the base of your real lashes. It may take some practice, but it’s worth it!
Shu Uemura has an entire line of amazing lashes in different colors and designs. For a natural look, go for their Flare Eyelashes. People will barely notice that you’re wearing falsies!
The eyes are certainly the most noticeable of all our facial features, so don’t try to hide them behind too much product. Use the tools you have properly, and then just allow those beauties to sparkle and shine!