Thursday, January 28, 2010

3 Essential Makeup Finishing Touches for the Mature Bride & Femmes 45+

The aging eye can still look vital and sexy, but the application method has to be different than it was in our 20’s. Even skin tone, nicely framed brows, softly defined lashes and liner, along with soft blush and fuller lips makes for a vibrant, healthy makeup. People will be mesmerized by your personality and wisdom rather than stuck on looking at over or under done makeup.

1. Eye Shadow

The fast, easy and effective way to a great eye is to powder your entire lid with a dual finish powder (which also acts like a primer and prevents creasing) or a bisque coloured eyeshadow.

Use a slight shimmer bisque like MAC Naked Lunch on the inside corner of the eye more on the nose than the eyelid. This brightens it up without calling attention to lines.

With a taupe matte, eyeshadow place shadow along the lash line and at the outer corner of our eye lid. Then extend along the crease. For hooded eyes apply to the outer third of the lid blending upward and outward. Then with the same colour, apply softly along the lower lash line directly under the lashes with most of the weight on the outer corner and blend into the centre.

Next, apply a dark brown or black depending on your skin colour, along the lash line blending outward and slightly upward. Blending is very important here with the idea that most of the weight is along the lash line.

2. Blush

“Less is more” is the general rule of thumb these days and especially to achieve a natural and enhanced look. If you can see your blush before your face, then its probably too much and will give that “old lady trying too hard to hang on to a look from 30 years ago look”.

Use blush in the same colour tone as your lipcolour. Smile and apply blush with a dome brush on the apple of your cheek sweeping out and up along the cheek line. Then add another soft sweep across your entire eye for a little warmth and harmony.

Remember - too much blush looks like you're trying to hard - too little makes you look tired and worn.

3. Luscious Lips

Here's 2 approaches for the fine line dilemma.

1. Use a pencil liner and a clear wax pencil directly above your pencil line to stop bleeding. Fill in the lips with the pencil (which should be close in shade to your lipstick and then top off with lipstick, blot, powder and apply lipstick again. Add a touch of balm rather than gloss to the centre of your lips and well within the outside line.

2. I use Maybelline Superstay lip paint every day which comes with a lip balm.This long wearing lip colour makes it easier to line your lips to their fullest without fear of them running and it wears for hours - truly. As our lips shrink with age use shades that are a bit brighter - but not like a neon sign. The myth about avoiding dark lip colours is just that in my opinion. Too light a lip can make you look washed out and tired - which, let's face, isn't our best look. Even with a light lip colour, the trick is to put some weight behind it which is achieved with a darker colour underneath.

Tip - Its more about the tools and application techniques than the products.


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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

3 Essential Makeup Tips for Mature Brides & Femmes 45+

Begin at the Beginning The #1 makeup trick for any age is great skin with or without makeup and its starts with a cleansed and exfoliated face - nightly. Use Retinol and AHA's alternatively as a night cream (avoiding eyes). Use a reasonable eye creme instead. Morning - rinse and apply moisturizing lotion (not creme - too oily for day), with an SPF or alternatively use a sun block on face forearms and décolleté. Skin that is well cared for won't need primers either and save lots of coin in skin repair procedures.

In my opinion, the busy, vibrant woman who isn't easily fooled out of her hard-earned cashola can avoid primers and a plethora of "anti-aging" products - especially when you exercise a good cleaning, moisturizing and protection regimen - and of course eat a healthy diet and get adequate of rest.

The 3 Essentials – Skin Tone, Brows, Lashes/Liner

1. Foundation

To illuminate a healthy glow and diminish fine lines, liquid foundations work best. I like MAC Face & Body, Revlon Softflex or Makeup Forever HD for a lighter approach and trusty Cinema Secrets or Dermablend crème for cover up purposes. Apply with a brush or sponge for a smooth HD looking finish.

For the non-professional who hasn't the time nor inclination - keep it simple and avoid product mixing problems - use the same foundation a couple of shades lighter to highlight under the eyes or use your concealer from the plethora of these items on the market, if you like the results. Use a second same brand foundation a couple of shades darker for contouring or adding extra colour during summer months when skin tone gets darker.

A loose or dual finish powder applied with a dome brush over your foundation sets it and reduces shine which attracts light, illuminating fine lines and markings. A reduced sheen mineral powder is a good option for the cheeks only as it tends to shine more than matte and loose powders. My personal fave is Audrey Morris dual finish mineral pressed powder - its great on its own, over foundation, applied with a brush, sponge or puff - and I'm definitely over 21 and 45. Alternatively MAC Studio Fix is a close second.

2. Brows

Eyebrows are the architectural foundation of your face and as we age and their textures changes we tend to forget about them. Big Mistake! Remember this - just because the brows you plucked out at 18 didn't grow back, doesn’t give a reason to keep the wrong hairs around. Trim the fuzz and correct your arch - and voila - instant non-surgical eye lift. A good shaping is worth gold so find a technician who is also an artist

Dubbed Toronto's Eyebrow Queen, I agree with other international experts specializing in custom brow shaping, correction and re-design that great eyebrows make people look at your eyes, not your brows. Framed and arched correctly, brows are one of thee most important aspects of your face.

Eyebrows should architecturally compliment each other, not look identical because you face isn’t identical on both sides.
• Use 1-2 shades lighter than your hair color for a natural look.
• Use 1-2 shades darker than your hair color for a dramatic look. Check out this blog post too for more detailed info.

3. Lashes & Liner

Lashes Thee most powerful tool in makeup and the least used. Natural looking length and thickness are what's important. The pot of gold at the end of the makeup rainbow, lashes are often overlooked, yet they give that dramatic look we crave without the look of excessive makeup. And the permanent ones, in my opinion, are often not well done, are often too long, look fake and are unnecessarily expensive.

But natural looking fake, fun lashes are great once trimmed for the individual eye length - or for cutting in half or thirds to use as demi's applied to the outer corners for an even more natural look. 3 - 4 individual clusters on the outside corners are an alternative. Just depends on how much drama and speed you're aiming for. For more details, check out this blog post too.

Liner As of this writing the best liner for any age is a gel and I currently use MAC Fluidline. Here’s the trick for a really natural, yet more dramatic looking eye – at any age and especially for the mature eye. Use the gel liner on the under side of the upper lid applied with a fine eyeliner or flat edged angle brush. This approach will remove 10 years - instantly - really!

And here's the real trick ladies. Use dark brown or steel gray eyeshadow as soft liner on the upper lid rather than pencil or liquid or gel. Use an eyeshadow 2-3 shades lighter for liner on the outer corners on the lower lash line directly under the lashes.

For more intensity you can intensify the powder portion of your liner mixed with an eyeliner sealant and rim the lower inside portion of your lid too. For more details check this blog post too.

The intensity levels are limitless. But for quick everyday fresh looks, the simple tricks above will keep you looking and feeling as young as your heart dictates – naturally.

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