Carole Hughes, ESVIE Contributor
Start 2011 as you mean to go on with my top ten skin and make-up must-dos for a totally beautiful you:
1. Wash your tools
Your tools will pick up grease and dirt as they put make-up onto your face. If left unwashed for too long, you will be putting grime and germs back onto your skin. Unwashed brushes do not work as well due to a build-up of make-up and oils. Thus, once a week, rinse them in warm, foamy water and allow them to dry whilst lying horizontal.
2. Get the lipstick out
Instead of buying lip gloss why not opt for a fantastic new lipstick? The latest new texture is more sheer than traditional lipstick, so there’s no chance you’re going to look like an Eighties pop star. You achieve a colour that looks beautifully shiny. To give your lips a bit more oomph, apply lip liner that matches your own lip colour, blend it over your whole lip and smooth the lipstick over the top.
3. Regularly exfoliate
Regular exfoliation helps the skin to recondition itself more easily. By getting rid of the dead surface skin cells, you are exposing the fresher, more radiant layer of skin that lies beneath. Note: if you have irritable skin use a soft, enzyme based exfoliator. Usually fruit based, think exotic fruits, these enzymes soften the glue that binds dead skin cells together.
4. Use SPF every day
Every dermatologist will tell you that the most efficient way to slow down the ageing process is to use a sunscreen. So make sure your moisturiser contains at least SPF15. Of course the sun is far weaker in the winter months, but its ageing UVA rays are present all through the year. This is a simple beauty tip to forget particularly when the sky is grey and the icy winds are freezing your face and ears.
5. Less foundation more concealer
It’s all too easy to think that a liberal application of foundation, however flawlessly you apply it, will show your skin in its best light. As an alternative of relying on foundation, use concealer to even out the blemishes you want to disguise. Purchase the best you can afford, the colour will look more natural and the texture will blend into your skin without looking over the top.
6. Put on blusher
Apricot blusher is as complimentary if not more so than pink. It suits more skin tones, and gives the skin a gorgeous warm glow. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks, working the colour upwards and outwards. For a rosy flush, apply a pale, orangey blush along your cheekbones and add a touch of pink to the apples of your cheeks.
7. Try coloured eyeliner
I have been experimenting with metallic eye pencils lately. They come in blackened versions of gold and turquoise. Begin with a sharpened point and from the outer to the inner corners of your eyes. At the outer corner, start a little way up to highlight the eye shape creating a point. Blend the colour downward, you don’t want to see any gap between the lash root and the liner.
8. Curl those eyelashes
This is a make-up must do that is easily overlooked. By curling your lashes upwards, you open them up and give a lift to your look. Choose an eyelash curler that has a padded cushion. For longer lasting power, heat the pad with your hairdryer, apply then hold for 30 seconds and release. Finish with a coat or two of curling mascara. The formula is designed to hold the curl for longer.
9. Massage the skin
Skin experts swear by facial massages and it is something you can easily fit into your beauty routine at home. If you do it daily your skin will appear fresher and more refreshed. It will also help shift tenderness around eyes and jaw line. Start off with your neck and work upwards over your cheekbones, around your eyes and up to your forehead.
10. Use nail base and top coat
Painting your nails is one of the many things we do in a rush. This coming year, plan ahead and follow some simple rules. For the basecoat, go for a treatment, protein based formula. This way you are helping to strengthen your nails as well as keep them from discoloration. For the top coat, go for a rapid dry formula, and run the brush over the tips of your nails to reinforce the colour.
