Thursday, March 15, 2007

Mastering Makeup

To get a polished look you use concealer, foundation, powder, lipstick, and perhaps mascara. For a more striking appearance, you may want to add eye­liner, eye shadow, lip liner, and blush.
Concealer Clues
The purpose of concealer is to conceal or camouflage darker areas of the face (such as the under-eye area) and blemished or blotchy spots. The color of your concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation—that is, a shade lighter than your natural skin tone. After cleansing, moisturizing (if needed), and applying sunscreen to your face, dot concealer in your trouble spots. Use a light touch—too much concealer can give your complexion an uneven, cakey look. You can use a damp makeup sponge or your fingers to blend in. Don't rush the blend­ing process—take your time to get the right, even-toned look.
Dark circles are unsightly, annoying- and surprisingly easy to cover, once you find the right concealer. The right product is usually the creamiest, because the skin under the eyes is often dry. “It’s not a good idea to apply a hard stick concealer directly to the under eye area-the skin is much too delicate,” so before using stick concealer, softening it up first with your fingertip.
Brighten up- not whiten up-your dark circles with these easy step-by-step instructions.
Prep for your concealer. If the skin under eye area is dry, pat on a light eye cream to keep your concealer from appearing cakey or thick.
Apply foundation. Foundation hides dark circles to some degree and helps concealer glide on more smoothly than concealer alone.
Measure out your concealer. Using your index finger, pat a pea-size creamy concealer, under each eye.
Start covering up. Dab the concealer from the inner corner of your eye outward, using your index finger to pat it into place. Use as little concealer as possible around your eyes; the product will sink into few lines after a few hours.
Check your work. Stand back from the mirror. If you can still see dark circles, pat on a tiny more concealer.
Finish up with powder. Using a very small, narrow makeup brush, dust on translucent powder to set the concealer.

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