It's Ash Wednesday. Lets keep it holy- by adding a little prayer, more conscious mortification and a few more acts of goodwill.

Tips Tips Tips Galore

During down time with kids and away time from work, I love collecting tips and what have yous from my readings. Here’s a few more to share and some comments to go with it ! Find a little bit on concealing, blushing and highlighting, eyes and lips and graceful aging!

Stay happy dearies, no matter what ! =)









# 361 Conceal and nourish

As we age, the skin becomes thinner under the eye area, and dark circles are more evident because the veins and blood vessels are closer to the surface here. This, combined with a genetic predisposition, is what causes dark circles to appear more prominent. As well as using a concealer, minimize the problem by moisturizing the area with an eye cream containing nourishing antioxidants that help protect the skin, such as green tea and grapeseed extracts, and vitamins C, E and K. (Taking vitamin E helps improve skin elasticity and texture also so these supplements do work wonders. My derma recommended this blend of Vitamin C for the skins- works wonders!


# 364  Tip about capillaries

To cover up broken capillaries or an uneven skin tone, you can either massage concealer into the skin or paint the area with a brush, then blend it in with you fingertips. (Here’s a little trick I do too- warm up your fingers when applying concealer and pat gently around the eye area- it will help melt the concealer into the area its being applied too.)


# 365 Conceal but don’t cake

Hide blemishes and red veins on fair skin with light-diffusing concealers that have peachy or yellow undertones which are also brilliant at hiding under-eye shadows.


# 367  Bright Eyes

For tired eyes that need an instant wake up call, dot small circles of liquid foundation under the eye, and up over the eyelid. Blend in very gently with a brush or your baby finger to conceal dark lines, then line the lower lid with a white pencil for eyes that are instantly brighter.


# 373 Plan Strategically

Give your face a cunning boost by dotting small dabs of highlighter in strategic spots- in inner corners of the eyes, on the lips or on the tips of the nose- for extra shine and definition. # 374 Radiance boosting Products sold as ‘radiance boosters’ or ‘illuminators’ usually have several functions. They can be used as highlighters to emphasize bone structure, as masks to revive lacklustre skin and eliminate fine lines and under foundation to provide a smooth serface for application, tighten the skin provide glow (My particular personal favourites include Shiseido’s brightening veil and Dermalogica’s day bright! Yummy yummy....so products provide too much illumination that they show more of what you planned on concealing to begin with so I recommend applying and dabbing lightly and working it up depending on skin type and need)


# 383 Final Touch

When you’ve finished making up your eyes, put a tiny spec of iridescent colourless shadow onto the center of your eyelid near the lashes. This will make eyes look wider and less hooded that they really are.


# 378 Naturally soft and sheer

Soft, neutral shades will help open up eyes, while dark moody ones can make them look smaller and deep set. Too much shimmer will settles into crease lines and reflect light, which will only draw attention to crow’s feet, so limit shimmer to the corner of the eyes. (If you have a particular look or effect in mind, do talk openly with your make up artist do listen to their take on it... different artists different approaches and theres no one approach that is absolute.....eye shadow formulas and finishes do matter....they will either enhance, emphasize or hide certain features...be it matte, frosted, shimmer, iridescent, sheer or what have you in powder, gel or cream finishes.....its important to use what works best on you- based on effect and skin type....what ultimately finishes best is not what’s fashionably in, it’s what brings out the best look for you....)


# 410 Reject a permanent brow

Dont be tempted to have brows tattoed on permanently to save time and create a perfect line; the effect is hard and artificial. (Not that I have anything personal against tattooing but really really unless you are balding in that area and too time-toxic to shade your brows, its best to hold off this option for as long as you can! I have worked on brows that have turned a shade grayer or bluer than the original tattoo ink.... not to mention that skin sinks and sags with age and time, there’s no telling what you permanent expression would be..... keep them close to natural for as long as you can dear!)


# 415 Leave out the lipliner

If your lip colour has a tendency to bleed upwards and outwards, apply a moisturizing lipstick with your fingers in small controlled dabs rather than dragging the lipstick along the mouth which can look sculptured and old fashioned ( I particularly like leaving the lipliner out on casual days but on days that require more prominence, i apply it after the lipstick and blend inwards to create a softer finish. This way, it doesn’t end up looking dated, sharp or too tight around the lips especially from afar. It helps keep the lipstick on longer too.... For liner aficionados, it is not necessary to leave it out of the routine. Do apply it well and lipliners can do wonders! Oh and by the way, do try Mac’s tinted lip conditioners- they work well with lipliners and create a very subdued natural look for everyday ! )