- Makeup Secrets
- By Asuncion Parra Llorente
Makeup secrets to correct the
most common problems:
1. A secret to liven up dull,
lifeless skin.
2. A trick for correcting acne, eye rings and skin blemishes.
3. An easy guide to knowing what skin-type you have
4. Tricks for making yourself up in 10 minutes
1. A secret to liven up dull, lifeless skin.
Though it may seem complicated;
with a few quick steps your skin can change in a matter of seconds.
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Three basic steps ;
1. Cleansing: Cleanse your face with your usual
make-up remover and finish cleansing by rinsing your whole face
in cold water.
2. Exfoliation: Apply an exfoliating face pack over
the whole face, not forgetting the neck, and avoiding the eye
and lip areas (follow the product-specific instructions), later
remove the face pack with water and pat the face dry, without
rubbing.
3. Moisturizing: First apply a moisturizing tonic
if your skin is dry or normal, and a descaling cleansing tonic
if your skin is combination or greasy. Apply it over totally
dry skin with a cotton pad in small touches without spreading
it, so as not to irritate the skin.
Apply eye contour treatment if
you need it, or if you normally use it. |
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Apply a moisturizing serum for
your skin-type (this is normally sold in ampoules at the chemist’s.
Most make-up brands also produce different serums according to
skin type).
Finally, apply the moisturizing
cream over the whole face, once the serum has been properly absorbed.
THE KEY STEP: The most important step here is the
exfoliation, as skin normally appears dull and lifeless when
there are dead skin cells that need removing. You should do the
cleansing and moisturizing steps daily (except for the serum
which would be for specific occasions, according to the indications
on the product used).
2. A trick for correcting
acne, eye rings and skin blemishes:
The corrector/concealer is the
star product here, but if you don’t have one, we are adding
a trick to be able to use foundation instead of corrector.
Eye rings: Apply foundation the
way you normally would (foundation should be liquid or in a cream
texture) once you are done, apply the foundation with a synthetic-hair
brush, once again on the eye ring region. When you finish, using
a large powder puff, apply a little loose powder that is lighter
than your makeup base. Apply the powder in small touches and
in tiny quantities, so as not to produce folds in such a delicate
area.
For acne or facial blemishes:
Just as in the last step, but in the area you need to correct,
here the powder you apply should be the same tone as the foundation,
or totally transparent.
With this step what you have
done is concentrate the foundation over the area to be corrected.
Of course, the ideal thing is to use a specific corrector for
eye rings, and another specific one for acne (there are brands
that do acne correctors which treat as well as correct) in this
case you can follow the same steps, and use corrector instead
of the foundation, and you'll see how much better the result
is than when you use corrector alone.
3. An easy guide to knowing
what skin-type you have:
These are the most common skin
types; pay attention to the characteristics of each, and identify
your skin type. The best thing is always to consult a dermatologist
or aesthetician.
DRY SKIN
The skin feels dry and tight.
Wrinkles appear easily, and it
has no grease unless you moisturize.
Dry skin normally has a soft
aspect, with small pores. It’s uncommon for it to have blackheads
or zits.
Dryness may increase or decrease
depending on the environment, the weather, computers, air conditioning.
One way of determining the skin’s
dryness is to take it between thumb and fingers, pushing it up
and then letting it go. If it snaps back to place immediately,
then it's sufficiently moisturized, if there is a little delay,
then it needs moisturizing.
To keep this skin soft and smooth,
you need highly moisturizing products, products with nutrients,
moisturizing face packs and eye contour treatment for day and
night. Soaps should be avoided as they tend to dry up the skin.
The same goes for products that contain alcohol.
NORMAL SKIN
Normal skin is neither greasy
nor dry, and tends not to have zits.
The skin is perfect and appears
fresh and smooth. This perfect-looking skin has small pores,
and can be a little greasier in the T zone. This skin-type is
not very common among adults, but can be found among almost all
children.
People with this skin-type should
use products specially for normal-to-sensitive skin in order
to maintain this type of skin. They should avoid products that
contain alcohol.
COMBINATION SKIN
Combination skin has a greasy
area: the T zone, and is normal over the cheeks and neck. One
needs to choose products very carefully. Moisturizing a lot,
and avoid drying the skin, putting a particular emphasis on cleanliness.
GREASY SKIN
Greasy skin tends to appear dull,
and have blackheads. This skin is constantly producing grease.
Greasy skin keeps young for longer. This skin type should be
treated with specific, oil-free products but that should be sufficiently
moisturizing. Besides this, cleansing should be done with cleansing
face packs, together with other products for greasy-skin care.
The quality of this type of skin will vary from one day to the
next, depending on external factors such as tobacco, stress,
weather, food, etc.
SENSITIVE SKIN
Irritated blood vessels below
the skin are typical in sensitive skin. Skin often feels dry
and gets irritated very easily. Perfumed products and soaps can
irritate this type of skin. Even products specially designed
for sensitive skin can cause inflammation. The only way to find
the right kind of product for it is to try them out beforehand.
Products should be tried out on the inside of the arm, as any
potential reaction will not be as strong here as on the face.
Sensitive skin is most common among blonde or red-haired people.
Recommended products for this
skin-type are gentle and very moisturizing ones. Avoid very perfumed
products or those that contain alcohol. Sensitive skin should
not be overly exposed to the sun or to very warm temperatures.
4. Tricks for making yourself
up in 10 minutes:
These are the steps to follow
once the skin is totally clean and moist:
Apply corrector in the areas
that need it
Put the foundation on
Put the rouge on
Put on eye pencil
Put on mascara
Put on lip pencil
Put on lip gloss or balm
And that’s it. You'll be
completely made up and with a natural and pleasant aspect. And
yes, this make up should last all day, except of course on your
lips, and besides, it should take you no more than 10 minutes
to put on.
Below we describe each step:
Apply corrector where necessary
This step should take a few seconds,
and the difference between doing it and not doing it can be significant.
Those among you with perfect
skin can avoid it, and just use it as an illuminator.
I recommend using it before foundation,
although there are products on the market which are meant to
be used afterwards; it doesn’t matter, as the question is
to correct these areas.
The key thing here is to use
the corrector in the areas where the foundation will not be able
to unify the tone: a zit, a very noticeable eye ring. Once you
are through you can switch to putting on the foundation.
Put on the foundation
Use a make-up sponge (with or
without latex, according to preference and skin type) and moisten
it (just lightly) so as to be able to spread it more quickly
(naturally, I am referring here to liquid or cream foundation,
which are the easiest and quickest to put on).
For the liquid version, apply
some on the upper part of your left hand (or the other way round
if you are left-handed), and dab the liquid foundation lightly
with the dampened sponge, but don’t pick it all up.
Start to apply the foundation
from the forehead towards the sides, next from the nose towards
either side, then the chin towards either side and upwards, and
lastly the neck and the ears, if you are short-haired.
Once your whole face is made
up, with another part of the sponge, go over the areas where
you can see too much make-up, and spread it in small upward strokes.
Put more emphasis on the areas
that need correction most, for instance on the outer corner of
the eye (this tends to go red) on the nostrils and around the
lips.
Applying rouge
This is the easiest bit. Use
a tone that flatters you and apply it on the cheekbone and on
the mobile eyelid with a rouge brush, blending well so that it
ends up looking natural, with a loose powder brush, or using
the same rouge brush but with no product on.
That's it. You can go to the
next step now.
Applying eye pencil
This step is a perfect trick
if you have few eyelashes or want to make them look thicker than
they are.
Sharpen the pencil, and for daytime
makeup use one in dark brown or grey (for it to look more natural)
and apply it in small touches (not in a line) among the lashes
on the mobile lid, avoiding the tear duct area, and end up three
or four lashes short of where the eye ends.
The idea is that it look like
we have more lashes, not like we are wearing mascara.
If it is too noticeable, its
because you have put too much product on. Don’t worry: just
blend it out with a fine brush or a Q-tip.
Applying mascara
This is an indispensable step
in make-up. I know that many of you don’t like mascara because
you've got to remove it later, it runs, etc. The truth is that,
yes, obviously you have to remove it in the end, but if you use
a good mascara (for daytime it needn't be water-resistant: normal
ones come off easily) as well as protecting your eyelashes all
day, it'll come off when removed.
A good trick is to always do
the lower lashes first, to avoid staining the upper eyelid. Apply
the mascara in zigzag fashion, then apply the mascara on the
upper lashes, firstly downwards, then upwards. You needn’t
put on too much mascara, as this is daytime make-up.
You can use a dark brown mascara
but as we are using so little colour in the face, I recommend
the black, unless you’re a very light-blue-eyed blonde.
Applying lipstick
Although this is basic daytime
makeup, I recommend not to forget the lips. If you've paid attention,
you'll have noticed that at no time did I say that I recommend
making the lips up with foundation , since, the way I see it,
foundation on the lips does not look very natural.
Use a pencil very close in tone
to your lip, tending towards the pink but with brown pigments,
outline the lips and put some inside the lips also. This way
it'll last you a lot longer and you won’t need to use lipstick
unless you so desire.
Apply gloss or balm
The pencil will normally tend
to dry a bit, and to blend the colour in you'll need a little
gloss or balm, which one is up to you; balm is more moisturizing
and natural, and gloss makes your lips thicker and more juicy.
Final touch
Apply an illuminator (or if you
don’t have one, a bit of white, semi-pearl powder will do)
in the space below the eyebrow, at the top of the cheekbone,
and on the chin, so as to light up the face in a very natural
manner, making you look spectacular. |
Beauty Secrets of the World
