10 Steps to Flawless Makeup

By Katherine Warren

Applying flawless makeup can be quick and easy if you know the proper steps and techniques. These are ten steps to make to a flawless looking face. They are quick, and many steps take under one minute, so you can complete your total look in less than ten minutes. Let's get started!

Concealer helps hide imperfections (redness, under eye circles, acne) and make them nearly invisible. Pick a shade as close to your natural skin color as possible. Dab on lightly and blend outward, feathering the edges so that you do not have a straight line across your face.

Foundation does not have to be applied over your whole face - just where you want to even out the color. Pick a shade that matches your jaw line. That way your face will not be a different shade than your neck, which is very unnatural looking!

Loose powder applied all over your face helps to set your makeup so that it lasts longer and stays where you put it.

Blush gives you a healthy glow. It should be applied to the apples of your cheeks and drawn outward just a little (to find your cheek's "apples" just smile. The part of your cheek above your smile and below your eyes is the apple of your cheek).

Eye shadow is important to bring out your eyes. It can help disguise many features - close set eyes, wide set eyes, tired eyes, etc. Using the right colors can really bring attention to your eyes. Place a light base shade over your lids and a darker color along the crease line. An even lighter shade can go along the brow bone to highlight the area. If your eyes are close set, place the darker color on the outer two-thirds of your eye only to help draw them apart.

Eye liner helps to add definition to your eyes. Black or dark brown liner works well on practically everyone. Just lining the top lid will make your eyes look larger. Line the bottom along your lashes for a more dramatic look.

Mascara is next. Turn the mascara wand vertically and brush just the tips of your lashes before turning the wand and sweeping your lashes from the base to tips. This will make your lashes appear longer. Also, if you curl your lashes, do it three times - once at the base, once in the middle and once near the tips. This will give you a better and longer lasting curl.

Brow color: This is often overlooked. Although it is simple, and adds barely-there color, it makes a definite impact on your overall look. Just make sure to pick a color as close to your natural color as possible, and use light, short strokes to apply.

Lip liner adds definition to your lips and helps stop your lipstick from feathering. For a more natural look, match the lip liner to your lips - not your lipstick. If you line your lips and then fill in the lines with lip liner before your apply your lipstick, your lipstick will last longer.

Lipstick finishes the look. The color you choose here can influence your whole look. Go neutral or light for a natural or romantic look, or darker and brighter foe a more dramatic look.

These steps can be customized for different looks. You can go from a natural or professional look using matte shades to a romantic or dramatic look using darker or frosted shades. You only need to change the intensity of the colors to change the mood.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_Warren

Photographer - David Wile

Makeup - Robert Closs

Professional Makeup Tips - Smokey Eyes

By Rob Closs

There are many renditions of smokey eyes - here's one that works on everybody.
Light Lids & Brow Bones; Smokey Crease & Liner:

1) After you've highlighted the lid and brow bone area with pale shadows, line your eyes from the first inner eye lash to the outer corner - on top and bottom. Gel or creamy pencil eyeliners work well for this look.

2) Choose a smokey crease color and shade the outer lid traveling up to the eye contour area.

3) Dip your angle brush into your smokey eye shadow color, and trace your original eyeliner, hugging it with the second color. This layers the eye design, expanding it for the ultimate smoke out.

4) With a virgin brush, go over the liners a third time. Because the brush is void of color, it will pick up the existing color and soften into a daring and sophisticated eye.

5) Go big or stay home. This eye needs full lashes, or the design reads as a demonic possession. Lash out with a moderate false strip or some individual false lashes. This will feminize your eye from this bold design.

6) Nude, soft light glossy lips will compliment a dark eye on any occasion. So leave the cranberry colors for the table if you wear this dark eye.

Reality Check!

Recognize all makeup designs in the context to which you see them. These big, huge smokey eyes in the magazines are frozen in time, part of an illusion and the sensationalism that heightens the viewer's experience. You would look at the same model from a very different perspective if she were shopping in the frozen pea section at the grocery store. You might even throw something at her. So have fun with a bit of smoke, but remember you have to wear it out.

Rob Closs is a professional makeup artist, and is the founder and managing director of The School of Professional Makeup, one of the premier makeup schools in Canada.

The School of Pro Makeup is now celebrating 10 years of creating careers through the art of makeup design.

Photo: Jennifer Stewart, courtesy of B Magazine, December 2007

More Makeup Tips

Makeup Care- Top Ten Makeup Mistakes
By Melanie Vasseur

ONE - Wearing dark lip liner with light lipstick is way out of date. Wearing matching liner and lipstick is the rule of the day for the new millennium. Make up that is understated is more in line with today's more natural look.

TWO - Using your lip liner to draw a line that extends beyond your natural lip line is passé. Keep your lip line natural. There are newer products out now that can help plump up your lips. Hot lips types of lip glosses or enhancers are now available that can increase your lip's volume.

THREE - Drawn in eyebrows are also a thing of the past. There is now eyebrow powder that you can use to enhance your eyebrow's natural line. These powders are a more subtle look.

FOUR - Eyeliner is a tricky thing. Keeping it in control can create a sexy look, while extending eyeliner too far past the corner of the eye can be over done. The Cleopatra look is great for Halloween, but for everyday it just appears overdone.

FIVE - Clumpy mascara just simply looks very bad. This is where purchasing better cosmetics is worth it. Some of the cheaper brands clump up terribly or use a brush that isn't adequate. There are some low cost mascaras that really are good. Loreal has a few good ones.

SIX - Glaring blush is a definite 80's look. Use a large blush brush to apply blush so you get a nice blended look that is more natural. You want people to see your whole face when they look at you, for an overall appearance. You don't want them to be seeing just your cheeks.

SEVEN - There are different colors of mascara available today, teal being one of them. Teenagers can get away with the more exotic colors, but for a sophisticated look go for dark blue. This is for the woman who wants to be taken seriously.

EIGHT - I've seen many women make this mistake…they cake on foundation over problem skin. I need to first say that there is much that can be done today for women with problem skin. There are many products that can clear up skin issues, such as rosacea, acne or brown spots. For the women who have more serious issues, there are laser treatments, peels, microdermabrasion, and facials. Be sure to use mineral makeup if you have acne prone skin. If you have fine lines you can mix a quality moisturizer with your foundation to help fill in the fine lines.

NINE - Foundation should be blended at the jaw line. Many women just don't seem to catch this mistake even though they are looking in the mirror when applying their makeup! Most importantly, you need to pick a foundation color that closely matches your skin color. Use a sponge to apply makeup, which will go a long way in helping to blend your foundation line.

TEN - It used to be the thing a few years ago to line the eyelid half way with eyeliner. Today the advice is to open the eyes with a softer look by applying a powder liner and outlining the whole eye area above and below the eye.

Today's beautiful woman is one who appears confident and well maintained, and by all means, in control of her looks. She knows that she is a whole package and not just individual features. The first thing that makes an impression is your face when meeting new people. Dress your face with makeup as well as you would dress your body with clothes.

Melanie Vasseur is a chemist, esthetician and the founder of Vasseur Skincare. For more skincare tips and information, visit www.vsskin.com or www.vasseurdayspa.com, 619-236-9095.

Article source: Amazines.com