Seasonal Makeup

All seasons have their unique style, technique and type of makeup that may look out of place in other climatic and weather conditions. Winter makeup may look and prove very laughable and difficult to manage during the monsoons while makeup for summers may leave a person looking quite pale and colorless in a Christmas party! This section has come up with some very handy tips to apply appropriate makeup and look pretty in all seasons. Simple skin care can also keep you free of many worries such as dry and cracked lips. Use a bit of petroleum jelly and a soft bristle toothbrush to exfoliate any dead skin from the lips. Apply vitamin E oil over them to make them look soft and kissable. Vitamin E oil is good for your nails, hair and skin in general too.

Acne is a common problem in summer, especially for people with oily skin. However, they can be easily treated too. Mix one spoon of sea salt in 4 ounces of warm water and use the solution to clean the area and cover it for 2 to 3 minutes using a cotton ball twice or thrice. Then pat the area dry. Sexy beach girls on screen always have beautiful lustrous hair that you think is impossible with all that sun, sand, wind and salt. Well, here is the trick. Braid your hair in as many parts as you want depending how many waves and curls you want. Then, go for a swim in the ocean and let them dry in the breeze naturally. Open up the braids and run your fingers through hair for the beautiful look. Champagne rinse plays up blonde highlights while beer conditioning adds shine to hair. So, now you know all those bottles are not only for drinking and having fun.

Thin slices of lemon in a tub of warm water remove dead skin, help in cleansing, hydrates skin and give you a wonderful citrus aroma. Baking soda absorbs excess moisture and works as an excellent deodorant. Body moisturizers with shimmer and tanning lotions are great for showing off your beautiful legs on beach. Summer and hot weather means more skin on the show and greater use of body makeup such as tanning powder and lotions that make arms, legs and shoulders look more athletic and sexy. These are also great for covering up any freckles or skin imperfection when going for bolder fashions. Winter is the best loved season by all women for there is no more need to worry about sweat smudging our carefully applied makeup and also allows us to go for a lot more brighter colors and fashions we have always wanted to play with. The color range is largest for cold chilly winters ranging from neutrals such as white, light grays to charcoal gray, black, taupe, navy, true blue, royal blue, turquoise, royal purple, true green, emerald green, pine green, hot pink, magenta, fuchsia, burgundy, blue-red, true-red and icy colors such as icy green, icy yellow, icy aqua, icy violet, icy pink and icy blue. Silver jewelry looks best in winters.

Monsoon Makeup
In monsoons, dense makeup has a risk of being smudged and washed out severely and so light and sheer makeup is more advisable. Use waterproof mascara, transfer-resistant lipsticks and waterproof liners and may even use waterproof foundation, if it is a must for you.

Summer Makeup
Summer is the time to give your body the healthy tan and protect it from the horrors of sunburn, baked and dry lips and even sun-scorched skin cancer! There are some makeup disasters that can happen in summer sun and a relaxing beach noon that we do not pay adequate attention too.

Winter Makeup
There are so many people who dread winter for the mere reason that it brings a challenge to maintaining healthy and well-moisturizer skin. Extra care and attention is needed during the winter season, because during the cold months, the oil glands situated just below the surface of the skin tend to become relatively inactive and produce less moisture than usual.

Winter Makeup

There are so many people who dread winter for the mere reason that it brings a challenge to maintaining healthy and well-moisturizer skin. Extra care and attention is needed during the winter season, because during the cold months, the oil glands situated just below the surface of the skin tend to become relatively inactive and produce less moisture than usual. The wind and cold conditions that it brings along only adds to the dryness. With the onset of winters, your makeup also needs to go major change.

Velvety shades are the way to go for a winter woman. You need to look more glamorous and more polished during the cold months of the year. The matte look and understated shades, such as coffee, chocolate and smoky shades for eyes and berry tones for lips and cheeks, replace the fresh summer face. Gloss is in vogue again and so are our beloved fruity and spicy tones of cosmetics. In case you want to explore more about make up in winters, make use of the tips given in the following lines.

Makeup Tips For Winters

• Use blackberry and copper color polish to darken your nails. It is perfect for the season and looks best on short, just-to-your-fingertips nails.
• Try colored mascara like navy, burgundy, and auburn that gives lashes a subtle color and some depth as well, without looking too obvious.
• Winters calls for more defined eyes. So, you should use a chocolate brown or charcoal liner along your upper lashes.
• It is a good idea to opt for neutral shades of makeup, such as light browns, grays, pinks and purples.
• If you want to draw attention to only one area of your face during winter, it is best to put emphasis on your eyes. A smoky eye look will work well during this time of year.
• Keep your lips moisturized in order to prevent them from becoming cracked and dry. It is a good idea to apply a lip-gloss throughout the day.
• A bit of sheen on eyes can be used too for a change, especially if you are using nude shades on your lips.
• Either your moisturizer or your foundation should have broad-spectrum sun protection.
• A light, matt foundation as well as a tinted powder, with a slight shimmer, look great in winters.
• For fragrance, it is best to stick to essence of essential oils, spices and other natural aromas.
• Smokey eyes look best in winters. For sultry effect, you can use eye shadows in cinnamon and coffee shades.
• A sheer layer of creamy blush-on can boost up the subtle makeup look that you adopt in winters.
• Tinted lip balms, in honey, blackberry and red currant tones, look great in the winter season.

Summer Makeup

Summer is the time to give your body the healthy tan and protect it from the horrors of sunburn, baked and dry lips and even sun-scorched skin cancer! There are some makeup disasters that can happen in summer sun and a relaxing beach noon that we do not pay adequate attention too. Here we are going to discuss them along with some other tips to keep you pretty like sunshine:

• Avoid lip liner.
• Colors such as golden-green or mango green for eyes can be used along with black or brown mascara.
• Dewy face with the lightest veil of translucent powder is the right summer look.
• Dry hair frizz a lot as humidity increases and make curly hair unmanageable. Rich deep conditioning of your hair will help to tame your hair and don't forget to protect them from sun, sand and wind by wearing a trendy summer hat or a baseball cap. Wax and texturizers also help to tame frizzy hair.
• Gold shimmer under brows or across cheekbones can be a luxury you can use.
• In case, you haven't taken the precaution already and the damage is already done, use a foundation with the shade of your tanned skin to cover the area under your eyes and blend it well with the rest of the face. Then use nude or light brown eye shadow to give them a natural look.
• Light shade of bronzer on cheekbones and chin gives you a beautiful suntan.
• Sprinkle your feet with foot powder before wearing sandals to avoid any blisters. If you still feel shoe-on-skin rubbing, protect the sensitive area with a bandage before the blister forms. To get rid of the blister, take a clean needle and sanitize it with alcohol. Pop the blister and use cotton to clean any fluid that comes out of it. Apply an antibiotic ointment without trying to scrape off the skin and then cover the area with a bandage.
• Sunglasses protect your eyes but do not stop the sun from tanning the rest of your face, resulting in eyes with paler skin around it than the rest of the face. To avoid this, generously rub sunscreen with SPF 30 with a broad spectrum over your entire face and body every two hours.
• The only thing you can do to get rid of this yellowish tint is to scrape the surface of your nail with the help of the finest-grain side of the block file and use the clear UV-resistant topcoat for protection and shine.
• The sheer pastel, beige and pink nail polish acquires a yellowish tint after being exposed to sun for two days or more. To avoid this, use a clear nail gloss with inbuilt UV protection topcoat and do not forget to rub sunscreen on nails too after every two hours, just like the rest of your body.
• Use eyeliner pencil of slate gray, warm chocolate or navy shades with a light hand.
• Use gel on your hair and use only the fresh razor with triple blades to shave bikini line to avoid any unsightly rashes. You can use 1% hydrocortisone cream to any rash to cure it and hide any redness in the area by using tinted facial moisturizer.
• Warm blond and naturally medium brown hair with highlights may acquire coppery shades in sun due to oxidation. Thus, always wear a hat or scarf while venturing outdoors. Hair color gloss can help you to achieve the shine again.
• Warm, sunny, bright blush can be used.
• Wear only natural nude shades as lip colors while going out to the beach. If you cannot resist the temptation of using liquid lipstick while on the honeymoon in a tropical island, keep it inside the cooler for your soda or carry it in a pot or tube with a wand. If your bullet is going soft, try to cool it a little by placing it in a fridge or near an air conditioner.

Monsoon Makeup

In monsoons, dense makeup has a risk of being smudged and washed out severely and so light and sheer makeup is more advisable. Use waterproof mascara, transfer-resistant lipsticks and waterproof liners and may even use waterproof foundation, if it is a must for you. Indian girls can put their 'kajal' (kohl) away until winters. Here are some tips to keep you pretty when it is raining cats and dogs:

• Wash and cleanse the face thoroughly and rub an ice cube on your face for 5 to 10 minutes to lower the sweating rate so that the makeup stays put for longer period of time.
• Women with oily skin can use astringent while women with dry to normal skin can use toner after the ice to cool and refresh the skin.
• Avoid foundation and prepare the base of your makeup using powder slightly.
• Sheer film of light brown, beige, pastel or pink cream eye shadow can be used along with a think line of eyeliner and use a coat or two of waterproof mascara.
• Soft matte lipsticks are preferable to most ladies during monsoons but you may use a soft brown or pink shade with sheer gloss.
• Do not neglect to use water-based moisturizers during rainy season to keep away the oily skin, acne and water loss due to perspiration and sweating.
• Keep your hairstyles simple and easy. Elaborate hairstyles are more difficult to manage and redo and limp damp hair do not look good with them. You may use bangs and layered hairstyles instead.
• Bright jewelry is in vogue during monsoons but this is the minimalist year, so you may opt for stone studded light jewelry.
• If you must you blush, keep it light and blend it well. Cream blush in shades of pink, peach and brown can be used.
• During this time, keep your eyebrows in shape with threading and hair gel for you cannot use eyebrow pencil during a downpour.
• Wash you hair regularly and massage your scalp regularly to keep dandruff and other hair problems out of your way.
• Denims are not for monsoons; wear light cotton fabrics, capri pants and three fourths.
• Umbrellas and raincoats are also in fashion. Buy some in cheerful happy colors.
• White and light colors can easily get muddy, so avoid them.
• Throw your leather booths and high heels at the back and wear sneakers and sandals.

Make Up Tips

Every girl or woman wants to look beautiful and to highlight their important features, especially on their face. Every girl sooner or later starts experimenting with make up. There is no doubt that make up, makes you look beautiful but only if it applied properly. Many women do not know how to apply make up properly. Here are a few make up tips that should help you.

• Use a gel blush or a cream blush instead of powder in a shade of pink and it will look more natural. Gels or creams are more transparent and blend smoothly. Rub them onto your cheekbones and blend upwards towards your eye for a glowing rosy complexion.
• To fix unpolished nails, fail nails into square shape, buff them to give some shine and then apply a clear coat of polish. Then rub a little cuticle oil around the edges of your nails and apply rich moisturizer on your hand. In about 15 minutes your hand will have a polished look.
• The trend now is to have natural looking eyebrows and not thin, arched brows. Use a tinted brow definer or eye shadow to fill your brows if they are scanty.
• Before you sharpen your eyeliner or lip liner keep it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. The pencil will harden a little and will not break when sharpened.
• Women whose eyes are deep-set should use liquid liner instead of pencil eyeliner. Liquid liner does not smudge easily and will not smudge in the crease of the lid in deep-set eyes.
• To prevent mascara flaking off and smudging on your face, apply a thin coat of mascara on your top lashes only. Then brush your lashes with an eyelash brush to prevent clumpy mascara build-up.
• Before curling your eyelashes, heat the eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds. Test to make sure that it is not very hot and then apply it on your eyelashes. The heat will ensure that the curl stays in place on extra long eyelashes.
• Before buying a concealer or foundation, test the color on the inside of your wrist. The skin here is unblemished and will give you an idea on how the color will look on your face.
• To extend the life of your foundation mix a drop of your moisturizer to create a glowing look for your skin.
• Apply foundation after you have done your eye make-up. This way you will be able to fix any mascara or eyeliner smudges.
• To prevent your lips from feeling dry when you apply matte lipstick, apply lip balm on your lips before start your make up. By the time you do your eyes and the rest of the face your lips would have absorbed the balm and will be ready for the matte lipstick.
• To make lipstick last for longer shade your lips with lip liner before you apply lipstick.
• If you have applied nail polish in a sloppy fashion, then just soak your nails once they are dry in warm water for a few minutes and them rub off the extra nail polish with a finger.
• Dark eye shadow can be used as eyeliner as well. Use a very flat brush, wet is and dip it in dark eye shadow. Wriggle the brush into your lash line paying special attention to the space between the lashes and then use the color just above your lash line.

Lipstick Tip

Every woman loves to wear lipstick. Just a dash of lipstick adds so much glamour to your face. Lipstick should be applied properly and should be of the right color. Most of you would have noticed that lipstick does not last long, especially when we eat and drink. Here are a few tips on lipstick and how to make lipstick last long.

• Store lipstick in the fridge, it will last longer.
• While buying lipstick never use the tester on your lips. It is very unhygienic. Apply the tester on fingertips. This is a better option than the back of your hand as it closer than your lips.
• Use your lip liner as a base for your lipstick. This will ensure that lipstick lasts longer. While using light lipstick, use nude liner. Then apply lipstick on top of it.
• Line your lips whenever you use lipstick. Without lipstick your lips will look soft and less defined and your lipstick will appear smudged.
• To keep lipstick off your teeth, once your have applied lipstick, put your index finger into your mouth and pull it out. The extra lipstick will come off on your finger.
• Lipstick can be used as blush, but do not use blush as lipstick.
• Apply lip liner first. If your apply lipstick first and then try to apply lip liner you will not be able to see the natural line of your lips.
• Older women should avoid gloss and matter lipstick and stick to creamy lipstick.
• If you do not like a shade of lipstick, do not throw it out. Just mix it with other shades of lipstick and create your own shade.
• If you have plump lips, apply lip liner just outside your natural lip line.
• To keep gloss on for longer first fill your lips with lip liner and then apply gloss on it. The gloss has something to stick to and therefore lasts longer.
• If your lipstick has broken, the just light a match under the broken part of a while, when the lipstick melts a little then put it back on the base. Then swivel down the lipstick and put it in the fridge, uncovered for about 5 minutes.
• Try and avoid orange and brown shades of lipstick as they make your teeth appear yellow.
• When you are to the last bit of your favorite lipstick scrape out the last bits with an orange stick and mix it with lip-gloss or vaseline and use it.
• To prevent lipstick from sticking to the glass you are drinking from, discreetly lick the edge of the glass before touching your lips to it.

How To Apply Makeup in Five Minutes

Doing your own makeup is always challenging and it becomes all the more hard when you do not have enough time at your disposal. If you are in hurry and have limited time to spend in front of the mirror, do not start worrying. We can tell you that getting the perfect made-up look in a few minutes is not a difficult job. In fact, by being a little systematic and organized, a woman can do her makeup in as short a time period as five minutes. In case you need any help, the quick makeup tips given here will come handy. Follow these tips and see yourself changing from a simple girl to a 'diva', in just a few minutes.

How To Apply Makeup In Five Minutes

• After taking a bath, apply some moisturizer on your face. Leave it on your face for sometime; say a minute or two, so that your skin gets enough time to absorb the moisture.
• In the meantime, get your entire makeup ready, so that you do not end up wasting time looking for different cosmetics. In other words, you need to prepare your foundation, sponge/ foundation brush, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, sharpened brow pencil, lipstick, lip brush, loose powder, powder blushes and blush-on brush.
• Now, apply the foundation on your face and blend it with the help of a sponge or a foundation brush.
• Next, you will have to apply your favorite eye shadow, followed by eyeliner, which will help define your eyes. Concentrate on the shape of your eyes while using the liner, since you only have limited time in hand and do not want to use it in correcting wrong make up.
• Apply mascara on the tips of your eyelashes. At this point, if it is needed, you can apply a few small strokes of brow pencil, to enhance the color or shape of your eyebrows.
• Apply a nice shade of lipstick on your lips. Instead of directly applying the lipstick onto your lips, use a lip brush to spread the color evenly over them in less time.
• Put some blush-on on your cheeks, with the help of a brush. Thereafter, gently apply some loose powder on your nose and the t-zone. This will prevent the area from becoming oily.
• Finally, go for a quick final check in the mirror to see whether you need to make a few corrections or not. If not, you are ready to dazzle in front of the world!

Party Make Up Tips

Everyone wants to look good, especially when it is the time to party. The idea behind hosting or going to parties is to meet the people you know as well as to make new friends. At the same time, you try to impress others by your dressing sense and looks, along with the way you carry yourself. The self-confidence comes when you know that you are looking perfect, with the right make up and a dazzling ensemble. However, while getting ready for a night out, you need to know that party makeup also has some limits and rules. For instance, you should apply either heavy eye makeup or heavy lip makeup, but not both at the same time. If you want to be the essence of a party, there is no better place to start than at your dressing table. In this regard, the party makeup tips given here will come handy.

Party Make Up Tips

Prepare Yourself
Choose your dress, footwear and accessories for the big occasion in advance. Once all the elements come together, it will help you get an idea about your look and you will be able to select your make up accordingly.

For Fresh Looking Skin

• Wash your face with warm water, using your favorite face wash.
• Rub ice on your face for 5-10 mins, in breaks.
• Dab some cleansing milk on a cotton ball and wipe your face with it.
• Apply some lotion/ moisturizer, while making sure you do not end up leaving your face oily.

Preparing The Base

• Depending upon your complexion, apply foundation all over your face, with the help of a sponge/foundation brush. You can apply a darker shade of the foundation on the broader parts of your face.
• Now, apply shimmer powder on your face, over the foundation, with the help of a brush.
• Blush your cheeks, adding color gradually. Use some blusher on the sides of the forehead and chin as well.

On The Eyes

• First of all, you need to apply the eye-shadow on your eyelids
• Define your eyes with eyeliner, making use of short strokes.
• Next, apply 2-3 coats of mascara, on the tips of your lashes.
• Finally, define your eyebrows with the help of an eyebrow pencil.

For Your Lips

• Shape up your lips nicely and precisely, with the help of a lip liner pencil.
• Now is the time to apply the lip color, with the help of a brush.
• Blot the lipstick with tissue and then apply once again.
• Finally, add a coat of gloss on your lips.

For Your Nail

• Clean your nails thoroughly and file them to give a proper shape.
• Apply a coat of the colorless base coat and let it dry.
• Add two coats of a nail polish, giving a gap of 10 minutes in-between.
• Add another coat of the colorless base coat and let it dry.

Cleansing, Toning & Moisturizing Face

One's beauty is incomplete without a fresh and glowing skin. However, not everybody is blessed with a naturally good skin. As skin is one of the most delicate parts of our body, even those who are blessed with a good and charming skin need to take care of it properly. Those who are not blessed with that natural charm and appeal need to work hard on their skin to make it shiny, smooth and beautiful. Different people have different textures of skin like oily, dry and normal. However, some of the people have extremely sensitive skin which needs extra special care. The basic ways to take care of any kind of skin is cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

Why does skin require cleansing, toning & moisturizing?
Moving around in dust, smoke and traffic makes skin dull, dry and dead. Regular exposure to all these things makes skin faint and pale. Gradually, it starts taking toll on the skin and permanently damages its texture. If you do not want your skin to lose its charm before time, the only remedy to it is constant caring. The easiest and effective way to care for your skin is regular cleansing, toning & moisturizing.

Cleansing

Benefits: Cleansing is the most effective way of removing dust, dirt and dead layer from your skin. It is also meant for cleaning the previously applied make up. Cleansing helps in removing the extra element on the skin to make its pore open and breathing. Regular cleaning makes your face fresh and clean.

Process:

• Wash your hands with soap properly do remove dust and bacteria.
• Use a good quality face wash with water in order to remove dust stick to your face. Remember, a face wash can help you get rid of the dust but it is not simply enough to remove all the impurities from your face.
• Once you have done cleansing, you can go for light scrubbing. This will help you get rid of black heads a dead skin.
• Now pat your skin dry with a clean towel.
• Dip cotton in fresh milk or artificially available cleanser (whatever available) and properly apply it all over your face. Remove it with dry cotton after few minutes. Wash the face with water again.

Toning

Benefits: Toning helps in removing any residual dirt or cleanser on the face. It also helps in restoring the natural pH level of the skin, making it ready for being hydrated.

Process:

• Toners with glycolic or alpha hydroxy acid are best for toning for almost all kinds of skin.
• Natural toning is also a nice way to take care of your skin. For normal and dry skin use a combination of fresh cucumber juice with yoghurt as an astringent.
• You can use the combination of egg white with honey mixed with few drops of lemon juice as a toner for oily skin.
• Apply toner with cotton all over your face except the eyes and lips. Wipe the toner in upward and outward direction.

Moisturizing

Benefits: It helps in restoring the natural moisture to your face and making it more soft, supple and glowing.

Process:

• After you are done with your cleansing and toning, you must moisturize your face in order to regain the moisture lost.
• Clean your hands before you apply moisturizer to your face.
• Deeply apply the moisturizer on your face in a circular with upward strokes motion.
• Do not over use moisturizer as it will clog your pores and give way to black heads and pimples.

Eyelashes

The most expressive parts of your body are your eyes. It is often said that a girl with doe eyes poses a magical charm. Some people are naturally blessed with beautiful eyes. Incase you are amongst those chosen few, you need not to do much experiment with your eyes. However if you are not amongst one of them do not worry, there is still much that can be done with your eyes to make it ravishingly beautiful. However before going for any experiment remember not to apply to much of external products as apart from being expressive and beautiful; eyes are also the most sensitive part of your body. Given here is detailed description of what all can you experiment with your eyelash to make it look beautiful. So Read on…

Experiment with eyelashes
Eyelashes are the only part of eyes where a little experiment can be done with make up. A slight make up of eyelashes can accentuate the beauty of your eyes by thousands of times. Apart from that eye make up has it own limitations, so in order to bring out the hidden beauty of your eyes, the lashes are the best and safe asset. Long and beautiful shaped eyelashes also make your face look extremely striking.

Tips for beautiful eyelashes

Natural methods

• Prepare a combination of equal amount of glycerin and Castor oil. And apply it through your clean mascara brush. Let them dry and apply them twice for fuller and longer lashes.
• Regularly apply castor oil or olive oil to your eyelashes before going to bed every night and observe the results in few weeks.
• You can also apply Vaseline through a clean mascara brush on your lashes every night for a good lashes growth.
• You can go for tip-trimming of the lashes but be very careful about this. However you must know that a trim can get you rid of the old to bring on the growth of the new lashes.
• Consume ample amount of Vitamin C as it stimulates hair growth.

Artificial Method

• You can curl your eye lashes by using a lash curler.
• Apply mascara on your lashes from the roots and to the tip of your lashes.
• Use brown mascara instead of a black one to get a softer and more flattering look.
• Always use good lash conditioner and mascara to improve the quality of your lashes.
• Always change your mascara once in three months

Makeup For Teenagers

It is first of all in teen age that the craze bugs to look beautiful bites every body. All of a sudden then the world of makeup and fashion starts looking extremely interesting. The craze to experiment with looks specially comes with the entry in college. However, as this age is very delicate, it is often not advisable to apply extra make up. Teenage make up should always be soft and subtle. A nice combination of colors, poise and sweet touch up makes teenage make up attractive and charming.

What kind of make up is advisable for teenagers?
As a teenager you must know that you have got a soft and unexploited skin and you must act wisely to preserve it. Make sure you do not use any local and harsh products on your skin. Also remember not to be a copy cat of makeup applied by people around because as a teenage it is very important for you to develop an original style of your own. Do not also give yourself an overdose of make up because it will make you look more mature than you are. Try to stay away from that ultra glam and sexy look as it will take a toll over your innocence which is the basic plus point of your beauty.

Make up tips for teenagers

What to do

• Experiment with colors. Try wearing bright and floral colors. You can also use light pink and black colors if you are willing for a feminine look.
• Go for bright yet natural shades for make up.
• Do experiments with your eye make up but avoid extra glossy make up any where else on your face.
• Go for lip gloss instead of lipstick.
• Try different kinds of hairstyles because changes in hair do help in a complete make over.
• Remember to keep your skin clean, toned and moisturized. Avoid using any harsh products on your skin.
• Experiment with your footwear.
• Innocence on your face is your real beauty, so avoid any kind of make up that overshadows your natural charm and innocence.

What not to do

• Always make sure that you do not overdress yourself and whatever you wear is in accordance with the occasion you are dressing up for.
• Avoid extra chemical treatment with your hairs. However experiment as much as you can with natural and herbal products.
• Avoid wearing ultra glam dress and make up because that will overshadow the natural charm of your face.
• Do not apply chemicals on your face instead go for home made and natural products.
• Avoid colors like queen, brown, grey and slate both in make up and dresses.

Special Effects

Add your very own special effects to make you look hot and sultry and very much wanted, next time you go for a night out. Here are some essential professional touches, you should practice again and again and be expert at:

• To create smokey eye effect, cover your eyelids with nude and shimmery eye shadow. Use grey or brown eye shadow with a little glitter just above the upper lash line to just above the crease of the eye. Sweep black matt eye shadow from inside to half way towards the outside of the eye below the eye crease. Using a moist q-tip, smudge a line of black eye shadow across the top lash line, extending it a little on the outer corners. Add white eye shadow just below the brow and the inner corner of your eye. Line the lower lash line with the eye shadow, moving your brush from outside of the eye to the middle of the eye. Apply mascara to finish eye makeup.
• For red festive lips, coat your lips with concealer or foundation to add vibrancy to your shade of red and make your lipstick stay put for longer period of time. After the foundation is set, use a lip liner that matches your lip color to define the lips. Apply the lipstick with a lip brush from outer corners of the mouth to inside. Tissue odd the extra color and apply another coat of lip color. Coat it with red gloss. You can accent your lips with gold sparkle too.
• A light coating of a gold-toned nude and cream-based eye shadow across the eye followed by a coat of pale pink eye shadow from the upper lash line to just above the crease and a light coat of pale minty green over the eye, working from the inside corner to the middle of the eye is the right way to achieve subtle yet festive look for an informal Christmas gathering.
• Scary beauty has its charms too. So paint your face for this Halloween using the mixture of 1 tsp of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp of water, 1/2 tsp of cold cream and some food coloring. Wash and dry your face before painting it and use fingertips for large areas and paint brush for making specific designs. Be creative and innovative. It is easily removable and can be washed with soap and water.
• If you are performing shows, you will realize how important it is to know how to produce fake injuries, bruises and blood sometimes. To make a bruise, apply deep blue powder eye shadow with a dampened makeup brush. Add blots of charcoal gray and blue shadows for a realistic effect. You may also touch up the edges with shimmery olive green and smudge the edges.
• Of course, you can use tomato sauce as fake blood but then ants may cause a problem, if you are going to wander all night haunting your neighbors. So here's a sugarless blood recipe, you can prepare at home. Pour 1/2 bottle of light corn syrup in a bowl and keep on adding hot water while stirring continuously until you have the right consistency. Add a little liquid soap to make it easier to wash off. Use red food color as much as you want. For darker blood color use a drop or two of blue or green food color.

Party Makeup

Everybody in this world wants to look beautiful. This desire becomes more prominent especially if there is some special occasion or party. Researches say that a nice make up boosts up the confidence of a person in the social arena. So, not only on physical level, the art of make up has it charm on psychological level also. Apart from this, who does not love being the center of attention in a party? In case you are scheduled to attend some party recently, go through this article to discover some handy tips on part makeup.

How is Party Makeup different from Regular Makeup?
Party Makeup is very different from the makeup we apply on a regular basis. As most of the parties are scheduled on evening or night time, the party make up is obviously more glittery and shining than the regular make up. It is also comparatively darker and dazzling than the regular makeup. Apart from the clean, clear and attractive look, the party makeup aspires to provide a poised and jaw drop gorgeous look.

Before you choose a Party Makeup
It is very important for you to keep certain points in mind before you go for a party make up.

• Go for a makeup that suits the mood of the party.
• Choose the makeup complementing your skin tone.
• Try to look gorgeous without experimenting much with your comfort level.
• Go with a makeup that suits your persona.
• If you are planning to do something new, go for a trial first to avoid any haphazard at the last moment.
• Try doing something different from what is in extreme fashion to avoid being a commoner.
• Feel confident of whatever you get done with yourself and carry it well.

Tips for Party Makeup

• Go for proper cleansing, exfoliating, toning and moisturizing before anything else.
• Apply ice all over your face.
• Now thoroughly apply concealer in order to hide the scars and imperfections on your face.
• You should then apply light base and foundation on your face and neck to make your skin smooth and even. This also helps to avoid sweating which can spoil your makeup.
• You should now apply a highlighted oil-free moisturizer mixed with shining products such as shimmer dust to provide extra shine to your face. Remember to set loose powder by even brushing on the face and neck.
• You can experiment with eye makeup according to party wear you are planning to wear. However, Smokey eyes are always a good option for a sexy and sensual look in parties.
• Choose your lipstick in accordance with your dress. However go for darker shades if it is a night party.
• Golden, bronze and silver liners add to your freshness and glamour. So prefer using them.
• In case the party is a little formal or a day time party, go for a little lighter make up and less shimmering dresses.

Nail Polish Selection

For the perfect looking nails, you need to take proper care of them. Dirty nails are quite repulsive and clean nails that have been shaped and filed beautifully and polished expertly can make your hands one of your best features. Nail polish comes in thousands of shimmering rich colors and are these days available in quick drying formulas that stay longer to make your nails look stylish always. It is very important that you let each layer of nail paint dry, before applying another coat on it. To quicken the process, you can use the branded quick drying formulas, readily available in the supermarkets. It always handy to keep a cotton bud by your side to remove excess nail varnish on the top of the bottle, as it will prevent of it being glued shut by the drying of the color. You can easily get a coordinated look while doing makeup by visiting a cosmetic saloon and trying out nail polishes that compliment your lip color.

Some beauty product companies, even offer makeup kits that have eye shadows, mascaras, lip liners, lipsticks, blushes and nail polishes that harmonize with each other well for making your makeup choices much more easier. There are quick drying formulas and strong longer lasting formulas to choose from. Speed-dry nail polishes dry quickly of course, but on the other side, they chip easily too. They should be used only in emergencies and should not be included in your daily makeup kit. Strong and longer lasting nail polishes are chip-resistant and do not need frequent touch-ups and are thus pretty good for daily purposes. If you are in a hurry and need a quick manicure for our nails, opt for light or sheer shades. Always store your nail polish in a refrigerator though a cool dry place is still a better option.

Solid color manicure is the most basic and simplest of all. Basic neutrals and mild nail colors are best for first meetings and job interviews. If you are wearing open-toed sandals, you can also apply the same shade on your toenails for the stylish look. Match your nail polish with your outfit. For an easy pick, try choosing the shade that is the second most common in your clothes to emphasize it. Since black and silver lend a bold look so use it only while dating, going to the parties or when you are going on outgoing with your family and friends. Become a craze in your school or college by doing you nails in school colors. You can try painting one nail in one color entirely and then use another color to paint the next nail and so on or paint the body of the nail with one color and tips with another. Dare to paint the nail in one color and the mascot of your school on it in another color.

Mascara Types

Mascara makes eyelashes look longer, darker, fuller and thicker and conditions them too. It helps to open up eyes to a great extent. It is also the most beloved cosmetic of most women after lipstick. It is available in many skin colors depending on the natural colors of the lashes and some funky colors too. There are regular or water-soluble mascaras, which can be removed easily without the help of eye makeup remover avoiding the sagging of skin and waterproof or water-resistant mascaras that do not wash off easily and is great for summer and monsoons. It is the best choice for athletes and swimmers, as it does not melt away with sweat and water. Most water-resistant formulas are so processed that they do not smudge or flake easily.

Mascara is used essentially for all types of makeup from nearly natural day makeup to glamorized party makeup. Colored high impact mascaras make each lash stand out on its own and make it look bolder, longer and much more beautiful. This versatile cosmetic can be used skillfully to add a subtle effect or produce a bold striking result depending on what type of mascara you are using and how you are using it. For a natural look, match your mascara with your hair color. Brunettes can wear black mascara while blondes can opt for a browner shade. Colored mascaras don't go well with conservative outfits and must be avoided at the workplace. As they are quite noticeable and instantly add a daring edge to your personality, you can experiment with it at fun hangouts and lively night parties.

Mascara brushes are of usually two types - Straight brush, which is a great asset when it comes to apply mascara on lashes in the corner of the eyes that cannot be reached easily and Curved brush, which works on more lashes at once simultaneously. Never buy or keep dried mascara, as it may be harmful for the eyes. According to some beauty experts, mascara tubes should be replaced every three months and pumping the mascara wand repeatedly into the tube dries out mascara more quickly. It usually has enough mascara to use already. Different mascaras are available in the market to help you achieve the desired look such as curly; separated and clearly defined; longer and more voluminous lashes. Mascara not only colors the lashes but also highlights the eyes as the focal point of your face and may add a dramatic touch to your makeup.

Makeup For Older Women

Beauty and makeup are not the monopoly of young age. It is actually at 40 that the real need of makeup starts. The makeup for older women need not be more sophisticated and classy. It is because they have to be specific about the colors and texture of makeup they use. The make up they wear also reflect about the society they belong to, so at this age more than looking beautiful, makeup becomes a way to flaunt the class and hide the ageing signs. The basic challenge in applying make up over an old lady is to cover her ageing marks and give her a graceful look.

Difference between the make up of Older and Younger Women

• The makeup of older women needs to be more graceful than that of young women.
• The use of colors should be done in a more classy way. There should be use of more pastel shades. Excess glittery and skin showy clothes should be avoided.
• The combination of accessories with the dress should be very sophisticated and stylish.
• Makeup should focus on hiding the ageing marks like wrinkles, blemishes and scars if any.
• As there is a little less scope to go out of way in hairdo and hair color, the experiments should be done in a subtle way with hair cuts.
• It is always preferable to go for regular cuts and suitable trends other than blindly following the fashion.
• Remember it's not about looking younger; it is about looking beautiful at your own age.

Before you go for a makeup do…
Now when you are 40, it is time to give you a wonderful make over. First of all review your look and observe the changes that have come across you in last few years. Also, make a check list of the things you want to work upon. Do you feel you are in the same look from last 10 or 20 years? It is time to change now. Your dated hair and makeup can add to your aging look and wrong choice of colors can make you a matter of amusement. It is thus often advisable to go for a professional advice. Given here are few...

Make up advices for older women

Hair
Reconsider your hair style. Go for a change that compliments your face and profession at your age. Also, go for colors lighter in shade for a softened and graceful look.

Eyebrows
As by this age, your eyebrows may start getting sparser and the color of your eyebrows may begin to fade, give them additional definition with a powder, pencil or gel that is similar to your natural hair color.

Face
Do not go with very heavy foundations; try liquid foundations mixed with moisturizer to nourish your dry face. Also try to use a shade of reflecting foundation. Even use the lighter shade of powder which is moisturizing, and goes on smoothly. In case you use blush, make sure that you use cream blush instead of a powder for a more bedewed appearance. Use a non-frosted powder below your chin to hide the saggy neck.

Eyes
Make sure you curl your lashes as this brings a big change in the way you look. Use neutral shade of shimmer for more natural look. Use a judicious yet classy use of liner and mascara. Avoid wild colors, go for mild ranges. Prefer the blends of pink and gray eye shadows that soften graying hair

Lips
Your lips must have started getting a little dry by now. So the challenge before you is giving your lip, a fresh and young look. Prefer using foundation and powder close to the lip line. You can also go for an anti-feathering lip primer to avoid feathering. Choose graceful shades of lipsticks. More than colors pay attention to the moisture and fullness of your lips. Pink, Berry, Coral or Peach shades are good options.

Foundation Types

Foundation, as the name suggests, is the first cosmetic to be applied on face while doing makeup to serve as the base for the look that you are going to paint later. The wise selection of the just the right foundation that suits your skin, color and tone is quite necessary as it determines whether you are going to look naturally beautiful having a flawless smooth skin or quite artificial as if you have put on a mask of cosmetic layers. A number of brands claim to produce the most suitable foundation for your face. There are various types of foundations such as the hypoallergenic and allergy-tested foundation for those who suffer from skin allergies; liquid, cream, powder or cake foundation to suit various seasons; oil-free foundation for oily skin; stick foundation for the handbags; stay-on foundation to last for longer periods of time and camouflage foundation to hide skin blemishes and give a smooth skin-effect. However, most of the foundations can fit into three categories:

1. Liquid Foundations,
2. Cream Foundations; and
3. Powder Foundations.

Liquid Foundations:
A thin film of liquid foundation is best for 'natural look' makeup and is most commonly used by women for daily purposes. It is easy to apply and is not easily visible. It comes in oil-based formulas for people with dry to normal skin and water-based formulas for people with oily skin. It is very important to match the foundation to your natural face complexion and the tone of your color. Most of the foundations come in pink-based, orange-based and yellow-based formulas. Yellow base is said to fit most of the women and is thus, very popular.

Cream Foundations:
Mostly available as sticks and compacts, cream foundations are the first choice of most of the makeup artists as they cover skin quite well and give a flawless smooth look. They are easy to apply too.

Powder Foundations:
If you don't have much time and need quick solution, dual active powder foundations or cream to powder foundations are the best options for you, which combines the action of foundation and powder in one. These foundations can be applied as cream or powder and give a quick dry fresh-face look. They are especially suited to people with oily skin or areas where humidity is quite high.

Daily Makeup

Applying cosmetics on a daily basis may make the women feel more confident but may not be a good idea for sensitive skin. Only quality products should be used for routine use and choosing cosmetics is an important step towards skin care and health. For daily purposes, powder cosmetics are preferable as they keep the shine under control and have lesser preservatives and skin irritants than liquid ones. If liquid foundation is an item you cannot possibly cross out, opt for one with a silicone base as it does not cause acne. The makeup remover to clean out waterproof cosmetics also wipes out the protective layer of sebum from the skin, so use waterproof cosmetics only occasionally.

Never use cosmetics that have crossed their expiry dates. Normally, life span of mascaras is about three to four months, foundations and lipsticks last for one year while powder and eye shadows last for about two years. It is also important to wash and clean brushes and sponges regularly. Black mascaras and eyeliners are dramatic and also the least allergenic of all colorants. Pencil eyeliner and eyebrow pencils that are wax based should work for daily use and they can be cleaned off using only water. Light earth tones not only give you a natural look but are less likely to cause skin irritation than the darker colors.

Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor 15 or higher and ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to avoid harmful effects of UVA rays. Cosmetics with fewer ingredients are much safer, so for daily use, opt for cosmetics that have no more than 10 ingredients. Remember, nail polishes are not for daily use. For a quick pedicure, scrape the dead skin off the soles of your feet after shower using an emery board, rub them over with lotion or olive oil or petroleum jelly and push back the cuticles of your toenails. To maintain them, wear socks all the time. If socks make you feel hot, cut the toe section and ankle section of your socks. You can do a quick manicure in a similar fashion too and maintain them by wearing socks or gloves at night.

Complete Makeup Process

Makeup is an art and an artist must know what he/she wants in the end. You may choose for naturally beautiful look, bold and exotic nightclub look or a high-profile dinner party look, depending on the occasion and place, where you are heading. To look beautiful, you need to understand your face, your best facial features, which can be your eyes, lips, cheeks and/or eyebrows and what suits you the most. Coordinate your colors beforehand and remember, bolder colors are for exotic looks only and can play havoc on your face, if not used expertly. The basic list of products that any makeup-conscious lady needs, includes:

• Blusher,
• Eye Shadow,
• Eyebrow Color,
• Eyeliner,
• Face powder,
• Foundation,
• Lip brush,
• Lip liner,
• Lipstick,
• Mascara, and
• Moisturizer.

We will define the steps for daily or simple makeup here. For details, you can refer to our article for that particular product:

• Moisturize your face, especially people with dry skin.
• Apply foundation that matches your natural skin tone for a smooth skin effect.
• Apply powder for that flawless look to your face and matte down any shiny areas on your face. Gently tap the powder pad on the back of your hand before applying it on the face to shake off any excess powder.
• Blush adds color and freshens up your face instantly. See 'Applying Blush' for more details.
• Pluck your eyebrows, apply eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara and do eye makeup very very carefully. If you are not confident, leave this part out completely.
• Classic, tried and tested natural/neutral color combinations are best for eyes, unless you are quite an expert.
• Define the lips using the lip liner and fill up the lip color using the brush.
• You may use lip-gloss too for a sexier look.
• A tinge of shine powder can instantly transform you for that evening party.

It is always good to be aware of the latest trends and fashions in makeup and being innovative and creative to have a distinctive style of your own helps too.

Choosing Lip Colors

Be careful while choosing the lip color and try it out in a cosmetic salon first and let them assist you in your color choices. For women with large lips, muted colors such as purples, browns and bronzes are the best choices while women with thinner lips should use light colors. Wine, berry, cappuccino and mauve colors suit light blondes best while coral, apricot and shades of peach are suitable for blondes that have a golden hue. Warm peach, brown and terracotta shades are for blondes that sport olive skin tones. Redheads may use warm colors such as shades of terracotta, cinnamon and peachy brown while shades such as terracotta, cinnamon and reds with hints of brown are the most suited colors for brunettes.

Make your lipstick smudge resistant and matte by blotting the excess color on lips using one sheet of two-ply tissue, reapplying the lipstick and blotting it again to absorb the excess oils. Mature women should not use matte lipsticks though, for a little gloss can make their lips appear softer and lip liner will keep the lipstick from melting. In case, the lip color or brush slips from your hands accidentally and stains your clothes, apply the glycerine on the area and rub it gently, before washing it as usual. For an instant makeover, try a pink creamy blush to add rosy ness to your cheeks and lids and use plump shade on your lips and you are ready to flaunt your beauty.

A clear lip balm is the best thing for everyday use while sheer application of a colored lip gloss on lips, cheeks and eyes looks quite subtle and sexy. Glitter lipsticks and lip glosses are for special events and funky night parties that highlight your lips immensely. There are lip glosses that literally make your lips plumper and appear fuller and much more luscious. A very light film of pink or red lipstick gives you the look of that carefree beauty that every woman yearns for. Become an attention-grabbing vampiress, who is hot and trendy these days, by using a blood red lip liner to make precise lip lines and apply two coats of lipstick of same color, blotting the extra oil in between with the tissue paper.

Lipsticks contain waxes, oils, pigments and emollients that one must pay attention to for a quality product. Wax gives shape and ease of application to the lipstick and often natural beeswax, carnauba wax made from the leaves of Brazilian wax palm trees and candelilla wax processed from the plant of the same name found in Mexico is used for the purpose. Oils and fats such as castor oil, cocoa butter, lanolin, mineral oil, olive oil and petrolatum are used in the manufacture of lipsticks. However, castor oil is the most common ingredient as it forms a shiny film after drying that does not smudge easily. Many lipsticks also offer aloevera, amino acids, collagen, moisturizers, vitamin E and sunscreen to keep your lips soft, moist and protected from the weather conditions.

Choosing Eyeshadows

Eyeshadows add a depth to the eyes of a woman and its right application can make the eyes look smaller, bigger, set closely together or set apart. All we need is to choose the right color and shade and know how to apply it perfectly. The shape of your eyes, the brow bone and shape of your eyebrows, your eyelid and the corner of your eyes all play a role in the right application of the eyeshadow. A pearly eyeshadow needs a sponge applicator to avoid flaking while a shading brush is of great help when it comes to blend in the colors of the eyeshadows. Liquid eyeshadows are sheer and double up as a highlighter for face, body and eyes. They add shimmering to the eye makeup and also serve as the base to help other eyeshadows layered on them to set and give depth to them. They feel light too.

Eyeshadow pencil are great to be kept in handbags but do not draw them across the eyelid to avoid skin stretching. It is better to apply it using your fingertip so it blends well. Eyeshadow comes in variety of colors and it is the cosmetic that you can experiment with quite boldly. Most common shades range from pink to plum, coral to copper, blue to green along with silver, gold and other frosted colors. The finish may differ too from velvety matte to shiny pearl and from sheer chiffon-like look to bold and bright hues. Good-quality eye shadows stay for longer periods of time and do not crease, flake or fade easily. The most common way to apply an eyeshadow is to sweep from the inner corner of the eye to outside and upward to brow bone. Darker shades along the crease of the lid lend the look of dramatic eyes. The most common way of choosing the right eyeshadow is to keep the color of one's eyes in mind.

Taupe, gray, violet, purple and deep blue colors go well with blue eyes while black mixed with bright blue color helps to create smoky eyes. For bold funky looks, you can choose silver, turquoise and fuchsia colors. Brown, apricot, purple, plum and forest green colors brighten up green and hazel eyes while you can add a touch of boldness to the face by experimenting with gold, lime-green, very light green and bright purple shades. Copper, bronze, champagne, beige and forest-green looks good on brown eyes while brown eyeshadow helps to create a doe-eyed look. Colors like tangerine, royal blue, hot pink and lime-green add a punch to the personality and are quite favorite with younger generation. The colors that can be used for all eyes are navy or charcoal based shades while powder-blue eyeshadow is great for achieving highlighting effects while the hottest color in the night parties is the silver-sparkle.

Choosing Eyeliner

Many brands offer a variety of hues, textures and types of eyeliners; ideally suited for different situations, weather conditions, shape and color of the eyes. Eyes are quite delicate and need to be handled with care. Soft eyeliner pencils, liquid eyeliner, felt tip eyeliner that works like the liquid one and the cake eyeliners are the most common types available in the market. Pencils and felt tips must glide easily on the eyelid area and must not require pressure. Using eyeliner properly needs a lot of practice and a steady hand to avoid smudging it. Pencil and felt tip eyeliners are easier to control as you can use them like pens to sketch the desired look and define your eyes while liquid eyeliners need more practice just like using pointed brushes in painting and may smudge easily but they make better, brighter and clearer lines.

Cake eyeliners were previously considered an asset for professional makeup artists but women have picked up the trend and are now using them increasingly. Eyeshadows can also be used effectively as eyeliners and in fact offer many more colors and shades to experiment with. Eye pencil is perhaps the easiest to apply and to make the application easier, it wise to open one's mouth slightly so that muscles of eyes get telexed and one does not have to pull the lid for lining it. It is also advisable to line the lid as close to the lashes as possible to avoid a white line in between. The earliest archaeological evidence of using an eyeliner as a cosmetic, can be traced back to Egyptian and southern Iraqi women. They used to paint kohl, a thick black ointment, around their eyes to make them look larger. It was also believed to have powers to ward off evil eye.

Sometimes, eyeliner looks too sharp or harsh for our taste, especially when we are try to achieve smoky eye effect. In such a case, you can soften it by dusting a powder shadow of similar shade on your eyeliner using the eye shadow brush. Eyeliner plays a great role in creating optical illusions to give a new shape and size to your eyes. Gray, black and brown liners can be used to line outer third of upper lids of the close set eyes and then smudged gently. Liner of a lighter shade should be used at the inner side of the eye to add the look of the width between eyes. Small eyes can be opened up by lining them with a dark shade that thickens at the outer edge of the eye. Under lower lash, line with a very light shade such as gold, silver and white. Deep-set eyes can be controlled by lining the upper lash line with pale shade that shimmers while the outer edge of the lower lash should be lined with soft and neutral colors such as gray or taupe.

To add brightness to the drooping and tired eyes, line the outer third of eye almost touching the lashes and sweeping the liner slightly up at the corner of the eye. There is a procedure that can define your eyes permanently called micro pigmentation, also known as permanent eyeliner. Here, an organic pigment is embedded beneath the skin using a hand-held device that punctures the skin hundreds of times per minute with a very thin needle and pushes the pigment into the desired location. This procedure is also used to shape your eyebrows, color lips and add blush to your cheeks permanently. It can also be used to wear a permanent eye shadow. However, as this procedure is more painful and costly, most women prefer to do makeup instead of going for permanent procedures.

Choosing Concealers

Concealer, as the name suggests, is used to conceal or camouflage skin imperfections such as blemishes, under-eye circles, spider veins, dark spots, pimples, scars and birth marks, in order to make the skin look flawless. A concealer is usually denser than foundation and is available in creamy liquid, stick, creams and with matte finish. It can also be used to conceal the ruddy areas and freckles on the face. It is very important to make the right choice of the concealer, because the wrong shade can over-emphasize the spots that are covered up, making them even more prominent. Here in the article, we have given some tips on choosing concealers.

Tips To Hide Skin Blemishes

• When you shop for a concealer, it is better to choose one that comes in the natural shade of your skin tone or one or two shades lighter than your foundation. That way, you will be assured that the concealer and foundation will blend to hide your skin flaws and give you the desired look.
• If your skin is very dry, then opt for a liquid concealer, to hide the imperfections on the skin.
• Liquid concealer is the best makeup to hide dark circles under the eyes. You can opt for white solid concealer in order to cover up pimples, scars and bruises on your face.
• Concealer in the consistency of a cream is best suited for all skin types, because it can blend with the skin easily. Be sure to use the pat-and-blend technique of applying the concealer.
• For the perfect flawless look, place a dim-size drop of concealer on your finger tip. Now, pat the concealer onto the area in question.
• If you want to cover up your under-eye circle, apply concealer both outside and under the eyes, so that the color blends into your skin.
• In case you are using a liquid or solid foundation, apply the foundation first, and then the concealer. On the other hand, if you are using a cream or powder foundation, make use of the concealer first, followed by the foundation.
• Imperfections in delicate areas such as under-eye can be best covered by a creamy concealer. You may use dry concealer for other areas, such as cheeks or forehead.
• Do not use concealers with white, pink or green base, because the shade often doesn't match the skin tone, which would make the flaws look prominent rather than covered.
• While using a concealer, be sure to blend it well to your skin, so that there is no discernible edge between the area (where you have applied the concealer) and the rest of the face, where you haven't applied it.

Bridal Makeup

The day of the wedding is perhaps the most-awaited day in the life of any woman and to look like a fairy queen is the dream of most of the brides. The bridal makeup is not only about makeup for the occasion but also about pre-bridal skin and facial care and treatments. It must be photography friendly too and thus, professional help is often desired to assist brides to look their best on this very special day of their lives. Correct use of colors and expert highlighting and contouring leave you looking as stunning and dazzling, as you want. Choose cosmetics that are long lasting, can be easily blended and have high pigmentation level for your wedding day and you are free to use shimmer and gloss to make you shine. Cosmetic colors should compliment your wedding attire yet you must also keep in mind that there will be lots of flash photography and blue-toned colors will make you appear darker.

Naturally beautiful is the best look of all times and warm and neutral shades go a long way in helping you to achieve it. Fuschia and blue-red lipsticks may end up giving you a vampy look while frosted and highly reflective lipsticks are too old-fashioned these days. If you really want to shine and exude warmth, use sheer application of luminescent cosmetics instead. Remember, rightly applied concealers and foundations are your best friends on your bridal day. It is always a help to know your face well - your skin type, your facial features, undertone of your coloring and what you want to highlight and what you want to underplay. So determine these things, well before the wedding day. Rehearsals don't harm you anyway and are very useful in successfully achieving the desired look on the main day.

For weddings in summers, spray your face with sealer after doing makeup so that it lasts longer. For make your lip color last longer, define your lips using the lip liner and then apply the lip color. Tissue off the extra color and reapply it. Seal it too and then add the gloss or shimmer. Be sure to take good care of skin and cleanse, moisturize, tone and protect it months before wedding. Don't forget to use sunscreens and sun blocks with vitamins and nutrients good for skin too. Coordinate the color of your eyebrows with your hair and use a firm angled bristle brush to comb them properly. Gray ash blondes can use ash brown shade to cover their eyebrows while redheads can use reddish brown shades or orange or gold tones depending upon the undertone of your hair.

The beauty sleep before the wedding is absolutely essential so make sure that you are well rested and well fed on the day of your wedding despite all the excitement, fun and anxiety so that you do not look dull and sick at the time of the occasion. Keep one of your friends nearby with all the little things that you might need for that quick touchup such as powder, hair pins, safety pins, lip color and gloss, paper tissue, Qtips and even a mild pain killer, just in case. Keep a second pair of very comfortable shoes handy so you don't look as if you are going to try just because your feet are hurting so! It is always better to check what hairstyles suit you well before the wedding, so you don't mess up on the day of the occasion. Makeovers are thrilling but try them out much before the wedding so that you don't land up feeling strange and uncomfortable on the big day.

Bridal Beauty

Every bride deserves to be the very special lady of the day and look her best. The hairdo, the makeup, the bridal trousseau and how the bride conducts herself is the focus of everybody's attention on this day and you will certainly feel much more comfortable, if you have already done the dress rehearsal first. Here are some useful tips for the bride:

• To cover the reddish skin, use sheer color corrector and apply tinted moisturizer of yellowish green or olive green shade to neutralize it.
• Pink color blush is not for the wedding day, generally speaking. Try bronzer under cheekbones instead.
• Bright lip colors may be warm such as orange-red, orange-gold, copper and warm beiges, creams and caramels or cool such as fuchsia, magenta, blue-reds, shades of lilac and pink and make lips look plusher and fuller.
• Deep warm lip colors such as yellowish and orangish browns; mahogany, deep warm reds and chocolate and deep cool shades such as cool brown, taupe, deep purple, plum and blue-toned burgundy underplay too much thickness of lips.
• The subtle look can be achieved by using the air-brush a lot and sticking to light shades such as cream, gold, lime green and brown for warm skin undertones and lilac, plums and soft pink for cool skin undertones.
• Neutrals are the safest choice to make you seem a bride endowed with natural beauty.
• Be sure to coordinate you overall look: all the colors should have either warm or cool tone while your hair, make-up, jewelry and gown should correspond to the carefully chosen theme.
• Hairstyle is usually chosen, after completing the makeup to suit the looks of the bride.
• If you are not used to wearing heavy makeup, keep your hands away from blue and green eye shadows.
• For olive and dusky skinned ladies, maroons and brown lip colors are the safest bet as well as the golden tones.
• Hairstyles are often adorned with pearls, rhinestones, flower buds, golden lace, satin ribbons, jeweled hair bands and tiaras among other hair ornaments and may range from the simplest French braid or bud to complex and elaborate hairdos.
• Bridal makeup includes all the attention to the minutest of details. Don't overlook them for the finished look.
• A timeless makeup look will keep your wedding snaps fresher forever, so try not to give in to the fads of the day.
• Cream foundation with a high pigment level is recommended.
• Don't forget to cover your neck, chest, area behind your ears with foundation and makeup too.
• Morning weddings need natural look makeup while evening weddings need more formally adorned brides with darker makeup shades.
• Lighting also determines your makeup. A well-lit area uses lighter colors while deeper tones are good for darker areas. Fluorescent lighting will add a greenish tinge to everything so avoid green shades.
• Try not to be too dramatic but there is a secret seldom revealed: red lipstick makes teeth appear whiter!

Blush Types

Blush adds warmth and color to the face and is mostly applied mainly to cheeks. Most of the women desire to look naturally beautiful glowing with a warm tinge to your face to make them look soft and blushing and blush is used for exactly that particular purpose. Blushers can be in variety of hues, tones and consistencies. They come as powder, cream, liquid or gels and each of them have specific purposes and suit different situations. Powder blush is easier to apply than liquid and cream blush. The latter should always be used before powder. Blush can easily be applied by sweeping it downward from the ear to mid-cheek. Mostly, it is applied from top of the ear and ends at the end of the apple of the cheek. Best colors for blush are the ones that are close to skin tone and sheer use of blush is often the best.

It is important to test the look of blush on your face with full makeup to see that it gives you a balanced look or not. Blush darker than natural blushing colors of the cheek often needs to be toned down, especially at daytime, which can be done by dusting some translucent powder over the blush. Evening makeup can take on a little more of the blush though depending on the desired look of the wearer. Blush can instantly brighten and freshen a dull face and helps you to underplay the tired look of the face. However, if it misused and used heavily, it can leave you looking like a makeup box! The tip to find your natural blush color is to bend down and touch your toes for two minutes and then stand back up. The color of cheeks is the right blush color for you. Another way to choose the right blush color is to match it with the lip color you are wearing. Reds and pinks are for winters while peaches, beiges and warm hues are better for summers.

For combination and oily skin, powder blush works well. Oily skin can also use liquid and gel blush on but cream blush is best for dry skin. Staining blushers are for well-moisturized skin only and need to blend into skin quickly as they dry very quickly. For a healthy suntan, put a little bronzer powder on forehead, chin and nose. An eye shadow, which is too red, pink or rosy for your taste can be used as blush and some of it can be mixed with Vaseline, lip-gloss or lip balm for a matching lip color. A dark or bight cream blush can be diluted instantly by mixing it with a little concealer on your palm. Brown blush is great for toning down the color of blush ad can also be used as contour, eye shadow or bronzer. It can also be mixed with powder for sheer blushed look.

Beach Makeup

Many people to go to the beach only to be dazed by the gorgeous womanly beauty all around and no woman really wants too be considered a sore spot in the beautiful scenery with only their bikinis to cover their bare bodies. Beach fun can range from playing volleyball, basking in the sun for that sexy tan, swimming in the ocean to rafting and other water sports. Here are some tips to protect your skin from the negative effects of wind, sun and salty water:

• Sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30 is the most essential item on the beach to block off the harmful UV rays from the sun and prevents skin cancer.
• The best way to apply sunscreen is to exfoliate the skin and remove the dry and dead skin cells and apply sunscreen 20 minutes before venturing outside to allow for your skin to absorb it fully.
• Reapply sunscreens after every two hours.
• If you go for a swim or splash in the ocean, apply the sunscreen as soon as you dry off.
• Even after when we come back from the beach, do not think that you are safe from the sun indoors until you take care to soothe, cool and moisturize your skin to makeup for any damage that might have occurred during the time you spent on beach. Aloevera is quite good for the purpose. It is better to use oil-free moisturizers after all that sweating on the beach.
• Hairs are very much susceptible to damage like skin. Chlorine used in the pool may give a greenish tinge to your hair while salt can dry them up. Wind and humidity on the beach are known to frizz up your hair too and may cause your hair color to fade. To avoid all this and more, shampoo your hair and apply a leave-in conditioner before going to the beach for a swim.
• After the swim, be sure to use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of the chemical and mineral buildup in your hair.
• Women with curly hair should use hair products with added moisturizers and silicone that does not allow humidity to damage hair and should dry hair with a diffuser after the swim.
• Women with straight hair should use hair products with silicone and ingredients to block humidity. After the swim, they should dry hair using the flatiron and can also maintain the smooth texture of their hair by using sealants.
• While basking in the sun, be sure to wear hat to cover your hair and hair cream with ultra-violet filters to keep off the harmful effects of the sun.

Applying Nail Polish

Nail polish remover not only wipes off the old color but also the grease from the nails and makes the new color coat stay put for longer period of time. Apply thing coat of nail polish, let it dry and then apply another coat. Even if you want a glossier effect, go for more than two thin coats rather than a thick coat of polish as it dries sooner and lasts longer and do not chip off easily. It is advisable to use the remover and applying nail polish only once or twice a week to prevent your nails from drying. Even if you do this, be sure to use removers with built-in moisturizers to keep your nails healthy. There are some tricks to keep in mind while painting your nails or give them the perfect look:

• For the flawless French Manicure, use a white nail pencil to line the nail tip from beneath for that pure white clean look instead of white nail polish.
• Do not forget to a weekly hand massage to pamper yourself, increase your circulation and enhance nail growth.
• To make the chip-resistant nail enamels last longer, submerge your freshly painted nails in a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds.
• While running for the car, you will just need five seconds to put a wide stripe of a quick-drying nail varnish down the center and you are ready to go!
• If your nail polish has chipped to an extent that touchups are of no use, better use the remover rather than trying to hide it under a coat of nail paint that makes the texture of your nails took uneven.
• You may sometimes even get away with cleaning the nails underneath, rubbing on the buffing cream and use chamois buffer for the healthy shine.
• Remember never to file the corner of your nails as it weakens them amd make them brittle.
• Get fashionable and funky by doing your nails in a solid color and allowing them to dry. Then use a toothpick to make a diagonal line across your nails in a different color. More skilled artists can go for more complicated patterns of their own.
• For club night outs or hot dates, try metallic glints; nail piercing, nail tattoos and embellishments. If your nails are not as long as you desire, you can opt for fake nails too.
• A hasty French manicure look can be achieved by using a neutral shade as the base paint and the white shade on the tips of your nails.
• For shimmer and glitter, use a coat of clear gloss or sparkle on your dried nail polish. Silver glitter looks best on dark blue and black shades while gold glitter goes well with red shade. They are the best choices for bridal look or on weddings of near and dear ones and formal wear.