Make-up Tips to Look Fresh and Natural

Gearing up for formal wear means making some adjustments to your make-up. Summer is typically a time for less cosmetic enhancement, going for that all-natural look. But colder weather means heavier clothes, darker colors and usually more defined make-up. Here's a few tips to blend with the season, yet keep your face fresh and natural:

1. Darker lipstick is more desirable in fall and winter, but some women don't have the features for a heavy, made-up look. If you want to use burgundy or red lipstick, try lightly patting the darker shade onto your lips, careful not give them a heavy swipe. Next, blend the faint color with a clear lipgloss, giving a smooth and finished look. You will still have your red color deposit, but the shade will be a cleaner, more natural look.

2. Eyeliner looks fantastic, but one false move, and it's back to the drawing board. A good way to get the eyeliner effect without looking like you stepped out of the Cleopatra's beauty salon, is to lightly line the under eye portion with a thin, clean swipe. To soften that line, try a brush of brown or gray eye shadow to bend away the visible line, yet highlighting the contour of your eye.

3. When applying a blush, one way to make the line of the color deposit disappear is to start with a very light shade of blusher. Then, just over your cheekbone, apply a darker shade for effect. The two colors should blend together so that there is no visible trail where the blusher stops.

4. Powder application is essential for that polished, flawless finish. By blotting around the creases by the nose to mouth, your foundation will be seamless, and the facial depression areas will seem less pronounced. Loose face powder works the best for the first application, then use your compact for touch-ups on the go.

5. A trick to widen the eyes is to use less shadow on the inside of the eyelid, and increase the color deposit on the outside of the eye. Both lid and underneath the eye should have less color to draw attention to the outer eye, making the eyes seem bigger.

6. Trying to match lipstick to clothing may work well on a mannequin, but does not always work out on your face. The best lipstick is the one that matches your skin tone, not your dress. For women who cannot carry the heavy look of red lipstick, but want to equalize the make-up to wardrobe, try a neutral lipstick with a light swipe of soft red barely there on top. Then, to balance the color for the total effect, your earrings must come into play. Red earrings will frame your face, compliment your attire, and still leave you with a clean, natural look. For those gals who can wear red lipstick, God Bless you, and I wish it were me.

7. Watch for foundations that turn an unnatural orange after prolonged wear. They go on smooth and clean when fresh, but somehow loose their true color after eight hours or so. I have found that most of Cover Girl's foundations stay true all day long.

8. Soften the eyelashes works best for blondes and redheads. Black mascara seems to be the dominate color on the cosmetic shelves, but for those of us in the super-fair category, we can have a softer, cleaner look from dark or medium brown mascaras. There is no need to make this part of the face darker in the fall. If black mascara is cartoonish on you in the summer, there will be no change in winter. Your local stores may not have the lighter shades, but there are plenty of outlets online to find a brown or brownish-black. Maybelline's Greatlash is a good one that's cost effective and stays on all day.

9. Lip liners are a good idea to bring definition to your mouth. But, when choosing a liner, it should not be too dark against the color of the lipstick or gloss. Also, the practice of lining high above the upper lip should be reserved strictly for Halloween. Unnatural lip drawing looks terrible in outdoor lighting, regardless of how artsy it looked in the bathroom mirror. Another trick to make a perfect line is to keep the pencil sharped and test a stroke on your hand to be sure there's no double-edge effect from a fresh sharpening.

10. Using a pore cleaner on your nose is a great way to get a fresher and cleaner look from your foundation. Ponds makes a cleansing strip that sticks on your nose for a few minutes and pulls out unbelievable soap and dirt from the pores. And you need not have to do this regiment too often; I have found once a month Pond's treatments to be sufficient for normal pore-clogging removal.

www.makeuptip.com/skin.html

www.amazon.com/Ponds-Clear-Solutions-Pore-Strips/dp/B000052YQL

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