Natural Look

Putting on makeup can be a daunting task for women who are not really adept at the art of makeup and are not familiar with the right techniques and with picking the right colors for their skin tone and eye color. Common fears include choosing the wrong colors for the skin or colors that do not match the outfit, putting on too little or too much, or botching the makeup altogether. Instead of putting on makeup, there are women who opt for just the ordinary face powder or talcum powder and a dash of lipstick (which may or may not be the right color for their lips either), and then they are done.  

Makeup is supposed to enhance the features of our face rather than to cover it, and nothing is more alluring than what is known as the natural look. For those who do not know much about makeup, or know nothing at all, achieving the natural look is pretty easy. The key to doing it is matching the color of your foundation with the tones of your skin, as well as using shades that go well with the undertones of your skin.  

A quick tip: when buying foundation, test the match of the product with your skin tone by applying it against your jaw line and letting it on your face for a few minutes. Go ahead and see how it looks like in daylight, rather than in artificial light to see how well it goes with your skin. The perfect foundation for you blends well with the color of your skin, so much that it is hardly noticeable.  

If your skin has beige tones. If your skin has beige tones with a touch of peach or pink, the colors you should go for are shades of peach, pink and apricot for your lips and cheeks. Cover up whatever blemishes you have on your skin with a concealer before applying the foundation, and then dust the foundation off with matching loose powder. Make sure that your foundation has SPF because skin like yours burns easily under the sun. 

Also, try not to put on too much makeup on your face because too much will look harsh on your skin and make you look older. Finish off with a shimmering peach or pink lip gloss. If your skin has olive tones. 

If your skin has olive tones, the best way to go is with foundation with warm colors like golden brown. Skin with olive tones is also generally oilier than most, so try to stay away from foundation with shimmer in it to reduce the shine. For a sun-kissed look, apply a touch of bronzer on the apples of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose and a little on your forehead.

For your lips, outline it with a nude-colored lip pencil, and then apply clear gloss. If your skin has yellow tones. If your skin has yellow tones, stay away from ivory or pink for your foundation and stick to warmer hues with a yellow base. Also, avoid using powder foundations; yellow-toned skin tends to get dry and flaky, and so powder foundations will only emphasize this unnecessarily. Finish with a light cream blush, colored pink, on the apples of your cheeks, and a light pink gloss for your lips.  

To get a smoother finish on your foundation, apply moisturizer on your skin first as a base. Remember to put on only the right amount of moisturizer and dab off any excess with tissue. Too little moisturizer will make it hard for the foundation to blend, and too much will make your makeup run off your skin.  

Achieving the natural look is easy. You don't have to be a makeup wiz to do it, and it is perfect for those who want the gorgeous yet understated look.

Makeup To Make Your Eyes Your Best Feature

Wide-set Eyes  

Bring wide-set eyes closer together with dark shadow:  

1) Sweep taupe shadow across the lids, keeping it darker at the inner corner and fading it out lightly as you move to the outer corner.  

2) Line the inner half of the upper and lower lash lines with a chocolate brown pencil.  

Close-set Eyes  

Widen your eyes with light shadow:  

1) Dab the lids and inside corner of the eye with white, sand or ivory shadow.  

2) Starting at the iris, rim just the outer half of the upper and lower lash lines with a charcoal eye pencil.  

Small Eyes  

Make them look bigger with white eye liner:  

1) Line the inner rim of the lower lashes with a white eye pencil.  

2) Sweep a light pink or silver shadow on the inner corners of the eye.  

Protruding Eyes  

1) Sweep dark brown powder across lid, using a heavy hand on the outer corner of eye.  

2) Smudge bottom portion of eye with same color.  

Hooded Eyes  

1) Sweep a white shadow on lids and brow bone.  

2) Pull eyebrow up from arch to apply a taupe shadow in the crease; when you let go of the brow, the crease falls in a higher place and acts like a mini eyelid lift.

Makeup To Make Your Eyes Your Best Feature

Wide-set Eyes Bring wide-set eyes closer together with dark shadow: 1) Sweep taupe shadow across the lids, keeping it darker at the inner corner and fading it out lightly as you move to the outer corner. 2) Line the inner half of the upper and lower lash lines with a chocolate brown pencil. Close-set Eyes Widen your eyes with light shadow: 1) Dab the lids and inside corner of the eye with white, sand or ivory shadow. 2) Starting at the iris, rim just the outer half of the upper and lower lash lines with a charcoal eye pencil. Small Eyes Make them look bigger with white eye liner: 1) Line the inner rim of the lower lashes with a white eye pencil. 2) Sweep a light pink or silver shadow on the inner corners of the eye. Protruding Eyes 1) Sweep dark brown powder across lid, using a heavy hand on the outer corner of eye. 2) Smudge bottom portion of eye with same color. Hooded Eyes 1) Sweep a white shadow on lids and brow bone. 2) Pull eyebrow up from arch to apply a taupe shadow in the crease; when you let go of the brow, the crease falls in a higher place and acts like a mini eyelid lift.

Beautiful Eyes!

Of course rule number one for beautiful eyes is getting enough sleep. Here are some other tips to help keep your eyes looking beautiful:  

1) To lighten dark circles around your eyes, grate a small peeled cucumber or potato. Apply the pulp to small gauze squares. Then put the squares on the dark area and lie down for 20 to 30 minutes. Sponge off the residue.  

2) Smooth eyelids and erase wrinkles by applying whole milk to the area and letting it remain there all day. Repeat frequently. The butterfat in the milk will nourish the skin.  

3) Achieve eye sparkle this way: Moisten cotton pads with ice water or witch hazel. Lie down and close your eyes with the soaked pads over them. Rest for 10 minutes. Now put a light foundation shade beneath your eyes to disguise any lines or shadows. Use your regular makeup shade on your face.  

4) You can reshape your brows this way: Cover the brows with an opaque makeup base. Now draw in a new brow line with an eyebrow pencil. Try one shape after another until you find one that makes you look bright and more youthful. Then use the penciled line as your guide to tweezing. Note: Pluck eyebrows before bedtime so any redness will disappear overnight. Never remove the hairs from above your eyebrows.  

5) When using pencil apply in small feathered strokes. Start at inner corner and work outwards. Blend the color with a brush.