With the beginning of a brand new year comes the perfect time to create a new, more beautiful you. After the holidays, we all want to go back to work or school, showered with compliments rather than turning heads for all the wrong reasons. With top tips from professional makeup artists, you can leave the house every morning with flawless skin.
Look ten times more attractive with these tricks of the trade:
Foundation
Before applying foundation, make sure that your skin is clean and moisturised. As the winter months tend to wreck havoc on our delicate skin, try a balm cleanser rather than a milk cleanser for extra penetration and nourishment. Allow time for your moisturizer to sink in properly, as applying foundation too soon can lead to an unappealingly shiny finish.
When swatching a foundation in store, make sure that it’s almost invisible against your skin. For a shameless way to match the right product to your face tone, large beauty stores often offer makeup counters where you can try out foundations free of charge.
Start by testing the foundation shade on to the back of your hand – this will warm up the product and make it much easier to work with. Apply from the center-outwards, as the center is usually where we need the most coverage. Use a foundation brush to get an even finish, and resist applying heavy coatings – your foundation should look natural, not like a mask. Spread just over your jawline, as you don’t want an obvious foundation edge along your chin.
Every girl needs two similar shades of foundation: one for summer and one for winter, as our tone changes with the seasons. Finish with a light application of translucent powder.
Blush
Blushes should make you look healthy and glowing. Either apply to the apples of your cheek, or for a more svelte look, in the crease of the cheekbones.
Lips
Exfoliate your lips before you apply anything. Why? Sloughing off the dead skin will give a smooth, even finish and make your pouters appear larger.
For a natural, daytime look, choose a pink balm or gloss for a healthy looking pout. With the vast array of beauty supplies in the UK, you won’t be stuck for choice.
Eyes
Use your eye crease to your advantage. Begin by applying a light shade to your lid and use this as a highlight too, under the brow.
Take a darker shade and dab at the outer corner of your eyes before continuing in a ‘c’ shape, up into your crease. If you do this with your eyes open, you’ll be able to see better where this shade should fall. With the leftover shadow, line your lower lashes.
Using an eye-poppingly light shade (shimmery), just highlight the centre of your lash to bring your eyes forward and blend it out. Apply the same shade lightly to your tear duct area in the inner corner. This will make you appear much more awake and glowing – perfect if you didn’t get your full eight hours the night before!
Curl your eyelashes first. This will expose the white of the eyes, making them appear larger and younger. Pulse five times at the roots, center, and tips. Finally, rake mascara through your lashes to separate them through the spoolie, creating an awake and flirty appearance.
Before using your mascara, blot on a tissue to get rid of any excess that could clog up your lashes. If you’re doing more than one coat, allow to dry before the next application.
Highlights
Take a glowing highlight and apply just under the eyebrows and down at the top of the cheekbones. With liquid crystals, create a dewy glow along your cheekbones.
This guest post has been composed and contributed by Zoe, a cosmetic-obsessed blogger from the UK. She has written this post in collaboration with Salons Direct.
