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5 Make-up Mistakes to Avoid

You've seen them, make-up looks gone bad.  Horribly bad.  So in my attempt to rid the beauty world of the overly extreme makeover, here are my all-time make-up 'please don't do this!' tips. As a makeup artist, I've seen every one.  Don't let these looks happen to you!

1. WAAAYYYY too much blush -  Blush is supposed to look natural, flushed, pretty. Think J.Low. She's got it down. Apply your blush before ANY other color on your face. If you look like you could throw on lip gloss and mascara and run out the door, you're good!

The best blush color? No, it's not fuscia. It's a pinky/peach. Look for something with  soft shimmer, a pinky/peach that looks young, fresh on anyone of any age. (J.Low and Lara Flynn Boyle rarely make an appearance without it on.) And it's all about location, location, location. Smile, tap blush on apple cheeks. Done. That's where you blush. Period. Easy.

2. The dreaded blue eyeshadow a la 1960's.  Okay, I think whenever someone is in that dreaded "color" shadow mode, it's because someone at some time said "gee! that looks great honey!" When it painfully didn't. We're suckers for a compliment. Someone likes that blazer I'm wearing and I'm wearing that thing 3 days in a row. Beauty is supposed to make you look at the whole image. Not just one thing. You want the whole you to shine.

In photography makeup, a trait of a good makeup artist is when their makeup style blends in with the whole photo. It doesn't stand out like a sore thumb.  I feel complimented on my work when someone oohs and aahs over the photo, not my work. Then I know I've done a good job.

3. Navy blue, dark blue, any blue.  - Anything with blue, dark blue or grayish blue around your eyes really brings out the dark blue undereye circle under it. Copy a color on your face that you don't like in your makeup, and it'll look worse. Way worse. Case in point: a red dress with sunburn. See? Doesn't work. Go warmer, chestnutty, bronzy in shadows and liner instead. Trust me.

4. "You're looking a little tired. Are you feeling ok?" - We've all been there. If people ask if you're tired when you aren't it's could be your makeup. Incorrect make-up color choices can actually make your skin look tired. How? By unintentionally wearing colors that have gray in them. A grayish pink blush, a grayish mauvey lipstick, a grayish eyeshadow -- even your foundation might be gray. All that gray can make you look tired by bringing out the gray in your skin.

The good news is, you don't need a facial. You need another color. How can you tell? Put your cosmetic color onto white paper. What color do you see? If you see gray, that's the culprit. And gray is the #1 added color to cosmetics. Makes me wonder how many women have run to the skincare counters to get the latest alpha hydroxy, skin brightening wonder creams, only to find out it's really the makeup that makes you look, well, you know, tired.

5. The old school overdrawn lips.  Overdrawing the lips does NOT make your lips look bigger. It can make youlook like a clown. So how do you fake the illusion? It's in the color and the shine.  Yes - shine! Start our with a lighter color, think about a nude pink.  Look for a shade that mimics your lip color, or is 2 shades deeper than your actual lip color. Apply to your lip line and not a millimeter more. Then add shine. Shine bounces light and gives the illusion of a fuller pout. Try Bobbi Brown's lip gloss. She has a different type of shimmer going on in her lipglosses that makes your lips look 3-dimensional. It truly works. 

There's a lot of great make-up out there to play with.  Stay away from these common pitfalls and you're well on your way to looking fabulous. 

Why Doesn't This Lipstick Look Right On Me?

Why doesn't lipstick look the same way on as it does in the tube? It's usually not the color in the tube that looks bad (otherwise, you wouldn't have bought it!), but the underlying or undertone color in the lipstick can show it's true colors after you've applied it.

How can you tell what your undertone color is? Run a tester lipstick onto a piece of white paper (we do this for photo shoots all the time to find the right color, because on film, those undertones can look off), and look, what color do you see besides? It's easier to see on white paper, harder to see on skin tone until it's too late. What are you looking for? For theory's sake, let's take your favorite brown toned lipstick Your basic lipstick undertones that you might see would be:

1. red/pink: Makes the color seem warmer, but harder and deeper as well. Can also bring out all the red tones in your skin as well so be careful!

2. yellow/orange: Makes the color warmer, and softer. Looks great on warm skin tones, but if you're really pale, can bring out the green/blue undertones in your skin. To be on the safe side, go towards the yellow side, rather than the orange. Too much orange can make skin look gray and sluggish.

3. green/blue: A way to make a lipstick more dramatic..deeper. Try to stay clear of these if possible, they can make you look like you're STILL standing under fluorescent lighting.

4. silver/grey: Adds shimmer, softness, depth, easy to spot in those light shimmer lipsticks that are so popular now. Adds light and softness to the lipstick, just make sure that it's not too much on the blue/grey side. Can make those under eye circles stand out.

5. green: Huh? Green? Yep, sometimes. The trendy colors have them, and it's usually paired with a yellow tone as well. You'll look cool and hip, but you'll also feel as if you need more color on your face. (Hint: that's why the big blush trend is also prevalent.......just check out the lip color!)

Lipstick Rule of Thumb:
Whatever skin color you have that you don't like (like blue or grey under eye circles, redness, pink, etc....), try not to copy in your lipstick color or undertone as well. It's like wearing a red dress with sunburn. It just makes the problem appear worse than it is.

Easy Evening Make-up

Is your make-up ready for a night out? With a few simple tricks you can add flare and drama to your evening make-up.

Colour:

• Stick to colours that occur in nature. You're trying to enhance your natural beauty, to highlight and add focus without being overtly obvious, so look for colours that work with your natural colouring.

• Avoid blue frost eye shadow and purple liners. Strong unnatural colours can make you looker older, particularly for those over 40.
  

Eyes:

• Lower light levels in the evening are the perfect time to wear your make-up a little darker, smokier and more dramatic.

• Chocolatey browns, deep greys, and burgundies are great for night time.

• Line with a pencil as they blend more easily and look more natural.

• For added eye-enhancing dazzle, line the top lid and lightly on the bottom.

• For extra drama, try extending the upper lash line liner out 1/8" and swept slightly upward. This mimics and enhances the sweep of your lashes and creates that smouldering "Marlena Dietrich" look.

• Use brown mascara on the bottom lashes, even when you use black on top. Most people's lashes are lighter on the bottom, and brown tends to create less of a "racoon eyes" look after hours of wear.

• Don't forget to blend, blend, BLEND. The secret to keeping make-up natural looking, even when dark and dramatic, is to conceal obvious lines where colours meet.

Cheeks:

• Choose a colour suited to your complexion.

• Apply blush to the places where you would colour if you were blushing -- the apples, cheekbones, and a little at the temples -- and BLEND!
  

Lips:

• Choose a lip colour suited to your face -- skin tone, eye colour and teeth colour are all very important when choosing lipstick.

• Yellow skin tones may want to avoid overly orange shades, while ruddy complexions should steer clear of very pink shades.

• If you have thin lips, lighter shades may work better for you.

• Fuller lips work better with darker shades.

• Match your lipliner to your lipstick as closely as you can.

• Make sure to fill in the entire lip area with liner. When the lipstick comes off (on your napkin or glass) hopefully the liner won't.

• Avoid trying to match your lip colour to your outfit, your hair, your husband's tie, your car, or the Jell-O mould you are taking to the neighbour's (particularly if it is lime Jell-O).

Like day time make-up, evening make-up does need a focal point. Drama does not just mean more of everything. If you go for really dramatic eyes, tone down your lipstick a shade or two. If it's all about red lips, consider a subtler treatment for your eyes. Play around with it a little before the big night to see what looks best on you, and then get ready to get noticed.

Fabulous, Kissable Red Lips

The most important thing to consider when wearing red lipstick is picking the right shade. All reds are not created equal, finding the right one for you and wearing it properly will make all the difference. You too can have fabulous, kissable lips.

1.   Consider skin tone and overall coloring. Knowing whether to choose a warm red or cool red is an important first step and cuts your search for the perfect red in half. There are lots of great sites on the web to help you, one of our favorites is Cover Girl. Quick and easy to use, just click to get color matched.
2.   Pay attention to lip shape. Ramy Gafni, a make-up expert with a regular column on ivillage.com suggests that lip shape should also be considered when selecting that perfect red. If your lips are thin, lighter shades of red will be more flattering, for those with fuller lips look for deeper, darker reds.

3.   Line your lips carefully. Red makes mistakes hard to hide so you have to be extra careful when applying it. Carefully line your lips with a co-ordinated liner to keep the look focused and classy.

4.   Lighten up on the rest of your face. Red lips will be the focus of your face, so make sure the rest of your look doesn't compete with it. A little mascara and eye liner will keep up the glamour without overpowering remember you want people to see you, not your make up.

5.   Prepare to get noticed. Red lipstick is not for those who want to blend into the crowd, so be ready to get noticed. If you're not comfortable with an all out red to start with consider wearing a red-tinted gloss as a way to ease your way into it. You just might find you like the attention.

Congratulations you have decided to become a mehndi artist but where do you start?

This is some of the information that I have learnt as a professional henna artist myself with over 10 years experience.

We see henna all around us at weddings, engagements, on Eid, Diwalli, Charwa Chouth but recently henna has also become a respectable artistic career as clearly demonstrated by the likes of Ash Kumar who has seen his skill for mehndi develop into a successful global career. Your success with a mehndi cone is only dependant on how much you are willing to put into getting what you want, and by this I mean getting good sound henna training and practising as much as you can.

You also need to learn a little about the history of henna, which a good course will teach you. People will ask you all sorts of questions when you are doing henna so be prepared. For instance a lot of Asian people think henna was invented in India but did you know that the first known recording of henna was on the nails of mummies in ancient Egypt.

The earliest recordings of henna in India date back to 712 AD when Persian horses were brought into India with their hooves painted with henna. Henna has been used for over 5000 years and in over 60 different countries; as a cosmetic, a dye, medicine as well as protection from evil. These are just a few of the amazing facts about the humble henna shrub called ‘Lawsonia Inermis’.

Enrolling on a henna course is your first step, many local colleges are now offering mehndi classes or you can learn privately with various henna experts. Another place to find a henna course is by doing a research on the internet to find out about training near you. You can find one day courses which will be approximately 6 hours long or, more likely, courses are spread out over a few weeks. A one day course normally costs around £200 with most respected artists. So what is the right course I hear you say? Well most courses should teach you the history of henna, how to roll cones, mixing paste, application and aftercare tips. Also you should learn the dangers of ‘Black Mehndi’ and why it must never be used. All henna courses will teach you the basic fundamental skills and then through practise you can put your own creative stamp on what you have learnt.

Once you have done your henna course start practising, first on paper and then family members. Look for designs in books and online. You could offer to have a ‘mehndi party’ for friends and henna them for free just to get the experience. Always take photographs of your work so that you can build up a portfolio and to show how you progress. Some of my earlier work just makes me laugh!

Word of mouth is the best type of advertising your new skill, but in the mean time get some cards and flyers printed and put them in shop windows or take out an advert in the local paper. Get to know the local beauticians as they can be good for passing on work to you. Weddings aren’t the only places where you can apply henna, look out for local festivals, carnivals, private parties, schools, craft shows and local colleges.

Remember that to work as a henna artist you will need to be covered by ‘Public Liability Insurance’ and to work with children a lot more councils are now asking that you are ‘Police Checked’ first.

Making the Most of Your Curls

Many women fortunate enough to have curly hair don't know how to work with their curls. If you're one of them, here are some tips on what you can do to make your curls as beautiful as they were meant to be:

1. 1. Wash your hair using a lightweight shampoo and conditioner like Redken 5th Avenue NYC All Soft shampoo and conditioner. Do not comb conditioner through, just use your fingers to gently massage.
2. 2. Squeeze hair dry with a towel to remove the excess moisture. Do not rub dry or the curls will separate and become frizzy.
3. Place a generous amount of a lightweight, but firm control gel such as Ice Controller Firm-Hold Gel into the palm of your hand and rub both palms together to mix.
4. Flip your hair over and apply gel starting at the nape of your neck making sure to scrunch evenly throughout hair from roots to ends. Repeat.
5. Using a blow dryer with a diffuser, dry hair in one- to two-inch sections scrunching it with your hand as it dries. This way the blow dryer heats the curl while the scrunch sets it.
6. Make sure that all your hair is fairly dry, but not bone dry. A little bit of moisture defines the curl but completely dry hair tends to soften it out.
7. Use a flexible hairspray like Shaper Plus Hair Spray by Sebastian. Lift and spray at the roots of your hair to provide lots of body and control without the stickiness.

Et Voilà!! You now have beautifully defined curls! Remember that practice makes perfect so keep repeating this process to get the most out of your curls each time.