Prepare your skin. Start by cleansing your face and neck. Remove any makeup and gently exfoliate,then moisturise well and wait about 10mins for it to settle. Remember, the key to a glowing complexion is to maintain a good skincare routine.
Apply a foundation primer over your moisturiser. This refreshing gel willhelp to smooth out the texture of your skin, creating a flawless finish, as well as preventing excess oils from absorbing your makeup. Hence, everything looks fresher, for longer.
Using a damp cosmetic sponge, apply foundation on your face. This will ensure an even coverage allowing you to apply in layers, starting slow and building up as needed. Foundation will help to cover discoloured areas, such as nose and chin and even out your skin tone.
After applying your foundation, use a concealer cream under your eyes and on any blemishes or shadows. Choose a concealer colour that is one shade lighter than your foundation colour. Before applying, warm it up on the back of your hand and with a fine-tipped brush paint over the desired areas.
Lastly, set your makeup base with a translucent powder. Gently roll a velourpowder puff over your face, taking care not to wipe off your foundation. For a velvety look, use the flat side of your powder brush and dust lightly over your makeup instead.
Add a touch of glamour to your makeup look. Play up the eyes with subtle natural looking false lashes and dust shimmer over the shoulders and cleavage. Be careful not to go overboard with shimmers or bronzers on your face. In small doses shimmers will add a touch of radiance, but too much will create a ‘showgirl’ look. Also, going wild with a bronzer that’s too dark for your complexion will leave a fake, flat finish.
Even though it is the current fashion trend in magazines to have a dewy complexion, it is not really a suitable look for your wedding day makeup. Instead, wear a clean, fresh base with a natural sheen and apply powder along the T-Zone. Your makeup will be long- lasting and you will still look great in the flesh and for the photos.
For a daytime makeup, enhance your natural beauty without over doing it. Choose a simple makeup design and define your eyes. Wear just a couple of colours, include a soft light shimmer and don’t add too much underneath. Some use of colour on cheeks and lips will help you to look healthy, young and alive.
To create waterproof eyeliner – dip a fine makeup brush into a waterproof mascara tube and use this to line the eyes. Eyeliner will stay put with little maintenance.
Spray face with rosewater or evian to freshen makeup look throughout the day. Very effective method when makeup has been on for a long period of time or under hot lights.
When you have very limited time to apply makeup – start with the eyes first and focus all your energy on this important feature.
When using dark eyeshadow colours, place a tissue under the eye area to prevent sparks of eyeshadow from falling onto face.
A well prepared canvas is very crucial to creating a fresh, flawless foundation. By using a nourishing moisturiser first, this helps the foundation glide smoothly over the skin as well as applying less. Remember to tissue off any excess shine before applying luminizers.
Try not to over- apply foundation – allow the texture of skin to show through. Instead, apply concealer to areas of skin that needs evening out, such as, corners of nose or mouth. Add just enough to warm up skin colour and hide flaws.
Before even starting makeup, check the lighting you are working with as this greatly influences the end result of your colours and makeup design. Ask yourself - Will fine details be seen ? Do the colours need to be strong so will show up from a distance ?
For a more dramatic effect, layer your makeup products. eg, apply powder colours over cream products or use eyeshadow on top of khol pencil. Not only will the makeup be long wearing, it will also create a multi- dimensional illusion as opposed to a flatter makeup look.
