Remove Makeup

If you remove makeup from your face before you sleep, it will help maintain healthy skin and allow your skin to breath over night. On the other hand if you don’t remove makeup properly you can end up damaging your skin.

Needed:
•    Facial cleanser (purchase cleansing oil if your skin is very dry);
•    Eye makeup remover; and
•    Quality cotton pads

Steps:
1: Wash hands

2: Moisten a cotton pad with the eye makeup remover and keep placed on your closed eye for 5 – 10 seconds before gently wiping over the lids in an outward motion until the shadow has been removed. (Perform this step on both eyes)

3: For waterproof mascara you may need to use a moistened cotton pad in a gentle downward motion over the lashes. Repeat until mascara has been totally removed

4: Cleanse the remainder of your face paying special attention to the hair line area and the jaw line area especially if you wear foundation (cleansing techniques may vary depending on your cleanser – whether it’s a cream based or foaming wash). Use cream / oil based cleanser if you tend to have dry skin

Do Not:
•    Use baby wipes
•    Scrub your face
•    Over exfoliate or over cleanse
•    Tug or pull your skin with the cotton pad whilst removing eye shadow

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any thoughts.

Pretty

Eyes Dark Circles

Who likes dark circles under the eyes? Hands up… anybody? Didn’t think so.

No body wants dark circles under the eyes and it is just so confusing with all these millions (okay hundreds) of products to ‘cure’ them, what do we use?

Before you go rush to the shops with your credit card to buy that miracle product, understand what the cause is and what you can do naturally.

Ranked Causes:
1: Lack of Sleep:
Probably the biggest cause of eyes dark circles. Not necessarily going out and having a late night but something may be stressing you out that doesn’t allow for you to relax and have a good deep sleep.

2: Diet:
Dark circles can appear if you have some sort of food allergy, try to identify what it could be (also you could take a RAST test that highlights allergies). Lack of water, vitamins and nutrients in your diet can also adversely affect dark circles

3: Genetics:
The bit that is out of our hands. This is caused by genetic hyper pigmentation where the under eye area may be suffering from a darker pigment than the surrounding area. More difficult to cure and well applied concealer is usually the solution

4: Ageing:
As we age the skin under the eye gets thinner and looses elasticity, therefore showing blood vessels

Tips:
•    Sleep: Try to get to the route of any stress and resolve. If on the other hand you are just a party animal, naughty naughty, just try to catch up on your beauty sleep
•    See a dietician: Identify whether or not your diet lacks any nutrients and vitamins that are needed
•    Drink plenty of water: 6-8 cups a day (helps on so many levels)
•    Massage your eyes (whilst closed and very gently) with cold fingers (run under cold tap)  to stimulate blood circulation and reduce toxic build up
•    Splash cold water onto the eye area regularly
•    Reduce the amount of time spent looking at your computer screen
•    A well applied eye concealer can help reduce the significance of eyes dark circles
•    The old cold cucumber slices on your eyes has stood the test of time and works in most cases

Hope this helps, and remember you must get to the route of the problem otherwise these creams and gels might reduce temporarily but make the problem worse over time.

I personally love splashing cold water onto the eyes just makes you feel fresh and awake.

Pretty

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Makeup Tools

So many brushes! Confused? Well don’t be, I have tried to explain the purpose of each of the pictured makeup tools in brief below.

1: Powder Brush
Generally used to dust powder onto the face normally after foundation to give a matte finish

Tips:
o    Don’t pick fat brushes as this will just pick powder up and drop it down on various parts of the face leaving excess powder scattered around (Bigger is not always better)
o    Only use a good quality brush as the finish might understate all your preparation makeup application
o    Use a medium sized brush
o    Ask a makeup counter if you can use it on your skin before purchase

2: Blush Brush
You guessed it, used to apply blusher

Tips:
o    Not too large and not too small! But just right. If it is too large you risk applying it to a wider area than intended. Too small and you will suffer streaking in application
o    Should be firmer than the powder brush
o    Ask a makeup counter if you can use it on your skin before purchase

3: Lash Comb & Brow Groom
Can resolve mascara build up by combing through; can also ensure even distribution of mascara. The brush side is used simply to neaten up the brow area. You can also get these in two separate brushes instead of a combined.

Tips:
o    Makeup artists tend to use in a slower motion than when they apply mascara
o    Don’t over use as you run the risk of minimising your mascara

4: Eyeshadow Brush
Used to apply eyeshadow over the entire eyelid or around the rim of the eye area

Tips:
o    It is quite common to have more than one type of eyeshadow brush as they come in various sizes and concentration
o    Concentrated: Applied around the rim of the eyes
o    Softer: Application over the eyelid

5: Eyeliner Brush
Used to carefully spread eyeliner, the brush allows for differing styles depending on the pressure applied to the brush.

Tips
o    Thinner Application: Use brush lightly (fine tipped brush)
o    Thicker Application: press a little more firmly this will spread the bristles and a wider line
o    More widely used with liquid products

6: Lip Brush
Used to simply add definition to the lips

Tips:
o    To accentuate the smooth lip line you will need a flat brush
o    The method and the angle you apply the lipstick will have a big impact on the overall effect (This will be covered in a separate posting on lips coming soon)

There you have it, as promised I was going to keep the makeup tool session brief. Let me know if you have any questions. The applications and uses of these makeup tools will be covered in greater detail in upcoming posts.

Pretty x

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