Using a skin concealer can either hide your imperfections (yes, we all have some) or if applied incorrectly draw more attention to them (spots, blemishes, redness or acne).

I spoke with a makeup artist friend about skin concealer yesterday (supposed to talk about her honeymoon) for about an hour and have summed up her advice & tips below.

Choosing the right skin concealer:

• Make sure you visit good department stores or makeup boutiques (more than one) to colour match the skin concealer using a makeup consultant (doesn’t mean you necessarily need to buy there and then can always order online after)
• Try not to use the same skin concealer under the eye area and the rest of the face (mainly because of different skin tone)
• If the stores allow, ask them for samples and try out once or twice before buying
• Choose a skin concealer that is one shade lighter than your normal skin colour, this is because you are trying to blend your blemishes (darker) to the surrounding skin (lighter)

Liquid, cream or stick skin concealer?
These are just simply different ways of applying skin concealer, her advice was simple, just choose the method you are most comfortable with when applying makeup.

Skin concealer application:

• Apply skin concealer after foundation – reason: just touch up on blemishes / spots that the foundation has not worked on otherwise you will potentially wipe away concealer if you apply the other way around
• Start off by using concealer brush to target the blemished area then gently use the ring finger to blend the concealer into the skin for an even finish and blend

In a nutshell, take time to select the right skin concealer for you and then take time and care in applying.

There will be a separate post for hiding dark circles (coming soon). Don’t let shop counters confuse you just take this knowledge with you so that you can make up your own mind (also, it’s always useful to take a friend along when choosing skin concealer for an independent opinion).

Pretty

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Drinks

Why do people keep asking if I had a late night?

I’m afraid our eyes usually give away the secret without us even saying a word. Most of us suffer from bags under eyes or eye puffiness. The main causes of bags under eyes tend to be the following:

Causes:
1:  Fluid retention: body fluids have settled under the eye area. Usually occurs overnight after a late night.
2: Late nights
3: Aging: Skin looses elasticity over time and this can lead to under eye bags
4: Allergy: You could have an allergy to certain products (RAST test can reveal that causes the under eye bags)
5: Diet: If you have a very unhealthy diet (excessive alcohol) that lacks essential vitamins then this too can cause enhanced under eye bags.

How to prevent bags under eyes:
1: Reduce salty food intake as scientists have seen a link to eye bags
2: Elevating your head (e.g. extra pillow) can prevent the fluid becoming trapped in the eye area
3: Get some good sleep!
4: Dont Stress!

How to reduce bags under eyes:
1: Splash cold water onto your eyes which will encourage circulation around your eye area. Follow this by gently tapping your eye area to further encourage circulation
2: Cold cucumber slices over the eye area for 10 minutes at a time

Only use eye care products to treat eye bags if you feel that you really really need them (naturally treating is always better long term)

These are not a one off fix for how to get rid of bags under eyes but must be consistently applied until the route of the problem is fixed.

Pretty

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Subtle Make Up Blusher

All of us have different face shapes and smiles. This is why you may need to apply make up blusher to a different part of your face to someone else. Good news is the techniques remain the same.

There is different advice out in the market and each makeup artists may use a technique that suits their application style. The make up blusher style below is one of the most popular and easiest to achieve, and can be tweaked to suit your needs.

Make Up Blusher Application Steps
(Difficulty Rating: Easy)

Make up Blusher - Apple

1: Smile – this will show what is commonly referred to as the ‘Apple’ part of your cheeks (as shown by the Pic above)

2: Use a medium sized make up blush brush and dip into your selected powder (start off with little colour) and blow or shake off the excess

Follow the Green Line

3: Starting at the bottom middle of the ‘Apple’, gently and softly apply the colour all the way up to the temple area as shown in the Green Line picture above (the colour should fade by the time you get to the temple area, otherwise you have put too much blusher on the brush or you are pressing too hard against your skin)

4: You can repeat step 3 up to three times to get the look or definition you are after.

The type of blusher brush you use will affect the overall finish of the make up application. It is advised that you invest in a professional make up blusher brush as these will help achieve a professional look and will last a long time.

Once again start off with little colour and build up (don’t want you looking like a drag queen!). As normal any questions let me know.

Pretty

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