1. Pick the right shade. What most
of us do: Swipe a possible new color on the back of our hand to see if
it flatters. Test the lipstick on your fingertip — that way, you can
hold the color next to your face to see how it looks. 2. Get buff. For the prettiest finish, run your
toothbrush over your lips to exfoliate any dry skin (a damp paper towel
also can do the job). Post-scrub, lipstick will glide on without caking.
3. Fill in fine lines.
Here's a way to keep lipstick from feathering (a great trick if you
have tiny wrinkles above your upper lip): Coat your mouth and go
slightly outside your lip line with a clear balm ‑"it keeps your lipstick from
traveling."
4. Extend the life of your lipstick.
So you'd like your color to last through lunch, but you don't like the
feel of long-wearing formulas? Here's a tip: Apply a coat of regular lipstick, then press it with a
single-ply tissue and powder lightly (over the tissue) with a puff or
brush. This sets the color and prevents running and feathering.
5. Plump up.
For a finishing touch, dab the middle of your lower lip with a bit of
silver or gold lip gloss. Any makeup artist worth his shimmer powder
will tell you this is the fastest route to creating the illusion of
fullness.
Fresh Eye-Deas
1. Fight droop.
Lightly shade the area just above the arch of your brow with a nude or
white liner and blend. "This subtly lights up your face and creates the illusion of
higher brows and lids, which is great for droopy or tired eyes,"
2. Smudge-proof your liner. Apply it with a
pencil or a tiny brush, then trace over the line with a matching powder
shadow. To make it last even longer: Wet your shadow brush with Visine
first.
3. Make your eyes look larger. Place a lash
curler at the roots of your lashes, then slowly "walk" it out to the
tips, pressing as you go.
4. Outsmart your mascara. Love
the waterproof kind but hate fighting to remove it? Applies a coat of regular mascara first, then top
it with waterproof. "This way, the waterproof formula locks onto the
other mascara instead of your lashes, so it comes off more easily —
when you want it to."
5. Widen your eyes.
To look more refreshed, use white or nude eyeliner — but this time,
below your eyes, not above. Pull down gently on your undereye and trace
the line between the lower lashes and the inside rim. Stop before you
reach your tear ducts.
Complexion Perfecters
1. Conceal flaws...strategically.
A full face of foundation — or too much concealer — can look and feel
unnatural, We advise using cover-up only where you need
it (and, where you don't, letting your own skin shine through).
2. Try a soft touch.
Your ring finger is the perfect tool for applying makeup.
4. Give yourself a mini face-lift.
Apply blush starting at your upper cheekbone (at the hairline near your
ear) then brush across your cheek horizontally — not diagonally or
downward — until you get to the center of your face. "You'll be
thrilled to see the difference when your blush is darkest at the
hairline and faded at the apples."
