30 Days of Beauty

May 22, 2012

How To Get Your Glow on With Bronzer

May 22, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

A sun kissed glow is an excellent way to put your best face forward and look healthy and youthful. UV rays from the sun and tanning beds, however, cause damage to the skin and, with continued exposure, can lead to numerous problems. By using bronzer, however, you can have the appearance of having just returned from a tropical vacation without ever exposing your delicate skin to harmful UV rays.

30 Days of Beauty Day 21, Using Bronzer

Bronzers come in different forms including loose mineral powders, liquids, pressed powders, creams, and even gels. Loose or pressed powders typically provide the most natural looking results while liquids and gels have a tendency to look more like makeup. For people with sensitive or oily skin, powders are also a better choice because they are less likely to cause irritation or clog pores. Creams and gels, however, often work better for people with dry skin because they tend to absorb into the skin better.

Several shades are also available. When searching for the best product, look for one that doesn't have too much of an orange tint to it. A bit of shimmer is a nice touch, but avoid bronzers that are loaded with glitter. Too much shimmer tends to make pores, wrinkles, and other imperfections stand out. When choosing the perfect color, avoid the temptation to go too tan. A color that is too dark will not blend well, and it will look fake. Instead, try to choose a bronzer that is just a couple shades darker than your natural color. If you have tanned naturally in the past, you an also opt to purchase a bronzer that is similar in shade to your own natural skin tone after tanning.

Once you have chosen the perfect product, it is important to apply it correctly in order to obtain a natural, sun kissed glow. If you are using a powder, you will need a large, fluffy face brush. It can be applied by itself or over your regular foundation. To begin, simply dip or swirl the brush in the bronzer, and tap off any excess. Gently swirl the brush in a circular motion over your cheekbones, nose, and forehead - the places where sunlight would naturally touch your skin. Use the brush to blend away any sharp lines. The process is similar when using a cream or gel bronzer, but it can be applied using a makeup sponge or your fingers. In either case, blending is the most important step in ensuring a natural look. No matter what product you use, bronzer should be applied lightly for the most natural effect. It is best to start light and add more as needed to achieve the desired result.

Using bronzer on your neck, chest, and shoulders in addition to on your face is a great way to fully complete your look. Apply lightly for a beautiful glow that will have people thinking you just returned from a tropical vacation. Using bronzer is a safe and effective way of looking your best without the harmful effects of tanning.

Beauty Blogger Bronzer Tips

Cindy Ingalls of Prime Beauty gives this tip on using bronzer to look younger:

Use bronzer to contour your face. A quick swipe with a big fluffy brush on the jaw line, a stripe down the center of your neck and a stripe under each cheekbone will take 10 years off. Make sure to blend well with a cosmetic sponge.

Jenna Watson from Beauty, Fashion, Fabulous! has these tips:

1) A little goes a long way. Bronzer is not foundation. Stop putting it all over your face. Bronzer needs to be applied strategically in order to contour and enhance certain areas of the face. Using a fat brush and buffing it all over your face will not enhance! Try this: Following the lines of your cheekbones, sweep a little starting near your hairline down to the apple of your cheek. Sweep a little less over your forehead, the top of the bridge of your nose, and top of your chin, making sure to blend well.

2) Contrast with a highlighter. The best way to get your bronzer to look even more fabulous is to contrast it with a highlighter. Sweep the highlighter above the area where you applied bronzer and you’ll have beautiful illuminating skin! I prefer using a bronzer and highlighter duo, meaning they both are in the same box and you get more for your buck!

Tomorrow, Day 22, Blush Tips!

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Filed Under: 30 Days of Beauty, Bronzers, Makeup Tagged With: 30 Days of Beauty, Bronzer

May 21, 2012

Make-up Concealer 101

May 21, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

30 Days of Beauty Day 20, Cover Up Imperfections With Concealer

Concealer is one of those necessary evils in most women’s make-up routine. ‘Evil’ because it is so difficult to get right in every light. What looks natural in outdoor lighting can look incredibly noticeable in fluorescent lighting and vice versa. There is a certain skill in choosing the right concealer and in applying it correctly.

CHOOSING A SHADE

Concealer should to even skin tone in areas where skin is, for whatever reason, darker than in other areas. That is to say, one should choose a concealer that is the same shade as their normal skin areas. Do not choose a shade that is lighter than your skin tone. As Moxie from Moxie Reviews notes:

Don't use concealer that is too light. The point of concealer is to draw attention away from the area; choosing one that is too light for your skin tone just calls attention to it.

Even if the concealer is applied underneath foundation, the lighter tone will pop out under the foundation. Although it may seem counterintuitive, choose a shade that is slightly darker than your own skin since concealer goes on lighter than it looks on the stick or brush.

Jenn from: Canadian Beauty and Fashion Blog- Spiced Beauty gives these simple tips for choosing a concealer for under the eyes

Do you suffer from dark under eye circles?
If you are of a lighter skin tone opt for a yellow based concealer.
If you are of a darker skin tone opt for a orange based concealer.

CAN I SKIP CONCEALER?

Concealer works with other make-up to help hold the other make-up in place. Foundation, eyeliner, eye shadow and blush all stay in place longer and stronger with the help of concealer. Many people use concealer only around their eyes to hide dark circles. Covering dark eye circles is certainly achieved by using concealer, but that is not the only reason to use it.

Do not skip concealer if you want, or need, your make-up to stay in place for more than five hours. While it may seem like an extra and unnecessary step in your make-up routine, applying it along with foundation and eye make-up will keep you from having to touch up your make-up all day long.

HOW TO USE CONCEALER

Besides using concealer on and under dark eyes, use concealer anywhere that you wish to have more coverage. Some of these areas include:

· Pimples
· Birthmarks
· Scars
· Freckles
· Dark spots
· Bruises

Apply concealer after foundation using a brush or fingertip. By apply after your foundation, the concealer is not worn off by the foundation application. to the extent the concealer looks slight off shade from the foundation, blend slightly and consider choosing a different shade of concealer.

Be careful to avoid an over-layered look that is a typical trap when using concealer. To avoid this, do not apply pressed powder over foundation and concealer. Skip the pressed powder until later in the day when your forehead begins to shine. In addition, only use pressed powder on those shiny areas and not all over your face.

Go light and consider also trying an illuminator. Cindy Bokma of Hello Dollface follows this procedure:

I touch up any blemishes or imperfections with concealer, lightly dabbing this with a finger or brush. I use a light application of an illuminator around my eyes to lighten dark circles and make my eyes look bright.

Teri Cosenzi of Beautiful Makeup Search provided this great tip for concealing the under eye area:

Mix a small amount of your eye cream with your concealer. Not only will it apply easier, it will look better and last longer. Especially as you age, it is important to not only conceal your under-eye area, it is important to hydrate it. Mixing the two instantly plumps the area, plus it brightens and fills in the lines as it conceals.

Here at Beauty and Fashion Tech, we prefer thicker cream concealers for their staying power and are a fan of Laura Mercier products for concealer. But there are numerous quality choices and concealer tends to be a product that is good across most brands.

Tomorrow, Day 21: Using Bronzer

Filed Under: 30 Days of Beauty, Concealer, Face Products, Makeup Tagged With: 30 Days of Beauty, Concealer, Laura Mercier

May 20, 2012

Make-up Tools Every Woman Should Own

May 20, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

Every woman wants to look naturally beautiful, but it takes a lot of work to do so, and the right tools for the job are a must! With so many different brushes and tools on the market, what are the best and what are essential?

30 Days of Beauty Day 19: Choosing the Right Makeup Brushes and Tools

Here is a look at the most vital make-up tools a woman should own:

TWEEZERS

Keeping a pair of tweezers handy is a must for all women. This is the only way to keep your eyebrows neat and your whole face stubble-free. Invest in good quality tweezers with a slant tip and keep in mind that many Tweezers will dull after about six months of weekly use. Be sure to buy a new pair twice a year or so.

EYELASH CURLER

Not every woman uses an eyelash curler. However, the women that do use it will swear by its powers to make eyes look bigger and lashes look longer. All women should at least give the eyelash curler a week-long trial run.

How to use an eyelash curler: 1. Start with clean and dry eyelashes. 2. Only curl your upper lashes. 3. Clamp the curler down on lashes near the root and hold for five seconds. 4. Next move to the tips of the lashes and clamp again. 5. Apply mascara

For extra curling, try using a blow dryer. Blow warm air on the eyelash curler for five seconds to heat it up slightly. Be sure to check how hot the metal rim is before you touch it to your eyelid, then curl your lashes.

EYE SHADOW BRUSH

For every shade of eye shadow you wear, it is helpful to keep a corresponding brush. At the very least, use one brush for lighter shades and a different brush for dark shades and clean the brush often. The little foam applicators that come in most eye shadow containers usually are not particularly effective and can be tossed. The best eye shadow brushes are no larger than the size of your pinky finger and have a slightly rounded end.

LIP BRUSH

You can save an awful lot of lipstick by using a brush to apply it as opposed to smearing the tube directly onto your lips. The most chic and elegant way to apply lipstick is as follows:

1. Line lips with a lip liner that matches your lipstick color as close as possible. 2. Also fill in the lips with the liner color as a primer for the lipstick. 3. Using a small lip brush, dab the brush onto the lipstick tube and fill in the lips. 4. Carefully close lips around a tissue to absorb any excess. 5. Close lips around one finger and pull finger out slowly. This will keep lipstick from rubbing off on your teeth.

When it comes to using a lip brush, Brooke Pakulski from Blushing Noir also has this tip:

A good makeup brush tip, if you don't like using a lip brush, you can use a firm pencil brush (like the MAC 219) to apply and distribute lipstick or gloss. I do this because I can't stand the streaks a lip brush causes and the time it takes to use it! This is especially a good tip if you have medium or full sized lips!

KABUKI BRUSH

The kabuki brush is the very wide and fat brush that is seen in most professional make-up bags. The brush is an absolute must-have for women who use powder to absorb oily spots or who use mineral makeup. The ideal kabuki brush must be very soft and made of nylon fibers to best apply powder. It is best to clean the kabuki brush once a month with shampoo and warm water. Allow it to dry naturally.

EYELINER PRESS BRUSH

This is a very slender flat brush that is intended for applying eyeliner. In the alternative you can try an angled liner brush. Use it to press shadow against the lids to use as eyeliner. The best eyeliner press brush is flat and no longer than ¼ inch in length. As with the kabuki brush, an eyeliner press brush should be cleaned monthly with a bit of soap and warm water.

QUALITY SPONGES OR FOUNDATION BRUSH

Sponges are perfect for the application of makeup and tinted foundation or primer. One favorite in particular is the the Beauty Blender Sponge which is bigger and uniquely shaped. Madeleine Homes of Peace Love Lipgloss says this about it: “For make-up tools, I adore the Beauty Blender Sponge. When used damp any one can easily apply their foundation for a professional airbrushed look.”

If you prefer, you can also use a brush for foundation. Emily Hudspeth of Emily Hudspeth-Bringing the Beauty to You gave us this tip:

There are a number of ways that you can apply foundation. You can use a brush, a sponge, beauty blender, or your fingers. As if those weren't enough options, there are quiet a few foundation brushes that you can pick from.

My favorite brush to use is a stippling brush. In my personal makeup bag, I use the Sephora brand stippling brush, $35. I have the same brush in my professional kit. I also have the more economical option, from ELF $3.

There are a few reasons that I love this brush. You can see that it is multi-layered, the 2 different lengths of soft bristles pick up the perfect amount of foundation (so you waste less) and softly blends the product onto your skin for a soft, airbrushed look. I also love that you can use this brush with both liquid and powder foundations. You can use the same brush to apply your liquid foundation, then set with a loose powder.

Beauty Blogger Brush Tips

Aside from getting a basic kit of tools, you also must care for them. Marcia Friedman from Beauty Info Zone gives these tips for brush cleaning:

Two tips to keep your brushes in excellent shape and save you money

1) Use a ScotchBrite microfiber cloth to wipe eye shadow and blush pigment off your brushes. While its not deep cleaning it gets the brushes clean and ready to reuse instantly.
2) To clean the brush you use with gel liners use an eye makeup remover pad like Almay's Non-oily ones. Fold the pad in half and smooth it over the eyeliner brush. All the gel comes out and your brush never splays.

Stephanie Louise Telford from Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful also provided a couple of great tips:

While traveling, pick up a mini size of baby shampoo to clean brushes. It is clearly visible to the airport security & you won't worry about your good stuff getting everywhere.

Instead of trying to take your favorite cleanser in a tiny bottle on the plane, buy some makeup wipes. These will remove makeup, clean skin, & allow you to "refresh" yourself while traveling as well. These are not subject to the liquid airline rules either. My favorite kind are baby wipes which are also very affordable! You can also wipe dirty makeup brushes on these after use in a pinch.

Want a few more brush buying and care suggestions? See our previous articles:

The Best Makeup Brushes

How to Clean Makeup Brushes (on Girl Gloss)

Need to buy some?

Shop for Makeup Brushes

Day 20, Tomorrow: Covering Up, All About Concealer