These makeup tips are mostly for the ladies, but there’s something for guy,s too. And we don’t mean movie stars only!
For the mature woman…less is more: Thick foundation, heavy eyeliner, bright blusher and red lipstick all add years to your face. Better: Use a moisturizing (not matte) foundation, and dab it only where needed to even out skin tone. To add color to cheeks, use a small amount of tinted moisturizer, bronzer or cream blush. For lips, choose soft pinks and mauves, depending on your skin tone.
Lipstick trick: After applying lipstick, glide an ice cube over your lips. The ice will set the color and prevent it from bleeding, melting or smudging. Find your perfect lip color: Before you apply lipstick, purse your lips together for about 30 seconds. When you stop, look at the color of your lips. That’s the shade to match for your most natural lipstick color.
Eyeliner strengthener: Typically, eyeliner pencil lead is soft and breaks easily. And when you sharpen it, there goes half the pencil. Try this—put the pencil in the freezer for about 10 minutes and sharpen it right before using it. The cold temperature hardens the pencil, which prevents the tip from breaking off in the sharpener and makes it easier to apply.
Men…tame those gnarly eyebrows: A professional barber should be able to expertly trim furry eyebrows. To maintain those bushy boys in between haircuts—take a clean toothbrush, give it a spritz of hairspray, then brush it over your brows. The brush will put the hairs in place, and the spray will keep them there. After each use, clean your brow toothbrush with hot water.
To remove eye makeup: Lather up a few drops of tear-free, hypoallergenic baby shampoo in a wet washcloth and softly dab each of your eyes. Then gently rinse the eye area with water. No mess. No sting. No liner. No mascara.
Note: Remember that makeup traps bacteria, so be sure to replace most products every three to six months.
Thanks to Kim Johnson Gross (KimJohnsonGross.com), cocreator of the Chic Simple book series and author of What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life and Chic Simple Dress Smart: Men for help with this tip.
