My last post was just under a WHOPPING YEAR ago! Craziness. I know. Apologies :(
But basically I'm back. Not going to make any promises about how often I'll post, but I'll try to post more often than once a year =/ lol
I moved back to Trinidad. Finished my course in Toronto (YAY) and I've been freelancing here. I've also been making feather earrings that can be customized by YOU! Delivery is via TTPost, currently only delivering to T&T residents.
Let me know what you want to see! Other than that, I'll continue to post makeup tips!
Personally, my under-eyes aren't blue (or red). They're actually not even noticeable. Sometimes they may look a little dark though, but nothing too bad, so going over it with just foundation is sufficient for me.
However, I have some tips on concealing your under-eye bags. First you must determine the color of your bags.
Using a color wheel is the easiest way to make any sense of this. When you figure out the color of your under-eye circles, you must then neutralize them using the color opposite on the color wheel from the color of your discolouration.
For example:
You have redness (usually caused by irritation, if you have sensitive eyes) you would use the color opposite red on the color wheel, - GREEN. However, as it may look strange to put the color green under the eye, and if not done carefully, can make you look truly ill, you can use a color that is more similar to skin, that still has qualities of green in it, like - YELLOW.
If you have blue under-eye circles, you would use, - ORANGE or a color that has qualities of orange in it to cancel out the blue, like - PEACH or SALMON.
Now, if you have just simply dark circles (usually just a bit darker than your own skin, seem mostly in indian women) then you would need to use a color that will brighten the area. This is not shown on the color wheel. But the color that has the most brightening qualities is - PINK, so you'd use something with pink in it to brighten your dark circles.
I would NOT advise that you use the common tip of applying a concealer 1 to 2 shades lighter than your skintone to your under-eyes. This just makes your under-eyes appear to have a ghostly white cast in pictures.
To apply the concealer:
Pat the it ONLY where the opposite color is visible. NB. If you put pink concealer where there isn't anything dark to neutralize, it will show up truly PINK.
After it's patted on where you need it, blend and smooth it out so it looks seamless.
Don't forget to set your concealer by lightly patting powder over it! This will keep it in place.
If you actually want to purchase concealers that will cover under-eye circles, you can consider:
Your color match in MAC-NW. If you don't know what to ask for, just tell the lady at the counter that you want a concealer for under-eye circles, SPECIFICALLY.
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
L'Oreal True Match Concealer - go for the "C" shades or cool shades. These are more pinky
These are just a few that you can choose from :) There are TONS out there, but I'm only human. Definitely haven't tried all.
So monolids. The "asian" eye.If you try to put a crease on these, it ends up looking like a harsh/messy line just floating awkwardly above the eye.
So don't get me wrong. Not ALL asians lack a crease. I'll show a picture of one that works.
This works because her crease, though not obvious, does not conceal her entire lid. There's just a subtle dip where her eye socket is.
However when the fold of the eye droops over the lid, covering it completely, faking a crease above this can simply look like you have 2 creases. Just plain ridiculous!
My favourite actor in Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh, has a monolid. Here's a picture...
Can you see how a crease on her would look silly?
So what should be done with these eyes? Well, there are still a lot of options, so don't be discouraged. Smoky eyes look amazing on monolids, as well as thicker, elongated "cat" eyeliner. Also, I don't know if it's just me, but asian women can pull off the fake eyelash look for everyday wear. I can't, and really wish I could!
However, with prosthetics, anything is possible! :D Just for fun, my lovely friend, Jenna!
I see this A LOT! Especially with my lovely Caribbean ladies. Girls like to use creams or lotions that are luminous/iridescent or just straight up glittery. But then they will slap on some powder foundation and head out. Powders usually make the face flat and matte, in contrast with the luminous and dewy looking body. You end up looking dull or unhealthy.
I have a good example here. This is Gwen Stefani ft Eve - Rich Girl. Look at Eve's body and her face. It looks significantly lighter than her body, and 10 times duller! You don't want to make this mistake, especially if pictures will be taken!
So how do you fix this? Well for one, make sure you have a good match for your foundation. This means that when you apply and blend it into your neck and chest area, it disappears. (It's good to match on your neck and chest area first, so that the area will be uniform. If you face is a different color than the rest of your body, matching makeup to your face and applying it will just amplify that. You usually like to aim for a clean, uniform canvas.)
Secondly, make sure your foundation has luminous qualities to it. If you love powder, make sure it's mineral, because minerals tend to provide a glow. But liquids and creams are also an option. If you do not have a dewy foundation, add a liquid highlight to it, or even a finely milled powder highlight. If you don't have any of these, and just have your powder foundation, but would like to avoid this problem, spray your face with some water (Sacha fix it spray or MAC fix plus will do the same thing AND it will set your makeup.) This will take away from the powdery look and reduce dullness.
But I got some crazy news. I am no longer in Trinidad, but I'm in Toronto, going to a Makeup Academy downtown! I'll figure out whether I want to tell you which school it is or not =P
So from now on, I'm gonna try to give you all some tips and tricks that I either learned there or figured out on my own. Cuz makeup should be fun, but bet your bottom dollar it would look 10 times better if you knew some basics and use it to enhance what you got instead of just slapping it on. But imma still keep this fun =) Take care bloggers!
Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Lipstick: Deep Blush This lipstick is relatively new. It had a plumping/ moisturizing core that makes your lips tingle. It has a minty chocolate scent. Good color payoff but not long wearing. If you eat or drink, you may need to apply it again.
Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Lipstick: Starlet Red A creamy semi-sheer blue-red lipstick. Great color payoff but not long wearing. Has a minty chocolate scent like the one above.
Twist and Glide Lipgloss: Caramel This really has a caramel-ish scent! Really sheer, and moisturizing.
Perfect Wear Lipstick: Coral Reef This has to be my favourite formulation of lipstick from Avon. So creamy, lasts FOREVER and smells like heaven. Only downside is that it feels dry after a few hours if you're not wearing a lip conditioner.
Pro-to-Go Lipstick: Intimate Nude This particular lipstick can't seem to stay on my inner pout. When I talk it wears off quickly. Very creamy. Interesting one handed lipstick application possible, lol.
Pro-to-Go Lipstick: Cherry Glisten I adore this color. Really glossy but a little sheer. Downside is that you have to apply it every hour or so. It's the featured color. Reese Witherspoon really rocks it =O
Perfect Wear Extralasting Lipstick: Forever Fuchsia This is my absolute favourite! Pinky-lavender. I love the color. Matte finish. The formula isn't drying at all. It's long lasting and creamy. Sigh. MY LOVE <3
Perfect Wear Extralasting Lipstick: Eternal Flame This is a very pigmented blue-red. Super creamy and long lasting. There is no shimmer or sparkle to it. Simple and gorgeous.
Perfect Wear Extralasting Lipstick: Enduring Wine This is another story. I loved it on some of my clients. Not on myself. It makes my lips look diseased. It stays on well though, and creamy as the ones above. It's shimmery though.
Glazewear Liquid Lip Color: Real Red This is an insanely gorgeous blue-red. Makes my teeth look whiter. Great pigmentation. Very creamy. Makes me want to keep rubbing my lips together because it feels so nice. Staying power not fabulous though. As expected with such a bright lipgloss.
Glazewear Liquid Lip Color: Chic Mauve A muted lavender color. Can make certain skin tones look pale/ill. Extremely creamy. Lasting power is decent.
Glazewear Liquid Lip Color: Tickled Pink Pink with shimmer. Creamy. True to color. Good pigmentation.
Glazewear liquid lip color: Rave Annoyingly sheer with random chunks of glitter that spread all over your face within a few hours.
Glazewear liquid lip color: Charmed Rose Same as above, without glitter.
Glazewear Diamonds Lipstick: Ruby Slippers Really sheer, but so moisturizing. Great for everyday use. Contains very fine glitter. Like a gloss and sheer color in one.
Glazewear diamonds lipstick: Coral Goddess This was one of my favourite colors for a few months. It really brightens up my face.
Ultra Color Rich Lipstick: Cherry Jubilee This looks black in regular lighting. Quite scary. GORGEOUS when applied. Blue-brown-red. Improved formula. Creamy and long lasting. It actually stains your lips =O
Ultra Color Rich Lipstick: Frozen Rose Very sheer and frosty. Doesn't stay on my inner pout. Alright for everyday use. Not true to color. Older formula.
Ultra Color Rich Lipstick: Sparkling Warm Rose Sheer and frosty. Not true to color. Not long lasting. Older formula.
Mature skin can be tricky to work with. This post can be helpful for those who would like to do makeup as a profession, or just be able to do their mother's or grandmother's makeup for any occasion.
Of course, depending on the type of skin the person has, and the effects of sun damage, etc, application techniques will vary. Lets say 50+. The type of skin we are working with has reddish age spots from sun damage, wrinkles and dark under eye circles.
1.) The best way to conceal the reddish age spots would be to neutralize them with a green concealer. This may sound crazy, but when you go over it with your foundation, it will not look green. MissChievous (youtube) has a wonderful video on color correction.
2.) When working with wrinkles, you must be careful not to tug on the skin, because you may contribute to even more wrinkles. So for eyeliner, don't pull down on the waterline. For eyeshadow, don't pull the eye across to get a smoother application. (THIS ALSO APPLIES TO YOUNGER FOLK WHO WANT TO PREVENT EARLY AGING.)
Also, avoid shimmery products on the skin. That means bronzers with glitter/shimmer, sparkly highlighters, (MAC's Mineralize Skinfinishes). Pretty much anything with glitter/shimmer/sheen/sparkles. It will just settle into the wrinkles and make them 10 times more pronounced.
3.) For dark under eye circles, a salmon/peach colored concealer should be used to neutralize it, followed by foundation.
*** A tip on reducing puffiness is to use tea bags on your eyes. Green tea has caffeine which is anti-inflammatory. You make your tea as you normally would, but before you add anything to it (if you do), remove the tea bag, and freeze it overnight. When you wake up, wrap the tea bags in napkins and place them over your eyes for a few minutes. (15-20 minutes usually does it) And your eyes should no longer be swollen! ***
4.) It is very easy to make more mature skin look ashy, so I prefer to use liquid foundations. Be careful when setting with translucent powders, because applying too heavily can also make the person look ashy. I've used MAC's mineralize skinfinish natural to set liquid foundation with no problems on mature skin.
5.) On an everyday basis, try to keep things natural. Fill in brows lightly, avoid dark colors and shimmer. While deeper lips are probably what they prefer, try going a little lighter. Corals usually wake up most skin tones. Light tints on the lips or sheer colors rather than opaque colors make a huge difference! The idea is to create a more youthful and awake look.
** If you so desire to do a smokey eye, and the person's lids are a little "droopy" (for lack of a better word), it probably isn't the best idea to use black to create the smokey eye. Try bronze and browns, even blues. Gold will also work, but use it carefully. A little shimmer is ok, once it is controlled.
6.) So avoid black eyeliner. On the waterline especially, because it really closes up the eye, making the person look tired. Brown eyeliners are great though (eg. Teddy by MAC). In some cases white eyeliner will look great on the waterline, but it's my preference to use white with light to medium skin tones. A light yellow toned eyeliner should work with all tones, though.
7.) Avoid using really bright colors like an electric blue (eg. Freshwater or Electric Eel by MAC) because it will draw the eyes downwards, and probably put emphasis on the wrinkles there.
***My little disclaimer*** I am not a professional, but these are things that I have discovered from my experiences with working with mature skin.
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