Makeup Tips for looking perfect

The great cover up

Of the many insecurities that us girls have, I would hazard a guess that the top three include the shape Makeup trends 2012of our thighs, the amount of hair that falls (surely this is too much!!) and how dark our under eye area is. Luckily for us, there are long term solutions and cosmetic fixes for these other problems. The solution to the thighs is a workout till you beat your body in to a more acceptable shape or wear spanx for a quick fix. For the hair, eat better, hydrate, get in some good multivits or use a brown dry shampoo for a more immediate cheat. But the eye bag is a genetic gift! There is only a cosmetic solution for it and that’s where I come in.

In concealing your under eye area we have some warring ideas; those that the white folks suggest and those that we should follow. So let’s clear this up once and for all!

1. Problem#1 What shade should I use under my eye?
DON’T!

White skinned people will suggest the solution to you that works for them: A super pale, luminous concealer. Since we are peach — not white — their technique will end up making you look rather strange. To use the white skinned technique of putting on something pale and glowy under the eye flops miserably on our skin.

DO!

Try and find something warm for under your eye. A concealer with an orangey base to it will negate the green and grey in your skin. A pale shade would just make it a paler green or a paler grey. I personally recommend diluted Kryolan TV sticks (FS-36 is a lovely warm tone; 4W would be good for fairer desi skin). The colour of the concealer you use under your eye is usually a few shades warmer than the rest of your face, which only makes sense since the skin there is darker.

2. Problem#2 What kind of texture should my concealer be?
DON’T!

Using cakey or greasy products under the eye is a big no. The extra skin under your eye gives you the freedom to look in all directions, has delicate creases and folds, which eventually become wrinkles. Your concealer will want to travel and settle in to these fine lines. This will leave you looking wrinkly and old!

DO!

Using a product that dries quickly and has thin but strong coverage is the key. I love the tones of the Kryolan TV sticks, but their texture is very thick. I suggest putting a dot of illuminator on to the surface of the stick, or even a dot of moisturiser. Work the illuminator round-and-round until you create a strong but super thin texture. Voila! Custom made concealer is ready!

3. Problem#3 I can’t blend my concelaer well, it looks heavy, patchy and unconvincing.
DON’T!

Lots of people are really rough with their faces. This heavy handedness is not only a bad idea since the skin surrounding your eye is very delicate, but will also make it really hard for you to apply a concealer. Don’t forget that you are looking to create a thin layer of product that sits on your skin: you don’t blend concealer IN to your skin. Light, small swishes are the way to go.

DO!

Drop your chin as far as it will go and look upwards in to your mirror. This will ensure you stretch out your under eye completely. Without looking down again quickly powder your eye with a thin powder. If you look down you will encourage the concealer to travel in to your creases of skin and you will need to smooth it out again before you set it in place with the powder.

Top tricks:

* Mix a little shimmer in to your face powder for use under your eyes. A warm peach or a soft gold works best.

* Carry on your cheek highlighter all the way till it reaches your inner eye.

* You can use the shadow that you use to illuminate your inner ‘V’ of your inner eye to cover quite a bit of the start of your eye bag.

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Top Products:

Touche Eclat (one step concealer). It comes in eight different shades.

Maybelline Dream Lumi touch highlighting concealer

Garnier Caffiene Anti-Dark circles roll on

Kryolan TV sticks

The Body Shop Radiant Highlighter

Powders:

The Body Shop loose powder

Armani Micro-fil loose powder
Published in The Express Tribune
About the Author: Bina Khan is a make-up artist, photographer, skin technician and writer who owns a salon and photography studio in Karachi.

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