Today’s women deserve to look and feel their absolute best — at every age. And in this challenging economic time, more women are learning skills to help them get ahead, but rarely do they seek ways to achieve a visual competitive edge. Five-time Emmy Award-winning celebrity makeup artist Eve Pearl shows you how to look thinner and younger with her simple yet effective makeup techniques. You never know, a more “polished” look may just give you that confidence boost to help you land that job, make that deal, or simply get your husband and kids to help out around the house.
Take care of your skinEveryone should of course pay very close attention to how they care for their skin. Drink plenty of water, protect yourself from the sun, and moisturize daily. Some tinted moisturizers also have natural sunblockers and treat your skin. Try finding multifunctional cosmetics with skin care. (EVE PEARL® Anti-Aging Tinted Moisturizer, $45.)
Define your cheekbones and hide that double chinSimple contouring techniques using foundation can make your face look a bit more chiseled and bring out those beautiful cheekbones. The key to contouring is using dark and light shades strategically placed to accentuate and create a 3-D type of effect.
Simply apply a darker shade of foundation to your cheek area and a lighter shade below the cheekbone down to your jawline. The way to find the correct spot to place that shading is by sucking in your cheeks (this will instantly give your face a lift). To take it a step further, you can also apply the darker shade of foundation around the jawline going back toward your ears. Be sure to blend it in toward your neck so you don’t create the look of a beard. You can also soften this up with a light application of blush on your cheeks and around the jawline. And for an instant face-lift, apply the blush a bit higher than your cheeks, up toward your eyes. (EVE PEARL® HD Dual Foundation, $54.)
Hide dark undereye circlesTo eliminate the appearance of dark circles, I use a salmon-colored concealer. The salmon shade will neutralize the blue and purpled undertones of the undereye area and create the illusion that your undereye area is now the same color as the rest of your face. Do not use a light yellow-based concealer. As in basic color theory, when you mix yellow and blue you will get green — the same goes for your makeup: If you try to cover up your undereye circles with a light yellow-based concealer, you will only be negatively enhancing this area by creating green or gray circles. (EVE PEARL® Salmon Concealer & Treatment, $42.)
De-emphasize hollow eyes
In order to de-emphasize the appearance of hollow eyes, mix blush colors of peach and pink with a bronzer and sparingly apply it from your cheeks all the way up to your eyes into the hollow area. This will give you a smoother look and will divert attention from the hollows to your actual beautiful eyes. (EVE PEARL® Blush Trio, $36.)
Bring out your eyes
If you suffer from crow’s-feet, use highlight shades (light yellows) on the outside of the eyes to open them up and eliminate the red in the crow’s-feet. Using jewel-toned eye shadows will accentuate and bring out your eyes. Don’t be afraid of using shimmers, but remember that shimmers are different from glitters. Then apply false lashes for extra oomph! And don’t forget to shape your eyebrows. A clean brow will always open up the eyes, especially when you apply a matte shadow to the brow bone. (EVE PEARL® Eye Pallets in 6 vibrant shades, $40.)
Liven up your lips
Start by applying your favorite lip liner. By lining your lips, you can create an entirely new shape (and for those of you who need to create fuller lips — apply your lip pencil just outside of your natural lip line). Then add a lip gloss or lipstick to give you a moist, youthful look. To prevent lipstick feathering, apply powder around the edges of your lips. It will act as a border and keep your color from moving. Nothing makes a woman look better than a genuine smile when she feels good about herself. (EVE PEARL® Kohl Lip Pencil in Cosmo, $18, and Kisses of Pearl Lip Gloss Combo in Honey Bunny/Baby Doll, $28.)
Say goodbye to age and sun spotsThey say the hands are the easiest way to give away a woman’s age. So, if you have those sun/age spots, apply a tinted moisturizer or even some foundation. Dab it with a tissue or apply a makeup fixative to make it last longer and not get on your clothes. You can also apply a layer of foundation followed with powder and then dab a tissue to remove any excess.
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