Tuesday, December 11, 2007

WE BEAUTY - Creating a Party-Perfect Look for Any Occasion!

by Carol A. Allen



The holidays are just around the corner and chances are, you may be invited to at least one or more parties. But, are you worrying about how to pull off a party-perfect look? Don't stress over it. Here are some basic steps to steer you in the right direction.

Start with using a skin care line daily to cleanse, tone and moisturize your face to achieve your best results. Hide blemishes or dark circles under the eyes with a concealer. Use a sheer-formula foundation with long-wearing even coverage, and blend downwards with a sponge. If necessary, mix foundations to achieve the right tone. If your face is close to flawless, skip the foundation and try a face bronzer for radiance. Highlight the cheekbones, brow and neck to help your natural beauty shine through while accenting your features.

Give the apple of your cheeks a brush of colour using a quality blush brush. Blend to the hairline to enhance the cheekbones.

Brows need to be well-groomed. If yours are sparse, use a mascara close to your brow colour and stroke the wand lightly to fill in and even out. Or, comb them up and out with a brow brush, and fill in with a taupe or brown eye pencil or powder eyeliner. A professional shaping is always another option for unruly brows.

Create a smoky eye by selecting warm hues such as plums, chocolate or mahogany. To make them stand out, use one colour on the lid with a darker shade in the crease of the eye and a light highlight or touch of gold shadow just under the brow. Use a dark eye liner pencil or powder liner with a liner brush on the inner bottom rim of the eye to define the eye and make the white of your eyes pop. Create intensity with liner on the outer corners, keeping the inner corner narrow.

Lovely lashes can add drama to the eye. Give your natural length a boost by applying false eyelashes available at most beauty outlets. Or, visit a professional to get an eyelash extension which lasts about three to four weeks with minimal touch ups. An electric heated eyelash curler can give long lashes a nice curl. And, mascara is always an alternative, especially those that have a lengthening and plumping effect. Separate the top and bottom lashes and curl them first with the wand, then apply the colour from the root to the end for definition. Enhance the drama with disposable coloured contact lenses, but consult a licensed eye specialist first.

For luscious lips, apply a lip moisturizer to smooth out lip lines, prevent cracking and dryness. Outline the lip with liner close to the lip colour, then fill in the lips with the liner before applying the lip colour to help it stay on longer. Darker colours can make smaller lips appear fuller. Use a lip brush to apply the colour which should complement your evening wear. Try to use long-lasting lip colours that have nourishing ingredients to hydrate and soften the lips. Add a touch of clear or coloured lip gloss for emphasis making sure that it smells good and is not too thick or sticky.

Give your smile a boost by using a tooth whitener. There are several inexpensive brightening toothpastes and kits on the market, but if you have some extra cash to spend, seek out the help of a cosmetic dentist for a professional solution.

Finish off the face with a light dusting of translucent powder to alleviate any shiny areas or to tone down the overall appearance.

Carol Allen is a Skin Care Consultant and Make-Up Artist for Aloette Cosmetics.
You can book a personal consultation by calling (416) 410 7556 or by email to aloette@carrebizness.com

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