Beauty Tips
You don't have to be rich or a celebrity to look beautiful. You just need the right tools and information to help accentuate and improve on what nature gave us at birth.
Now most women know the basics of skin care, hair styles, makeup, nails, and other beauty topics. Most of us have been learning and practicing these techniques since before we were teenagers. This page isn't meant to be a refresher course, it's intended to be a list of ideas that you can add to your bag of tricks and build on the knowledge that you already have.
Your beauty regimen should be just another facet of your personal style. One tip is to choose an area of your face to highlight, such as your eyes or lips, and build your look around that feature.
Skin Care
Proper skin care should always be the foundation of your beauty regimen. If your
skin has a lot of problems, or isn't properly cared for, you'll spend a lot more
time trying to conceal those problems with makeup, instead of highlighting your
natural beauty through clear, healthy skin.
Tip #1 -- Find a dermatologist. For top flight skin care,
the beauty parlor or salon is not the place to go. Visit your dermatologist
instead. A dermatologist is a skin doctor, not a witch doctor, and he or she has
a medical degree and years of training in treating skin conditions.
Dermatologists aren't cheap, but neither are facials at your local salon. And dermatologist use much better technology on the skin, they have access to drug and treatment options, and the costs may even be covered by your health insurance plan!
Tip #2 -- If you have acne. Keeping your skin clean is important. Wash several times a day with a good skin cleanser (a soap-free cream cleanser is best), and change your pillowcase often, as bacteria that collects on it can cause and acne breakout or make an existing breakout worse.
If blackheads on your nose are a problem, try using a good exfoliation product, such as a scrub with benzol peroxide.
If you have moderate to severe acne, see a good dermatologist. He or she might prescribe Accutane, an effective medication that does have some side effects. Another option is blue-light therapy, which works to kill the bacteria under the skin that triggers acne. One non-prescription treatment that is reported to work well is ProActiv Solution, which Vinessa Williams and other celebrities have use with good results.
Tip #3 -- Go easy on the makeup. Your skin is a living, breathing organ, the largest organ of your body. It also needs to breath, and heal itself from the effects of airborne pollutants, dirt, UV radiation, and yes, pore-clogging foundations. Try giving your skin a break by going without makeup for a day or two when you don't have anything planned. Your skin will thank you for it.
Tip #4 -- Feed your skin from the inside. Okay, we all know the benefits of a healthy diet. But those benefits also include healthy, radiant skin. You don't have to go overboard, but you should always try to include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, and good protein sources like salmon, tofu, or mushrooms. And we've all heard about the benefits of drinking water in regards to our skin. Try to drink at least 6-8 glasses per day, and skip the soda and those afternoon lattes!
Tip #5 -- Care for dry skin. Dry skin can be almost as big a problem as oily skin. One tip is to never wash your face with soap. A soap-free cream skin cleanser is better, and will clean your face without removing all the oil from your skin. You might also want to use a good moisturizer at night, one that won't clog your pores or irritate your skin. And if you live in a dry climate, running a humidifier in your bedroom at night can add much needed moisture to your sleeping skin.
Tip #6 - Exfoliate often. It's important to strip away the dead top layers of skin to reveal the fresh, healthy layers beneath. One way is to scrub with a loofah body buff while showering. Scrub from head to toe, with enough pressure to do the job. If you have sensitive skin, skip the rough stuff and use a chemical wash with salicylic or glycolic acid instead.
Makeup - Foundation
In makeup, as in style, a smart choice is to pick your best feature to
highlight. Plan out your look by deciding whether to emphasize your lips
or your eyes. Which one would you say is the better feature? Ask
someone else's opinion if you need to. Then choose one or the other, which gives
your face a focal point which you can build the rest of your look on.
Tip #1 -- Use foundation effectively. For most women, their morning
makeup routine begins by applying foundation. The primary job of foundation is
to cover small irregularities in your complexion. Use concealer beneath your
foundation to hide larger problems, such as blotchy skin or dark circles beneath
the eyes. And make sure your foundation matches your skin tone. You can test
foundations by painting a stripe on your jaw line and stepping outside with a
mirror.
Tip #2 -- Apply makeup in the proper light. Everyone knows now different people look in different lighting situations - outdoors, under indoor florescent lights, etc. You should anticipate which light you'll be spending the most time in, and apply your makeup in that light. Many modern makeup mirrors provide several types of incandescent and florescent lighting.
Tip #3 -- If you have light to medium skin. Check to see if you may have yellow undertones to your skin color. If you're not sure, see a beauty specialist to find out. If you do, a foundation that looks a little too yellow in the container may look quite natural when on your skin.
Tip #4 -- If you have oily skin.
You might want to use an oil-absorbing product underneath your foundation.
Focus on especially oily areas like your forehead, nose, chin, etc.
Tip #5 -- Use powder to control shine. Loose or pressed power should be
used to "set in" your foundation and control shine. Re-apply as necessary
throughout the day.
Makeup - Eyes
The eyes are the window to the soul, the saying goes, so make your eyes the
centerpiece of your beauty regimen.
Tip #1 -- Consider tinting your brows. This can be effective, especially if your brows are pale or going gray. Tinting, when done correctly, can make brows appear shapelier and fuller.
Tip #2 -- Brighten your eyes. Liven dull eyes with a soft metallic eye pencil. Or you can go for a classic smoky effect by using a forest-green liner that adds extra definition around the eyes.
Tip #3 -- Try waxing your brows. Waxing is the quickest, cleanest method of removing unwanted hairs, even baby-fine ones. And it can last four to eight weeks.
Tip #4 -- Darken those blonde eyebrows. If you are blonde, or have light eyebrows, there is something you can do to look more attractive instantly! You should darken your eyebrows slightly with either an eyebrow pencil or powder. Many blondes don’t, and when they finally try it, they are amazed at the difference that accentuating their eyebrows makes! Makeup artists often will give their blonde celebrity clients a light-browed look for a daytime event and a dark-browed look for a dramatic evening look. Be sure to apply eyebrow pencil with soft, feathery strokes and use a shade in the blonde family to look natural.
Makeup - Lips
Tip #1 -- Highlight your lips by going pale. One way to emphasize a strong lip color by keeping blush and eye shadow to a minimum. This will allow those dynamite lips to stand out against a soft facial palette.
Tip #2 -- Use color effectively. Lipstick adds color to your lips, sets the mood, and helps define your lips (especially if this is an area you've built your look around). But make sure the color you choose is compatible with the overall look you're trying to achieve. For example, black lipstick might not mesh with with the country girl look your shooting for.
Tip #3 -- Mix your own colors. If you'd like to get creative with your lipsticks, and invent new colors, try combining colors in the palm of your hand. If the shade works, then you can mix a larger batch of the shade and carry it in a drugstore pill box. Just apply your new custom shade with your lip brush.
Tip #4 -- Use sunscreen on your lips, too. It's amazing how many people cover their bodies with sunscreen, and then leave their lips unprotected. Your lips are just a sensitive to UV damage as the rest of your skin, so make sure you find a lip gloss with added sunscreen if you're going to be out in the sun.
Nails
Tip #1 -- Don't believe those old TV commercials that
had manicurists soaking their client's hands in dishwashing liquid. These
detergents have harsh chemicals that can be very damaging to your skin and
nails. So always wear rubber gloves when washing dishes, or any other time your
hands will be exposed to harmful chemicals.
Tip #2 -- Don't grow those nails too long. We'd all love long, beautiful nails, but too long simply isn't practical (unless you don't work, or play, or do everyday activities with your hands). Try to keep your length to a half-inch or less.
Tip #3 -- Those artificial nails will only weaken over time. Artificial nails are a quick and easy way to get your nails long and beautiful, but unfortunately, they will only weaken your nails over time. So save yourself some money and let your nails grow out naturally, then protect them with a good base coat and a layer or two of polish.
Tip #4 -- Don't manicure too often. Just
like every other thing on your body, your nails need time to heal after
undergoing a stressful activity. So give those nails a break by waiting at least
3-4 days between manicures.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out our
Stylish Chic Blog for more style, fashion and beauty tips, plus a
whole lot more!
