Makeup Secrets

Makeup Secrets

by: Asuncion Parra Llorente

Makeup secrets to correct the most common problems

1. A secret to liven up dull, lifeless skin.

2. A trick for correcting acne, eye rings and skin blemishes.

3. An easy guide to knowing what skin-type you have

4. Tricks for making yourself up in 10 minutes

1. A secret to liven up dull, lifeless skin.

Though it may seem complicated; with a few quick steps your skin can change in a matter of seconds.

Three basic steps ;

1. Cleansing

Cleanse your face with your usual make-up remover and finish cleansing by rinsing your whole face in cold water

2. Exfoliation

Apply an exfoliating face pack over the whole face, not forgetting the neck, and avoiding the eye and lip areas (Follow the product-specific instructions), later remove the face pack with water and pat the face dry, without rubbing.

3. Moisturising

First apply a moisturising tonic if your skin is dry or normal, and a descaling cleansing tonic if your skin is combination or greasy. Apply it over totally dry skin with a cotton pad in small touches without spreading it, so as not to irritate the skin.

Apply eye contour treatment if you need it, or if you normally use it.

Apply a moisturising serum for your skin-type (this is normally sold in ampoules at the chemist’s. Most make-up brands also produce different serums according to skin type)

Finally, apply the moisturising cream over the whole face, once the serum has been properly absorbed.

THE KEY STEP: The most important step here is the exfoliation, as skin normally appears dull and lifeless when there are dead skin cells that need removing. You should do the cleansing and moisturising steps daily (except for the serum which would be for specific occasions, according to the indications on the product used).

2. A trick for correcting acne, eye rings and skin blemishes.

The corrector/concealer is the star product here, but if you don’t have one, we are adding a trick to be able to use foundation instead of corrector.

Eye rings

Apply foundation the way you normally would (foundation should be liquid or in a cream texture) once you are done, apply the foundation with a synthetic-hair brush, once again on the eye ring region. When you finish, using a large powder puff, apply a little loose powder that is lighter than your makeup base. Apply the powder in small touches and in tiny quantities, so as not to produce folds in such a delicate area.

For acne or facial blemishes

Just as in the last step, but in the area you need to correct, here the powder you apply should be the same tone as the foundation, or totally transparent.

With this step what you have done is concentrate the foundation over the area to be corrected. Of course, the ideal thing is to use a specific corrector for eye rings, and another specific one for acne (there are brands that do acne correctors which treat as well as correct) in this case you can follow the same steps, and use corrector instead of the foundation, and you’ll see how much better the result is than when you use corrector alone.

3. An easy guide to knowing what skin-type you have

These are the most common skin types; pay attention to the characteristics of each, and identify your skin type. The best thing is always to consult a dermatologist or aesthetician.

DRY SKIN

The skin feels dry and tight.

Wrinkles appear easily, and it has no grease unless you moisturise.

Dry skin normally has a soft aspect, with small pores. It’s uncommon for it to have blackheads or zits.

Dryness may increase or decrease depending on the environment, the weather, computers, air conditioning.

One way of determining the skin’s dryness is to take it between thumb and fingers, pushing it up and then letting it go. If it snaps back to place immediately, then it’s sufficiently moisturised, if there is a little delay, then it needs moisturising.

To keep this skin soft and smooth, you need highly moisturising products, products with nutrients, moisturising face packs and eye contour treatment for day and night. Soaps should be avoided as they tend to dry up the skin. The same goes for products that contain alcohol.

NORMAL SKIN

Normal skin is neither greasy nor dry, and tends not to have zits.

The skin is perfect and appears fresh and smooth. This perfect-looking skin has small pores, and can be a little greasier in the T zone. This skin-type is not very common among adults, but can be found among almost all children.

People with this skin-type should use products specially for normal-to-sensitive skin in order to maintain this type of skin. They should avoid products that contain alcohol.

COMBINATION SKIN

Combination skin has a greasy area: the T zone, and is normal over the cheeks and neck. One needs to choose products very carefully. Moisturising a lot, and avoid drying the skin, putting a particular emphasis on cleanliness.

GREASY SKIN

Greasy skin tends to appear dull, and have blackheads. This skin is constantly producing grease. Greasy skin keeps young for longer. This skin type should be treated with specific, oil-free products but that should be sufficiently moisturising. Besides this, cleansing should be done with cleansing face packs, together with other products for greasy-skin care. The quality of this type of skin will vary from one day to the next, depending on external factors such as tobacco, stress, weather, food, etc.

SENSITIVE SKIN

Irritated blood vessels below the skin are typical in sensitive skin. Skin often feels dry and gets irritated very easily. Perfumed products and soaps can irritate this type of skin. Even products specially designed for sensitive skin can cause inflammation. The only way to find the right kind of product for it is to try them out beforehand. Products should be tried out on the inside of the arm, as any potential reaction will not be as strong here as on the face. Sensitive skin is most common among blonde or red-haired people.

Recommended products for this skin-type are gentle and very moisturising ones. Avoid very perfumed products or those that contain alcohol. Sensitive skin should not be overly exposed to the sun or to very warm temperatures.

4. Tricks for making yourself up in 10 minutes

These are the steps to follow once the skin is totally clean and moist:

Apply corrector in the areas that need it

Put the foundation on

Put the rouge on

Put on eye pencil

Put on mascara

Put on lip pencil

Put on lip gloss or balm

And that’s it. You’ll be completely made up and with a natural and pleasant aspect.

And yes, this make up should last all day, except of course on your lips, and besides, it should take you no more than 10 minutes to put on.

Below we describe each step:

-Apply corrector where necessary

This step should take a few seconds, and the difference between doing it and not doing it can be significant.

Those among you with perfect skin can avoid it, and just use it as an illuminator.

I recommend using it before foundation, although there are products on the market which are meant to be used afterwards; it doesn’t matter, as the question is to correct these areas.

The key thing here is to use the corrector in the areas where the foundation will not be able to unify the tone: a zit, a very noticeable eye ring. Once you are through you can switch to putting on the foundation.

Put on the foundation

Use a make-up sponge (with or without latex, according to preference and skin type) and moisten it (just lightly) so as to be able to spread it more quickly (naturally, I am referring here to liquid or cream foundation, which are the easiest and quickest to put on).

For the liquid version, apply some on the upper part of your left hand (or the other way round if you are left-handed), and dab the liquid foundation lightly with the dampened sponge, but don’t pick it all up.

Start to apply the foundation from the forehead towards the sides, next from the nose towards either side, then the chin towards either side and upwards, and lastly the neck and the ears, if you are short-haired.

Once your whole face is made up, with another part of the sponge, go over the areas where you can see too much make-up, and spread it in small upward strokes.

Put more emphasis on the areas that need correction most, for instance on the outer corner of the eye (this tends to go red) on the nostrils and around the lips.

Applying rouge

This is the easiest bit. Use a tone that flatters you and apply it on the cheekbone and on the mobile eyelid with a rouge brush, blending well so that it ends up looking natural, with a loose powder brush, or using the same rouge brush but with no product on.

That's it. You can go to the next step now.

Applying eye pencil

This step is a perfect trick if you have few eyelashes or want to make them look thicker than they are.

Sharpen the pencil, and for daytime makeup use one in dark brown or grey (for it to look more natural) and apply it in small touches (not in a line) among the lashes on the mobile lid, avoiding the tear duct area, and end up three or four lashes short of where the eye ends.

The idea is that it look like we have more lashes, not like we are wearing mascara.

If it is too noticeable, its because you have put too much product on. Don’t worry: just blend it out with a fine brush or a Q-tip.

Applying mascara

This is an indispensable step in make-up. I know that many of you don’t like mascara because you’ve got to remove it later, it runs, etc. The truth is that, yes, obviously you have to remove it in the end, but if you use a good mascara (for daytime it needn’t be water-resistant: normal ones come off easily) as well as protecting your eyelashes all day, it’ll come off when removed.

A good trick is to always do the lower lashes first, to avoid staining the upper eyelid. Apply the mascara in zigzag fashion, then apply the mascara on the upper lashes, firstly downwards, then upwards. You needn’t put on too much mascara, as this is daytime make-up.

You can use a dark brown mascara but as we are using so little colour in the face, I recommend the black, unless you’re a very light-blue-eyed blonde.

Applying lipstick

Although this is basic daytime makeup, I recommend not to forget the lips. If you’ve paid attention, you’ll have noticed that at no time did I say that I recommend making the lips up with foundation , since, the way I see it, foundation on the lips does not look very natural.

Use a pencil very close in tone to your lip, tending towards the pink but with brown pigments, outline the lips and put some inside the lips also. This way it’ll last you a lot longer and you won’t need to use lipstick unless you so desire.

Apply gloss or balm

The pencil will normally tend to dry a bit, and to blend the colour in you’ll need a little gloss or balm, which one is up to you; balm is more moisturising and natural, and gloss makes your lips thicker and more juicy.

Final touch

Apply an illuminator (or if you don’t have one, a bit of white, semi-pearl powder will do) in the space below the eyebrow , at the top of the cheekbone, and on the chin, so as to light up the face in a very natural manner, making you look spectacular.


About The Author

Asuncion Parra Llorente is a Beauty coach and founder and professional Make Up teacher at the Make Up school Elite Make Up. http://www.elitemakeup.com/beauty

Improve Your Hair And Skin. See Results In Days

Improve Your Hair And Skin. See Results In Days

by: Roger Bert

Why is coconut oil the best oil for your skin?

Coconut oil is good as a skin moisturiser. A study shows that extra virgin coconut oil is as useful and safe as mineral oil when used as a moisturiser, with absence of adverse reactions.

The biggest chemical barrier to infectious organisms is the acid layer on the skin. Healthy skin has a pH of about 5, making it slightly acidic. Our sweat (containing uric and lactic acids) and body oils promote this acidic environment. For this reason, sweat and oil do us good. Harmless bacteria can tolerate the acid and live on the skin, but troublesome bacteria can't thrive and their numbers are few.

Coconut oil will absorb easily, keep the skin soft, and yet without feeling greasy.

Most commercial creams and lotions are commonly water. Their moisture is quickly absorbed into dry, wrinkled skin. As the water enters the skin, it expands the tissues, like filling a balloon with water, so that wrinkles fade away and the skin feels smoother. But this is not permanent. As soon as the water evaporates or is carried away by the blood stream, the dry, wrinkled skin returns. No matter how hard you try people will never be able to permanently cure dry, wrinkled skin with any commercial body lotion or body care merchandise. In addition to water, most lotions have an oil of some type. This oil is almost always a highly refined vegetable oil deficient of all natural protective antioxidants. One product in our food supply and in body care merchandise that leads to a great deal of free radicals is oxidized vegetable oils.

Cocout Oil is not like other oils used to soften rough, dry skin. It will help to reduce chronic skin inflammation within days and be soothing and healing to wounds, blood blisters, rashes, etc.

Our skin is made up of connective tissues. These tissues give our skin strength and elasticity. When we are young and healthy the skin is smooth, elastic and supple. This is the effect of tough connective fibers. As we age their fibers are continually subjected to free-radical attack which breaks them down. As a result, connective tissues become hardened and lose both elasticity and strength. The skin loses its capacity to hold itself together and begins to sag and become wrinkled. Once young, soft and smooth the skin turns dry and leathery.

Antiseptic fatty acids in coconut oil help to prevent fungal and bacterial infections in the skin when it is consumed and to some extent, when it is applied directly to the skin. The only way to gain entry into the body other than through the natural openings, such as the nose and mouth, is by penetrating the skin. When the skin's defenses break down, infections can result. Acne, ringworm, herpes, boils, athlete's foot, and warts are just some of the infectious conditions that can affect the skin and body.

Once a free-radical reaction is started it can cause a chain reaction which produces more free radicals, which ultimately damages thousands of molecules. The only way our body has to fight them is with antioxidants. When a free radical comes into contact with an antioxidant, the chain reaction is stopped. For this reason, it is good to have plenty of antioxidants in our cells and tissues to protect us. The number of antioxidants we have in our tissues is determined to a large extent by the nutrients in our diet. Having anti-oxidants in skin care products is important, too. Dr. Ray Peat, a biochemist who has written about the antioxidant properties of coconut oil, states "It is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that, and that it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities." Virgin Coconut Oil is especially useful in fighting free-radicals, as it is unrefined and hasn't been extracted of any of its natural components through the refining process.

Conventional body care goods that are made with refined vegetable oils which have all the antioxidants removed from them are highly prone to free-radical generation both in and outside the body. That is why eating processed vegetable oils can cause a deficiency in vitamin E and other antioxidants. The antioxidants are used up fighting off free radicals causing permanent damage to connective tissues. This is also the reason why you should be careful about the type of oils you use on your skin, and in your lotions, creams and lip balms. If you use a lotion, or cream with a refined oil in it you are in fact causing your skin to age faster. The lotion, though it may bring temporary improvement will actually accelerate the aging of the skin and even develop skin cancer through the free radicals that are readily formed from the refined vegetable oil..

The ideal lotion is one that is made from an oil that not only softens the skin, but protects it against damage, promotes healing and gives it a more youthful, healthy appearance. Coconut oil fits that description.

Quality virgin coconut oil is the best natural ingredient for skin lotion available. It prevents destructive free-radical formation and provides protection against them. It helps to keep connective tissues strong and supple so that the skin doesn't sag and wrinkle. In some cases it might even restore damaged or diseased skin. The oil is absorbed into the skin and into the cell structure of the connective tissues, limiting the damage excessive sun exposure can cause.

Coconut Oil can help to keep the skin from developing liver spots, and other blemishes caused by aging and over exposure to sunlight.

Coconut oil for your scalp and scalp.

What coconut oil can do for your skin it can do for your hair.

In India and Sri Lanka, coconut oil is commonly used for styling hair, and cooling or soothing the head and provide stress relief.

Beauticians who are familiar with coconut swear by it. It softens the hair and conditions the scalp. Using the coconut oil as a pre-wash conditioner can rid a person of dandruff better than a medicated shampoo.

What coconut oil can do for your skin it can do for your hair.

The protective environment of the skin and how coconut oil helps

Our skin is home to many tiny organisms, most of which are harmless; some are beneficial. At least one variety of bacterium is essential to the healthy environment on our skin. It feeds on the sebum, breaking down the tryglycerides into free fatty acids. The bacteria actually feed on the glycerol part of the triglyceride. This leaves fatty acids which are now "freed" from the glycerol unit that held them together. Medium chain fatty acids which are bound to the glycerol unit as they are in coconut oil have no antimicrobial properties. However, when they are broken apart into free fatty acids, they become powerful antimicrobials.

So these bacteria convert the medium chain triglycerides (in the sebum or on the skin) into free fatty acids that can kill disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The combination of the slightly acid pH and medium chain fatty acids offers a protective chemical layer on the skin that prevents infection from disease-causing organisms. Due primarily to the action of bacteria, the oil on the surface of your skin and hair is composed of between 40 and 60 percent free fatty acids. The medium chain fatty acids in the sebum provide the protective layer on the skin that kills harmful germs. Coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium chain fatty acids.

When coconut oil is put on the skin it doesn't have any immediate antimicrobial action. However, when bacteria which are always present on the skin turn these triglycerides into free fatty acids, just as it does with sebum, the result is an increase in the number of antimicrobial fatty acids on the skin and protection from infection. The free fatty acids also help to contribute to the acid environment on the skin which repels disease causing germs.

Coconut Oil is an great ingredient to use in healing salves and ointments. People have used a coconut oil/crushed garlic mixture at night to eliminate plantar warts and athlete's foot with excellent results.

In the making of soaps, the soap does not have a tallow smell nor the smell of a vegetable oil. Instead, it has a nice fresh smell and yields a nice fluffy lather. Coconut oil is one of the most popular oils used in soap making.


About The Author

Roger Bert
Owner of Coconut Oil UK - No1 Supplier of Coconut Oil in the UK
http://www.coconut-oil-uk.com