The 10-Minute Makeup Facelift
Posted: Thursday 20 May 2010 03:08pm
Going under the knife isn’t the only way to get a face lift. With the help of some well placed make-up you can wipe years off your look. Follow these steps for applying your make-up and in just 10 minutes you can look fresher and younger.
Step 1: Skincare
Before you even start applying make-up you need to make sure your skin is in great condition. Bobbi Brown, leading make-up artist and a beauty in her forties, attributes moisturising to be “the single most important step you can take to make skin look fresher.” The most important steps to creating radiant skin are to use a cleanser daily and never go to bed with makeup on, always apply sunscreen when heading outdoors, use a lightweight eye cream during the day and a heavy formula at night, and be pedantic with your moisturising. Just by perfecting your skincare routine your complexion will look well nourished, healthy and younger.
Before applying makeup Brown, in her book ‘Living Beauty’, recommends layering skincare formulas like a wet, hydrating cream under a rich balm to give skin a plumped-up, cushiony look. Follow with a primer to smooth the complexion and help your makeup last longer.
Step 2: Foundation
An anti-ageing foundation is a great place to start, but there’s a lot more you can do to leave your complexion looking youthful. First find the right shade of foundation to suit your skin tone. A light-diffusing formula will also help smooth the appearance on fine lines. Apply foundation to areas that need to be evened out, rather than all over the face. Continue your application down the neck and to the outer edge of the collarbone to keep your neck looking taut. Finish with a yellow-based powder rather than a translucent one as it can look pasty on mature skin.
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Step 3: Concealer
Concealer is a powerful age-disguising product when used right (using too much can have the opposite effect and instead accentuate lines). To cover dark under-eyes start with an eye primer to smooth, hydrate and fill the skin. With a yellow-toned concealer that is one or two shades lighter than your foundation, apply along your lower lash line to the corner of your eye with your ring finger. This will give the illusion of rested eyes. Use a mauve shade of concealer over the lid to fade any purple tinges while vertically lifting the look of your eyes.
Concealer has many other uses besides covering discolouration under the eyes. In Napoleon Perdis’s latest book, ‘Flawless Forever: How to look your best at every age’ he recommends using a medium synthetic brush to apply a concealer two shades lighter than your skin tone to areas such as the brow bone, cheekbones and the bridge of the nose. “This will give you a ‘lifted’ and more prominent appearance,” advises Perdis.
> Concealing Makeup
Step 4: Contouring
Take out your makeup brush and prepare for some artistic shading. Contouring can help add definition and sculpt the shape of your face so it looks nipped and tucked in all the right places. “With a small soft brush, add further depth and definition to the cheeks, eyes and neck by using a matte powder in a neutral shade to absorb light,” says Perdis. Dust the powder under the cheekbones, on the inner corner of the eye (from the brow down the bridge of the nose) and on the jawline (blending from under the chin, along the jaw bone on each side and up to the base of your ears). Maximise the lifted effect with a crème or powder that will reflect light. Apply onto the areas of the face that light would naturally hit (such as the brow bone, cheekbones and bridge of the nose.
Step 5: Cheeks
Apply a pink or peach shade of blush from the front of the apples, across the cheekbone and to the back of the ear. “A warm glow on cheeks instantly lifts your complexion and adds a healthy glow,” explains Brown.
Step 6: Eyes
When it comes to eye shadows and application, Benefit Makeup Artist, Elena Afanasew Failla says fresh neutrals are some of the most flattering shades for younger looking eyes. Shimmer formulas should be avoided as they emphasise fine lines. Blend a deep matte eye shadow over the outer corners of the eyes to open and lift them. “This help to recede the area that seems to be ‘drooping’,” says Afanasew Failla. Cover the rest of the lid with a lighter neutral shade.
“Work eyeliner along the lower lash line, sweeping out into an upward angle to avoid ‘dragging’ the eyes down,” explains Afanasew Failla. Bring the liner back along the outer corner onto the top lash line.
“Placing a lavender pink cream in the inner and outer corners of the eye to open them up and brighten shadowy areas,” says Afanasew Failla. Rimming the inner eye with a white eyeliner will also help eyes look awake, energised and more youthful.
> Anti-Ageing Eye Makeup Tips & Tricks
Step 7: Lips
Plump lips are often perceived as making us look younger. Rather than turning to collagen to fill your pout, try a lip plumping gloss or smooth a cream concealer one shade lighter than the skin around the entire mouth. “This will highlight the natural contours of the lips and makes the mouth appear fuller,” says Perdis. Finish lips with a gloss to reflect light and create the appearance of a fuller mouth.
> Lipsticks to De-Age Your Pout
Step 8: Brows
“One of the most important features to pay attention to are your brows,” advises Afanasew Failla. When brows are shapely and well defined they frame your face and give your features and instant lift. Add the illusion of lift and perfect arches by dotting the brow with a light-coloured pencil and blending along the brow bone. Fill in any gaps.
It’s amazing how much of any effect a perfectly applied face of make-up can have in hiding wrinkles and revitalising dull skin. The above is a great basis for your everyday makeup routine but feel free to add a pop of colour to the eyes, and radiant red to your lips and experiment with different shades of blush to update your look.
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