Makeup cheat sheet

31 March 2015
By Fashion Quarterly

If you’re anything like us, there are probably countless times when you’ve looked at your face in the mirror and thought “I wish I had bigger this, a smaller that…” While makeup obviously can’t alter the structure of your face entirely, it’s surprising what a few cleverly applied products can do to enhance your best features. Here are our tips: Make sunken cheeks look plumper: This is when a highlighter really works its magic. “Apply a highlighting shade to the cheekbones to attract light, which will give the illusion of full cheeks,” says Smashbox Pro Artist Sam Hart. Whatever you do, don’t forget to also apply blush to the apples of your cheeks for a healthy, plump look. Try: 1. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle, $64; 2. MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush, $44 CheetSheet1 Give yourself chiselled cheekbones: Contouring has been the buzz word of the year, and although there are many good examples of the technique, which highlights the cheekbones, there are also many that aren’t so great. “To get the perfect contour every time, imagine there is a line that connects the top of your ear and the corner of your mouth – this is the direction the contour should go,” says Hart. “You stop the contour where your ear starts. The darkest part of the contour should be by your hairline and this is where you should start the contour and sweep it down.” Always go for a matte shade that’s darker than your skin tone. Try: 3 Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand, $55; and 4 Smashbox Bronze Lights in Sunkissed Matte, $48. How to: 1 Apply a little bronzer to a powder brush, and give it a good tap to remove excess product. 2 Starting at the temple, swoop the brush in a ‘3’ shape under the cheekbone, back to the ear and then under the jawline.  Reverse on the opposite side of the face. 3 Before applying under the cheekbone, first touch your face. Feel where your cheekbone is and apply the bronzer just under the cheekbone, back towards the ears. It’s only a couple of centimetres, not the whole cheek; this will create a shadow to make your cheeks pop. 4 Add a little highlighting product above your cheekbone with a brush or with your fingers if you’re using a crème. Make brows thicker: Although these days there are solutions for thin brows, from brow extensions to tattooing, the easiest thing to do is fill them in with brow powder or pencil. Choose a pencil close to your natural brow shade. “Feather small strokes throughout the hair of the brow and blend by brushing up,” says Wren. “You can also apply outside of the top of the brow to thicken further on a thin brow; but don’t go under the brow as this will only drag the eye down.” Try: 5. Benefit Brow Zings, $59. Make your eyes appear bigger: When applying eyeshadow, keep in mind that dark colours can make your eyes look smaller whereas light shades can open up small eyes. Try: 6. Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil in Pearl, $52. A white or pearl shade in the water line takes away redness and opens eyes up, says Estée Lauder’s national education manager Hayley Wren. Using an eyelash curler also helps make your eyes stand out.   CheatSheet2   Slim down your nose: To achieve this you need two products – a bronzer and a concealer. Then you need to contour. “Pat some concealer down the centre of the nose, blending out. Finish with sweeping bronzer down the sides of the nostril to slim the nose,” says Wren. Try: 7. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Bronzing Duo, $69. Hide dark bags under your eyes: “Try mixing a dot of your eye cream with a concealer and blend,” says Wren. Try: 8. Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer, $55; and 9. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Gel Creme, $110 mixed together help eliminate puffiness, dark circles and dehydration. CheatSheet3missingpencilpic Make your lips bigger: “Overdraw the lip in a neutral shade of lip pencil just ever so slightly to create a full lip. Finish with your favourite lipstick,” says Hart. “For that extra wow factor, try using a highlighter on your cupid’s bow to attract light, and add a light coloured gloss (with your finger) in the centre of the lip. Try: 10 Smashbox lipstick in Honey, $45. 11 Smashbox Always Sharp lip liner in Nude Fair, $38.  

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