Advertisement
Beauty Secrets Every Woman Must Know
Try out these expert tips to get perfect hair, makeup and skin.
Hair
- To add length or volume to your hair, steer clear of extensions in not-found-in-nature colors and textures that don't blend with your own. Also, since it's difficult to disguise the point of attachment, use hairpieces just to lengthen a ponytail or fatten an updo.
- When you're strapped for time, do the T-zone blow-dry: down your part and around your hairline only. "As long as the front and top of your hair looks finished," says makeup artist Eva Scrivo, "so will you."
- Blonde hair—especially if it’s porous—absorbs gray light, making it look dull and flat. Adding the warm apricot lowlights complements paler winter skin, and a gloss is essential to seal the hair and reflect shine.
- A fringe shaping or "dusting" revives a cut, opens up the face, and can therefore help stretch out the time between appointments. An expert cut on long hair can look fresh for up to three months, but short hair is a little less forgiving.
- Prior to committing to a haircut with a pricey new stylist, go for a blow-dry first. You'll get an inexpensive sample of his taste and personality.
- Save money in between hair color appointments without a DIY disaster. Condition yourself: Glazes can enliven dull color between visits without changing the tone.
- After you’ve secured your updo, spritz a clean mascara wand with hairspray and comb up from the nape of the neck toward the bun to smooth down any stray hairs. Also do this above the ears. "Only the bun should have a messy texture," says stylist Mark Townsend.
- To add height to hair, spray volumizer at the roots and blow-dry while lifting sections with a brush. Tease hair at the crown, then bobby-pin the pieces low at the back, sweeping them over the tops of your ears.
- For the perfect curl, grab a ceramic curling iron that uses Tourmaline technology. Tourmaline is a natural crystal commonly used because of its negative ionic charge, which eliminates frizz and closes your hair cuticle, while ceramic irons distribute heat evenly on rods, meaning there are no “hot spots” that can burn hair and cause damage.
Makeup
- For fuller lips, go for a glossy look. Try first outlining the perimeter of your lips using a concealer brush dipped in bronzer two shades deeper than your skin tone. Then, top pout with gold, peach, or coral gloss.
- Trying to look well rested when you aren't? Avoid piling on the foundation. Use a tinted moisturizer instead, followed by a beige eye pencil — it counteracts any redness around your eyes.
- To keep eye shadow from creasing, eliminate as much oil as possible from your lids. To do it, use an eye shadow base or pressed powder before applying color.
- Keep your eyes open when applying liquid liner—otherwise your line will look uneven. Apply by drawing three dashes, one on the corner, one in the middle, and one on the inside corner of your eye. Then go back and connect the dashes for a smooth line.
- For a modern take on luminous skin, try pearlized pink-sand shades on lids and cheeks. With a pale matte mouth, you'll look rock-club cool (not disco).
- Naturally pale but want a healthy glow? The good news is that you don't need a lot of makeup to achieve great-looking skin, says New York makeup artist Paula Dorf. For natural-looking results, apply glow products to the apples of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, your hairline, and chin.
- Want to make your small eyes look bigger? Stay away from dark eyeshadows. Start with a nude base, then apply shadow a shade or two darker than the base to your crease and use your finger to blend the color up toward your eyebrow.
- When covering up blemishes, select a color for what you're covering up. For example, orange-tinged concealers counteract blueish under-eye circles. A mint-green concealer hides the redness of a pimple. The idea is that concealers act as neutralizers. Unlike foundation, concealer is mostly made of pigment, so you need only a little bit.
- Refresh your makeup by spraying your face with water. While your face is still wet, start reblending the foundation, powder, or concealer you already have on.
Skin
- Sure, it's chilly in your bathroom in the morning, but don't be tempted to crank up the heat in the shower. Hot water followed by cool, dry air leads to rough skin. Post-shower, pat yourself dry, and coat skin in a thick alpha-hydroxy lotion.
- Large pores are caused by two things: genetics and age. Want to shrink them? Go to a dermatologist or a spa to get microdermabrasion treatments, a type of facial that gently sloughs off the dead surface layer of skin.
- Rose and lavender work wonders in calming skin inflammation, according to Michele VanLandingham, ingredient information specialist for Dr. Hauschka Skin Care.
- Lance Etchison, skin-care aesthetician at Bluemercury in Washington, D.C., suggests incorporating one new product at a time. "And, since most active ingredients take effect over time, don't give up if you don't see immediate results," he advises.
- For daytime moisturizing, think layering: Use an antioxidant serum under a face cream, topped off with a sunblock. To stave off flaking, consider light exfoliation once a week. Moisturizing without exfoliating first can result in breakouts and dull skin.
- For daytime moisturizing, think layering: Use an antioxidant serum under a face cream, topped off with a sunblock. To stave off flaking, consider light exfoliation once a week. Moisturizing without exfoliating first can result in breakouts and dull skin.
- Identify blemish patterns on your face. Look at the way you hold the telephone, whether you sleep more on one side of your face or if you hold your head up with one hand when sitting. Try to avoid doing these things.
- Here's a secret for super-smooth, quenched lips: Use your richest eye cream on your lips! Note: Be sure it's a "hydrating" formula, not "firming"—which is code for drying.
- "I frequently see women with deeper wrinkles on one side of their face — the side they sleep on, of course," says New York dermatologist Heidi A. Waldorf. To avoid "sleep lines," opt for silk or satin pillowcases and pile on the antiaging products.
Special offers