How To: Fresh Face

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A fresh face is always in style. Let your inner beauty shine by enhancing your already-beautiful features – not covering them up. Channel that glow-y radiance and opt for an au naturale, fresh face.

NEEDED:

◊ Your Makeup Bag

HOW TO:

PERFECT THE SKIN:

Wash face with your favorite gentle exfoliator. This will help the makeup to blend easily. Favorite: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant.

MOISTURIZE & EVEN OUT SKIN TONE:

Keep skin hydrated with a sheer moisturizer. Try one with light reflecting properties – for a healthy radiance. Favorite: Dr. Jart+ Renewalist Melting Cream

To even out skin tone, grab your favorite – Tinted Moisturizer, Foundation, BB Cream or Mineral Powder – and apply. Choosing the product that provides your favorite finish on the skin – matte, dewy, satin or natural – your choice. Favorite: Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

Use a damp sponge to create a flawless finish. Favorite: Beauty Blender

CONCEAL FLAWS & HIGHLIGHT:

For visible breakouts and dark spots use a pigment-rich concealer. Dab, blend and build coverage in thin layers. Never use too much concealer, it will just accentuate problem areas. Favorite: Miracle Skin Transformer Treat & Conceal 

Concealing under-circles will instantly light-up the entire face. If you have very dark undereye circles, first apply a salmon-toned color corrector. Favorite: Giorgio Armani Master Corrector

With a luminizing pen dot product under the eye and blend downwards. A luminizing pen brings light and radiance to the skin. It immediately erases any signs of fatigue, and brightens the complexion. This product can then be used as a highlighter on the cheekbones, brow bones and cupids bow. Favorite: YSL Touche Éclat

BRONZE & BLUSH:

Warm-up the skin with a light dusting of your favorite bronzer. Place only where the sun would naturally hit the skin. Temples, cheekbones, a little on the nose and under the jawline for contour. Favorite: Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer

Choose your favorite cream blush. Cream blushes in warm peaches and pinks gives skin a natural, subtle flush. Place on the apples of the cheeks and blend. Favorite: Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Petal Pink

POWDER:

If your skin gets shiny, follow with an oil-absorbing powder. Use only in the T-Zone area. This step can be skipped for those with dry or normal skin. Favorite: Laura Mercier Universal Setting Powder

If you find that you’ve over-powdered, take a tiny bit of light moisturizer, rub it between your palms, and then lightly press your palms onto your cheeks. This will bring back a bit of life to the skin.

BROWS:

Defined arches frame the face, pulling your features into focus. Make sure the brows are groomed and tweezed. Brush and fill them in sparingly with a brow pencil. Favorite: Anastasia Brow Wiz

EYES:

Apply a cream eyeshadow one shade lighter than lid color to the eyelid. Set with a matching eyeshadow and apply this eyeshadow to the inner corner of the eyes. This color can be matte or shimmer – your choice. Favorites: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot & MAC Eyeshadow in Vanilla

Then apply a soft warm brown eyeshadow to the crease area to contour the eye. Using the same soft brown eyeshadow, apply along the lower lashes – blending to ensure no hard edges. This can also be done with your bronzer. Favorite: Urban Decay Single Eyeshadow in Naked

TIGHTLINE:

For extra definition, tightline the eyes with your favorite eyeliner, gel liner, or liquid liner. How-To Tightline Post: HERE.

To make eyes look brighter and wide-awake, apply a nude colored eyeliner to the bottom inner rim.  Favorite: Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener

LASHES:

Defined lashes are essential, even for a no-makeup look, you can forfeit shadow and liner, but never mascara. Curl eye lashes and apply two coats of mascara to the top lashes. For an extra boost, use a flat eyeliner brush to grab a bit of mascara from the wand and apply to just the roots of the bottom lashes. Favorite: Fairy Drops Scandal Queen

LIPS:

To get a pretty “your lips but better” look – choose a lipstick, stain, balm or liner that matches your lips perfectly. Press the color into your lips with your fingertip rather than applying it directly from the bullet. Concentrate it in the center and blend out. Favorite: Fresh Sugar Passion Tinted Lip Treatment

Tropical Inspiration: Aqua Eyes

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Bold, turquoise green eye makeup is a perfect summer look. Tropical inspiration from ocean blues and palm frawn greens will make any eye color pop. This color family come in all sorts of textures and consistencies, choose from metallic, shimmering or pastel shades.

Aqua eyes is great look for both day or night. Start with a vibrant turquoise or shimmering green powder or cream eyeshadow and apply all over the lid. Build for more color or leave for a sheer wash. If you don’t want color on the entire lid, try a simple liner. Draw a thin or thick line on the upper or lower eyelid. For true vibrancy, first line the eye with a white pencil and go over with your favorite kohl, liquid or gel liner. This will bring the color to life.

Brighter colors tend to have more pigment and last longer on the skin – so less is more. It’s easier to build color if more is needed,  but harder to remove color if you put too much on.

Here are a few of my favorite tropical-inspired products.

Dior ~ Croisette Edition: $60.00

NARS ~ Shimmer Eyeshadow in Tropic: $24.00

Make Up For Ever ~ Aqua Eyes in 7L – Turquoise: $18.00

Urban Decay ~ 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Siren: $19.00

YSL ~ Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof in Majorelle Blue: $30.00

MAC ~ Fluidline in Waveline: $15.00

Maybelline ~ Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in Tenacious Teal & Edgy Emerald: $6.99 (each)

Smashbox ~ Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow: $19.00

Fine Line: Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

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Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

Gel-based eyeliners provide the look of liquid-liner but apply with the ease and control of a gel formula.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliners are my pick in this category. They are extremely pliable, long-wearing, water-resistant and are available in an array of 14 beautiful colors.

This award-winning liner feels light and silky on the skin. The texture is smooth, slippery and glides on the eyelid gracefully. This liner lasts all day, no flaking and stays put.

Like most gel-liners, packaging comes in a pot-form. This product does not dry-out as fast as others and will last a very long time because only the tiniest amount is needed. Use with any brush that you are most comfortable with. I prefer Chanel’s Pinceau 13 ultra fine eyeliner brush, it provides ultimate control and accuracy.

This product is truly in a league-of-its-own and once you have tried this eyeliner, it will seem very hard to use anything else.