Follow these hints for easy makeup application and look great all of the time!

Eye Makeup

• In order to keep concealer from caking, make sure the eye area is properly moisturized.
• Avoid using facial concealers for the delicate under eye region. These can cause excessive drying of the skin in the perioccular area. Use a concealer that is specific for use around the eyes.
• Apply eye concealer with a small, tapered synthetic brush and blend with your ring finger for the best application.
• Gloppy mascara? Make sure you throw out your mascara every 3 months, no matter what. Jog your memory by applying a small sticker to the tube and dating it.
• Save your mascara wand when you discard an old tube, wash it with antibacterial soap, and you have a better lash divider than you could ever buy at the store.
• When you apply your mascara, apply one coat, then follow-through by combing with your clean wand. Repeat application if necessary. This process will cut down on clumps of mascara sticking in your lashes.
• If you have a tough time getting your lashes to curl, apply your mascara immediately after curling your lashes. This acts as a setting gel. If you continue to have problems, use your hair dryer for about 5-10 seconds on the lash curler (don't make it too hot, you do not want to scorch your skin or burn the lashes.)
• Eye liners are easy to apply if you use a thin, flat, synthetic-bristle brush and simply apply (press, not brush) a highly pigmented shadow to the lash line.
• Maximize the appearance of your eyes by applying your eyeliner across the entire eyelid margin. The key to dramatizing the eyes is to vary the width of the line. If your eyes are close together, then you want to even out their appearance, so adjust the line with the thickest point along the outer portion of the eye and taper it inward. For eyes that are far-set, taper the line in the opposite direction, making certain the line is not too thick.
• If you decide to line under the eye, after doing so, take a cotton swab and wipe half of it off. Trust me, it will look much more natural.
• If you have oilier skin, stick to matte powder shadows. Those with a dry skin type can tolerate cream based shadow and light shimmers.
• If your eyes are closely set, use lighter eye shadows toward the nose, and apply darker shadow at the outer edge. If your eyes are far-set, apply the deepest color on the entire lid or crease, with only slightly more emphasis on the inner half of the eye.
• To create a wide-eyed look, especially for those with small eyes, apply a white or silver shadow along the upper outer edge of your eyebrows. This truly "opens up" the eyes.

Lipstick

• To give your lipstick stay-put power, the best trick I have is to apply a thin film of EI Solutions Lip Last. This is a lipstick sealant that is applied on top of your lipstick. However, you may find that it is hard to remove your lipstick without EI Solutions Lip Ever Remover!


• If you do not need such staying power, use a lip liner in a great color, line and fill in the entire lip, then apply an SPF lip balm, like Murad Energizing Pomegranate Lip Therapy SPF 15, (my favorite) or EI Solutions Tea Tree Oil Therapeutic Lip Treatment SPF 18, sheer shimmer gloss, or lipstick. The dryness of the liner "stains" the lip, while whatever you put on top of it will add moisture.
• Does your lipstick bleed into vertical lines around the mouth? Typically caused by smoking or excessive sun damage, these lines are difficult to eradicate with simple topical products alone. Exfoliation and AHA (and/or topical retinoid) use, microdermabrasion or filler agents are the best way to help these. However, bleeding lipstick will significantly emphasize these ugly lines. EI Solutions Lip Refine can help soften the lips and the appearance. You will use it once, in the evening, on and around your lips. If you are still experiencing wandering lip color, you can apply a light, clear lip wax to the outside of your lip line.
• If lipsticks tend to turn ultra-pink or unsightly orange on you, like they do me, I suggest finding a neutral lip liner somewhat on the brown side, (like EI Solutions Lip Enhance), and apply it to the entire lip before applying your lipstick. The color of the liner will neutralize your natural lip color and allow for the true lipstick shade to show.
• To make lips appear fuller, use a lighter color, or gloss in the center of the bottom lip. Also make sure you line your lips with a product like EI Solutions Lip Enhance before applying your lip color. Make the most of light and color for creating the illusion of fullness. Using light colors on the mid section of the lower lip helps bring the lip forward. Dark colors on the other hand, give the appearance of making things recede. If you have large lips, and would like to make them less apparent, stay away from light, frosty lipsticks and glosses.

Foundation, Blush And Bronzers

• To find the best color of foundation for your skin, you absolutely MUST test it on your jaw line. Testing it on the hand, arm, or wrist is NEVER a true match. Eye-balling it through the bottle is doesn't work, either.
• I find that the best applicator for liquid foundation is your clean fingers or a foundation brush. Use a sponge only for blending. Sponges have a tendency to soak up foundation instead of smoothing it out on your skin. For thicker foundations, a sponge may be necessary to help spread onto the skin.
• Loose powder like T. LeClerc Loose Facial Powder - Translucide is typically best when needing to set your foundation. Check that the color is not too dark for your skin. This will give an unnatural look. A foundation that is too light will look terrible in pictures, but too dark a foundation will look even worse.
• If you have oily skin, stick with an oil-free or oil-absorbing make up or powder. Be wary that skin oils can actually change the color of the foundation you are applying. Avoid foundations that are too yellow. They may create an orange cast to the skin.
• Apply loose powder with a velour puff in a "pressing" action for extra coverage and staying power. Press enough powder into your skin, avoiding the immediate eye areas, until you look like a powdered doughnut. Then lightly dust off the excess. When your skin warms up, you will have a natural finish without looking made up.
• Choosing a blush color really isn't that hard; it is probably the easiest color to decide upon. It's unfortunate that there are so many unnatural colors on the market. The purpose of blush is to give the skin a healthy glow. I don't know many people who blush brown. Most look better in a color that has some sort of pink to it, although some women look better with a warmer color, Especially those with red tones in their hair. Both T. LeClerc Powder Blush - Rose Sable and EI Solutions Pure Grace Soft Blush Silky Bronze are beautiful options.
• To apply blush start with the apples of your cheeks. Find them by smiling. Start there, and blend backwards straight into the hairline. Blend into the skin so the application does not seem obvious.
• If you feel that you are too pale and are afraid of self-tanners, you may want to try a bronzer. These come in loose and pressed powder forms, as well as sticks and gels. We carry T. LeClerc Pressed Powder Bronzer - Terre de Sienne (Limited Edition) and it looks amazing! Look at yourself in bright light. Where does the light hit you? Your forehead, the tops of your cheekbones, nose, jaw line, etc. This is where the sun would most naturally color the skin. Apply the bronzer sparingly to these areas.

Wishing you happy make-up magic!

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. I hope you have found it informative.

Michelle Occhipinto
DERMAdoctor Staff Writer

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)

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