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| Above: Ginta Lapina AUTUMN/WINTER VOGUE 2012-13 - Shades of grey. |
Tips and tricks for perfect results: Alice Wood looks into the secrets of beauty to see what’s best for our skin this season.
According to the experts at Vogue, the secret to achieving flawless, healthy-looking skin lies with a good skin cleansing and moisturising regime. These days that means a bit more than dabbing your face with soap; the skin trade is now a multi-million pound business, with thousands of products promising to rejuvenate and revitalise your skin. All we need is a bit of time (and a few quid) and we too could be sporting that movie star ‘glow’.
But the reality is that most of us buy a product, use it a couple of times, forget to moisturise, moan when the spots appear and then have a panic attack with the concealer stick. Of course there is no quick fix. The advice from Vogue is to keep it simple. Once you find the cleanser and moisturiser that suit your skin type (and budget) it’s a question of adopting and sticking with a daily cleansing routine.
Building from the base
Choosing the right foundation - both colour and texture – is also key to achieving that perfect look. Vogue says that we should find our ‘true’ skin colour before buying a foundation. How? By testing the product (powder, cream or liquid) on the area of skin between your neck and ear, to determine exactly what shade you need. Who knew that? And does that mean an end to the tell-tale sign of bad foundation – the dreaded tide mark around the chin?
It’s all in the eyes
Foundation perfectly matched, it’s on to the eyes, or more specifically, the eyebrows. The golden rule here is simple: do not pluck your eyebrows too thinly, as they will never grow back properly. Eyebrows that have been drawn back do little to enhance your facial features. They can look quite scary too.
As for mascara, Vogue tell us to make our eyes ‘pop’, to make them more feminine and alluring. This means using a gentle, smooth brushing technique to lift and lengthen’ lashes, rather than short, dabbing movements – which leave unsightly lumps and clumps.
When it comes to choosing eye shadow, do you know your perfect colour match? Blue shades are a definite no-no for blue eyes, in the same way that excessively dark make-up does nothing for brown eyes – in both cases they make the eyes look smaller and less prominent on the face. If you use eye pencils, stick to brown, black or grey, as they complement the tones in your eyes, and effectively work with most outfits. Do not wear coloured eyeliner on the inner rim of the eye.
Violet and purple are this season’s shades; as all skin tones have a touch of purple, you should find they give you a warmer glow – and are definitely more funky than ‘safe’ old brown and grey.
Black should not be used as a shading colour, and should be limited to the lid, inner and outer rims – avoid any shading above the eyelid. For the final twinkling touch, don’t forget your eye drops!
Don’t be cheeky
When it comes to blusher, less is definitely more. Tans are preferable to pinks and reds, to prevent the ‘clown’ look. However, a subtle blend of pinks and apricots, on the apple part of the cheek will give you a fresh, youthful glow.
Shimmering powders really do add an extra sparkle to skin on show. For best results, apply to your neckline, collar bone, sternum and arms.
So with all that in mind, (and all secrets revealed!) we too can achieve not only the model complexion but the complete look with professional tips to abide by, and used to achieve perfection! We also need not spend a fortune—all of these products are available to us on the market for a very reasonable price! Get looking, get buying and get doing!
