PLEASE, WASH YOUR FACE

SIMPLE STEPS ON HOW TO REMOVE YOUR MAKEUP

Everyone likes a fresh start. If you want to wake up with clean, glowing skin, then you absolutely must take off all your makeup. No excuses! I cringe when I hear about women going to sleep with a full face of makeup on. Not only it will clog your pores, but it will also age your skin. The process of taking off your makeup should be gentle and should never leave your skin dehydrated or irritated.

I like to use a cleansing oil, which won’t dry out your face. Using your fingers, swipe a small amount of oil across your lids, eyebrows, and lips, and then lightly massage it all over your face. This will soften your skin and loosen the makeup, you don’t have to rub too hard.

Then take a flat, square cotton pad, try Shiseido Facial Cotton ($9.00, shiseido.com), I like these better than the balls, which can be rough, and pour a little cleansing oil on it. Go over the same spots again, being careful not to scrub back and forth. Just gently skim the surface in one direction to pull up the color.

Get it wet. Once my eye makeup is gone, I wash my skin with a mild foaming or gel cleanser to remove excess of dirt and oil. Then I rinse with warm water using a soft, damp washcloth to gently exfoliate the skin and ensure my pores are thoroughly clean. I always finish with a repairing moisturizer.

10 MINUTE BEAUTY

PUT ON YOUR BEST GAME FACE
Three simple makeup looks guaranteed to help you get out the door. Results: effortlessly polished!

GET GLOWING
Apply tinted moisturizer and concealer where needed. Brush bronzer over your forehead, your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and the center of your neck. Rub a rosy cream on lips and cheeks. Then rim your top lids with brown liner and add mascara to lashes. This will enhance and accentuate your eyes, without shadow. Very au naturel.

QUICK LIP SERVICE
Prep your lips with lip conditioner. Choose a bold lip color that flatters your skin tone, soft cherry for pale complexions, coral for olive, and either color but deeper for dark skin, and apply it straight from the tube. Keep other makeup understated: black mascara and champagne highlighter along cheek and brow bones. The goal is to look pulled together and not overdone.

A RUSH OF GOLD
For daytime, metallics should look healthy and glowing, not disco-glittery. Dust a soft gold eye shadow over the lids. Try MAC Eye Shadow in Woodwinked ($14.50, maccosmetics.com), a favorite product of mine. Then add a thin stroke of dark brown pencil to the upper lash lines, extending it out slightly at the corners for intensity without looking too made-up. Finish with mascara, a neutral blush, and a creamy pink-beige lipstick.

FOUNDATION 101

THE GOAL: A COMPLEXION THAT’S FLAWLESS!

1. To get the exact color you want, combine two shades of foundation. Mix them in your hand, not on your face. For a more luminous look, blend in a liquid highlighter.

2. If you don’t want foundation all over, dot it on uneven areas.

3. Apply a silicone-based primer after moisturizer and before foundation to keep makeup lasting longer.

4. Once opened and exposed to air, cream and liquid foundations last about a year (if they’re exposed to extreme temperatures during that time); powder formulas last for two years. (Toss them earlier if the odor or texture changes.)

5. To take down shine during the day, use powdered blotting papers for oily skin or non-powdered for normal skin rather than powder, which can build up and look cakey on the skin.

PERFECT GLOW

BOOST YOUR RADIANCE!

Apply MAC Cream Colour Base ($16.50, maccosmetics.com), a cream highlighter with a light shimmer, starting at the top of your cheekbones, right beneath the inner corner of the eye, and contouring along the bone up to the outer end of your brow. Next, swipe it down the bridge of your nose, then dot it in the indentation right above your Cupid’s bow.