Fashion Advice, Beauty Tips, Skincare Tutorials

January 29th, 2008

Slimming Lip gloss!!!

Posted by admin in Beauty Gossip

Too Faced Lip Gloss

A yummy flavour shiny lip gloss that helps to lose weight!?

An American beauty company Too Faced and a diet drink company Fuze launched the unique lip gloss this month.

You might wonder how it could work? The secret is in the ingredients as following:

  • Chromiun - improves amount of energy that are gained from food
  • L-Carnitine - boosts energy and metabolisms
  • Super Citrimax - is supposed to help to control your appetite.

The Fuze Slenderize Guilt-Free Lipgloss comes with three different flavours, blueberry/raspberry, strawberry/melon and dragon fruit/lime.

It’s around ₤10 and is currently available exclusively at Sephora (www.sephora.com).

If you’ve tried the lip gloss, please let us know your thoghts.

January 19th, 2008

The Right Order of Applying Make-Up

Posted by admin in Makeup Tips

Many ladies might have wondered the right order of applying make-up.

If you know the correct order, you can do the make-up much easier and quicker.

The order as following:

Step 1. Apply Foundation Primer / Base.

Take the primer or base on the back of your hand, dub it lightly onto the centre of face and spread it with fingertips outwards.

If you are not sure which primer is suitable for you, have a look The Beauty of Foundation Primer - Foundation Base article.

Step 2. Apply foundation

If your foundation comes with an applicator, such as a sponge or a brush, it’s best to use it, as the mosf of foundations are specifically designed to use the tool.

For more information, please read Foundations - The Base Make Up.

Step 3. Define the eyebrows.

Define the eyebrows before applying eyeshadows. This makes easier to identify the eyeshapes where you want to apply eyeshadows.

For more information on shaping and styling eyebrows, go to Perfect Eyebrows - Eyebrow Shaping & Style

Step 4: Do the eye make-up.

Apply eye shadows, eye liners, and then mascara. If you want to have lashes with volume and length, read tips at How to Apply Mascara - Mascara Tips

Step 5: Finish your lips.

Apply a lip balm, and then a lipstick and/or a lip gloss.

Step 6: Use a blush to provide a warmness on the complexion.

Not sure how to apply a blush? Click Blusher - How to Apply Blush

for more tips.

Step 7: Contour the face with a highlighter (if you like)

Make-up applications would be much easier and smoother if you follow these steps.

Have a go, and let me know how it went.

January 19th, 2008

How To Create Smooth Lips - Hide Lip Wrinkles & Fine Lines

Posted by admin in Makeup Tips, Lips

Does your lipstick digs in or gets into wrinkles and fine lines around the lips, and sometimes looks like it’s “breeding”? There are some tricks to hide lines and wrinkles around the lips as following:

Tip 1: Use a lip filler prior to applying lipstick.

A lip filler prevents the lips to have the “bleeding” look and makes the smooth lips.

Chanel’s Lip Correction is one of them. Apply a small amount of the filler with a brush or finger tips.

Tip 2: Avoid matt lipsticks, use satin lipstick instead.

Unfortunately, matt lipsticks tend to get into the wrinkles and lines, whereas satin lipsticks tend to hide them due to the light reflection.
Tip 3: Apply a lip gloss, a similar colour or slightly lighter shade as your lipstick.

Lip gloss will give the lips fuller and smoother look. The light reflection will also hide the wrinkles and lines around the lips.

Tip 4: Always try to moisture your lips with a natura basel lip balm.

Whenever your lips feel dry, or after eating food, apply a lip balm. Dehydration deapens the wrinkles and lines.

Tip 5: Apply an anti-aging lip balm before bed time.

It is important to use an anti-aging lip treatment before you go to bed, as wrinkkles and lines are produced while you are in sleep. My favourite one are the Burt’s Bee Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil and Olay Regenerist Anti Aging Lip Treatment.

January 19th, 2008

How To Create Fuller Lips - Plumped Lips

Posted by admin in Makeup Tips, Lips

Do you have thin lips? Would you like to have sexy, fuller and plumped lips?

Lip plumpers do the job, although I am not big fan of them, as the ones I tried gave tingling sensations on my lips. If you know a good lip plumper, please let me know!

If you want to achieve the fuller looking lips without using lip plumpers, have a go the tips below:

1. Apply a lip balm to moisture the lips.

2. Draw the outer lip line with a natural or nude colour lip liner pencil.

Draw the line just above the outer line of the lips. Be careful for not over doing it.

3. Blend the lipliner towards the centre of the lips with a lip brush.

4. Apply a natural colour lipstick (e.g., pink beige, soft pink, soft peach).

5. Use a clear colour lip gloss to create a volume.

Apply the clear colour lip gloss on the middle of the lips, both top and bottom, and spread toward the corner of the lips.

Now you can pout!!!

January 19th, 2008

How to Rescue Dry & Chapped Lips

Posted by admin in Skincare Tips, Lips

Having dry and chapped lips can be very annoying. What we want is the kissable plumped lips, not that flaky and sand paper like lips.

Dry lips can be caused by many factors including extreme temparatures (both hot and cold), tiredness, Vitamin B deficiency, using old lip sticks or lip gloss(usually more than 3 years old). Licking lips can also dry the lips even more, so try to avoid doing it.
Here are the tips to rescue the lips.

1. If you are currently using a lip balm that contains petroleum, swap it with a natural base lip balm (e.g., beewax and sheer butter).

A Petroleum base lip balm tends to make lips drier because it cannot be absorbed by the lips or the skin and sometimes cause skin irritations. In contrary, a natural lip balm is absorbed by the skin and increases the moisture retentions and the natural elasticity. I love Burt’s Bees Beewax Lip Balm. It’s not expensive (around £3.50) is also edible.
2. Apply (quite a lot of) lip barm and exfoliate the lips gently with cotton butts.
Remove the flaky skin. Make sure to do it gently.
3. Re-apply the lip balm.

The dry and chapped lips will transform to soft and fuller lips.

January 8th, 2008

Perfect Eyebrows - Eyebrow Shaping & Style

Posted by admin in Eyebrows

Having perfect eyebrows can give a huge impact on your overall look. Eyebrows define the facial features. How to create perfect eyebrows? There are few methods to style and shape eyebrows. It’s best to choose a suitable method for your (eyebrow) needs and lifestyle.

SHAPING
A. Eyebrow Threading

Ideal for someone with natural and/or thick eyebrows and has a busy lifestyle.

Pros:

  • It creates more defined and precise finish, and does not remove necessary hair that shapes eyebrows.
  • Needs to be done every 4 - 6 weeks.
  • Only takes approximately 10 minutes (can be done during lunch break).
  • Longer lasting effect than tweezing and trimming.

Cons:

  • Highly recommended to be done by the professionals, unless you have lots of experience doing it, you may catch and pull the skin.
  • Have to be patient for4 - 6 weeks even though eyebrows are getting bushy.

How it works?:

A piece of twisted cotton thread is used to pick each hair and pull it away from the root. The therapist usually catch the thread between her teeth and fingers, and make a certain movement to remove unwanted hair.

You can find the list of your local eyebrow threading salons (worldwide) as following; www.beautysurvival.com/threading.html

B: Eyebrow Waxing

Ideal for busy ladies, who can be bothered to pluck it often, with Normal to Oily Skin.

Pros:

  • A quick and easy to shape eyebrows.
  • It gives a neater and cleaner finish than tweezing and trimming.
  • Longer lasting effect than tweezing and trimming.

Cons:

  • Not suitable for Sensitive Skin.
  • Also not suitable for someone who is using Vitamin A based moisturisers (e.g., Retinol). Those moisturisers makes the skin thinner and waxing will rip it away.
  • Best to be done professionally if you are not familiar with using wax.
  • Can be very painful.

How it works?

After cleansing the eye area, comb the eyebrow and identify the shapes. Using small amount of wax or strips to remove the unwanted hair. Normally use calming lotion such as tee tree to soothe the skin.

Available at most of beauty salons and some cosmetic counters.

C. Tweezering and Trimming

Ideal for someone who wants to have a tidy eyebrows all the time.

Pros:

  • Cost effective. Once you know the shape, you can do it at home.
  • No need to wait for your eyebrows to go wild.

Cons:

  • Although this can be done at home, it is still best to be shaped by professionals.
  • The regrowth rate is pretty quick.
  • When you pluck it too much, it takes ages to grow back.

How it works?
Determine the shape of eyebrows. You can mark the shape using white eyeliner. Comb the eyebrow and trim the excess with facial scissors. Pluck unwanted hair with a good tweezer.

Professional trimming and shaping are available at beauty salons and beauty counters including Shu Uemura.

STYLING

If you can see the gaps, use an eyebrow pencil to fill it in. Try to draw as same way as the hair grows. Followed by an eyebrow comb or blush to blend the colour.

If your eyebrows do not have the gaps, you can use a eyebrow gel / wax to style them. Alternatively, an eyebrow powder can be used to add colour and definition.

January 3rd, 2008

Post Festive Season Skin Recovery - Remedy for Fatigue Skin

Posted by admin in Skincare Tips

Did you have a fabulous time on Christmas and New Year?
Now you might be started worrying about your skin looking tired, dull, dry and so on. Unfortunately a combination of partying, drinking and skin condition doesn’t get on well.

For Tired or Sallow Looking Skin, it needs hydration and vitamin boost. You can have a “Exfoliate & Radiance Mask” in the bath or use Guinot’s Masque Nouvel Eclat to exfoliate and supply radiance at the same time. Try to eat more vitamin rich fruits and vegetables. For more information, please go to Skincare for Tired Skin - Sallow Looking Skin Care under Skincare Tips.

For Dehydrated and/or Sensitive Skin, apply a gentle exfoliator to remove the dead skin and hydration mask 2 to 3 times a week. Using a hydration serum on a daily basis to boost the skin’s hydration level up. More tips are shown on Skincare for Dry Skin - Dehydrated & Flaky Skin Care section.

For Oily skin or Skin with Blemishes / Acne, it requires both deep cleansing and mattifying mask. The skin may have been affected by a consumption of Christmas food and alcohol, causing to have more blemishes and acne. If you have spots or pimples, apply a dub of Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion with a cotton butt. It will heal and dry spots / pimples quickly. I know it’s tempting but do not squeeze them out. It may leave a scar. If you’d like to read more tips, please have a look Skincare for Oily Skin - Shiny Skin Care.