Perfect make-up for latest fashion trend

Nude tones have been big news on the catwalks for spring/summer 09 with designers including Chloe, Lanvin, Christopher Kane, Herve Leger by Max Azria and Derek Lam showing nude coloured clothing. How do you get your make-up to flatter such a soft colour? You don't want to go bare faced or you will look completely washed out and too much make-up will contradict with the outfit.

The new nude fashion that is around at the moment has an elegant quality to it and your make-up has to reflect the same. If you try to match your make-up to your outfits you could become a vision of bland instead of striking elegance.

You have a couple of choices here - you can keep your eyes neutral by blending shades of cappuccino, latte and chocolates. Lashings of dark brown mascara will add definition. An apricot flush of colour on the apples of the cheeks adds that needed hint of colour. A soft sheer apricot lip colour will give the look balance.

You can keep your eyes very soft with just a sweep of ivory or honey shadow but then add a splash of colour with a turquoise pencil just on the outer corners of the top lashes. Lashings of dark brown mascara as before. An apricot blush on the apples of the cheeks is the most important accent of colour. And on the lips a creamy honey colour lip gloss.

Follows these tips for a catwalk perfect look.

Natural Quick Beauty Fix

Super-Glue a Nail

Yes, it sounds crazy, but it works! Instead of tearing off your nail when it breaks, put a tiny dab of Super Glue over the split, and paint a generous layer of your favorite nail polish shade over it. Go for an opaque color such as red, purple or coral to camouflage and seal the crack.

Freeze Your Eyeliner

If the tip of your eyeliner pencil crumbles and smears on your lids, store the liner in the freezer for 15 minutes before you use it so the tip is firm and goes across your skin smoothly. Fool-proof!

Heat up Your Curler

If you have stick-straight lashes, try blasting your metal eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a couple of seconds to heat it up so your lashes bend more easily. And use a waterproof mascara since the formula dries faster and it’ll set the curl more effectively.

Spike Your Lotion With Bronzer

If you don’t have time to book a self-tanning session, mix a few pumps of body bronzer with regular hand lotion and pat it on your legs for a gradual dose of sexy, beachy color!

Make-up money saver

Need to stop devoting half of your pay to the latest, must-have make-up? We've got a bunch of great ways for you to save without compromising your complexion.

1. Double-enders
The simplest way to save cash and get two products for one is with a double-ended eye pencil. In a nutshell: you get twice the looks at half the price. Easy. Another idea? Use the pencils to shade your lids as eye shadow.

2. Put a lid on it
Obvious but true: always make sure the lids on your favourite mascara or foundation are secure. Why fork out $30 only to have to throw the product out in days? Or worse yet, spill it everywhere and be left cleaning up a make-up mess.

3. Share it
Ask yourself this question: how many times have you actually made it to the bottom of a lipstick or used up a complete eye shadow before getting sick of it and turfing what's left? Think about splitting the cost of cosmetics with a friend and having half each. This tip works especially well with loose shadows and blushers.

4. Multi-task
Smart women know how to make their products work harder. Shimmery shadows can be used as highlighters on the cheeks and brow bones, lip gloss can be dabbed on the lids for a dewy look, lipstick can be used as cream blush, and some concealer on your eyelids can double as a lid primer. The bottom line: look at what you already have before deciding you need something new.

5. Less is more
So your skin is looking pretty good? Then don't feel the need to cover your whole face with foundation. Usually for lucky ladies like yourself, it's mostly just the T-zone you need to apply it to. Likewise, if you feel your skin can skip a primer, doesn't need translucent powder or can go without a setting spray, then don't do it.

Mineral Make-up: Application tips

With mineral make-up, a little goes a long way.
Because the pigments in most mineral cosmetics are pure and undiluted, they give superior coverage for less (and better value for money. You only need a small amount for decent, natural coverage, so don't overload it!

Use the right tools.
Smooth, even application is crucial. You need to make sure you get just the right amount of powder on your brush and no more! Use a densely-packed brush and dip it well into your powder to get it into the bristles. Tap off the excess, swirl and buff. Remember to build your color up gradually rather than caking it on in one stroke.

Mineral Make-up: Pros and Cons

What does mineral make-up offer for your skin?
Mineral make-up is purer, lighter in texture and more gentle to the skin. Minerals have anti-inflammatory properties, which have a calming effect on acne, allergies and sensitive skin. Mineral make-up is comedogenic, meaning it doesn’t clog your pores as much as heavier chemical products. Some mineral cosmetics are also suitable for vegans and gluten sensitive types.

What are the downsides?
The powder-heavy formulae can have drying effects and even accentuate wrinkles and lines. Prices vary a great deal, but as a rule you use less product than you would for standard cosmetics, so mineral make-up can give you value for money even if you have to shell out a bit more to start with.

Mineral Make-up

During these weeks, we will have a mineral make-up series to look into the application techniques, pros and cons and some FAQs.





Mineral cosmetics
There are no regulations governing what can and cannot go in a pot with the word 'mineral' written on it. Like organic and natural products, mineral products may not actually contain any more mineral content than others. At risk of sounding pedantic, it pays to read the label.

Ingredients
Mineral make-up is composed of very finely ground mineral powders from the earth and many of these minerals are also found in ordinary make-up. The ‘purest’ forms of mineral make-up contain no paraben preservatives, fillers, dyes, chemicals, colors, binders, other chemicals and irritants. Watch out for a chemical called bismuth (bismuth oxychloride) too. This is a pearlising agent which can irritate skin and give an unnatural Tango orange glow.

Foundation Preparation for Oily Skin

With excessive oil secretion, the T-zone always looks shinny and oily, the whole make-up sometimes even cannot last for more than three hours. Follow the steps below to say bye-bye to these embarrassments!

Step 1: Wash away the oil residue before applying foundation
Pay extra attention to the T-zone, and wash the face in a circular motion, because massaging slowly will result in oil secretion. Follow by oil-free toner.

Step 2: Apply oil-control base on T-zone
To avoid a shinny face and to have a long-lasting make up, always apply an oil-control base before foundation.

Step 3: Compact foundation
Compact foundation has a dry texture and it's oil-free, so it's very suitable for oily skin. The other choices are cream type and foundation stick. Finally remember to brush on loose powder because it can absorb extra oil and control oil secretion.