Welcome to Beauty School! Every Monday, JET experts will teach you how to preserve your sexy. This week, makeup artist, beauty expert and former pageant gal Nicole L. Townsend teaches us the rules for wearing cosmetics.
Sure, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, but there still exists, a set of specific commandments to follow in both makeup application and properly caring for your skin. With a million and one cosmetic brands to choose from, you should always stick with what works for you, and I commend those who pride themselves in self-expression – not over indulgence. So put your best face forward, and take a look at my list of 10 makeup commandments:
Commandment #1: Thou shall take the time to find the right color of foundation for your skin. If your face is a completely different shade than your neck, odds are you didn’t choose wisely. Seek out a professional to help you, because holding up the bottle to your face in the drugstore won’t help.
Commandment #2: Thou shall not use too much bronzer. You don’t want to walk around with obvious makeup, plus adding too much bronzer ages you – tacking on additional years. Celebrate your youth with Clinique’s Almost Bronzer Powder with SPF 15 that includes a tone gauge to match your natural coloring.
Commandment #3: Thou shall wear a minimum of SPF 15 in your daily moisturizer. The primary factor of maintaining your skin’s radiance and healthy appearance rely on the daily use of sunscreen. Sorry folks, but yes, brown skin needs protection, too. Try Neutrogena’s Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 30.
Commandment #4: Thou shall drink plenty of water to maintain your skin’s natural glow and overall well being. Doctors recommend the daily intake of eight glasses of water per day, and I believe you should push the envelope a bit and make it an even 10. Get jazzy and add lemon or cucumber! Cheers!
Commandment #5: Thou shall remove all makeup before bed at night! Racoon, rock-star eyes in the morning are not hot, and I guarantee that you’ll have even more problems once your pores become clogged from debris and oil. To make this task simpler, try Neutrogena’s Makeup Removal Cloths that even rid eyes of waterproof mascara! Now you really don’t have an excuse!
Commandment #6: Thou shall exfoliate regularly. Whether you are an oily, dry, or combination skin type, exfoliating is a must if you want your skin to look its best. By riding the skin’s surface of dead cells, you’ll reveal a bright luminous complexion that will have strangers asking you for your best kept skincare secret! There are various ways to exfoliate, but I recommend Clinique’s Exfoliating Scrub that contains menthol for a refreshing zing after you rinse. Hello, lover!
Commandment #7: Thou shall blend your eye shadow. An ultimate pet-peeve of mine is seeing a glob of eye shadow on a gorgeous palette that lacks symmetry. If you love to wear multiple eye shadows, it is essential that you buy an eye shading brush to mix all of your colors together. For carefree blending, try the M.A.C Blending Brush.
Commandment #8: Thou shall not use your lipstick as a blush. Being the product junky that I am, I have yet to find a lipstick shade that serves as both a great color for my lips and cheeks. If they were created equal, don’t you think one of the two wouldn’t exist?
Commandment #9: Thou shall not line your lips with extreme dark shades. The dark purple lip liner with bright pink lip gloss is an ultimate cosmetic sin. If you’re having a hard time choosing a lip liner, the rule of thumb is to choose a color that is no darker than two shades of your natural lip color (with the exception of red). If I can distinctly see your lip liner drawn on your lips, then we have a problem. Try a Bobbi Brown lip liner in beige – a shade that complements most complexions.
Commandment #10: Thou shall have fun with your makeup! If you’re worried about not applying your makeup correctly, it’s cool. It takes practice to master the fancy tricks of our favorite makeup artists, and the good news is that we can wash it right off if we make a mistake. So take a deep breath, and have a good time! You’ll be surprised at the inner artist that exists within!
Have your own set of rules about makeup and skincare? I’d love to hear from you!
