EXPERT SECRETS | Skin highlighter for truly hidden spots

SPOTS AND I go way back. Decades, in fact. So I have some -- years -- experience in covering them. I feel like somewhat of an expert in the area. The number of compliments on my complexion always seem proportionate to the number of spots I'm actually hiding, which makes me believe I must have some skill at it.

In any event, I've tried EVE-RY-THING on the market to hide them. Every wand, pot, compact, brush, stick and pan of concealing makeup out there. Some are quite great. Some are meh. Some actually make the situation worse.

A great general rule of thumb to apply to your concealer search is: the drier and tackier the formula, the better it'll be. Why? Because it'll STAY IN PLACE, is generally more opaque and, well, that's what you want in a concealer, right? You don't want it slipping and sliding all over the place, do you?

The second rule you should live by is to apply just the tiniest bit to the absolute center of the spot and gently gently gently press it in. Get any of the concealer anywhere but the red spot and your efforts are ruined.

The third rule flies in the face of the first two and it's one I've recently started sticking to. I still love dry, tacky concealers and I apply them with the tiniest makeup brush to just the reddest part of the spot before I pat it in. But I've also learned a great trick, especially for those with spots who are going to have pictures taken.

The highlighter pen.

Spots are obvious because of the way they jut out of your face and their color. You can deal with the color by using a conventional concealer but not with the shape. They create a shadow, even when concealed. Why not put a concealer on top that actually reflects light, thereby making the spot look flat instead of domed? Makeup is all about light play, if you think about it, so why not apply that knowledge to your spots too instead of resignedly just slapping some obvious makeup on?

Twist the bottom of the wand to just load the brush of your product (I flux between Givenchy Mister Light and YSL Touche Eclat), dab just a bit on top of your spots and pat in. Set with powder and do the rest of your makeup as usual.

If you accidentally rub a bit off, just carry the wandy with you and re-apply through the night.

Plus, for those of us with wrinkles and spots, the highlighting pens are great at concealing fine lines with their light reflecting properties too.

My once expensive and single purpose skin highlighting pens have now become a whole bunch more afforable with their new multi-tasking status.

Image credit

FESTIVE BEAUTY S.O.S | Wearing killer heels without killing yourself

YOU'VE BEEN at work all day and, if you’re belong to a very small minority of the female population, you’ve decided it’s okay to wear 6-inch stilettos to work. And you’ll be damned if you crack in a moment of weakness (or pain) by taking them off or rubbing your feet. You’ve insisted for time immemorial that they’re really comfortable (ohmigod are they not), and you'll sashay through life insisting as such, walking, head held high, into the horizon with your heels strapped in place. To each her own. This post is for women who can't mask the unbridled pain we feel with every step we take in, what I call, holiday heels on all dozen or so occasions we slip into them each year.

For those of us who haven’t trained our feet to endure the unending pain of fixing spikes on our heels while we teeter around on our tippy toes, the decision to wear high heels to holiday parties -- post work or otherwise -- will be met with swift, crippling pain confining us to a chair or -- for the very steeled (or drunk) -- a gentle sway on the dance floor to momentarily take the pressure off of one foot at a time. By the end of the night those who can’t resist the punchy beats of George Michael’s Last Christmas will be buffing the floor with our stocking-ed feet, which is no way to treat a pair of $50 Wolford’s is it?

So here’s our quick guide to wearing heels without a sense of dread during the festive season:

Click to read more ...

TRAVEL TALES | Products you're not packing in your makeup bag but should be!

 

I'VE FILLED two passports with stamps over the last two years (My TV is from 1994, so, no, not rich. Just different priorities). That's a lot of travel. At first, I was shamelessly carting around bags of beauty crap. Multiple items of the same product, things I never even opened, full bottles of cheap shampoo I could just as easily pick up wherever I landed. What a waste! And so onerous. I was forced to be static by my heavy luggage, was constantly worried and a huge target (girl struggling up stairs of a station with two huge bags? Like a sitting duck). So, I've learned and honed and now have a makeup bag that's no bigger than a pencil case when I travel. I pick up cheap, bulky items (like shampoo/conditioner) when I arrive since I like raiding the local chemists anyway. And what's the point of carrying something that takes up 30% of your luggage real estate but costs so little? Doesn't add up. While this isn't my definitive list, it's one that I highly suggest for anyone who cares about what they like and feel like on the road.

SwissDent Pure Mouth Spray (£9.50)-- It's anti-bacterial so won't just cover bad travel breath (no, yours doesn't smell good after sleeping -- mouth dangled open -- in economy class for six hours either) but help prevent the reason for it. The tiny bottle is no bigger than a tube of lip balm but all you need is one spray for minty (tho not unnecessarily sweet), bacteria-free breath. Essential when on-the-go and meeting with people, drinking multiple coffees, all day long.

Deborah Lippman The Stripper To Go ($10 for a box of 6 mitts) -- Soon to be available at the new House of Fraser Apothecary concept boutique. Deborah Lippman has created a genius little finger mitt that fits over the tip of one of your fingers with enough non-drying remover to take off even dark varnish on all ten nails, without leaving stains. Plus the lavender scent is nicer than the usual Acetone odor. One or two of these tiny mitts take up no space in your luggage, weigh nothing and there's no chance of remover opening and spilling all over the contents of your case.

Click to read more ...