How to create glass skin, apply contour, draw defined eyebrows, and choose the perfect red lipstick
It is no big secret: wearing makeup can make us feel powerful. We’ve all felt the transformative power of makeup at least once before, and it is addicting. It is what brings us to the makeup counters, what pushes us to create swatches of eye shadow, blusher, or lipstick shades, on the back of our hands, and what brings us to our dresses and inspires us to create new looks. Even during this quarantine, we feel the difference when we add a bit of lip and cheek tint and draw on our eyebrows.
If we think about it, makeup and self-image have a strange relationship. We know it all too well–when we don’t get the right shade that suits us, or we botch our look for the day, well, everything seems hopeless. But then, when we get it right, we find ways to redo the look, buying multiple pieces of the same products, and trying to apply them in the same way we did before. In other words, makeup has a direct correlation to our confidence and self-image, which of course, makes a lot of sense because it is all about enhancing our physical features.
That’s why it is so important to know the makeup basics—as simple as creating defined brows, applying a natural contour and highlight, selecting the perfect red lipstick, and achieving glass skin can do so much for our faces, and our confidence, or course. Here are easy tricks you can do to improve your makeup game.
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Glass skin
This Korean trend has made it big worldwide, and it’s no surprise why–glass skin (or honey skin) looks stunning. This look is the best way to show off clear, translucent, And if your skin is less than perfect, well, there are still ways to achieve it. The trick is to use products like foundation and highlighter that deliver a gorgeous sheen. Apart from that, the placement of the highlighter is just as important—what you want is to simulate incredibly dewy, healthy skin minus the color or contour. Using it on the high points of the face, like the top of the cheekbones, right on the brow bone, the center of the top eyelid, the bridge of the nose, and the chin. A er that, blend it well, so the sheen looks natural.
Defined brows
Thicker, more defined eyebrows not only look youthful (some call it an instant eyelift), but they also frame the eyes beautifully. Eyebrow pencils, pens, and powders work wonders to fill in the gaps and shape the brows, while tints or mascaras deliver a natural look, and can even lighten or darken brow hair color. A way to know what you’re working with is to use a clear brow gel to brush the hairs of your eyebrows upward. Then, use a brow pencil, pen, or powder (using a slanted brow brush) to fill in the gaps and add definition. To finish, brush eyebrow gel (choose a lighter or darker shade to match your current hair color) to seal everything in place.
Natural contour
Currently, we are all about creating a natural look. And the adage, less is more, cannot be truer, especially when it comes to doing a natural contour. The point of contouring is to give the face depth and dimension, and we can do this by creating the illusion of a shadow. This will allow the face to pop more, giving it a more “3D look”. To create the perfect contour, choose a matte powder three shades darker than your skin tone, but still within the same undertone family. For cool-toned complexions, it’s best to stick to cooler, grayish-brown shades, while warm skin tones should choose reddish brown shades.
Red lipstick
What we don’t realize though is that red is a neutral, a universal color that has a shade to suit everyone. But it is also a bold color that demands attention, which is why it is daunting for some to find that perfect shade. The trick to finding the perfect shade of red for you is to base it on your skin tone—cooler red shades work best if you have a cool to neutral complexions like pinks and bluish tones, while warm red colors are good if you have peach to yellow and golden tones. If you can’t tell whether you have a warm or cool complexion, check the color of your veins, if they’re blue, you’re on the cool side, and if they’re green you have warm skin tone.
Read the full story written by Kelly Misa-Fernandez in Lifestyle Asia October 2020 issue titled, “The Future is Female.”
