Fresh faced
If you want to look as bright as spring, here’s a few pointers
WHAT makes a face look fresh, healthy and approachable? Now that the sunshine has decided to stay with us, it does tend to lift the spirits of most people. The path to a happy face is, obviously, a happy disposition and a healthy lifestyle. So the first step is to tackle any stress and reduce it. Exercise is a proven stress-buster, so it would be prudent to try and fit it in to one’s routine. Healthy eating is another factor which greatly affects our disposition, general well-being and therefore what is reflected on our face.
If you have been having facials through the winter your skin should now be fresh, clear and look rested! These are the fundamentals of looking fresh faced, then we can complete our happy, fresh look with some spring make-up.
The first step is to apply your regular day products to the skin. Leave to absorb for approximately twenty minutes then apply a sun barrier or block. Once this has absorbed, again approximately twenty minutes, apply a light, translucent layer of foundation or tinted moisturiser all over your face and under the jaw. Anything heavier or thicker on the skin tends to look overdone in the sunshine. On the other hand, foundation does protect the skin from UV rays so one has to find a compromise as to how to apply. My advice is to apply what looks natural and avoid the sun.
Though powder can look too matt or ageing, a light dusting with a big brush just on the areas you need will prevent your face looking shiny or sweaty later on in the day, which tends to happen in this warmer weather. For instance, you could apply only to nose or around nostrils, or chin, or any greasy areas to achieve a fresh smooth look rather than a matt, dry look.
For the eyes, if you want a conservative, sophisticated or business look, define eyes with a little black or brown pencil around their outer edges, apply some beige, ivory, peach or brown eye shadow on the lid and plenty of mascara to give you a wide-eyed look. Define center lashes more for a rounder look, or outer lashes more for an almond shaped look.
For a younger, fun or funky look choose only one bright colour such as green, turquoise, bright peach, salmon, soft pink or lilac and apply to eye-lid only. Use brown or black mascara.
Alternatively choose two of these brighter colours in a powder texture, or chunky pencils, or cream eye shadows. These can be slightly shimmering if desired. Apply one of the colours from the inner corner of your lower lid to the center and another colour from the center to just beyond the outer corner. You can use any combination you desire as long as you don’t use a dark tone or version of any colour on the inner corner. The effect should be light, bright, shimmering and rainbow-like. To balance this you might need to apply a soft, translucent, beige, peachy, very slightly pearly shadow to the upper lid. A generous application of mascara to the upper lashes is definitely needed to balance this look.
Using bright-coloured mascara is fashionable but only do so if you can pull it off, for example if you have medium or fair colouring (coloured mascara usually looks gorgeous on people with golden tones in their hair and skin or very blond hair and cool skin tones). Blues and greens are the best colours to use. If you use coloured mascara do not use coloured eye shadow. Keep it simple! Maybe a softly shimmering beige, ivory, pale gold or peach on the lid to balance, and a small amount of eye-pencil the same colour as the mascara used around the eyelashes, or preferably inside eye-lid for extra effect. Keep blusher and lipstick soft or neutral if you opt for coloured mascaras or bright eye shadow looks, especially if using a brighter blue or green mascaras. Eyebrows should be soft, natural and tidy and not painted on for a fresh spring face.
Estée Lauder have some gorgeous new spring colours for the eyes such as gold nugget, orange, and a must-have colour for all looks which I cannot work without is Tea Biscuit.
Lips can be glossy only if the gloss has hardly any colour in it so don’t apply a dense or strong coloured lipstick and then thick gloss over it.
Try pinky, salmon or peachy shades in soft, see-through, slightly glimmering, semi-gloss textures for a soft look, or if you want a stronger, brighter or denser look to the lip colour choose non-greasy, but creamy lipsticks in orange, red, pink, and lilac shades which look very glamorous and sexy but are still synonymous with a springtime fresh look and the fifties feel which is very popular in the fashion world at the moment. I saw some lovely colours in my favourite brand of lipsticks, which are the Electric and Crystal ranges by Estée Lauder. Check out the Yves Saint Laurent range too, they have a comprehensive selection of colours.
For this spring look you need the subtlest flush on the center of the cheeks, just to take away any pallor that the face might have. The place to apply is between the apple of the cheek and the side of the face next to the ears but not as far as the ears. Apply in a roundish shape with indiscernible edges and very subtle effect. Think Fifties starlet healthy flush rather than Eighties or Nineties blusher lines. Use very pale pinky or peachy tones. Try Guerlain, Lauder, or Givenchy blushers.
