Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Boys and Make Up Games


Lately, I’ve noticed quite a few more boys applying make up than I used to. It probably has more to do with my noticing it than with the number of boys who’ve been wearing it. After all, the Eighties had more than a few celebs in full faces of make up. But looking around, I’ve wondered if those boys out there who are wearing make up might benefit from a few make up games.

When you apply make up, you need to do so in a careful way to make it appear as natural as possible. After all, make up is designed to enhance your natural beauty, not mask it. But when a boy is wearing eye liner or more, he seems to have missed the memo on natural. Perhaps, that’s his purpose – to call attention to his face, but you never really know.

I know of one individual who wears a full face of make up including base. Unfortunately, his skin is very broken out and red with acne. It makes me cringe to see him wipe the base over those blemishes as they are likely getting worse with the chemicals on top. Hopefully at least the make up games taught him that certain make ups will make acne worse.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Make Up Games and Moisture


Of course, you’ve heard endless times to moisturize your skin. I’ve even mentioned it here more than a few times, but are you doing everything you should be doing to keep your skin supple and fresh? Keeping your skin in peak condition requires a bit of maintenance – something that you should be taking care of every day.

Drinking water – drinking plenty of water helps your skin to excrete toxins and helps to keep skin clear. The water in your system is helping to hydrate your skin from the inside, out. It’s a very critical part of the equation.

Daytime lotions – Your daytime lotion should be light enough to be worn under make up and shouldn’t cause you to break out or wrinkle your nose at the smell. Ideally, your daytime lotion should contain sunscreen and it might also have skin firming elements, especially if you’re on the other side of thirty, but before you see any wrinkles.

Night creams – Your night cream is the main way you moisturize your clean skin after a hard day’s work. Get your skin toned and richly moisturized every night for a clear complexion and soft, lovely skin.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Make Up Games and Eye Shadow


Eye shadow is the part of make up games that make them different, for the most part. There are only so many ways to apply base and power. Lipstick and mascara are pretty straight forward, but eye shadow is where it’s at for an interesting and natural look. Or create a glamorous and romantic look. Or create a mysterious, smoky look. The various ways you can use eye shadow makes it one of the most versatile instruments in your make up box.

Apply eye shadow is an art form and one that is perfected only through practice. To learn how to apply eye shadow properly, visit a make up booth to get a demonstration or look for new techniques in magazines or online. Then, armed with your own compact of eye shadow, start to create your own look to see how well you do. If you hate it, wash your face and start again. The more times you create a look, the better your chances are of getting it right and learning to do it every day.  

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Make Up Games and Common Skin Concerns


A big part of make up games is taking proper care of your skin. When you’re doing what you can to give your skin the kind of foundation it needs, your skin will be supple and smooth without breakouts or with far less than you’d get otherwise. But sometimes, even your skin care products can be causing problems.

Dry Skin – If you have dry skin after washing your face and using a lotion, your soap is likely too harsh. A harsh soap is very drying, especially one that contains alcohol. Try changing soaps to one that is gentler and then add a night cream to help up your moisturizer.

Breaking Out – A harsh soap or oily moisturizer might be to blame. The harsh soap dries out your skin and then your pores work overtime trying to moisturize it again with oils. The oils cause the break-outs. Again a gentle soap might be the answer, or try switching to a lighter moisturizer that isn’t as oily.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Make Up Games and Manicures


Manicures are very much a part of make up games. The hands are just as elegant as the face when it comes to making someone glamorous. Working on your hands is also very relaxing and you can make the process a full afternoon of beauty treatments. Start with a hot bath or shower to soften the nails and cuticles before trimming them to the desired length.

Once your nails are cut, shape them with a file or emery board and wash away the dust. Soak your hands in paraffin wax if you have it available or just use a liberal application of lotion to get rid of dry skin and make your nails easier to work with. Once your hands are prepared, you’ll get started on the actual work of doing the manicure. Start with a base coat of polish to protect your nails from staining and then apply two coats of color. A top coat of protective finish and a drying spray should have the process completed.  

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Make Up Games and Age


It’s fun to start playing with make up at a young age. There are more than a few girls as young as two or three who like to wear lip gloss and most parents have no problems with that. But there can be a fine line to walk with make up games and younger girls.

Often young girls try to look older with make up games and that’s all in good fun if they are playing with friends at the house or doing a makeover for a party or a special trip to the mall where they might meet “older men.” But if you have a child wearing make up every day to elementary school, you might need to reconsider what’s truly appropriate for your child.

Make up games enhance natural beauty. A bit of lip gloss is fun and flirty. Nail polish falls into a similar category, but do eight-year-olds really need to be wearing mascara and blush to play on the playground? I didn’t think so.