Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubble baths, bath salts, butters and many other types of products. A subset of cosmetics is called "make-up," which refers primarily to colored products intended to alter the user’s appearance. Many manufacturers distinguish between decorative cosmetics and care cosmetics.
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[edit] Cosmetics Tips
If use of cosmetics is any indication of vanity, there's plenty to go around. Stores are full of products to beautify the body, including skin, hair, nails and lips. Creams, toiletries, and makeup designed to change or camouflage are all examples of cosmetics.
Today, cosmetics are not only acceptable, they're standard procedure for most women. How they're used and applied is what separates those who look silly from those who look beautiful and sophisticated. We'll outline some cosmetics tips to help you bring out your best features while concealing your flaws.
[edit] Creams & Lotions
Think of your skin as a canvas. The better the canvas, the better the art, no? There's no denying that genes play a crucial role in your overall appearance, but skin care early on in life will definitely give you the edge when it comes to texture, lines and spots when you hit your thirties and beyond.
Body lotions add comfort to dry skin while adding luster. Hands are often exposed to sunlight and may show age much quicker. We don't always pay attention to our hands but others do. Keep your hands soft and silky by using hand lotion multiple times every day, particularly after washing them and before bed.
In pre-teen and teen years it's important to keep skin clean and as clear as possible from blemishes to prevent scarring. Combination skin calls for treating problem areas accordingly. As we age, our skin loses its moisture and elasticity. There are various facial creams on the market today to add much-needed moisture to our faces and reduce fine lines and wrinkles -- thus improving our "canvas."
[edit] Makeup Advice
When it comes to cosmetics, makeup is the the fun part. Applying makeup is a learned art. Start by putting on foundation with a sponge, blending it from the center, outwards, into the hairline and neck. Cover your eyelids and lips as well for solid base. You can set your foundation with loose powder and a large cosmetics brush.
Apply eye shadow to enhance your eyes. Three shades are ideal to shape and define with the darkest color on the lid and the lightest just beneath the brow bone. Mascara lengthens lashes provides fullness.
Blush adds color to cheeks and a youthful glow to your nose forehead and chin. Bronzing powder can double as blush and can be used for shading or hide a double-chin. Blend in well for a more natural look.
Define luscious lips with a lip liner similar to your own lip color or one that matches the color of your lipstick. To create fullness, dust on some white eye shadow to the center of your bottom lip. Keep lips moisturized at night with lip balm or traditional petroleum jelly. In the sunlight, use balm with a SPF to block the sun's dangerous rays from damaging your precious puck
[edit] Looking Your Best is Easy with These Simple Cosmetics Tips!
Keep your cosmetics fresh
Makeup does have an expiry date! It might not be written on the packaging, but there will come a time when your cosmetics won't be as vibrant, smooth or nice to wear as they used to be. Not only is it a good sign that you're possibly in the wrong season, it's also important if you want to be looking your best! Keep your makeup rotated every 6 months or so.
Make sure you're wearing the right cosmetics for your skin tone
The tragic flaw many people make when buying cosmetics is not matching them to their skin tone. This makes it almost impossible when trying to find the right foundation and concealer, but it also affects the lipstick and eye shadow you should be wearing. There are ways to determine skin tone, and you should base your cosmetics selections around the right tone:
Ruddy skin tone is associated with burning easily, but also with becoming easily flushed or pink-cheeked.
Yellow skin tones respond poorly to yellowish foundation and concealer and make the skin look more flawed than it did before.
Yellow-olive skin tone is easily identified because it's mainly found in people who tan easily and don't burn often. So if you come in from the beach a shade other than bright red, yellow-olive is you! Olive skin tones are slightly gray or ashen, do not burn easily and have greenish undertones.
Neutral skin tone has no obvious yellow, olive or ruddy tones, nor any features of these skin tones. Cosmetics counter assistants will be able to assist you in determining your skin tone, and also offer you the best options for cosmetics and colors. Similarly, you will find great tips just by looking through fashion magazines: ruddy skin responds well to earthy colors such as browns, greens, corals and reds; medium yellow and ruddy skin tones go well with both light and dark browns; darker olive skin looks great in more vibrant shades of ruby and cherry; and dark skin tones love more natural, soft pinks, corals and browns. Wearing the 'wrong' cosmetics for your skin tone can result in you looking washed out, accentuating blemishes and otherwise causing flawed skin.
Learn to apply your cosmetics properly
Make sure you don't look like a . . . well, clown . . . after you put your makeup on in the morning. Most of us learn how to put on our faces from our friends in junior high or our mothers, and that's all well and good until we have to go to an important business meeting and we realize we actually don't know how to apply eyeliner!
Many makeup artists will actually visit you in your own home or as part of a cosmetics party and teach you how to do it properly, or you can visit a cosmetics counter and have them take you through the process. There's more to a great look than just throwing your makeup on, but there are simple and easy tricks that will have you looking gorgeous in no time!
Foundation: Don't forget to blend foundation into your neck, or you'll end up with an unsightly line around your jaw; apply concealer after foundation!
Eye shadow: Apply your base color from the inside out, then define your eyes with a darker shade in the crease of your eyelid; for extra definition, use a light shadow on your brow bone.
Eye liner: Steady your hand by resting on a flat surface, and always apply from the inside to the outside of your eye; extending the liner beyond the end of your eyelids will give a great exotic look!
Mascara: Two layers is best; apply the first layer downwards from the roots, then again upwards from the midway point of the lashes; apply a finer layer to the bottom lashes so you don't look like a panda, then leave for a couple of minutes and repeat.
Lipstick: The way you apply your lipstick depends on the shape of your mouth, but make sure your lip liner (if you use one) matches the color of your lipstick; use a base or primer, apply color with a lip brush and remember to blot; finish off with an application of lip gloss for perfectly luscious lips.
