Choosing the Right Lipstick Shade for Your Complexion

All of us have gone to the store and spent money on a lipstick which we then proceeded to throw away. Money wasted because the color just didn’t look as glamorous as you thought. The fact is that a shade that works for one woman will not work for another. The trick is to look for shades in the color spectrum we wish to wear that match our complexion best. Here are some basic rules to stick to so this doesn’t happen.

Choosing the right lipstick for your complexion starts with defining what skin tone you have; fair, medium, or dark. Many women don’t correctly classify their complexions, usually going too dark or too pale. Fair skin tones are pinkish, translucent or very white. Medium skin tones are yellower, golden tanned or olive. Dark skin tones are very tan or black.

The right lipstick can be found in any color of your choosing no matter your complexion. Many women think red is a color they cannot wear when in fact they can. If you are light, choose bright cherry reds. If you are medium, opt for a warmer fire engine red. If you are dark, choose a deeper burgundy red.

To choose the right lipstick for your complexion, never forget that key rule; bright for fair skin, warm for medium skin, and deep for dark skin. No matter the color, look at the choices and choose depending on where your skin tone falls.

When looking for a more natural lipstick shade to wear in the daytime or for the office, the right lipstick should be about 2 shades darker than your own natural lip color. To find this, try the lipstick on one lip, and compare it to the bare one. You will be able to tell whether it is too dark or too light. Watch out that it doesn’t make your lips disappear! A big mistake is having the color of your lips matching the color of your skin. The right lipstick for your complexion should add a bit of color.

Buying the right lipstick can also be done at the drugstore without having to try it on. Just trust the color on the packaging. Hold it up next to your lips and look in the mirror to determine if the color makes you look washed out, is too bright, or just right. Another good tip is to check it next to a window, because sunlight brings out the “true” color that fluorescent lighting might not.

Always remember that the right lipstick for your complexion will look good even when you are not wearing any other makeup. Don’t try and match your eye shadow to your lipstick, or your hair, clothes, or eyes for that matter. Make your lips speak for themselves.

If you have fine lips, choose a lipstick that has gloss or shine. This gives your lips the illusion of fullness. Choosing a matte color can make them look thinner. However, if you find a matte lipstick shade that is perfect for your complexion, go ahead and wear it with a bit of gloss on top.

Also, don’t throw away lipstick shades that haven’t worked for you. Mix and match! This can save you some money, and you might conjure up a color that looks great without having to spend more.

by Kennedy Allen

BEAUTY TIPS

1. Get Clean Skin Quick
To sop up oil and refresh makeup, lightly mist your face with toner, then pat with a tissue, says Eva Scrivo, makeup artist and owner of the eponymous New York City salon. Finish with a dusting of loose powder.

2. Lighten Locks Instantly
If scalp grease (or too many products) have left your light hair looking like dirty dishwater, sprinkle translucent powder over your roots, then brush through, says makeup artist Morgen Schick.

3. Hydrate Your Skin in Half the Time
Use conditioner to moisturize your hair -- and body, says Schick. Just massage it in neck-to-toe in the shower, rinse and dry off. The conditioner will hydrate nearly as well as body lotion -- without the time suck of waiting for it to sink in.

4. Get Gorgeous Nails -- Now
Schick's 60-second strategy: Remove all polish, clean under your nails (with lemon juice, if you have it) and massage the thickest lotion you can find (lip balm will suffice in a pinch) into your cuticles.

5. Use Pink to Fake Perfect Skin
Surprise! Concealer is only half the battle when it comes to fixing flaws. To really perfect your complexion (no matter what your skin tone), try wearing lipstick in a warm pink. "It distracts people's eyes from blemishes and other imperfections," says Schick.

6. Depuff Your 'Do in a Flash
To flatten frizz, dampen your hands with water and a drop of hand lotion, then gently pull your hair back into a French twist. Wait 10 minutes; take your strands down. Voilà -- fuzz free!

7. Focus on the Front to Speed Hairstyling
When you're strapped for time, do the T-zone blow-dry: down your part and around your hairline only. "As long as the front and top of your hair looks finished," says Scrivo, "so will you."

8. Score Evening Eyes in Just One Step
Eyeliner is the fastest way to look sexy, says Delux Beauty creator Jillian Dempsey. To do: Trace your top lash lines to just past the outer corners of your eyes.

9. Pull It Together with a Ponytail
There's nothing wrong with resorting to a ponytail -- after all, it's the ultimate easy style. To do: Pull your hair back haphazardly with your fingers and spritz with hairspray, says Roy Teeluck, owner of the Roy Teeluck Salon in New York City. Last, twist a stray tendril around your hair elastic; pin.

10. Revive Your Face Rapidly
To look alive after a long night, pat concealer onto the inner corners of your eyes, under your lower lashes and next to your nose, says Scrivo. Finish by swirling bronzer over your cheeks.

Strange Beauty tips for men and women

Puffy Face, Get a Tea Bag

If you have sensitive skin that is sometimes irritated and results in puffiness, then steep a green tea-bag for a minute or two, let cool, then dab it on your face. The antioxidants in the tea bag will reduce the inflammation.

Dried Out, Get Diaper Cream

If you suffer from dry spots, try putting diaper rash cream on them, it will heal cracked elbows feet.

Rough Dry Feet, Get fish

A popular trend in China, Japan and Turkey, that if you have dry rough and cracked feet then they soak them in a small pail filled with hundreds of miniature fish that will then eat the dead skin off your feet. These fish are called doctor fish or gara rufa and they are completely harmless except for eating dead skin.

Dry Pits-Exfoliate Them

If your underarms start to feel dry and flaky, exfoliate them with a gentle face scrub to keep skin smooth and natural looking for those sleeveless days. It will also help to properly absorb residue from underarm deodorant.

Need a Shave, Use Hair Conditioner

Run out of shaving cream then double up on the hair conditioner. It will soften the hair making it easier to shave and leave your legs feeling silky smooth.

Got a Blemish, Dab on Honey

Cover the blemish with a dab of honey then cover with a band-aid. The honey will kill the bacteria, keeping the skin sterile, which will help the healing process.

Feeling Rough, Slap on an Avocado

Remove the pit and skin from an avacado and mash it in a bowl. Slather the mashed avacado all over your body and let sit for 10 to 20 minutes, then rinse off. Your skin will be smooth and soft. Avacado is a natural moisturizer.

by: debra mann

healthmad.com