Lipstick has always been a bold fashion statement, be it a man or a woman wearing it! Crushed carmine beetles were Cleopatra’s best friend, as was portrayed on her deliciously red lips. In modern society, choice plays a huge part for lipsticks, with coatings and chemicals playing a large part of selection. Research and testing has assisted the new age into helping them find a lipstick that defines them as a person. Creamy lipstick smoothes out the lips’ surface and almost double-coats it, and allows more room to manoeuvre, especially when making contact with glasses or cups.

 

Eyes build character in a person, as they are read rather than spoken at. Verbalising through the eyes has become the new means of communication. In ancient times, the Egyptians used to ward off evil spirits by putting kohl around their eyes. Although not the same concept, people nowadays also put on eye liner and mascara, as a fashion statement with no superstition-strings attached. Mascara has a primary usage – to darken and lengthen one’s eyelashes. Preferences matter, especially when there are many different sources of fluids, that help alter the curl, or even the straightness of an eyelash.

 

Many cosmetic products have been made accessible to people for trial and error; foundation and concealer are some which have been popular in recent years. It does get tough, especially with so many products on offer in the market, and people with different sensitivities of skin. Together, foundation and concealer help place more importance on the face, and helps hide all unnecessary spots. Although foundation can be applied on both dehydrated and dry skin, it is encouraged that one should use moisturiser before application. Not only will this help the texture of the skin, but it will help make the skin feel more hydrated, and naturally will enhance the overall look.

Fashion and beauty is crazy. You only need to watch the rate women shop, or glance the contents of a girlfriends make up bag, to understand us guys have it easy.

Pull on a pair of jeans, throw on a half ironed t-shirt and off we go. Out-of-bed hair is all the rage these days (or at least it was when I last checked). On the way out of the door we’ll grab some lynx and spray it recklessly to shield the smell of 3 day old pants and socks.

For women, fashion and beauty is a completely different thing entirely. I shudder to think how much the industry is worth. My girlfriend alone probably accounts for about 10% of total cosmetic sales! And the pressure to look good and wear the latest clothes is insane.

So where do us guys come in?

Well, despite having to nod our heads repeatedly and say ‘yes, that looks nice’, we too have to venture into the dark world of fashion on very rare occasions (usually on Birthdays), so it pays to be prepared when purchasing make up for the opposite sex.

Here are a few tips to ease your makeup purchase woes:

• First off, go fishing. By this I don’t mean actually fishing (just so we’re clear)! Start asking questions (without being too obvious) and try to find out what make up your friend/girlfriend/mother/sister already uses. Quite often women will have their favourite styles and brands, so sticking to this is often a winning formula. A brave man is he who veers away from this path.

 

• Do your research in-store. Speak to the pretty makeup sales ladies. They are trained make up ninjas and will be more than happy to help. Just don’t be overly friendly or you might end up with lots of make up and noone to give it to!!

 

• Everyone likes a freebie so try getting your hands on some free make up samples, especially items like foundation, concealer, mascara and lipstick. All you need now is a friend guinea pig to experiment on. There’s a good chance your friends won’t want you testing products on them. You’re a guy after all, so what the hell do you know about anything? Your best bet is to give the samples to friends and see what they think about the results.

 

• And if all else fails, call your Mum. This is the ultimate guys’ secret weapon. Mum’s are the source of life and knowledge. And if your Mum doesn’t know the answer (this happens extremely rarely) try plan B – a box of chocolates, a bear and some flowers, or if you want to splash the cash, opt for some perfume. It’s a dead cert!

You can do it – you can choose make up successfully and the recipient will forever adore you for your valient efforts.

For some great make up tips, fantastic mascara and great quality concealer, visit Rimmellondon.com.

It can be a real challenge to make the eyes stand out. And like any good artist you will have to master the precise techniques of accurate brush work and careful colour blending. Almond shaped eyes are considered to be the most effective. When making-up eyes, try with a mix of light and dark eye make up to define the necessary changes to give the eyes an almond appearance.

Eye Pencils

Whether they are being used to shade or define the eyes, lips or brows, pencils should glide on smoothly, without dragging the skin. If you have problems applying because they are too soft and crumbly, place them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden before application. Similarly, if they are too hard and pull at the skin, try softening the point by gently running it over the back of the hand.

Eyebrow Pencils

To fill bare brows and enhance the overall shape, eyebrow pencils can be used. Choose a sharpened pencil in the shade closest to the natural colour of your eyebrows and fill any open spaces using short irregular strokes to simulate real hair. Defining the brows, avoid drawing on a thick line as this will look false. Define over the brows in small feathered strokes or soften it by dusting with translucent powder or roll a cotton bud over the brows.

Applying Eyeshadow

Use eyeshadow, in striking tones, applied with a slight hand, can give the face an aura of
luminosity. Eyeshadow should always glide on smoothly, and can be used to change or enhance the shape of the eyes, to add definition or to make a strong impact, depending on your choice of colour. It is also useful to hide the blue colouration many of us have on the skin on our eyelids.

Eyeliner Application

Eyeliner Application requires a steady hand. If you find it hard to apply liner with precision, try etching it on using small feathered stokes and then blend with a fine-tipped brush or cotton bud. For easing, place a mirror on a flat surface and then apply makeup looking down into it.

Eyebrows

Things to think about before shaping your brows:

• The facial distance between hairline to chin.

• The distance between both the eyes.

• The hair color and color of eyebrows.

• The facial distance from hairline to chin.

• The length of the forehead from temple to temple.

• The thickness of the brows

How To Apply Eye Mascara

With the advent of modern mascaras there is no need to pump the wand in and out of its container before applying such as it can actually cause overload and result in clogged lashes. Apply only enough product on the wand to coat the lashes, so any excess should be removed with a tissue. You should roll the wand through the lashes to increase the curl effect; always work on upper lashes from underneath to avoid over loading and keep mascara on the lower lashes to a minimum, especially if you have a tendency to rub your eyes.

For eye make up tips and information about mascara and other make up tips, visit Rimmellondon.com – get the London Look now!