Summer Skin Care

Sunshine, heat, humidity, and chlorine can do a number on summer skin. For one thing, the sun’s rays are particularly strong, so the chances of developing wrinkles, age spots — or even worse, skin cancer — increase. Plus, higher heat and humidity mean more rashes, breakouts, and cloggedpores, while chlorine dries out your skin (and your hair!) Hey, don’t let these potential downers rain on your summer parade. Follow these 10 summer skin tactics and you’ll be good to glow.

Don’t skip the moisturizer: Your skin may be less dry these days, but don’t banish that moisturizer. Instead, switch to lighter, water-based formulas for both face and body, and swap your heavy eye cream for a lighter serum.

Slather on the sunscreen: Choose products that provide broad-spectrum protection (they block both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays) with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15. Apply sunscreen liberally (at least a one-ounce shot-glass-size amount) before you go outside; reapply every two hours and always after swimming. And don’t let those clouds fool you — apply sunscreen every single day!

Bring on the balm:Lips are susceptible to skin cancer too, so be sure to wear a broad-spectrum sun-protective lip balm with an SPF of at least 15 to keep lips sun-safe and supple.

Switch to summer makeup: Trade liquid foundation for a lighter, mineral-based powder with a minimum SPF of 15. Skip the creamy blush and instead go for a natural-looking glow with a touch of bronzing powder. Use waterproof mascara for streak-free swimming, and ditch that lipstick for a dab of tinted gloss.

Don sun-protective clothing: No need to cover up head to toe, but do consider a long-sleeved shirt, wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses at the beach, at least for part of the day. Remember, tightly woven, darker fabrics are better sun blockers than lightweight, light-hued fabrics, or try clothing especially made for sun protection.

Go for the faux: Minimize your chances of wrinkles, age spots, and skin cancer by skipping the suntan altogether and opting for a sunless self-tanner, spray tan, or airbrushing.

Exfoliate regularly: Sun, sand, sweat, and sunscreen only increase the amount of dead skin cells that build up on your face and body. Slough them off with an exfoliating scrub or loofah a few times each week. (A beautiful bonus: Exfoliating will also help your self-tanner go on more evenly and prevent streaking.)

Practice smart shaving: Short shorts and sundresses mean more frequent shaving sessions, and that can irritate and/or dry out skin. This season, be sure to replace your razor often, shave only after you’ve been in the shower for a few minutes (when your hairs will be softer), use a moisturizing shaving cream or gel, rinse thoroughly, and moisturize immediately afterward.

Head off heat rash: High temps and humidity may mean heat rash, especially if you’re overdressed or prone to sweating a lot. Do your best to keep cool and stay dry, and avoid wearing clothes that rub or irritate your skin. A mild heat rash should go away on its own, but if it’s accompanied by swelling, oozing, dizziness, nausea, or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention ASAP, since those symptoms may be signs of an infection or a more serious heat-related illness.

Prevent rosacea: This common skin condition can be exacerbated by heat, causing your face to swell, get red, and break out in little pimples. If you’re prone to rosacea, seek refuge in air-conditioning, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes, and keep cool by taking cold showers, misting yourself with a spray bottle, and drinking plenty of cold water.

Use these 10 simple strategies for skin care in summer and you’ll have the best-looking — and the healthiest — skin on the beach!

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Wedding Hair and Makeup Guaranteed to Last

DG: Wedding season can be hot. What are your tips for brides, bridesmaids and guests that want their makeup to last all day?

LC: Start by applying a mattifying but non-drying moisturizer like MAC Oil-Control Lotion (Skip the heavy eye-cream). Then, select a long-wear foundation that offers buildable coverage and is formulated to last for hours like Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup, which contains SPF (perfect for outdoor weddings!).

Next, prep eyes with an eye primer – Urban Decay Primer Potion is among the best. Choose long wear, waterproof eyeliners and mascaras. I love the waterproof versions of L’Oreal Voluminousand CoverGirl LashBlast. For eyeliner, I live for the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils, which comes in an amazing shade range, perfect for weddings.

Line and fill in lips with long-wear lip pencil, then add lipstick. Blot. Then reapply lipstick. If you want a glossy finish, add gloss to center of lips only.

Set makeup with translucent powder. My favorite is Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder, which photographs beautifully helps makeup stay put.

LC’s what not to do tip:  It is not always necessary to touch up makeup with more makeup. A common bridal mistake is continual powdering throughout the day, which will end up looking cakey or blotchy (not how you want to look in your bridal pics!)  Rather, invest in blotting tissues. Remember to press tissues over areas with shine. Do not rub tissues around your face as you could ruin the placement of the makeup. My favorite: Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper.

DG: Are brides and bridesmaids keeping their makeup au natural or have you seen some ask for a more dramatic look?

LC: Most brides want to look like enhanced version of themselves, so bridal palettes often include champagnes, taupes, pewters, browns and other neutrals on the eye. They’re asking for pinks, peaches and roses on cheek and lip. Individual false lashes also add to that wedding day allure without looking too “done.”

This summer more brides are also requesting pops of color, in line with this seasons “bights” trend. I personally always recommend a little more color than the bride initially thinks – as color fades over time (particularly with kissing, toasting and so on) and isn’t always truly captured on camera. A nude lip, for instance, often photographs as no lip. This summer brides are also asking for fun shades on lids (violets, for example) and lips (hot pinks, fuchsias, corals). Contouring and highlighting are also more popular of late, which enhances facial features and adds drama.

DG: What emergency beauty loot should you stash in your purse pre-wedding?

LC:  In even the smallest clutch, find room for blotting tissues and lipstick (which can do double-duty as blush!)

DG: How can a bridal party and guests keep elaborate up-do’s or even all-down styles in place?

KS: The best way to keep a wedding style looking its best for an entire day is with proper preparation of the hair. Start by using a high quality mousse as soon as you step out of the shower to achieve volume and the longevity needed to last an entire day.  I recommend applyingRene Furterer Volumea Foam to the entire head – making sure to saturate every strand.  Next, blast your hair approximately 80% dry with a powerful  blow dryer like, Salon Tech 2800 Feather Light Blow dryer and then lightly brush your hair with a boar-bristle brush like Cricket Boar #350 round brush to smooth the ends.

To make the hairstyle last all day, it is important to seal in the hair cuticle creating shine and blocking frizz. You can do this by using a versatile flat iron, which can create curls, waves or soft, straight locks.  Whether you prefer curls or straight hair this effect can be achieved by using theKiss by Salon Tech Silicone Protection Flat Iron that allows for greater heat generation to best seal the cuticle. Regardless if your hair is going up or down, it is best to finish with a firm hold hair spray such as Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer Finishing Spray.

DG: Let’s say you have seven weddings this summer (like me!), is there a hair cut you should get at the beginning of the summer that will make up-dos more seamless, or will help a style last throughout the day?

KS: The perfect cut for any up-do is one with seamless layers. Layers add dimension and texture to the shape of the hair, which allows for more options when styling an up-do.

DG: Any hair products that brides and bridesmaids should stash in their purse for touch-ups if necessary?

KS: Bobby pins and a small can Jonathan Product Finish Control Mini Hair Spray — it’s a must for touchups throughout the day!

6 Ways to Avoid Makeup Melt at the Gym

Q: I want to schedule more sessions with the cute new trainer at my gym, but I need to figure out how to keep my makeup from dripping all over my face during the workout. How do I pull off a polished look while exercising?

A: Dripping makeup is messy, and it can be a real turnoff — even at the gym. But don’t sweat it! Here are some tips that’ll help you avoid makeup melt and show off your natural glow instead:

1. Wear less makeup. The gym is one place where you can get away with this, so go for it. Instead of full foundation, just dab on a little concealer wherever you need it.
2. If you need more coverage, add some tinted moisturizer to help even out your complexion. For oily or acne-prone skin, try Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Enhancer, which is oil free and noncomedogenic. Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Moisturizing Balm works well for dry skin. (Or mix some of your usual foundation with a bit of moisturizer to make your own.)
3. Skip the blush — your workout will give you a natural glow.
4. Use waterproof liner and mascara to avoid raccoon eyes. For a clean, natural look, I like Maybelline Unstoppable Smudgeproof Waterproof Eyeliner and L’Oréal’s Panoramic Curl Waterproof Mascara because they add definition and won’t run down your face.
5. Use a tinted lip balm instead of lipstick, and skip the lip liner so you don’t end up with an odd-looking outline around your mouth by the end of your workout. And no goopy gloss, either — it’ll just get all over your teeth and water bottle.
6. Carry a towel for blotting the sweat from your face — pat, don’t wipe!

Steal the Mermaid Makeup Looks from Pirates of the Caribbean

When it comes to makeup looks from Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp’s eyeliner has earned the most attention. But the latest installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, features hypnotic mermaids with natural, yet glowing skin. Jerry Bruckheimer describes them as gorgeous, sexy, and vicious — a combination I wouldn’t mind replicating!

Jason Garner, DuWop makeup artist and national training manager, created the looks seen on the mermaids, including Gemma Ward. I asked him for tips to capture the mermaid makeup looks featured in the movie. He shares his advice for creating an ethereal glow, applying blush, and keeping makeup from smudging:



Highlight your best features. In On Stranger Tides, makeup artists used DuWop’s Doubleglow7 ($25) on the mermaids to create a romantic radiance. To capture this same look, Garner suggests mixing this highlighting product with foundation and applying it with a foundation brush for “an all-over healthy glow.” Garner says the best places to highlight are “through the cheeks and behind the apples.”

Other great areas to use highlighter: straight down your nose, which will sculpt your face, and right under your lips — on your chin — which will make your lips look pouty. “You can also mix with your favorite moisturizer for less overall coverage but the same luminous look,” he says. For more tips and tricks on looking luminous, read our guide to looking great in photos.



Apply blush lightly.  Want your cheeks to look lightly flushed? DuWop's Blushbooster ($22) will give you a sheer pop of color. “With traditional blush, you want to avoid going too far in front of the apple,” says Garner. “With DuWop Blushbooster, however, these very sheer colors can be worn more liberally on the face. Use a dense blush brush for more pickup and a bigger payoff. The Mango shade (used on set), distracts from redness with a light peach tone.”



Prep eyes and lips before applying color. The makeup artists on the set of On Stranger Tides relied on DuWop’s Reverse Eyeliner ($24) to keep the mermaids’ eye makeup from budging. The Reverse Eyeliner “acts as a barrier to keep eyeliner from smudging,” says Garner. “Simply sweep the pencil underneath the lash line and liner to keep makeup in place,” he advises. You can also use the reverse eyeliner as a primer on lids to keep eye shadow from moving, says Garner.

On lips, the makeup artists on set used DuWop’s Reverse Lipliner ($19).  “Use this pencil to draw three times around the outer edge of the lip line, before applying lipstick or gloss. Not only will your lipstick stay in place, Reverse Lipliner highlights lips with light-reflecting properties, making the whole mouth look more pronounced,” explains Garner.

Look for waterproof products to keep makeup from melting.If you’re planning on spending as much time in the water as a mermaid this summer, look for products labeled waterproof or water-resistant. If you’ll be outside a lot in the heat, Garner says to look for makeup products with ingredients that help control oil because that will minimize shine. “A product like DuWop Primerstone is great for keep makeup on the face, especially in humid conditions,” he says. “You can also use a setting spray like Urban Decay All Nighter. These types of products will keep makeup in place even during hot summer weather.”

Foundation Tips and Tricks

When you are putting your makeup on, you are like creating a painting on the canvass that is your face. Your makeup is supposed to add color and enhance the best features of your face.

Your makeup will not work, however, if the base upon which you are putting your makeup looks all wrong and is not applied properly. The base I am referring to is your foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to cover the skin of the face and to lend upon it the appearance of smoothness. Thus, it is important that the foundation you choose to use is the best for your skin.

Here are a few tips and tricks on choosing and applying the right kind of foundation for your skin.

You should always go for the natural look whenever you are applying your makeup, so your foundation should match the tone of your skin. How do you know if the color of your foundation matches your skin tone? You do this by putting some along your jawline. A foundation has the perfect color for you if it blends well with your skin, so much that it practically seems that you are not wearing any foundation at all. If the color of your skin changes, go ahead and change the color of your foundation. Also, to know for certain if you are picking the right color of foundation for your skin, always test the foundation under natural light.
When applying foundation, just pat the stuff down on your face and then spread it out smoothly with a sponge. Cover your face entirely with foundation, including your eyelids and your lips. Take care not to pull at the skin, especially at the thin skin around the eyes.
If the skin is dry, it will only absorb the foundation soon after it was applied. Therefore, make the foundation last longer by applying moisturizer first beforehand. If your face is oily, make sure that your moisturizer is oil-free; also opt for a powder foundation if you have oily skin. Another thing you can do to make the foundation last longer is to set it with loose powder whose color matches the color of the foundation.
If you have blemishes that you wish to hide, like pimples or dark spots, smooth a concealer on the blemishes first before putting the foundation on. Avoid putting too much powder or color on these areas where the blemishes are in order not to attract the eyes upon them.
Makeup in the evening is always brighter and more special. For added glamour, blend shimmer powder along with your foundation and apply it to areas on your face that you want the light to shine on to emphasize the best features of your face.
Always use products with sunscreen protection. That is a must in order to provide protection for your skin and to keep it from getting damage from ultraviolet exposure.

Bigger Eyes

Problem:
My eyes are very small. Are there any makeup tips to make them stand out more?

Solution:

Eyeliner is the magic wand for creating the illusion of bigger, more expressive eyes. Line the entire top lash line and extend the line slightly at the corners. You can also line the bottom of your eyes, but concentrate color only on the outer third and extend it slightly past the edge. (We're not talking Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra here.) A soft,smoky look will open your eyes more than a thin, hard line. Stick to dark, neutral colors with a hint of black for lining, as bright shades will only make them seem smaller.

Lashes can also be a great eye-opener. Curl them three times before applying mascara -- at the base, halfway up and at the tip -- to create a gentle, rounded curl. Fan out your lashes while applying mascara. Brush the inner third in toward your nose, the middle third straight out and the outer third toward your temples.

Contrary to popular belief, dark, dramatic eyeshadow will not make your eyes stand out. In fact, it'll do just the opposite. If you have small eyes, keep it simple by using only light-colored shadows, and never wear more than two shades at once. Brush a subtle base color from lash to brow, and then use a slightly darker shade to create subtle definition in the crease.

Tweeze Your Brows

Which Tweezer?

Thin Tip: Good for grasping small, fine hairs, and plucking ingrown hair.
Slanted Tip: Gives maximum control.
Square Tip: Best used for removing coarse hairs or several hairs at a time.

1. Tweeze immediately after showering or apply a hot washcloth to loosen hair follicles.
2.Hold a pencil vertically along the side of the nose. Eyebrow should start at outside edge if pencil eyebrow queen.
Hint: Leaving a bit more space will widen close-set eyes.
3.Hold pencil to outside of eye. This is where the eyebrow of a bombshell should end.
4.Smooth brows with a little moisturizer to help hairs slide out - turn back the clock.
5.Brush brows up to find a natural arch.
6. Draw in the desired shape beforehand with a soft eye shadow pencil - Keira Knightley smokey eyes.
Hint: Don't use an eyeliner pencil. It will cause you to pluck too much.
7.Tweeze under the brow first, plucking in the direction of the growth.
Hint: If your plucking becomes too painful, apply a little anbesol (yes, that pain reliever for teeth also numbs the brows)
8.Using an eyelash comb, comb brows upwards and trim any hairs that extend beyond the natural top or brow bone. Glamorous lashes.
9.After tweezing, soothe the area with cool, wet tea bags

Quick tip

Apply a creamy rose blush over the tops of your cheekbones in a half moon shape under your brow bones. You'll get a subtle sheen that draws attention to your eyes and makes your face glow.

Face Care Routine

1. CLEANSING

Women who wear makeup should carry out a routine of cleansing, toning and moisturing each evening, as well as washing the face in the morning. Cleansing will remove old make-up and the grime and grease that have been accumulated during the day. 

• Remove mascara  with a cotton bud dipped in eye-dipped in eye-cleansing lotion. To make the job easier keep your hair off your face.
• Remove the eyeshadow by gently wiping it off with a pad of clean cotton wool moistened with eye-cleansing lotion.
• Pour a little face cleansing cream into the palm of one hand and dab it generously over the nose, chin, forehead and cheeks --- using two fingers of the other hand.
• Massage the cream into the skin, starting under the throat, using a gentle upward motion.
• Continue massaging the cream up to the forehead, using the fingertips.
• Gently massage the cream from the eyes to the nose.
• Massage cream back over the chin, which is particularly prone to blackheads. Use the index finger.
• Remove the cream from the face with tissue pads in each hand. Start under the chin and work over the cheeks and on to the forehead

2. TONING

Toners remove all traces of dirt, make-up or cleanser that remain after cleansing. 

• Immediately after cleansing apply toner to the forehead and cheeks on a pad of corron wool
• Apply the toner to the crevices around the nose.
• Apply the toner to the crevices around the chin.

3. MOISTURIZING

Without moisture, the skin will not remain smooth and supple. The face is exposed to the drying effect of the weather, so moisturisers -- which form a film over the skin -- contain and augment the natural moisture.

• Using the tips ofthe fingers, dot moisturising cream lightly all over the face.
• Press the fingers of both hands into the centre of the forehead and work the cream slowly outwards. Pat the cream gentlyaround the eyes.
• Work the cream around the jawline, chin and mouth with the middle fingers of both hands.
• Massage the cream over the throat with alternating hands, using upward strokes from collar-bone to chin.

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Nifty shadow tip

Don't you just hate opening your new fave shadow and it's cracked and broken into unusable bits? Here's a quick fix... Using a spoon, crush the product until it is a fine powder. Then pour in a few drops of pure alcohol and mix until it's a paste. Smooth out in your make-up container and leave overnight.   What you end up with is a product that has been reset! Yay!