Need to Look Your Best in a Hurry? Tips for a Quick and Polished Look!

Start with your face: it's your "canvas."

Have a little extra time the night before an event for which you want to look your best? Super - exfoliate your face with a mask or microdermabrasion (using the right products for your skin type and special needs) and then moisturize your skin thoroughly. Also shape and clean up your eyebrows to complement your face.

On the day of your event, perform steps two through four for healthy skin: cleanse, freshen and moisturize. (Step one is exfoliate, which you've done.) Your foundation and makeup apply much more smoothly and evenly over well-hydrated skin so carefully moisturize your face and eye areas.

Since the eye areas don't produce their own moisture, apply an eye cream; it's specially formulated for that delicate skin. (Moisturizers for the face tend to have humectants which can puff up the skin around the eyes.)

Foundation: Do you know that foundation is the fifth and "protect" step for healthy skin? Apply your foundation and finish it with powder. The powder will "set" the foundation and help it last longer so there's less need for touch ups.

Eye primer: An eye primer allows eye color to go on more smoothly and stay in place longer without creasing and smudging.

Eye color: The simplest approach to eye color is to apply a neutral or soft shade (from the upper lashes to the brows) which will enhance or "pop" another color placed over it.

Almost as easy is another technique using two colors. Follow the eye primer with a single color from lash to brow. Then apply a second stronger or darker color over the lids and into the creases to complement the shape of your eyes. If you're getting ready for an evening event, be more dramatic than for an event during the day.

Eye liner: Line the eyes if it enhances them, staying close to the lash lines.

Mascara: To make your eye lashes appear thicker and longer, start with the wand close to the eyes and then wiggle the wand back and forth as you move it away from your eyes. To really "open" your eyes, use an eyelash curler.

Eyebrows: A simple and natural way to emphasize the eyebrows is to brush them with a matching shade of eye color and then set the color with a gel. The gel will also help emphasize and maintain the shape of your brows.

Cheek color: For your cheek color, either smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks or sweep it up along your cheek bones starting two fingers away from your nose and stopping at your temples. Then blend the color gently.

Lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss: If color 'bleeding' is a problem, run a lip outliner pencil along the outer edges of your lips. Define your lips with a lip liner, fill in color with a lipstick and polish with gloss.

Your canvas is now a "work of art!"

© Copyright 2005 Charlotte Maddox

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print as long as the bylines, URL and copyright are included. Please print the article in its entirety, unchanged and send a copy of the publication to charlottemaddox@marykay.com.

Charlotte Maddox is an independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay Inc. Her goals are to share her knowledge and expertise in helping clients develop skin care and beauty routines which suit their preferences and lifestyles and to save valuable time and effort in busy clients' lives. http://www.marykay.com/charlottemaddox

RELATED ARTICLES Advantages of an Indoor Tanning Bed Think tanning and you will find a tanning salon just a few blocks away. With each passing day, tanning is gaining more and more popularity and is increasingly enmeshed in our society. Why Skin Care Products Wont Work! Skin Care Products Wont Work! No skin care or cosmetic product,(or any other product for that matter) will work, unless you use it!Sounds obvious, right?But don't we all have a "graveyard" drawer of unused and never to be used skin care items?Bought on a whim or from convincing sales pressure, with little thought of how they fit our needs, wants, lifestyles, etc.?So, what properties make-up your ideal skin care?1. Detox - Does it Improve Your Skin? The answer is yes, especially if you have problem skin. The skin is one of the body's main organs and can eliminate around 10% of all waste from the body. Reducing the Appearance of Wrinkles Wrinkles. One of the most dreaded words in the dictionary. The Fountain of Youth The fountain of youth has always been the most sought-after yet illusive pursuit of man. Does it truly exist? Yes, it does, but not in a tangible form. Tanning Bed Lights - The heart of your Tanning Bed ! Much like the way the overwhelming power of the Ferrari emanates from her gentle and supreme engine, the power of the tanning bed lies in the tanning bed lights that make up the heart of the best tanning beds. And the more you know about tanning bed lights, the more you grow to love it, for therein lie the seeds of beautiful bronzed skin! Read on to know more about tanning bed lights or tanning bed bulbs as they are often called and make them work for you in the best possible way. Lens Technologies Found On Glasses With so many glass lens technologies out there designed to block out all sorts of light, where do you turn? Don't worry; terms like photochromic and polarized may have stumped even Einstein! These words don't have to be as near as confusing as they sound.In this article I will discuss the major technologies currently being employed on glasses and sunglasses everywhere. Neuropeptide - Amino Polypeptide Skin Care Comparison To determine why neuropeptide products are different from other effective antiaging skin care treatments on the market, we first have to determine the difference between neuropeptide and amino polypetide ingredients.Neuro- and pentapaptides are both peptides but "neuro" refers to the very specific functions of this peptide group, while "penta" merely refers to the size of certain peptide molecules. Chemical Peels Generally, chemical peels can be arranged into three categories of light, medium and deep. Light peels are used to help dry skin, acne, liver spots, sun spots, diminish fine facial wrinkles and pore size and improve overall skin texture. An Introduction to Rhinoplasty Nasal surgery (Rhinoplasty Surgery), the most common form of plastic surgery practiced in America today, is a procedure that alters the framework of the nose, manipulating the bone and cartilage structure and the skin to improve the appearance of the nose. It can be used to change the overall appearance of the face from one where the focus of attention was placed on the nose to one where the attention is drawn away from the nose and towards the eyes, a more natural, pleasing occurrence. Skin Care Secrets - You Can Have Beautiful Skin Your skin is the largest organ of your body, just like your heart or your kidney. Its job is to protect your insides so it is important for it to be healthy. Beauty - Is It Really Only Skin Deep? We are in the age of cosmetology, plastic surgery, implants and a constant barrage from TV and magazines that want to sell us beauty and weight loss products. It is an enormously profitable industry that keeps us spellbound for the next new thing that will take away our wrinkles or firm our skin or help us lose weight. 7 Tips to Help You Avoid Buying a Destructive Soap or Cleanser if You Have a Skin Problem Psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, and any other skin problems are irritated very easily by most soaps. As a former psoriasis sufferer I would estimate I tried at least 30 different soaps hoping that would cure my psoriasis. A Beautiful Skin is Every Man and Womans Dream! She was so upset that day. She could not concentrate on her work in office. The Eyes Have It Did you know Leonardo da Vinci sketched and described several forms of contact lenses in 1508, and in 1632 Rene Descartes suggested the possibility of a corneal contact lens? Civilization has come a long way from these early ideas to the high-tech advancements we have to care for our eyes today. We even have choices for improved vision other than through a contact lens or eyeglasses. A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever! And that can be You! It is said that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. That probably explains why possessing beauty and being beautiful is one of the foremost preoccupations of human beings. Factors that can Influence Your Skin Type Normal skin typeNormal skin is smooth, finely-textured, soft and supple. If you are lucky enough to possess this skin type, treasure it by using light cleansers and lotions and mild toners and fresheners. Fragrance and Fun Fight Dry Skin If you are a baby boomer, you might be experiencing dry skin seasonally or everyday. It can be a constant challenge to keep the skin moist and supple; especially when menopause approaches or you live in the cold north or dry desert. Microdermabrasion Treatment Offers Dramatic Results Microdermabrasion is a procedure that improves skin condition. It is effective at reducing fine lines, fine wrinkles, small scars such as acne scars (although it is not effective on deep wrinkles or deep scars), and age spots. Facial Skin Care Because of the exposure it receives, the skin on your face is the most delicate skin on your body. Your facial skin needs special care to stay young, healthy, and beautiful.