Brows
Just as every beautiful portrait needs a frame to properly showcase the art, your brows serve as the frame for your eyes. But the daunting question over whether to pluck or wax leaves many women with one brow raised. While waxing gives you a clean line, tweezing allows daily touchups. Waxing also requires that the hairs grow in to a sufficient length between sessions.
First, consult a salon makeup artist, who can create a baseline brow shape for you. Then, to maintain that line between salon visits, follow these tips from makeup artist Burke Daniel: To find your starting point along your brow, place one end of an eye pencil vertically along the bridge of your nose. Your starting point will be where the pencil ends along the brow. Place the highest point of the arch just outside the pupil to give eyes a nice lift.
Lips
If brows are your best feature, well-defined lips will keep the face in perfect balance. But if your eyes are your focal point, Daniel notes, softer lips will help draw attention to them.
Most women find some fault with their lips. Either they're too thin or too full, and hardly ever just right. If your lips are thin, line them with a flesh-toned pencil. By following the top ridge, you can make your lips appear fuller while keeping them natural-looking.
Are your lips too full? Don't make the mistake of outlining the ridge with shiny glosses. Instead, use a matte texture, skin tones and even darker lip colours, such as coppery browns and deep reds, to downplay the fullness.
Eyes
Makeup really can help put your eyes in focus and correct any imperfections. For instance, if your eyes are small, lighter eye shadows can make them appear larger. Deep-set eyes can be corrected with lighter shades applied to the lid. However, don't apply dark colours in the crease; instead, highlight the brow bone. If your eyes are wide-set, place the lighter shade on the inner corner.
When lining the lower rim, follow the thickness of your lower lashes, reserving the thickest application for the fullest lash area.
Because your lashes frame the eyes just like the brows, the thicker and fuller they are, the more focus there will be on the eyes. Use a good thickening mascara to play up your eyes.
Skin
"If your skin doesn't look clean and perfect, then it doesn't matter how beautiful the eyes and lips look," says Daniel. For that reason, the most important part of your makeup application is your moisturizer and foundation.
To find your perfect foundation match, dip clean cotton swabs in three different shades and swipe across the jaw line from the cheek down to the neck. This will allow you to find a shade that gives you the most natural transition between your face and neck.
Nobody's face is perfect, but with these professional makeup tricks, you can create the illusion of a face that comes pretty close.
