New Allure Cover - Some Bad Blush

What's with Mariah Carey's blush on the new (April 2008) Allure cover?


Image from allure.com

It looks like she has some peachy beige blush on, which would look fabulous except for the fact that it was applied in such an unflattering place!

A few quick rules of thumb with blush and wanting to keep the look natural and flattering:

-SKIP THE SKI SLOPES! Please don't put your blush on this way. Especially not with colour, as demonstrated by the above cover, because it looks strange. The puckering-mouth, ski-slope-under-the-cheeks method is a contouring technique. Use skinlike tones (beige/taupe tones and foundation colours) to contour your face, because they mimic the actual tones of the shading you are trying to accentuate.

-SMILE. Make a big smile at yourself in the mirror. See the fleshy pad that pops out under your eyes when you do this? That's the apple of your cheek. Keep your blush colour in this area, and diffuse it out and upward. A great trick for a nice uplifting effect is to keep your blush to the outer two thirds of the apples of your cheeks, blending up and out.

-USE THE PROPER TOOL. The brush that I like to use to get a great daytime blush application is actually a medium sized powder brush. I find that many blush brushes are too small to effectively diffuse colour, although some powder brushes these days are way too big to use for the cheek alone. Look for a brush that is about the size of the apple of your cheek, as anything too big will be messy and anything too small will be streaky.

-LESS IS MORE. Blush (especially in the daytime) should bring a subtle vibrancy and life to your face. The current aesthetic for blush looks leans towards a lit-from-within glow, which is a far cry from the overt rouged looks of eras past. It's all about fooling the eye - go ahead and wear your (barely perceptible) blush, just don't let your screaming blush wear you!

Eyebrows

Anyone that knows me well knows that I have grown to become quite obsessed with eyebrows.

Eyebrows really are the frame for the face, and properly shaped and groomed eyebrows can make all the difference to your look. Although shapes and styles have changed throughout the ages, there are some key features to eyebrow looks right now that can make your look more current and modern.


The perfect modern brow, courtesy of allure.com

First new rule: LET YOUR BROWS GROW.

I know how easy it is to simply stick to a look you feel has been working for you, regardless of how long you have been doing it. Brows these days are thicker, fuller and shaped. Do not be afraid when you hear thick brows, these are not the unkempt look of the '80s.

Secondly, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ARCH.

We have all read this and that about how to find your arch and groom your eyebrows properly, but the truth is that the most current look for brows is groomed under a completely different set of measurements. Take for example the positioning of the arch is relation to the eye. Notice that the arch is pushed out from the centre of the face. In relation to the proportions of the brow, the arch is now starting at the outer third of the brow, and is not necessarily groomed in relation to the position of the iris (as previously mentioned in most brow grooming guides).

Thirdly, MODIFY THE SHAPE.

The most striking and contemporary shape to the brows is one that has a smoother, more fluid underline that transitions gradually from the beginning through to the arch at about two thirds out, and then gradually curves and tapers to form the end. Pay attention to the positioning of the endpoint in relation to the lowest point on the inner edge of your brow, above the inner corner of your eye. Notice that the inner corner is lower than the endpoint. If a level horizontal line was drawn across the eye touching the lower inner corner of the brows, the endpoint of the brow would be higher than this line. This creates a nice uplifting effect and really opens up the eye. I know it can be a little hard to achieve this raised endpoint, but please at least keep it level with the lower inner corner, as it will keep you from looking tired or sad.

Here's another contemporary brow, illustrating the perspective when viewing the face straight on:

The amazing Jessica Stam, from style.com

Next time you take a look at a recent magazine, take a second to really look at the eyebrows. It is easy to pass them up when you aren't especially looking out for them, but take a second to analyze the new shapes that are out there. You'll see what I mean...