Cosmopolitan Community
Date Joined: 10.11.2011
Skin Secrets
Over the past few weeks a fair few of you Cosmo kids have written to us to enquire as to which skincare/make-up yours truly uses. Some of you were also so kind as to gush and give lovely comments on my complexion. This is possibly because the February issue features approximately 947 images of my mug. Apologies for that.
A few base titbits here:
I, in fact, don’t have the flawless skin you see in mag. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and am opposed to oral contraceptive (let’s get into that debate another time), which means I battle blemishes on the daily. Would you upload a pic to Facebook with a massive red zit? Doubtful. Same goes for the pics you see of me.
Pimples in the mag? Not pretty. For your viewing pleasure, I apply copious amounts of concealer before I am shot. There is also this wonderful tool that our designers here use. You may have heard of it. It’s called Photoshop. We call on it sparingly (and never use it to slim or change appearance in any way), but if it saves from you seeing a big read spot while you’re reading the latest issue over your Coco-Pops, we will get rid of it.
You might be surprised to know that the ‘glow’ comes mostly from make-up. Not skincare. A diligent skincare routine will give you good skin health, but a visible radiance comes from a masterfully applied base.
Foundation should be used LIKE concealer. I see girls apply foundation as if its face cream, and the result is a mask of matte-beige-boring. You need highlights and lowlights in your face, it’s not a flat surface. For this reason, use foundation on the bits that need to be hidden (redness around the nose, circles under the eyes, dark lids), then use your heavy duty concealer (pot or stick formula) on spots and scars only.
Illuminator is the Mr. T of make-up. It is king. Make friends with it. This goes for bronzer formulations, too. A slight shimmer in the powder you dust over your face will add dimension. Swipe it on the dark areas of our face (UNDER the cheek, along the hairline, down the sides of the nose and under the jaw. This adds lowlights.
Then, amp it up with a cream or liquid highlighter. This should be tapped lightly (and blended well) on cheekbones, brow bones, down the bridge of the nose (only if your nose is straight and bump free), and on the cupids bow. This adds highlights.
Finish with a creme blush on the apples if it takes your fancy. Having a round face, I avoid blush altogether as I feel blush amplifies fullness.
Please also note that there’s a fine line between dewy and oily. Nix shine with blotting papers (not powder – you’ll dull down all your hard work).
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