Rules to follow -- and some to
break.
When we were little girls playing dress
up, it was for the sheer joy of it. There was no pressure and no one
told us what was right and wrong to wear. Putting on makeup can still
feel that way. Every woman arrives at her own look through trial and
error. It's a never-ending -- and exciting -- experiment. So the fewer
rules there are, the better!
But aren't there a few makeup rules?
Are there any must-have-or-else beauty necessities? There are no rules
about what you choose to wear, but there are rules on how to apply it.
Here are a few:
Dos Makeup should only go on a freshly
washed and moisturized face.
Whatever you're doing, you have to see
what you're doing. Have bright, even light in front of your bathroom
mirror.
Blend. Blend. And did I
mention...blend! You don't want to see where color begins or ends.
Whether it's foundation, blush, or eye color: no hard, drawn lines. An
exception to this would be eyeliner, but I prefer even that to be
smudged.
Don'ts Pink complexions should not wear
pinkish foundations. No way. No how. Not ever!
My pet peeve (take it for what it's
worth) is wearing dark lip liner and a lighter lip color. This is
what I call "the inflatable doll" look. Scary.
Maybes When it comes to color, take
direction from you hair, rather than from your eyes or your clothes. Or
not!
It used to be a no-no to wear shimmer
eye shadows on mature faces (shimmer accentuated the lines). But most
shimmer formulas are so refined now, just about anyone can wear them.
Are some looks strictly day or night?
Nah. (Besides, when you're coming home from a party at 5 a.m. is it day
or is it night? These are the mysteries of life.)
When it comes to eye shadow, stay in
the same color family if you're wearing more than one tone. Then again,
a color mixed with a neutral looks great -- pink with brown, or blue
with brown.
Want to wear only lip color? Great.
Only concealer? Fantastic. Eye shadow without mascara? Definitely.
Lipstick on your cheeks? Genius. You want chartreuse shadow? And you
want it for everyday? Go ahead -- I have a pair of chartreuse lampshades
that absolutely make the room!
