Promoting Luminous Skin, Hair, and Nails
Wash your face with a mild facial cleanser twice per day. Splash your face with lukewarm water, then apply a dime-sized amount of facial cleanser using your fingertips. Work the cleanser around your cheeks, chin, nose, eyelids, and forehead. Avoid scrubbing or rubbing your face with a washcloth. Then, rinse the soap off with lukewarm water and pat your face dry with a clean towel. Never sleep with your makeup on. Always remove it and wash your face before you go to bed.
Use a skin brush or loofah to promote smoother skin. You can easily make your skin appear more luminous by brushing or scrubbing it. Use a loofah sponge or skin brush when you shower to brush your skin. Brush towards your heart to promote better circulation. Another option is to use an exfoliating scrub to cleanse your skin. This will slough off any dead skin and make your skin look fresh and smooth.
Smooth on foundation in thin layers to create a natural finish. Foundation is an easy way to improve your skin tone. Choose a foundation that matches your skin tone well, and apply it with a makeup sponge. Apply the foundation in very thin layers and let each layer dry for about 5 minutes before applying more. This will allow you to achieve the level of coverage that you want. For example, if you want light coverage, you might only apply 1 to 2 layers, but if you want full coverage, you might need 3 to 4 layers.
Cut back on your intake of sugar and processed carbohydrates to improve the appearance of your skin. Eating lots of sugar can have a negative effect on your skin, such as by causing breakouts, so make sure to limit your intake of sweets and processed carbohydrates, such as white bread, pasta, and white rice. Instead, opt for whole grains, fruits, and veggies to get your carbohydrate fix. Tip: To make your skin glow naturally in a hurry, do vigorous exercise for about 1 minute. Try running in place, jumping rope, or doing jumping jacks. Skip the soda and other sugary beverages and drink water, instead. Add flavor to your water with fruit if you'd like and aim to eat more fruit with high water content, like watermelon and cucumber.
Use dry shampoo when you don’t have time to shampoo. If you’re short on time or taking a day off from shampoo, spray dry shampoo all over your roots and work it in with you fingertips. Then, brush your hair thoroughly to distribute the dry shampoo. Your hair will look clean and voluminous after you’re done. To save even more time, try applying dry shampoo before you go to bed. The dry shampoo will have more time to absorb the oils in your hair and give it a freshly-washed appearance.
Rub your fingernails with a buffing block to make them look shiny. You don’t need to get a manicure to make your nails look shiny and healthy. Just pick up a buffing block and rub it along the top edges of each of your nails. Rub the block back and forth over each of your nails for about 15 seconds. For extra shiny nails, apply a coat of clear nail polish after you finish buffing your nails.Tip: Keep a tube of hand moisturizer on hand and apply it throughout the day to keep your skin soft and supple. This may also help make your nails look shiny.
Trying DIY Beauty Treatments
Exfoliate your lips with a toothbrush to smooth and plump them. After you brush your teeth, brush your lips with your toothbrush, too! Don’t use toothpaste. Just brush your lips with water. This quick trick will remove any dead skin on your lips and promote circulation to make them seem bigger. Another option is to get a lip exfoliating product or make your own lip exfoliant by mixing equal parts sugar and olive oil. Rub the lip exfoliant over your lips to slough off dead skin and promote circulation.
Dunk your face into ice water and cucumbers to reduce puffiness. Wash your face as you normally would, then fill a large bowl with ice cubes and 1 sliced cucumber. Then fill the bowl with water. Take a deep breath, then dunk your face into the bowl and keep it there for as long as you comfortably can, but for no more than 20 seconds. Lift your face out of the bowl, take a breath, and then pat your face dry with a clean dry towel. Continue your usual skincare routine after you dry off your face. Tip: Another option is to move an ice cube across your face as it melts. Concentrate on any areas that are puffy, but don’t hold the ice against your skin for more than 10-15 seconds as it may cause skin damage if you leave it in place for too long.
Rub the inside of a banana peel on your face to minimize fine lines. Eat a banana or use it in a recipe, and then take the peel and rub the inside of it against your skin, concentrating on any fine lines. Leave the banana on your skin for about 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse your face with lukewarm water and pat it dry with a clean towel. You could also mash a banana and apply it to your face as a moisturizing mask. Leave the mask on your face for about 10 minutes, then rinse it off and pat your skin dry.
Rinse your hair with apple cider vinegar after washing for a shiny finish. Shampoo and condition your hair as you normally would. Then, pour 8 fl oz (240 mL) of apple cider vinegar over your hair. Follow this with a cool water rinse to remove the excess vinegar and close your hair cuticle. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can just rinse your hair with cool water after conditioning it instead.
Make a facial mask to pamper your skin. Check your pantry and refrigerator for ingredients that you could use to make a DIY facial mask. Wash your face, and then spread the mask over dry skin and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing it off. Then, moisturize your face as usual. Combine 1/2 a ripe avocado, 1/2 cup (120 g) of plain yogurt, and 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of honey for a soothing, moisturizing mask. Mix together 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of lemon juice, and 1/2 of a teaspoon (2.5 g) of turmeric for a pore-shrinking mask. Stir together 2 US tbsp (30 mL) of honey, 1 teaspoon (5 g) of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of lemon juice to calm skin and reduce redness. Refrigerate your face mask and other skincare products before applying them for a cooling effect.
Getting Bigger, Brighter Eyes
Apply concealer in a V-shape under your eyes to eliminate dark circles. Use a concealer that is 2 to 3 shades lighter than your skin tone and use your fingertips or a makeup sponge to smooth it on in the shape of an upside down triangle under each of your eyes. Extend each triangle all the way down to the center of your cheeks. By applying the concealer in an upside down triangular shape, you’ll brighten up the skin on your cheeks, too. Before you apply concealer, apply chilled eye cream beneath your eyes. Try an ice roller on around your eyes for a nice refresh, as well.
Curl your eyelashes to make your eyes look bigger. Open the lash curler and press it against your eyelid so that the lashes are between the 2 soft plates. Then, gently squeeze down on your lashes to curl them. Be careful not to pinch your eyelid in between the plates. You can purchase an eyelash curler from a drug store or online.
Shape your eyebrows to frame your face. You can use an eyebrow pencil to help you find your natural eyebrow shape. Hold the pencil vertically so that 1 end is beside your nostril and the other end is at the beginning of your eyebrow. Then, tilt the pencil 30 degrees to find your arch, and another 30 degrees to find the end of your eyebrow. Use wax or tweezers to remove any stray hairs and to shape your brows how you want them. If you’re not comfortable plucking and shaping your own eyebrows, get your eyebrows plucked and shaped by a professional.Tip: If you have sparse eyebrows, you might also try filling them in with an eyebrow pencil. This will draw attention to your eyes and enhance your beauty even more. Look at photos of people with a similar face shape when deciding how to shape your brows to figure out what looks best on you.
Apply a fine line of black eyeliner to enhance your eyes. Thick lines of eyeliner can distract from your looks, while a thin line will subtly enhance your beauty. Draw a thin line along the top edge of your eyelid right along your lashes. Try to angle the line upwards at the outer edges of your eyes, similar to a wingtip. This will also help to enhance your eyes and draw attention to them.
Add a dab of highlighter to brighten your inner eyelid. A bit of a light colored, shimmery eyeshadow will help to draw attention to your eyes. Apply it right on the inner corner of your upper eyelid with an eyeshadow brush or your fingertip. You can use any shade that’s lighter than your skin tone. For example, if you have pale skin, a champagne or silver shadow might work well. If you have dark skin, a copper or gold shadow is a good option.
Wear false eyelashes for an extra dramatic look. False lashes will instantly amp up the size of your eyes and draw attention to them. Choose a pair of false lashes that you like and trim them down if needed. Use lash adhesive to keep the false lashes in place. Make sure to remove false lashes when you are done wearing them. Use makeup remover to loosen them and gently pull them off. Then, wash your eyelids thoroughly with a gentle cleanser to remove any eye makeup.
Making Your Lips Look Fuller
Draw a line around the outside of your lips to quickly increase the size. Instead of lining the edges of your lips, try creating a line around the outer edges of your lips to make them seem bigger. Draw the line about 0.5 cm (0.20 in) from the edges of your lips all the way around them. Then, fill in the lines with a matching color lipstick. Be careful not to make the line too far outside of your lips or it will seem unnatural.
Apply a lip-plumping lip gloss or lipstick for a quick fix. You can purchase plumping lip glosses and lipsticks in the beauty section of your local grocery or drug store. Using a lip-plumping gloss will make your lips look fuller instantly, so this is a great strategy of you want to amp up your pout without trying special makeup application tricks.Tip: Choose lip gloss and lipstick shades that compliment your skin tone. This will help to bring out your natural beauty.
Layer 2 colors of nude lipstick to get fuller looking lips. Choose 2 shades of nude lipstick that compliment your skin tone. Apply the darker shade over both of your lips, then apply the lighter shade only in the center 1/3 of each of your lips. Another easy option is to apply a small dab of shimmery lip gloss over a darker colored lipstick right at the center of each of your lips. This will capture the light and draw attention to your lips.
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