LunaBlush

5 Beauty Secrets Perfect for Women on the Go

2011-01-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

Most beauty tips out there are for women that have all the time in the world to maintain their A to Z beauty regimens. But actually, nearly all of us barely have half an hour or so to do whatever needs to be done. These time-saving beauty secrets can help us do the things we need to do a lot quicker than the usual:

1. The Puffy Situation
While tuning in the morning news or better yet, waiting for your coffee to brew, you can place a frozen bag of vegetables (wrapped in a towel of course!) over your puffy eyes for 5-10 minutes. It would also help if you lessen your sodium intake the night before. Or better yet, don’t drink too much wine if you have to wake up early the next day.

2. Pillow Imprints Be Gone!
By splashing your skin with warm water, your skin cells will start having faster blood circulation which makes your skin return back to life thus eliminating pillow imprints. Apply moisturizer for a greater effect.

3. Quick Dry Paint
In case you really need to paint your nails in the morning (which you're supposed to do the night before!), here's what you need to do to dry them quickly. Immerse your newly painted finger nails in a bowl filled with ice and cold water for a couple of minutes. This is actually freezing the topcoat of your polish. Your fingers will go numb, yes!

4. The Wonder Hair Dryer
Towel dry you hair as thoroughly as possible before using the hair dryer. Then bend over and hang your head literally upside down as you run your fingers through your hair and aiming the hair dryer at the roots first. You can dry the tips after.

5. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
Drink lots of water in the morning, preferably warm! Warm water flushes out the kidneys, prepares the stomach for food by stimulating the glands on its walls, and helps the bowels move regularly and naturally. But if you’re trying to hold out hunger, drink cold water instead!

Blushing Beauty

2010-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Blusher has a reputation for being difficult to apply but, once you know what you’re doing, it can make you look your best in seconds.

The Right Blusher For You

Powder blusher is easier to control and blend, which is why it’s the most popular choice of all. You’ll also find the widest choice of shades comes in powder form.It should be applied over foundation - and under face powder - not on bare skin; applying powder blush to clean, fresh skin gives you too bright a flash of colour. At the very least, you should wear a veil of translucent powder underneath. It will also stay put longest if ‘sandwiched’ between foundation and powder. Make-up artists always use powder blusher.

Cream blusher is good for dry or sun-damaged skin; it slides easily over the surface and won’t settle in wrinkles. To avoid a clown effect, always put cream or liquid blusher into the palm of your hand first, then apply it to your cheek. It should be tapped on lightly with the finger and blended immediately.

Gel blusher offers the sheerest form of colour, and is great for giving a natural-looking glow to bare skin on outdoorsy weekends. Because gel blushers are transparent, they’re perfect for summer. Gel should always be applied over moisturiser (not foundation), which makes it glide on more smoothly and avoids a ‘polka-dot’ effect (the stain ‘takes’ very fast when it hits the skin). Do always remember to wash your hands immediately after applying them, as the pigments can stain fingers.

Bronzing powder can be substituted for blush in summer. It’s also great dusted around the hairline, on the nose and chin, as well as across the cheekbones, for giving you a truly healthy-looking tan.

Colour Choices

Don’t go too bright or too dark. Aim for a natural, soft, healthy glow. Bobbi Brown says: ‘The right blusher for you is the same colour your cheeks are naturally when you’re really healthy.’

Fair-skinned women should look for beige, tawny and pink tones.

Olive/yellow-toned skins will find warm brown, almond and copper shades most flattering.

Dark-skinned women can use plum, fuchsia, auburn and deep bronze shades.

Redheads look best in orange, apricot, peach and coral shades. These also look good on anyone with a tan.

Win a £150 worth of Nouba Make up

2010-10-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

Win a £150 worth of Nouba Make up

Smoky Eyes in 3 Easy Steps (Promise!!!!)

2010-10-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

The easiest way to create those sooty, slept-in-your-makeup eyes is to, well, literally sleep in your makeup. But that’s neither good for your skin nor your bed sheets, so these three steps are the next best way to get the look with minimal effort.

THE TOOLS:

- A creamy black eye pencil. A khol formula such as Nouba Eye Pencil no 10 is ideal because it’s soft enough to smudge while still delivering rich black color. Avoid waterproof pencils which don’t blend as easily.

- Shimmery or metallic gray eye shadow. This is key to smoky eyes that are sexy, not raccoon-like. A luminous, medium gray shadow provides that smoky effect without the heaviness of a matte charcoal or black shadow. Choose a powder formula (creams don’t last as long) such as Nouba Double Bubble ref 24

- A domed eye shadow brush. The curved head allows for smooth blending. Try Nouba Eye Brush no 13

- Black mascara. Skipping mascara can make this look seem harsh—you need fluttery lashes to balance the strong eye makeup. Choose a volumizing formula such as Nouba Mascara Super Volume

THE TECHNIQUE:

1. Line your eyes top and bottom with black pencil. For your top lid, place your finger at the outer corner of your eye and gently life the skin up and out slightly—this makes it taut so it’s easier to draw a smooth line. Hold the pencil as close to the lash line as possible and, using short strokes, draw from the outer lashes inward, creating a thick line. Stop just short of the inner corner. Then trace your bottom lid, wiggling the pencil in between your lashes. Smudge both lash lines with a cotton swab.

2. Sweep on the shimmery shadow. You want the color to be darkest by your lashes, so start at the outer corner of your eye. Brush the gray shadow across your lid using quick flicks and concentrating the color close to your lashes, then blend up to your crease.

3. Fade the color outward. To create a halo of gray around your eyes, dust whatever shadow is left on the brush from your crease up to your brow bone, then do a soft sweep under your bottom lashes. If you see any edges of shadow, feather the brush over them to blend. Then dip the brush back in the shadow and work it back and forth in the crease of your lid to create depth. Finish with several coats of black mascara on your top lashes, and just a dab of it on your bottom lashes.

Apply fake lashes like a Pro

2010-10-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

Fake lashes aren't just for showgirls anymore, but they still involve a little smoke and mirrors. If they're not done well, they can take a turn on the never-to-be-traveled Lady Gaga highway, or if applied too loosely, soon those feathery, over-sized lashes are fluttering in a very unflattering way. But if they're done right, they can open up the eye in a most enviable, alluring way. Believe us, they're actually easy to do with the right tools and a little practice. Follow these steps and soon you'll be applying lashes with your eyes shut.

STEP 1: Pick the right lashes

One of the most common mistakes in lashes is choosing a long strip. Pick individuals instead -- they're easier to apply and look more natural. You can try the more dramatic full-length strip for New Year's Eve once you've got the individuals down. For right now, try individuals in short or medium lengths. If they still look too long for you, you can trim them to your desired length. The supplies you'll need are individual lashes, lash glue (usually included with lashes) and tweezers

STEP 2: Get ready

Apply your makeup, including mascara. Lashes should be your last step. (Some makeup artists recommend putting them on before mascara, but sometimes the mascara can look clumpier and pull the lashes loose.) Next, squeeze some glue onto the plastic lid of the lash container and let it set for about 10 seconds (to get tacky). Then, using tweezers, pick up the lashes and dip the knotted end into the glue.
STEP 3: Apply lashes

Start by putting one lash cluster at the outer corner of one eye. Try to place it as close to your lashes as possible. Once it's in position, gently press it against the skin, trying to angle it at the same angle as your lashes, so they blend well. Do one or two lashes on one eye, then move to the other eye -- this helps lashes look symmetrical on each eye. Move from the outside of the eye inward. Three or four clusters is a good start; but you can add more for extra drama.

FINAL TIPS

*Glue should dry clear; if it doesn't, use clear or black glue (to match the lashes).
*Practice makes perfect. Don't apply lashes for the first time 10 minutes before you're supposed to be out the door for a date.
*Lashes come in all sorts of colors and materials (mink, faux fur, sequin-lined, etc.) -- remember that the funky, crazy ones are for fun, special occasions.
*If you want to experiment with full-strip lashes, make sure to trim them so they're the same length as your eye; bend them so they arc like the eye too.
*To remove lashes, just wash your face; soap unsticks the glue.

Make up Bag

2010-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

While we may keep our makeup well-organized and accessible at home, when it comes to travel, we’re sick of packing our makeup goodies in old, lipstick smeared bags from years past. And some of us, even at home, can’t find our eyeliner without finding 2004’s clumpy glitter eye shadow stuck in last year’s lip gloss pot as well. So in an effort to start fresh, we searched for attractive yet functional makeup bags, and found some that are chic enough to double as a clutch, while others are industrious and downright practical enough for the girl who takes her beauty very seriously. No matter your need or amount of cosmetics you need to pack in, our picks for cutest cosmetic cases run the gamut.

Trend Alert : Red for Fall

2010-10-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

Red is all the rage for fall... and it's the red on your head that's got some traction. Sally Hershberger Downtown colorist Nikki Ferrara says that red is in trend ever since Christina Hendricks showed her lockes on Mad Men. "Red got some major publicity."

Why fall? "When you lose your tan, you need to bring a little more color throughout your complexion, says Nikki. "Red gives you that punch of color that you need." Women with more olive tones should stay away from red because red brings out the green in your skin. But if you're fair, go for it!

Here are Nikki's tips for turning red:

REDHEAD TIP #1: Stay near the same depth as your natural base color. If you're naturally a

medium blonde to light blonde you can go as deep as a vibrant copper or as light as a strawberry

blonde.

REDHEAD TIP #2: If you’re a brunette, steer clear of cool blue or violet-based reds like

mahogany or anything that says ‘eggplant.’ If you are already pretty dark, they have a tendency

to wash out your complexion and it just doesn't look natural when it appears in the sunlight.

REDHEAD TIP #3: When you want to add more vibrancy, ask your colorist to add tone-on-tone

highlights. This will also help color keep its shine and prevent it from appearing dull. It keeps the

red more interesting.

REDHEAD TIP #4: Red hair requires a bit of maintenance, unfortunately glosses tend to wash

out pretty quickly. If you're in between appointments and need a bit of a boost, opt for a color

depositing conditioner. Choose a conditioner with more color concentration in it, and will

smooth the shaft the longer you leave it on. As for shampoos, always use one formulated for

color treated hair. This will help to keep the color from fading.