Choosing Cosmetics For Any Season

Cosmetics tips to help you look your best

Everyone loves to receive a sincere compliment. Comments like “You did a terrific job!” or “You look wonderful” make us feel good inside. And when we feel good about ourselves, it shows in our facial expression and our body language.

What makes some of people magnets for compliments? Believe it or not, the color and style of our makeup and clothes have a strong influence on how others perceive us.

A study conducted by Hamermesh-Biddle found that women who wear makeup earn 20% to 30% higher incomes than women who do not. “Attractive” people get promotions and find that more opportunities are open to them.

Tastefully applied, cosmetics make any woman more attractive. Makeup implies self-confidence and professionalism. When you take the time to put your best foot forward, you are perceived as someone who brings this quality to her work.

Both women who wear no makeup or those who wear too much makeup communicate low self-esteem. The best solution for a minimalist approach to makeup is an appropriate shade of powder, some blush and lipstick. Well-groomed eyebrows that have been brushed smooth add to the “put together” look.

The first step to choosing color cosmetics is getting the right foundation color. Is your skin ivory, beige or bronze? A good foundation match should blend in with and even out your skin tone. You should not look like you are wearing a mask that is a different color from your neck.

A good way to determine the correct color for your foundation is to cleanse your face and then apply and blend a small amount of foundation on your jaw line. If there is no difference between your cheek, your jaw line and your neck, you have the right color. Ask a friend or someone with a good eye for color to help you determine if the color blends well with your skin. Don’t apply the test foundation to your hand or wrist. These areas do not match the skin tone of your face.

Make sure that you test for color with the formulation made for your skin type. A foundation formulated for normal skin may differ slightly on your skin from an oil-free formula of the same shade. Once you find the correct foundation shade in the right formulation for your skin type, always buy it in that formulation.

In order to choose colors for the rest of your cosmetics wardrobe, you need to know if your skin is warm or cool toned. This can be determined by a simple test. Find a piece of silver fabric and a piece of gold fabric or borrow two evening bags in these finishes. Hold each fabric next to the veins in your wrists. If your veins have a blue cast next to the silver, you are cool toned. If your veins have a yellow, green or brown cast next to the gold, you are warm toned.

Cool toned Caucasians tend to be have fair, “porcelain” skin with pink undertones. Cool toned African Americans have cool, deep, dark skin tones ranging from dark brown to blue black. Cool toned Asians have medium to dark olive skin tone.

Warm toned Caucasians have ivory skin with yellowish, peach or golden undertones. Warm toned African Americans have skin tones with the deep glow of copper ranging from a warm golden brown to dark golden brown. Warm toned Asians have a pink or yellow undertone to their skin that can range from light pink to a warm ivory or light yellow beige.

What’s cool? What’s warm? What’s neutral? Cool tones in lipsticks are berry colors or pinks. Warm colors are metallic, chocolate browns or tawny colors tending toward orange. Neutrals are shades of real red and colors that tend toward toffee, cinnamon or suede. Either cool or warm toned individuals can wear neutral shades. A coordinated lip liner will give you a more finished look.

Your blush should coordinate, not clash with your lipstick. What’s your best color? The color “red” that your skin turns when you are flushed is your best blush shade. To apply blush begin about two finger widths away from your nose, covering the apple of your cheek and feathering upward toward you hairline. Blend with a makeup sponge for a soft look. You don’t want “racing stripes”.

Eye shadow should be simple for office wear and can be more dramatic for special events. Daytime eye shadow that anyone can wear should be neutral ranging from pale beige to tan, brown, dark brown and black.

Have fun choosing new cosmetics colors when the seasons change. And keep in mind that you get only 20 seconds to make a good first impression. When people look at you, they should think that you look attractive. They should not be distracted by colors that clash or are inappropriate for your skin color or skin tone.