Personal Impact International » Make-up

The Art of Contouring

Kimberly — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:07:05 +0000

Facial contouring is a technique used by make-up artists to optically exaggerate or change the natural features of the face. By mastering contouring techniques you too can achieve expert results.

When applying make-up the term shading refers to the application of a colour that is darker than the surrounding area. This will contour or enhance the natural hills and valleys of the facial structure or can create the illusion of new contours. The darker colour enhances the depth of the area and makes the area next to it appear larger or more pronounced.

The Finishing Touch for a Polished Professional Look

Kimberly — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

For women, hair and make-up are the finishing touches for a polished professional look. Choose your colours and styles carefully so that you appear healthy, up-to-date and put-together. Hairstyles and make-up should be understated, unless your industry is fashion-forward. See ‘Masterful Make-up in Minutes’ and ‘Personal Care from Feet to Hair’.

Consistency is the Key to a Professional Image

Kimberly — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:00:32 +0000

There are times when I get up in the morning and I don’t care how I look. I think everyone has those days. When getting dressed in the morning, we throw on the first thing that looks comfortable. And even though we may think it doesn’t matter, this can sometimes get us in trouble.

As an image consultant, I have made a few embarrassing mistakes of my own. One day, I ran down to the grocery store to grab a few things. Wearing sweats and no make-up, I ran into a past client. Oops! You never know where or when you might bump into someone important.

Even though there are days when I would rather not dress for success, I have learned the hard way that I really do need to look the part. Even though we may not care how we look, others might. For more on how to make the right business impression see ‘Upwardly Mobile Clothing for Upwardly Mobile Women’

How to Apply Mascara on the Lashes – Not the Skin

Kimberly — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:00:41 +0000

Applying mascara can be a challenge unless you have a very steady hand and you are not afraid to hit yourself in the eye with the mascara wand. However, as a make-up artist I have found that the following tips help keep the mascara application off the skin and on the eye lashes:

Top Eye Lashes

Look into the mirror not directly at the mascara wand.
Know the length of your lashes. Then determine how much you need to look down while applying the mascara on the top lashes to avoid brushing mascara onto the lid or orbital bone.
When applying, keep your eyes steady while applying a bit of pressure on the wand for stability of the application
Don’t blink! Give your lashes a minute to dry first.

Bottom Eye Lashes

Lightly brush the mascara wand back and forth over the bottom eye lashes like window wipers on a car.
Don’t Blink! Give your lashes a minute to dry first.

Quick Tip for Long Lasting Mascara

Kimberly — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:22:26 +0000

Mascara is a great way to emphasize your eyes and make them look bigger. However the application is also important. As a make-up artist I find that the best mascara application for long lasting results follows these steps:

Looking down apply a coat of mascara on the top of the upper lashes.
Continue to look down slightly focusing on the mirror as you apply a coat on the bottom of the upper lashes.

These two steps will help to seal the mascara and make it last longer. Your eye-lashes will also look more finished and your mascara will appear more natural.

One Way to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

Kimberly — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:50:36 +0000

The other day a client asked me how to make her eyes look bigger without wearing a lot of make-up. I told her that a simple way to make her eyes look bigger is to curl her eye lashes. An Eye lash curler is an inexpensive tool that is sold at many cosmetic retailers.

These are the steps that I take to get the best results:

Open the curler
Open your eyes wide and look into a mirror rather than at the curler while going through the following steps.
Place the top bar of the curler on top of your upper lashes (look through the curler while doing this)
Slowly squeeze the bottom bar up.
Hold for about 20 seconds while holding your eyes open
Open the curler and release the lashes

Once you have curled your lashes you can add even more impact with mascara

Make Thinner Lips Look Fuller

Kimberly — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

To make your lips look fuller, start by concealing your natural lip line with a concealer. Line your lips just outside your natural lip-line. Smudge the lip-liner onto your lips to soften the look of the liner. Apply the lipstick with a lip brush on your lips and cover the new lip line created with the lip liner. This will create natural fuller looking lips. Using lighter colours and lipstick with a frost or shine will also give your lips a fuller look. If you prefer darker colours add a little spot of a light shimmering colour to the centre of the top and bottom lips. This will add contour and give a more, pouty look.

Make Larger Lips Look Smaller

Kimberly — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:40:29 +0000

To make your lips look thinner and smaller, hide your natural lip line with concealer. Line the lips just inside your natural lip line. Smudge the lip-liner onto your lips to soften the line. Apply your lipstick onto the lips keeping the colour inside the new lip line created with the liner. This will create the illusion of thinner lips. Using a darker lip liner and lip stick without shine or shimmer will also make the lips look thinner and smaller.

How to Make Your Lipstick Last Longer

Kimberly — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:59:17 +0000

As an image consultant and make-up artist, women are always asking me how to make their lipstick last longer. I tell them to start by applying a concealer on your natural lip line. Next, line the lips with a lip pencil and then thicken the line onto the lips. Take your lip brush and blend the lip-liner onto the lips to soften the liner. Then apply the lipstick with a lip brush. Blot the lip colour. This method will keep your lip colour looking great longer.

Your Best Foundation Colour

Kimberly — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:00:10 +0000

Choose your foundation as close as possible to your skin colour. The best place to test this is at the jaw line. The reason we test the colour here instead of the wrist, cheek or forehead is because the skin colour will be different on every area. The colour of your neck will be different than the colour of the skin on various parts of your face.

Your best colour will blend into your skin tone at the jaw line and look natural next to the skin tone of your neck. Happy testing…