You send us tons of your make-up questions through Facebook, email and Twitter everyday! Today, we brought beauty expert Sandy Gold on the show to answer 3 very common make-up dilemmas!
Question #1: "I never know how much foundation to apply - every time I wear it - it always looks over done!"
Sandy Says:
Sandy's 8 Dot Method
Take a cotton swab - dip it into your foundation and apply 8 dots on your face: two on each cheek, two on the forehead, and one on your nose and chin.
Then with a foundation brush, your fingers or a sponge, gently blend the foundation till it looks nice and even.
You always want to start from the middle of the face (where most of the redness occurs) - and work your way out towards the hairline, concentrating, of course, on the areas that need it most.
**Extra tip: If you already have great skin - with just a small amount of redness to cover - you don't really need a lot of foundation, so you could probably get away with just 5 dots instead of 8, so you would apply one dot on your forehead, each cheek, nose and chin.
Application
Which of the three tools - the foundation brush, the sponge or your fingers is the best for applying foundation?
And, personally I like them all - for all very different reasons:
The foundation brush - is great for getting into all the little nooks, crannies and pores on your face, and it keeps your hands clean - so I like that.
The sponge - is great for blending away any excess foundation - leaving your skin looking as natural as possible.
And your fingers are also great - because it uses the warmth in your skin to warm up the foundation prior to application - so that it can blend easier.
So, I would suggest trying them all and finding which one works best for you.
Question #2: "How do you get your makeup to last throughout the day? I always notice that after lunch my makeup has either disappeared or has smudged all over the place..."
Sandy Says:
Primer
A primer is applied all over the face (even on your eyelids) and is used after moisturizer - before foundation.
Its main purpose is to facilitate makeup application and hold.
It helps to fill in fine lines and pores.
It helps to control the oils in the skin by matifying the surface.
And it creates a nice, protective base for the makeup to grip on to.
So, when we're talking about long-lasting makeup a primer is a really important step.
Oil-Free Foundation
Going oil-free is definitely your best bet if you're looking for longevity, because it's not going to add any extra oils onto the skin, which is super important.
Now, when wearing a liquid foundation, we all know that it's super important to set it with powder.
And a light dusting of a loose powder may be fine for everyday, but on the days that you want your makeup to last for hours, I would suggest to press the powder into the skin with a sponge (especially in the T-zone area) for extra setting power.
Some of my favourite oil-free foundations are:
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Maybelline Mineral Power Liquid Foundation
Shiseido Dual Balancing Foundation
Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer
Lastly, Finishing Spray
A finishing spray is used to extend the life of your makeup. And it's applied last on top of all your makeup to lock and seal everything in place, so that it looks fresh and clean for hours.
Product Used: my favourite finishing spray No More Shine - Mattifying Finishing Spray from Skindinavia
Question #3: "I always wake up with tired puffy eyes - How can I get rid of the puffiness and look more awake?"
Sandy Says:
Apply a cold compress in the morning.
I like to dip several cotton balls or cotton pads into a cup of cold green tea and place in an ice cube tray or an empty pill case in the in the freezer. Then, in the morning, place the cold balls under your eye for about 10 - 15 minutes.
The cold compress combined with the caffeine in the green tea (which has natural anti-inflammatory properties) will help to reduce and get rid of the puffiness as well as open up the eye area. And, it feels so refreshing!
The next thing you can do is give your self a quick eye massage to help with circulation in and around the eye area.
Using an eye cream, starting at the temple, sweep the product underneath your eye towards the nose and up and around the brow - and back again. Do this gently for a whole minute to help move the excess fluid away from the under eye area.
Another great trick you can do is use make-up to draw attention away from the under eye area.
So, if you have under-eye puffiness - try using a concealer that is a half-shade darker than your foundation. A slightly darker shade will actually help to make the puffiness appear smaller by receding the area inwards - kind of like how you look smaller when you wear dark clothes.
And the same rule applies if you have upper-eye puffiness - you're going to want to create a smoky eye or use a dark colour in the crease to again make the puffiness appear smaller.
