Cosmetics can work wonders for you, creating a healthy appearance that will leave you feeling confident.
Makeup is most effective when used to enhance your features, camouflage temporary concerns and brighten the overall appearance.
Colour correctors and concealers are useful tools to help balance obvious colour changes to skin tone. You may have noticed redness, sallowness or spots appearing as a side-effect of treatment. Think about the opposite colours on a colour wheel to determine what colour will correct each issue.
Green correctors will minimise redness in the skin; mauve or blue correctors lift the complexion and add warmth, combating sallowness; and yellow correctors help cover pigmentation and dark circles.
Concealers contain light-reflecting particles and are also perfect for camouflaging dark circles under the eyes.
Correctors and concealers can be applied with fingers, a cotton bud or a sponge. Leave the product on the skin for a few seconds allowing it to warm and soften, then gently press it into the skin with the ring finger or sponge to blend.
Foundation will help even out the complexion and provide a perfect base for other makeup products.
Apply foundation to the T-zone and move the product out towards the hairline and jawline. Liquid foundation can be applied using fingertips, a foundation brush or sponge. Powder foundations can be applied with light, sweeping motions using a large, full brush or the provided sponge.
If using loose powder, the brush should be dipped into a small amount of product and then tapped to ensure any excess falls away. The powder should then be gently buffed in.
It is important, however, that brushes and sponges are kept clean in order to avoid bacterial build-up, and to prevent pressed powder compacts solidifying from coming into contact with any oil left on the sponge or puff.
To set liquid foundation, a finely textured powder in a sheer, natural or translucent shade should be lightly and sparingly applied to the face.
First, apply a light shade over the entire eyelid. Next, to help open up the eyes, apply a darker shade to the outer third of the eyelid – like a basic triangle.
A lighter shade can be applied on the inner corner of the eye to open the eye up and to finish, the colours should be gently blended together so that there are no visible lines.
Using a pencil or liquid eyeliner will help define the lash line and create the illusion of eyelashes that may have been lost through treatment.
If using a pencil, start by rolling it on the back of the hand to warm and soften it before applying to the delicate eye area.
Draw a thin line with short, soft strokes on the upper lid, and then work slowly from the centre of the bottom lid, outwards. You can also draw dots on the lash-line and then blend with a cotton bud, to achieve the desired effect.
Treatment can cause your eyebrows to thin or fall out completely. Eyebrows can be brushed, smudged, or pencilled on to look natural and very flattering. Using short feathery strokes will give the illusion of natural fullness, or an entirely new brow line can be recreated.
To start, hold a pencil or angled brush (for brow powder) straight up against the dimple of the nose, parallel to the inside corner of the eye. This is where the eyebrow should begin. Draw a small dot to mark the spot.
To find the arch, place the pencil or brush at the outermost part of your nostril, across the centre of the iris and mark it with another small dot.
To define the end of the brow, place the pencil or brush diagonally from the outermost part of the nostril, past the outer corner of the eye and draw the final dot.
Now there are three dots marking the basic eyebrow shape, use short, light and feathery strokes to connect them. Make the brow fuller at the beginning and thinner towards the end.
The look of the brow can be softened by running a spoolie brush or a cotton bud lightly through it.
Click here to see a step-by-step video tutorial on how to map your brows.
Your lashes might be thinning but mascara will colour and define any hairs that are present, creating a thicker and fuller look.
Mascara should be applied from root to tip of the top lashes with a slight wiggling movement of the wand to help prevent the mascara from clumping on the lashes. You can then brush the tip of the wand lightly across the lower lash line, using any remaining product.
The mascara wand should never be pumped in and out of the tube, as this pushes air into the tube and will cause the mascara to dry up and thicken. The wand should be gently twisted out of the tube instead.
Mascara should also be replaced at least once every three months to prevent any irritation or infection to the eye. Non-waterproof mascara is kinder to the lashes and easier to remove.
Blush can instantly freshen the face, give a vibrant, healthy look, and define the cheekbones.
Find the apple of your cheeks by smiling into the mirror and placing the brush on the fullest part of the cheek. Once the apple has been identified, relax the facial muscles and apply powder blush over the apple and gently towards the hairline with light, soft sweeping motions.
Cream blush can be applied for a dewy look, but should be used sparingly by softly dabbing it over the apple of the cheeks.
Applying colour to the lips brightens and creates balance between the eyes and lower face.
During treatment, your lips may have become dry and/or flaky so a creamy lipstick with moisturising properties in the same colour family as your blush should be used. Lip glosses and lip balms can also help with dryness.
Lip liners define the lip area and help prevent lipstick from bleeding and feathering into the fine lines around the lips. Ensure the tip of your lip liner is nice and rounded before you start to use it.
Apply a coat of lipstick, blot with a tissue, then reapply for a rich and longer lasting colour.