by Lucy Goosey

We are happy to launch YNaija’s spanking new column, ‘The Beauty Spot’. Stay with us for makeup and beauty tips, tricks and how-tos for day, night and the all hours in between!

Ever since I discovered a mirror, I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with my looks – particularly my face. Some call it vanity. *Kanye shrug*. When I was 16 I discovered the world of MAC and Bobbi Brown and my life has never been the same since! I had the tools to make my face into a Picasso masterpiece and I was hooked.

Last year, I met Bobbi Brown, (the makeup mogul, not Whitney’s crack head ex) and she raved about how well I did my makeup. I almost wet myself with excitement!

So I figure if the queen of makeup likes how I apply mine, I have a responsibility to impart my wisdom to others (plus I’m growing fatigued with seeing women’s faces that resemble children’s paint palettes). To correct all the wrong that has been done, this week I’ll give tips on getting ‘the basic things’ right. In the upcoming weeks I will provide tips on how to achieve certain looks like smoky eye, contours and red lips.

1. Eyebrows

There is an unsettling trend in the land. Women are walking around with overly thin, overly arched, and purple eyebrows. I do not think that Disney meant for Cruella DeVille’s eyebrows to catch on. I am also pretty sure that whoever started the trend of lining eyebrows with red and purple pencil was either colorblind or performing for the circus.

Defined eyebrows are the starting point for good make up because they frame your face. No matter how good the painting is, if the frame is worwor* people will not take a second look.  For perfect eyebrows, take the following simple steps.

a. Starting from the middle of your eyebrow and extending outwards, use concealer to create a faint line above and under the eyebrow. Your concealer should always be one to two shades lighter than your foundation. This instantly brightens your face.

b. Using a thin brush, fill in your eyebrows using an eyeshadow that closely matches the color of your eyebrows. Make sure you create gentle strokes in an upward motion as you apply the eyeshadow and be sure to follow the shape of your eyebrows. If you are going for a more dramatic look, you can apply 3 coats. For a more natural look apply 1-2 coats.

c. Use a very subtle deep golden eye-shadow to gently highlight the bone right below your eyebrows.

d. If you want to go the extra mile, use an eyebrow gel to lightly gloss over your eyebrows. You can use a little Vaseline or hair spray to achieve this.

Channel your inner Bey when you are doing your eyebrows.

 

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home if your eyebrows have not been tweezed, waxed, threaded or shaved! I give advice, I do not work miracles.

 

2. The skin

Taking care of my skin is crucial because there is only so much that my Bobbi Brown foundation can cover and I don’t want my makeup to damage my skin in the long run. Besides my great genes (thank you mummy), I take care great care of my skin using the following simple products:

a. Water

I drink a lot of water. I do not even buy juice when I go grocery shopping.

b. Moisturizer

I swear by Oil of Olay every day and glycerin and rosewater. A splash of Olive oil and Vitamin E oil are also great for skin.

c. Exfoliate

I haven’t used soap on my face since boarding school. I use Clean and Clear exfoliator every day and about once a week, I opt for Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream because the exfoliating beads are a lot harder.

None of these products are particularly expensive, but if you are on a tight budget, you can achieve glowing skin by placing your head over a bucket of steaming water and covering your head with a towel for abut 5 minutes. Your skin will feel as soft as a baby’s bottom.

3. The Lips

I will keep this short. The moment you think about applying that dark lip liner, imagine me looming over you, beating you with a stick. This look will never be attractive but it is the most common mistake that women make.

Unless you look like Naomi Campbell,

your lip liner should match either the natural color of your lips or the color of your lipstick.

 

Wow, this beautiful girl just keeps popping up all over YNaija! *wink*

4. The Face

I know this may come as a big shock to some people but white powder was intended for – yes you guessed it – white people! Black women plus white powder = ashy! There are other solutions such as brown powder! You can buy this from any pharmacy but if you want to be fancy, I recommend using the MAC mineralize collection.

These are my four tips for getting your makeup off to the right start. If in doubt always remember – less is more! For more makeup tips, visit www.theratedt.com.

*Worwor is local parlance for ugly.