Fantasia Salon / Spa and Wig Specialists

What do you think is the most versatile part of your makeup arsenal?  If you said eyeliner, you would be correct.  With eyeliner you can be dressed casually or for full-on glamour.

There are several forms of eyeliner, go with what you find the simplest to use.  Here are several different looks you can create with eyeliner.

Weekend daytime casual:  Line only your outer eyelid.  Dot the liner on your tip lid, getting as close to your eyelashes as possible.  Use a cotton swab, small makeup brush, the sponge tip or your clean fingertip to blend the dots together so the makeup looks natural and undetectable.

You can line form the inner corner of the eye to where the upper lashes stop, or just the outer half of the eyelid.  If your eyes are wide-set, lining the entire upper lid will make the appear to be closer together.  If your eyes are close-set, line only the outer half of two thirds of the eyelid.  This gives the illusion of wider-set eyes.  This is a good look with no eye shadow and eyelashes merely curled, with no mascara.

Perfect for Work:  This involves little time and effort on your part.  Apply a neutral eye shadow, then line just the very outer corners of your upper and lower lashes, using the dot-on-then-connect method.  Blend together the liner at the corners of your eye, in an angled V shape.  Smudge the eyeliner so a hard line is not visible.

Curl your lashes and apply one coat of brown mascara.  Brown is softer than black and looks professional without looking too ‘done’ for daytime.  This is a particularly effective look for close-set eyes.   Your subtle professional look will be the envy of your co-workers.

Daytime to Evening Eyes:  Line both the upper outer lid and lower outer lid.  You can use a thick or thin line, depending on what you prefer.  Classically, a thicker, softer line is preferred on a larger lid, whereas a thinner, more pronounced line is better for a small lid when lining upper eyelids.

For the lower lid, use the dot method, placing them as close to the lash line as possible.  If you choose to line from the inner lashes all the way to the outer lashes, this is definitely a “made-up” look.  be sure to smudge for a look that emulates thick lower lashes as opposed to a heavily-lined lower lid.

Putting on your shadow all over the lid after the liner will create a wash of color that helps liner blend and highlights your eyes without looking harsh.  Curl eyelashes and apply one coat of black mascara.  Now you are ready for dinner!

Evening Out:  A more intense look, involves lining upper and lower outer lids and lining the inner rim of your lower lid. If you choose to do this, make sure you have clean hands and that the eyeliner you are using is free of any debris that could fall into your eyes.

Apply a light-colored shimmery shadow in the half of your eye, then use a darker shade from the midpoint to the edge and up to the crease.  Next, using a light hand, liner your upper outer lid, using the dot method or using short, quick strokes of tiny lines connected together.  Do the same on the bottom outer lid.  Smudge the line on top and bottom lids.  If you want more intensity, use a second layer of eyeliner or add powder eye shadow in the same color over the eyeliner.

When you use a creamy eyeliner, such as with a pencil, powdered eyeshadow clings to it to give added staying power to your eyeliner.

When lining the inner rim of your eye, use the fingers of the opposite hand to gently pull down your lower lid.  Gently line the inner rim iwth the color of your cohice.  You can line the entire rim, just the outer half or just a small section in the very middle of the lower inner  rim.

There is debate among professional makeup artists about the effect of lining the inner rims of your eyelids.  Some say it makes the eyes appear smaller, while others insist that is a beauty myth with no basis in fact.  Try lining one eye inner rim and not the other, and see what you think.  Always use eye pencils when lining the inner rims of the eyes, not shadows or liquid.  Now your are ready to hit the town!

All these techniques with one product, who would have thought?

Have you ever noticed that some people always look great no matter what? I’m convinced we all have our ups and downs (literally as I’m talking weight) but some people never seem to show it.

There are “tricks” on how to put things together so as to “minimize” yourself which is what we will focus on today.

• Let’s start with accessories. Don’t wear broad belts that draw attention to your mid-riff if it’s a tad “broad”.
• Avoid fancy and obnoxious jewelory or accessories. Make sure the jewelry is simple, small and elegant. Too much clutter only adds to the bulk.
• If you wear less jewelry, use good makeup to highlight your eyes. Remember, eye shadow is jewels for the eyes.

When it comes to clothes and colors the golden rule is this. Dress in one color from shoulder to shoe. This streamlines the body and makes you look slimmer- instantly.

If you feel a bit more adventurous, don’t limit yourself to only one color but choose tones that are closely matched.

• Wear the darker color below the waist and the lighter one on top.
• Golden rule number two. Stick to dark colors.
• If you are on the heavier side and short besides, avoid contrasts and opt for a single color instead. Instead of a white blouse and black skirt, make them both black.

Now about the clothes and the cut of them.

• Avoid horizontal designs, bold and big designs and circles, completely. Stripes along the length of the outfit or “V” shaped stripes will help in cutting off inches from vision.
• Choose V or scoop necklines to camouflage chubby necks. Be sure to continue your foundation to the neck area so that there is no color change at the jaw line.
• A loosely-fitting vest can hide a thick waist if a jacket is not needed.
• Wear small prints.
• Use straight cuts and no horizontal stripes.
• A-lined outfits are best. Avoid frills, gathers and layers as much as possible.
• Avoid “tuck-ins” go for blouse styles that can hang loose (particularly if you have a “belly”.)
• Wide neck-lines, particular V-necks are great for heavy bust-lines and those with thick necks.
• If you must add trimmings to the garment, add them along the neckline. Scooped necklines and frills are a strict no-no.
• Clinging fabrics are bad news for heavy people as well as tight fitting clothes. These only help in accentuating the bulge. Wear fabric that hangs loose, with cuts that are not too tight. Crisp fabrics are best suited for over-weight people since the fabric manages to keep its shape.
• If you are fond of sleevelss garments, go for straight cuts at the shoulder which makes the shoulders look naturally rounded. Forget the darts and gathers.

The bottom line? Even though we may be carrying a few extra pounds, we don’t need to “flaunt” it.  A few simple tricks and it will be our little secret!

It can be a challenge maintaining an impeccable image when it’s upwards of 100 degrees outside.

You wake up and shower, iron your clothes so you’ll look “fresh”, style your hair and of course, apply your makeup. Then, you walk outside the door and realize it was all pointless! Your light, cool pants are sticking to you in a wrinkled mess, your hair is stuck to your melting face of makeup. So, don’t you look pretty?

Here are some tips on keeping makeup looking cool in the dog days of summer.

• Wash your face will, moisturize and follow up with a foundation primer. This sets your makeup and keeps your skin from getting shiny.
• Apply foundation but don’t go overboard. Just because you want it to last all day doesn’t mean you have to pack it on. Use a damp sponge or foundation brush for a nice, even coverage. Don’t forget to apply foundation to your eyes.
• Apply your eye shadow as normal. Use a dark brown or black pencil to fill in between your upper and lower lash line. Blend the liner with a flat brush dipped in a shadow similar to your eyeliner color. This should keep your liner from smudging throughout the day. Add a coat of mascara to finish the look.
• Give your cheeks a fresh and natural flush by mixing shades of pink and apricot. Slick on a sheer tint of gloss that coordinates with your blush.
• Dust some matte powder on your T zone and you are done.

Here’s a Summer Beauty Survival Kit:

• Makeup wipes. Great to refresh anytime and you never know when they will come in handy. Put a few in a Ziploc baggie and toss them in your purse.
• Concealer. For touch up, also works great to brighten up the T zone. Use as little product as possible and blend, blend and blend again.
• Compact powder. Shine, be gone! Apply with a brush so you get the sheerest application possible and to avoid weighing down your skin with product overload.
• Bright apricot blush and your favorite lip gloss.

You will now be prepared for whatever comes your way. After, a gal’s gotta look good, even in the dog days of summer!

Eyes are a very important part of the face and something we notice immediately. Whether it’s the color of someones eyes or the length of their eyelashes.

Let’s talk about some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to eye makeup. We will start with the eyebrows, which frame the eyes.

For proper shaping of your eyebrows, the width between the eyebrows should be the width of one eye. In determining where the eyebrow should start, place a pencil along the outside edge of the nostril up to the inside corner of the eye. To determine where the brow should end, place the pencil diagonally from the base of the nose to the outside corner of the eye. The arch of the eyebrow should align with the outer edge of the iris. Look straight forward and hold a pencil up, that helps you determine exactly where the arch should be. If you tend to have unruly eyebrows, try taming them with brow gel which is similar to hair gel.

Now lets focus on the eyes. Some popular summer colors are teal, pale purple and water lily. Golds and coppers are hugely popular as well. Brown eyes look great with teal shadow. Think of eye shadow as jewelry that can be mixed and matched, like accessories. Use three different colors: a highlighter, midtone and an accent.

An eye primer will help prevent creases on your lid. When applying eye makeup, start with the eye shadow, then the eyeliner and then the mascara. If you are using three tones, as suggested, use the lightest possible color close to your eyebrow and it will make your eyes look bigger.

Are there any mistakes you can make when it comes to eye makeup? You bet! Rimming the entire eye with eyeliner is a very common mistake. Another mistake is neglecting your eyebrows. Remember that people notice your eyes and that includes your eyebrows. If you don’t like tweezing your eyebrows, splurge and have them waxed. It’s relatively painless and inexpensive and doesn’t have to be done all that often.

Okay, from now on, I’m keeping my eyes on yours!