6 easy ways to avoid Mona Lisa's makeup mistakes!

I have NEVER understood people who consider the Mona Lisa beautiful or her smile alluring.  I’m no art critic, and our friend Leonardo da Vinci may have painted a masterpiece, but that doesn’t make Ms. Lisa a beauty. Far from it!

I agree with those who claim that the Mona Lisa is really a portrait of da Vinci himself.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  Just take a good look at her; she has a receding hairline, no eye brows, small lips and manly jowls.  And don’t let me get started on her split ends!

So how can we avoid making Ms. Lisa’s beauty mistakes?  Easy! Just follow these steps: 

1.   Hair and forehead

Ms. Lisa’s problems: receding hairline and split ends

Solution: If you have a receding hairline or a very high forehead, consider bangs to conceal the problem.  A definite no-no is wearing a too tight, combed back hairstyle that makes the hairline even more obvious and further weakens the line of hair surrounding your face.  As to the split ends: trim your hair regularly!  Even if you want to grow your hair, you must still trim the ends to keep your hair looking healthy!

2.   Eyebrows

Ms. Lisa’s problems: no eyebrows

Solution: I have said this again and again: eyebrows frame your face – you NEED them.  Never over-tweeze.  Stop tweezing today and allow your brows to grow out; see my articles for full details. If your brows do not grow back or growth is sparse, you can camouflage the bare areas with shadow and pencil or consider permanent makeup. 

3.   Eyes

Ms. Lisa’s problems: deep set eyes, as well as pronounced bags under her eyes.

Solution: Ms. L’s problems are interesting – the skin directly under the brow bone is light, the skin in the fold over the eyelid is very dark and the eye lid is light.  This makes the eye lid area appear very sunken and the skin above to droop.  To begin with create a one-color uniform look for the entire eye area, this is achieved by applying a foundation/base that is a shade lighter than your regular foundation/base for your face.  Then apply light shades of your favorite eye makeup palette  – especially around the area of the crease.  Rule of thumb: light shades make an area look larger and more prominent, while dark shades make an area look smaller and more sunken.

4.   Cheeks and jowls

Ms. Lisa’s problems: square cheek and jowl area, with a prominent jaw bone

Solution: Make sure your base is applied evenly and stay away from dark colors.  While there are “heavy makeup sculpturing” solutions; the easiest solution is to highlight the cheeks (thus taking attention away from the problem areas) by gently applying blush – with a wide brush - from the apples of the cheek and to the ear in a horizontal sweep.  Apply warm pinks or bronze colors.  Always begin with a gentle blush application and if needed,add more blush sparingly – it is always easier to add than remove blush!

5.   Lips

Ms. Lisa’s problems: thin and lifeless

Solution: When applying foundation/base to your face, make sure to apply a light layer to your lip area.  Using a lip pencil, in a neutral shade (for your skin color), draw a line following the natural shape of your lips, all the way up to the corners of your lips. Fill in with a soft lipstick that adds a softness to this area and in a shade that complements your makeup.  You can add shine and/or a deeper color for an evening look.

6.   Almost-double chin and neck

Ms. Lisa’s problems: a hint of a double chin and dark neck area.

Solution: Apply your foundation/base in a shade that is slightly lighter than the base on your face to keep this area from looking too dark and therefore fatter and wider.  Keep the look clean – but there should be no demarcation between the face and the neck or you will look like you are wearing a mask.

Avoid Ms. L’s mistakes – Keep your look light and simple!  Be happy that you don't live during da Vinci’s time and that you can simply delete the photos you are not happy with!   

   

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

5 Top Makeup Tips After 50

I may have named this article Makeup after 50, but the real issue is how to handle the skin of your face as it ages and not WHEN.  Women’s facial skin ages at different rates depending on exposure to the sun, environmental and hereditary factors, skin color and more.  Facial skin can begin to show signs of aging at any age; some women begin to see these changes in their 20s and 30s; while some lucky gals witness these changes only in their 60s and beyond. 

No matter what your age, I want to show you how to minimize these visible signs of age on each part of your face, without going under the knife or injecting all sorts of potions and concoctions.  It goes without saying that minimal sun exposure, no smoking, lots of water and a good skin cleansing-moisturizing routine will help keep your skin healthy at any age!

I believe that all women should apply four  makeup basics before they leave the house, no matter what: base, mascara, blush and lipstick. 

Your overall facial skin: Apply a good, light moisturizer twice a day: before you go to bed and before you apply your makeup every morning (**).  Apply the moisturizer with a light hand - less is always better than more.  Avoid over-heavy, over-oily creams that will clog your pores and make wrinkles more obvious, especially as the makeup base dries and congeals within the wrinkles.  Avoid - like the plague - anything that will dry and/or pool in your wrinkle beds.

I recommend using a BB cream foundation base.  One of the best reasons for this recommendation is that this base already contains a moisturizer, so you can forgo applying a separate moisturizer in the morning, (see above**) thus shaving minutes off your morning routine!

Along with moisturizer, BB creams contain a makeup base and a skin block and sometimes even a primer.  Read more about BB creams here: (http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/2012/06/29/10-best-uk-bb-creams---beauty-benefit-balms-with-spf).  My favorite BB creams are Rimmel (http://us.rimmellondon.com/products/face/bb-cream), Garnier (http://www.garnierusa.com/products/skincare/tone-perfection.aspx) and MAC (http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/160/17377/Prep-Prime-BB-Beauty-Balm-SPF-35/index.tmpl).  These are quality brands that provide great all-day coverage.

Cheeks: Cheeks are an interesting area: I have had clients in their 70s and 80s with perfectly soft, nearly wrinkle-free cheeks and gals in their 40s showing signs of aging and wrinkling in this area.   If your cheek area is relatively wrinkle-free apply blush as usual.  I believe in a blush palette of pinks, browns and bronzes for cheeks – opting for lighter shades in the summer and darker, warmer shades in the winter.  Depending on skin tone and wardrobe colors, I chose the color that best suits the person and the look.

If your cheeks are wrinkled - add the lightest hint of blush to the general cheek area.  I apply blush to every woman, no matter what! No woman leaves my chair without some cheek color!

Brows: The brow shape has gone through the most incredible fads through the ages.  Check out this list: 
http://www.dailymakeover.com/trends/makeup/eyebrows-history/
As we get older our brows tend to get thinner, either through a life-time of over-plucking or due to the natural aging and graying of our hair.  While the brow area is still relatively wrinkle-free, you can fill in sparse brows with a brow pencil or eye powder (or a combination of the two), just stay away from overly obvious brow drawing.  Once this area is wrinkled, I tend to stay away from creating or filling in the brow.

Eyes: The eyes are truly the focal point of the face.  Let’s first talk about the area around our eyes.  Age hits the skin around our eyes fast and hard; firstly because this skin is very thin and secondly because we abuse it regularly with all our squinting, blinking, rubbing and exposure to the elements.  Always take the time to moisturize this area! 

Want to cover up or minimize dark circles or age spots around your eyes?  Purchase a second BB cream that is almost a shade lighter than your regular BB cream shade.  Gently squeeze two drops of your regular shade on to top of your hand, just above your wrist, and then add one drop of the lighter shade.  Gently blend together and then gently pat on the area around your eyes.  Make sure there is no obvious demarcation between the eye area and the rest of your face.

Crow’s feet and more

Crows’ feet on the outer edges of your eye lids and small wrinkles on your inner lids create new challenges for applying eye makeup.  If you must apply eyeliner - keep it thin, short and sweet and don’t extend the eyeliner line past your eye lid, as it will extenuate and bleed into the crows’ feet.  You should begin to taper off the line just after the midpoint of your eyelid. If you opt for a smoky look, keep the smudged areas thin and avoid too much “smudging” close to the inner edge.

Droopy or hooded under brow area

As we age, the skin under the brow bone area tends to droop and can create a kind of hooded upper eye lid.  While no non-surgical/non-evasive procedure will totally alleviate this problem, there are makeup tricks that can help conceal or make this problem less obvious. Keep your brows trimmed and neat.  Apply a white eye shadow directly under your brow bone.  Apply a light/white shadow on any parts of your lower eye lid that are visible.  Apply a warm, darker shade to the under brow area from the crease; this will make this area appear less puffy or protruding.

Always add a coat or two (or three) of mascara to the upper lash line.  Apply mascara to the lower lash line only if this area is reasonably wrinkle free; otherwise there is a good chance the mascara will run/get caked into the under eye area.

Lips:  A good lip pencil can act as a kind of frame to help prevent lipstick from bleeding into the wrinkles around the lips. 
  
 

You can help your lips look young by keeping them hydrated, stop smoking, stop biting or frequently licking your lips and always wear a good lip balm to prevent damage from the elements both summer and winter.  Even if the lip area is very wrinkled, I still apply a tint of color with a rich moisturizing lipstick or a gentle almost-there colored lip gloss.

No matter what your age or your skin condition, you deserve to look healthy and vibrant!  Go ahead, apply a bit of color today!

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog.

The Myth of “I Never Wear Makeup”

“What kind of makeup look would you like to wear at the wedding?”

Through the years I have asked countless mothers of the bride and the groom this question and many times I have heard in response: “Oh, I never wear makeup, so whatever…”.  Wrong answer!  

I am here to stand up and say out loud that there are definitely times when every woman must wear makeup and a wedding is one of those times!

Go ahead and pamper yourself!

To say that every bride should wear makeup is a given; no matter how young, sweet and dewy-faced,  the bride needs to wear some makeup.  The facts are simple: the bride is (usually) decked out in a white dress and, at least for the first few hours, is surrounded by a white veil.  Many times even her flowers are white.  That all-white look alone can create a pale and washed-out appearance.

Now take into account the lovely brides who fast on the day of their weddings, the brides who are hyper-sensitive, the ones who are hyper-worried and the ones who are just incredibly nervous.  In most cases the veritable grocery list of wedding circumstances will conspire to produce a pale, washed-out look on any face.  The bride MUST wear makeup – at least a good warm base, a warm or pinkish blush and some lip and eye treatment and a lick of mascara. 

But this article is directed at all the other women of the bridal party, especially the MOTHERS of the BRIDE and the GROOM.

Makeup - lovely makeup!

I don't care if you NEVER wear makeup, I don't care if you didn't wear makeup for your own wedding and I don't care if you didn't wear makeup for your other sons'/daughters' weddings.  It is equally unimportant to me that the wedding is scheduled for the summer/winter rain/snow storm/midnight or noon; on a beach, on a mountain or in an over air-conditioned venue.  The mothers of the bride and groom MUST WEAR MAKEUP.  If you are curious, yes this is written in stone!

Let me explain why:  You must wear makeup for the sake of the symmetry of the wedding pictures.  ‘Symmetry’ you say?  Imagine a photograph showing half the people are wearing only white clothes head to foot and the other half are wearing clothing of all the colors of the rainbow.  The photo will look "off" - something will be not quite right - half the picture will look "alive" and the other half will look washed out.  

It's the same with makeup.  No matter what outfit and hairstyle a woman wears - a woman with makeup will look more awake, more vital and even younger!  Yes, I am talking about facial skin-appropriate makeup, not heavily rouged cheeks and liver-red lips on someone who should wear more muted colors.  

Note that I did not say age-appropriate makeup.  There is no such thing as age-appropriate makeup; except makeup on a 12 year old, who should never, ever, never wear makeup, except some blush and sparkles and only at her Bat Mitzvah party!

I have said time and again: makeup is the art of accentuating and concealing.  Accentuate the features you love and conceal the features you love less. 

What you love:

• Create bright or dramatic eyes with dramatic eye shadows and eye liner if you love your eyes. 
• Create powerful lips with a dark and dramatic lip color if you love your lips.

What you love less:

• Create a soft eye look with muted earth-tone or blush colored eye shadow if you love your eyes less.
• Create barely-there-lips with soft muted lip treatments if you love your lips less.  Keep in mind that if your lips are very narrow or thin, you can create a fuller lip look by using a lip pencil to draw your lip line a bit past your natural line and the fill them in with a same color lipstick!
• Create warm, barely-there cheeks with a lightly dusted muted dusky-pink tone (stay away from harsh orange, red or brown tones) on your cheeks if your love your cheeks less.

What about you jewelry?

Don’t be afraid of your almost-final makeup look. Don'r worry about whether your eyes or lips look too dark.  The only way to really appreciate your finished makeup look is to see yourself fully dressed.  This means you must put on your dress, jewelry, wig or hat (if applicable).  Once you are fully dressed, don't just look in the mirror - take a picture to see how you look in the picture – this is what counts!

And while I am on the subject of pictures:  open your eyes a bit more than you are used to when you take pictures and please smile more than you usually do.  

Remember: A smile will light up your face and create a glow no makeup can accomplish – but makeup will give you a polished look that no smile can create or prolong!

Want to add a 'pop' to your eye makeup?  Consider false eye lashes.  A quality pair of lashes – not too long (no spider lashes!) or too thick – may not make too big a difference to your look "in person", but could make a difference to your appearance in the photographs!

Not sure of the look you want: ask your makeup artist for a trial beauty session; this session is not just for the bride!  Want to know more about a trial beauty session read my article: http:://yochieisner.blogspot.co.il/p/pre-wedding-trial-beauty-session.html

Now we need to talk about the why you don't want to wear makeup and many times that comes from a deeper place.  I truly believe every woman is born with a G-D given right to wear makeup, enjoy wearing makeup and a right to WANT to wear makeup.  I really feel that some women just feel they don't deserve to feel good about themselves or they don’t want people to think they are selfish or vain.  They feel that this is their daughter's/son's day and that the spot light should not be on them.  Or they are too old to bother with makeup or that they are "too far gone" and no amount of makeup can help them or why bother.  I am here to tell you - you could not be more wrong!

You deserve to feel good about yourself, to look into the mirror and not cringe, so that when you look into the camera lens you will not cringe, nor should you cringe when you see the photos.  And you certainly don't want your kids to cringe when they see the photos.

Like shoes, it doesn't matter if you feel overweight, poor, unhappy at work, unhappy in other areas of your life, your face can help make you feel good about yourself.  This is not silliness or selfishness, this is about feeling good about yourself, looking good and succeeding all bundled together into one package.  And let me tell you something, the photographer will treat you better and kinder and your kids will feel better as well! 

If your best friend won't tell you, then let me, YOU HAVE TO WEAR MAKEUP.  

Not happy about your hair?  Think about hair extensions or a less-expensive synthetic wig.  Not happy about your dress or your dress size?  Talk to a stylist and I work with the best Wendy Lehmann!  BUT, let the Kallah Whisperer tell you, if you feel good about your makeup and hair, you will stand taller, look thinner and make better pictures for your kids and grandkids.  

Oh now I brought out the big guns!  Imagine: your grandkids will one day look at the wedding pictures of their parents and see you there and they will say (say it with me) "what a sexy young grandmother I have".  Now, make that appointment with the makeup artist and hairstylist, you know you deserve it!

For more information on this topic and to arrange a bridal beauty consultation or bridal beauty trial session please contact me today.  Visit my site  www.thekallahwhisperer.com 

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

The Six Commandments of Eyebrow Styling

The Six Commandments of Eyebrow Styling

It's time to share my 6 Commandments of Eyebrow Styling!  Follow these rules and you will never have another "bad eyebrow day" again!

Want to learn how to style and groom your own brows in a one-on-one lesson? Contact me today!

www.thekallahwhisperer.com

4 Tips to Picture-Perfect Bridal Nails!

When should you schedule your pre-wedding mani?

So many brides ask me when they should have their manicures before the wedding.  This is a “big” question with a simple answer – after the mikveh and no more (or less than) the day BEFORE the wedding.

Why not on the day of the wedding?  Great question.  First of all you have enough on your plate on THE DAY and second of all, you want to make sure that the nail polish is 100%, no make that 1000%, dry before you put on the wedding dress. Manicures are not a wedding task you need to do at the last minute.  The day before is perfect!  This is especially true if you want to have acrylic or gel nail extensions for your wedding.

Start taking care of your nails – TODAY!

And while we are on the discussion of nails: if you want your nails to look great, start taking care of them at least three months before the wedding.  Do I really need to tell you to stop biting your nails?  Allow them to grow and get manicures on a regular basis.  This allows you to get to know and trust your manicurist (and find someone better!) and also allows you to explore the best mani colors and styles for your wedding nails.

Color, Color, Color!

I have always believed that a clean, nude-to-pink French nail is perfect, but take a gander at the red nail polish choices in the link below, it may change your mind (it certainly changed mine).

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2014/03/best-red-nail-polish-for-weddings.html

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2014/04/nail-polish-colors-for-wedding-day.html

If you are choosing stones or other glue-on decorations, make sure they do not stick out too much from your nail bed or catch on to fabric too easily – this could spell disaster for your dress or your hair or your lashes on the wedding day. 

Take the time to try out different nail styles and colors in the months leading up to the wedding. 

Your over-all look!

If you are wearing a traditional white or off-white/cream dress, your only “color” will come from your makeup, bouquet, shoes and nails.  Imagine matching your nails to your bouquet?  Or to your shoes? These are the accessories that can bring color and life into your over-all wedding look!

On the DAY

On the day of the wedding.  Have a friend gently check the stones and tips of your nails to make sure they do not catch or snag any fabric.

And remember to have a fabulous, colorful wedding day!

  

Did you enjoy my article?  I’d love to hear from you!  Drop me a line or tell me on my facebook page and please feel free to share my blog with a bride and all your friends!

Do you have any questions about Jewish wedding customs, please drop me a line?  Do you want to learn more about brides, weddings and beauty? Please subscribe to my blog. 

Two More Important Rules of Eyebrow Styling

There are TWO important, never-to-be broken, rules in eyebrow styling.  Now please repeat after me:

1. Never over-tweeze before an event! I would hasten to add, that it is better to allow your brows to grow “free” than to over-tweeze and be left with a two upside-down parenthesize marks to deal with.  If you can’t control your hands, then tweeze only the hairs UNDER your brow and only those not touching your brow.

2. Never try to “even out” your brows! For the innocent, this means that if you over-tweezed one eye brow NEVER try to even-out the brows by tweezing the other brow.  Use a combination of eye shadow and eye brow pencil to draw in/fill in the missing brow section, so that this brow matches (as best as possible) the 'whole' brow over the other eye.  Do not compound the error by ruining both brows!

Want to learn how to style and groom your own brows in a one-on-one lesson? Contact me today!
www.thekallahwhisperer.com

Coloring your eyebrows: When and Why

I don’t have to tell you that your eyebrows are an important part of your face.  They give a frame to your features and help others “read” your expression and therefore your mood.

Our eyebrows talk, just as much as our smiles!

Through the years we may change the color of our hair (many times!) or we may just cover the grey or we may allow the grey to show and wear our grey/white hair with pride. 

Whatever our choice, our brows don’t always follow our hair color choices and this is the time when we should think about coloring our brows.

As with all color choices, fashion and personal style influence the way we will deal with our brow color.  Amongst the fashion trends, we have seen the 'brow color should be the opposite color of your hair'; for instance dark brows with light hair or (you guessed it) light brows with dark hair. And of course, there are women who want their brows to match their hair exactly.

Whatever you choose, the color should enhance your beauty. In addition, I firmly believe that women with very light hair should have brows that are a bit darker than the natural color (no matter what the fashion trend), so the brows can still serve the purpose of framing the face.

Whatever color choice you decide, there is an easy, at-home method to color your own brows. 

Whether your use the same dye color you use on your head or a different color, the process is the same.

1.  Make sure your brows are clean and dry.  It is best to have your brows styled BEFORE you begin the coloring process.  If you wax your brows, make sure they are wax-free and clean before you begin. If you have any wax, oil or cream on your brows, the color will not 'take'.

2.  If you wish to dye your brows the same color as your hair, save a bit of dye once you have colored your hair.

3.  Use a clean, dry mascara brush (you can also buy a package of one-use mascara brushes in a variety of stores) and dip it in the dye.  Wipe off any excess dye from the bristles and then gently brush separate hairs throughout the brow.  I like to create a more natural look by not dyeing EVERY hair, so I gently color brow hairs as I brush.

4.  In general I do not leave the dye on for more than 20 minutes.

5.  If you are dyeing your hair at the same time, use a wet towelette and wipe the dye off the brow BEFORE you wash the dye out of your hair, so you do not risk dye dripping into your eyes.

6.  Warning: if the dye causes an allergic reaction to the brow/eye area, wipe off the dye immediately and gently wash the area.

Want to learn how to style and groom your own brows in a one-on-one lesson? Contact me today!

www.thekallahwhisperer.com