Dear LMM,

What is the best way to curl eyelashes? Should I use an eyelash curler or a curling mascara? And, what are the benefits?

Thank you, Hannah.

Dear Hannah,

An eyelash curler is the best way to curl your eyelashes. Then, to set the curl in place, follow up with a coat or two of mascara. An eyelash curler lifts the lashes, making them look longer, prettier and curvier, and this in turn makes the eyes appear bigger and more wide awake.

I use my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler on almost every makeup job I do, with very few exceptions. I don’t use it if the model has naturally curly lashes (on the odd occasion I meet someone who has been blessed by the Curvy Lash God), or if girly lashes don’t work with the job brief. For instance, in a lot of last season’s looks, lashes weren’t high on the agenda because androgyny was a key trend. To help give the models’ faces a more masculine feel, the lashes were left uncurled and in some cases mascara free.

The Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler is available online at: Shu Uemura-USA.com and Shu Uemura.co.uk, or visit Shu Uemura.com to find your nearest stockist.

Top curling tips!

• Always curl bare eyelashes and then apply mascara. If you try to curl mascara-laden lashes (which tend to be brittle), they will be more inclined to break.
• For celebrity-like lash curvature, position the clamp of the eyelash curler as close to the roots of the lashes as possible without squeezing the skin on your eyelid, and pump the handle three to five times.
• Make sure you’re using a lash curler that’s wide enough to cover the entire lash line. If you find your curler misses the lashes at the outer corner of your eye, you may want to consider investing in a mini eyelash curler especially for this tiny (but important) task. I’ve heard whispers that my favorite one (by Shu Uemura) has been discontinued. Big sob! I got mine years ago; I found it in a suburban drugstore (pharmacy) in Hong Kong, and it has been my secret weapon ever since! As the name suggests, it is smaller than the standard full-size version (think little sister) and has a straighter edge, so even the most non-compliant, hard-to-reach lashes can’t escape.
• If you are using the proper technique, curling your eyelashes should not be painful. Make sure you have a firm grip, and if you feel any pain, stop, reposition the lash curler and try again!
• Ensure the rubber pads (on the clamp) are clean, in good condition and securely held in place. These prevent any damage to the lashes and leave them with a natural-looking curve (so upkeep is critical).

Curling mascaras certainly have their place and are effective to a point, but the results are nowhere near as dramatic as what you can achieve with an eyelash curler. If you’re a dead-set lash curler-phobe, use a curling mascara to give your lashes a little bit of lift. My current favorites include: Sublime de Chanel, Diorshow Iconic and Le 2 de Guerlain.

Hope this helps.

Love lots and pink polka dots, LMM.

To curl or not to curl. That is the question. is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

An easy way to color-match eyeshadows is to keep the shades tonal. In other words, use variations of the same color. For example, for an everyday look, choose a color family first, then select three shades from it: a light color (as a base), a medium tone (for the eyelid) and a dark shade (to contour). This means if brown was my color family of choice, I would pick a light beige, medium brown and chocolate brown. Similarly, if I chose the gray color family, I would opt for a light silvery gray, gray and charcoal. Get it?

Typically, most eyeshadow compacts (duos, trios, quads and quintets) are coordinated, so these can also be a good place to start when you’re learning. Simply mix and match the colors, and you shouldn’t go too far wrong.

The key to finding out what colors work best for you is to try them. Choose a day when you’re not rushing, and experiment. What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t like the look you’ve created? Bad makeup is far easier to remedy than a bad haircut: simply reach for the makeup remover, erase it and start over.

Do you find color-matching confusing? is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

1). For soft and glowing skin, I recommend Decléor’s Aromessence Néroli. It’s a 100% natural blend of essential oils and is suitable for all skin types. I love the way it leaves my skin feeling plump, nourished and awake, and the fresh forest fragrance reminds me of a spring morning in the countryside.

How to use it:
Simply warm up 2 drops of this gorgeous serum in your hands and apply it to your face and neck each morning before you apply your regular moisturizer.

2). Givenchy Le Prisme Visage Mat Soft Compact Face Powder in 84 Beige Mouselline is a permanent resident in my handbag. This silky-textured powder quad is perfect for touching-up on the run. The classy compact contains four shades of powder which can be mixed and matched to give the face a radiant glow, and comes complete with a mirror and brush. Generally, the quality of the brushes makeup companies supply with their products is questionable, but this one won’t disappoint. It does a good job for its size and, when not in use, it can be stowed away in a special compartment beneath the powder. Perfection!

3). If you want a luxurious, lightweight powder that brightens your complexion and controls unwanted shine, but doesn’t cake, settle in lines or highlight pores, Lancôme Ageless Minérale with Sapphire Complex Perfecting and Setting Mineral Powder is for you. Use it alone or over foundation to give your skin a subtle sheen. Stunning! Because this is a loose powder, I prefer to keep it for home use. When I am out and about, I find a pressed powder (like Givenchy Le Prisme Visage Mat Soft Compact Face Powder (described above)) more convenient.

4). Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Body Gloss is my go-to body product! I use it frequently on shoots because it gives the skin a healthy glow and doesn’t leave the models looking overdone. The fragrance is reminiscent of holidays at the beach … to me, it’s summertime in a tube. Love it!

How to use it:
For top-to-toe radiance, slather it over your legs, arms and décolletage.

5). For full and luminous lips, you have to try Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Awakening Lip Balm. This genius lip balm not only enhances the natural color of the lips, but also plumps, hydrates and protects. It’s the perfect solution for summer: simple, quick, and easy to wear!

Glow on – you know you want to!

Get glowing! is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

Win victory in Battle of the Brows!

Girls, it’s time to declare war against unsightly and overgrown eyebrows.

Before you embark on the fight, polish up your secret weapon (also known as a pair of tweezers) and arm yourself with the ultimate battle plan, Pluck It!. For a sneak peek at what’s involved, view the photo file below:

Before.	During.	After.

This free two-page, step-by-step strategy will show you how to pluck your eyebrows properly, and also reveals what’s hot (and what’s not) in the wonderful world of brow beauty. For a copy of Pluck It! and exclusive access to the accompanying video tutorial, subscribe to Little Miss Makeup Club.

Plucking Eyebrows! is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

For sexy sun-kissed cheeks, combine two colors:

1). Take some bronzing powder on a large, fluffy brush, and using short up-and-down strokes, blend it over the cheekbone. For perfect color placement, start near the hairline and follow the cheekbone down toward the apple.

2). Next, take a pink, peach or nude-beige powder blush on a small, round blush brush, and using circular motions, apply it to the apple of the cheek (the plump part which protrudes when you smile).

Hot tip! To avoid applying too much bronzer or blush, tap any excess powder off the brush before you begin. If you go wrong and your cheeks look too strong, knock down the color by blending some loose powder over the top.

Cool tricks! To make powder blush easier to blend, prepare the skin with a layer of foundation and loose powder first.  For super-dewy cheeks, skip the powder step and work a cream blush straight over your foundation. Want your skin to glow from within? For a subtle surface flush, apply a cheek tint or gel before your foundation.

My product picks! Best bronzer: I love M·A·C’s Bronzing Powder in Refined Golden, Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna and Clarins Bronzing Powder Compact in Golden Sun. Fave blush: I adore M·A·C’s Powder Blush in Pink Swoon, Benefit Benetint and the Stila Convertible Color range.

For more tips and techniques, read How to Apply Blush.

Whatever the weather, get a summer glow on! is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

Preparation is a key factor if you want your makeup to last. Start by cleansing, toning and moisturizing your skin, and then apply a primer and long-wearing (matte or semi-matte) foundation.

Hot tip! To minimize break-through shine, dust a mattifying powder over your foundation, paying particular attention to the T-zone. To avoid the cakey look, apply it with a very soft, large powder brush.

Cool trick! When your face feels hot … blot! Powder-coated blotting papers are a handbag must-have. They are lightweight and portable, which makes them the ultimate touch-up tool for girls on the go!

My product picks: Diorskin Forever by Dior is my favorite matte foundation. If you want a flawless, shine-free, long-lasting base that won’t budge … this is it! For a fresh, smooth-looking, slightly dewy complexion, choose Chanel’s Pro Lumière or Lancôme’s Photôgenic Lumessence foundation. Both of these stay put and give the skin a perfect semi-matte satin finish.

Are you tired of your foundation wearing off part way through the day? is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

byANGÉLIQUE … where cosmetics and convenience collide!

Angélique is the Wonder Woman of the beauty world. Her innovative range of beauty products and accessories are not only funky and affordable, but they make life easier for the modern girl.

The byANGÉLIQUE Range.

Tweeze, please!

TweezeMe: Tweezers with an in-built light! Perfect for tweezing eyebrow hairs in low-light environments such as hotel bathrooms. Also, a total godsend if you have blonde eyebrow hairs which play invisible when you are plucking.

Other product features: Choice of a pink or silver protective case. Pink TweezeMe comes complete with a magnifying mirror and cleaning cloth, while Silver TweezeMe includes an Allen key to make battery changes a breeze. Beauty Bonus! Both packages contain complimentary spare batteries.

Makeup artist tip!

When tweezing, use a brow comb or clean mascara wand to brush the eyebrow hairs in an upward direction. A groomed brow line is easier to shape and you will be less likely to over-pluck. Extract hair from the underside of the brow first, and then tidy along the top. Always tweeze in the direction of hair growth and pull the skin taut to lessen the pain!

Think mirror compacts are old-fashioned? Think again!

MakeMeUp: A cute pink compact with two mirrors inside; one lights up at the push of a button and the other offers 2× magnification. Use the lighted mirror to touch up your makeup in the dark. Powdering your face in the back of a taxi cab at night has never been so easy! And, during daylight hours, the magnifying mirror is perfect for those up close and personal makeup moments. MakeMeUp is sleek and lightweight – quite simply, every handbag should have one!

Lights! Mirror! Hydration!

LipDelight: A nourishing lipgloss with an in-built light and mirror. No more putting your lippy on crooked! Apply it anywhere, any time, day or night, with laser-sharp precision. Choice of six stunning shades.

Makeup artist tip!

Team smoky eyes with LipDelight in Elegant (a dark nude) for a sultry evening look. Coral has made a comeback, so for an on-trend lip choose LipDelight in Gorgeous. Want sexy smackers? LipDelight in Sassy (a watermelon pink) is my pick.

The balm with bite!

LipFresh: A tinted, moisture-rich, mint-infused lip balm. Kiss pout drought and coffee breath good-bye! Choose from five fun shades.

Makeup artist tip!

For a shiny but understated smile, opt for LipFresh in Nude. Mimic the makeup seen in recent runway shows, and pair heavily lined eyes with LipFresh in Rose (a sheer plum-red). To bring the most boring lipstick to life, simply pat LipFresh in Clear over the top. Want juicy pink kissers? Layer on LipFresh in Fuchsia.

For well-conditioned, glossy lips and a lingering fresh breath, the answer is . . . LipFresh!

Shopping List!

Unfortunately this range is no longer available.

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byANGÉLIQUE: An innovative beauty brand is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog

Drag out everything, including the long-forgotten items buried in the beauty product graveyard, right at the back of the bathroom cupboard. It’s time to resurrect some of these pre-loved treasures.

Tough times call for creativity. C’mon girls, let’s experiment!

Do it differently!

If the product was relegated to the darkest corner of the deepest drawer because it didn’t deliver the desired effect first time round, try something new. Don’t forget: when it comes to makeup, the method of application has a big impact on the finish. For example, if your powder leaves the skin with a cakey finish, trade the powder puff for a brush. Want a better color pay-off from your eyeshadow? Pat on the color with a firm, flat, dense-bristled eyeshadow brush, instead of blending it with a sponge-tipped applicator. Need more coverage from your powder foundation? Apply it with a sponge and use a dabbing motion to work it onto the skin, instead of long, sweeping strokes. To get a smooth, sheer finish from a liquid base, choose a sponge specifically designed for blending, and before use, dampen it slightly with water to prevent it from absorbing too much product.

Mix it up!

If makeup artists do it, why can’t you? Despite the amazing range of colors and textures available at the cosmetic counters, makeup artists continue to mix products to achieve the perfect hue or ideal consistency. So follow their lead, mix up the contents of your beauty bag and create a stack of new shades without spending a single cent.

Makeup artist tip 1: Use the back of your hand as an artist’s palette. It’s very convenient and the warmth of the skin makes blending colors easier. Some product formulations don’t mix together well (and either separate, streak or cake), so it’s great to find this out on your hand, not your face.

Need a new-look lip color? Mix two lippies together to create your own custom-made tint. Want a long-lasting lipgloss in a hot new shade? Fill in the entire lip area with lipliner or lipstick and pop a gloss over top.

Do you have lots of dark-colored eyeshadows you never use? Take them from bland and boring to moody and mysterious in minutes. Simply apply a light-colored, shimmery shadow or dust over the dark shade, and blend, baby, blend. Layer cream on black to create a gorgeous frosted gray. Similarly, make plain eyeliner pretty by blending a white eyeliner pencil over the top. For the perfect pastel blue, wash white over navy.

Makeup artist tip 2: When blending products, the best way to get the color “bang-on” is to alter it gradually. For example, to knock-down a dark shade, introduce a light color little by little, slowly adding more until the dark pigment is diluted to perfection.

Personalize your nail polish! For new-look nails add a colored loose powder pigment to clear nail lacquer. Warning: Mix this on a spatula, not the back of your hand! Happy painting.

Have fun trialing and testing, girls. Make your purse proud!

Beauty on a Budget is a post from: Little Miss Makeup's Blog