Need to look your best in a hurry? Start with your face: it's your "canvas."

Two ways to improve your appearance quickly are to get the glow of healthy skin and then create a "polished" look.

Have a little extra time the night before your event? Eliminate the buildup of dead surface cells that dull skin with a mask or microdermabrasion (use the right products for your skin type and special needs). Replenish moisture lost during the super-cleansing by hydrating your skin thoroughly. Define "fuzzy" lines, like your eyebrows, by shaping them to complement your face.

On the day of your event, cleanse, freshen (or tone), and moisturize your face and eye areas; foundation and makeup go on more smoothly and evenly over well-hydrated skin. Since the eye areas don't produce their own moisture, use an eye cream; it's specially formulated for that delicate skin. Moisturizers for the face tend to have humectants which can puff up the skin around the eyes.

Foundation and powder: Apply concealer, if necessary, and foundation. Then "finish" your face with powder. Powder "sets" the foundation so it lasts longer with less need for touch ups.

Eye primer: Put on eye primer or dust powder over your eyelids. Both provide a base for eye color so the color goes on evenly and stays in place longer without creasing and smudging.

Eye color: The simplest approach to eye color is to apply a neutral or soft shade (from the upper lashes to the brows) which will enhance or "pop" another color placed over it. Almost as easy is another technique using two colors. Follow the eye primer with a single color from lash to brow. Then apply a second stronger (or darker) color over the lids and into the creases to complement the shape of your eyes. If you're getting ready for an evening event, be more dramatic than for an event during the day.

Eye liner: Line the eyes if it enhances them, staying close to the lash lines.

Mascara: To make your eye lashes appear thicker and longer, start with the wand close to the eyes and then wiggle the wand back and forth as you move it away from your eyes. To really "open" your eyes, use an eyelash curler.

Eyebrows: A simple and natural way to emphasize the eyebrows is to brush them with a matching shade of eye color and then set the color with a gel. The gel also helps emphasize and maintain the shape of your brows.

Cheek color: For your cheek color, either smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks or sweep it up along your cheek bones starting two fingers away from your nose and stopping at your temples. Then blend the color gently.

Lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss: If color 'bleeding' is a problem, run a lip outliner pencil along the outer edges of your lips. Define your lips with a lip liner, fill in color with a lipstick and polish with gloss.

You're done ... your canvas is now a "work of art!"

© Copyright 2005. Charlotte Maddox. All rights reserved.

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About the author:

Charlotte is an experienced beauty consultant offering:

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Let's "face" it ... good looks start with skin care!