Glamorous makeup trends: Red lips, false eyelashes

Instant Impact With False Lashes

Natural makeup is great for daytime -- but if you are attending a party or going out on a special date, add some glamour to your makeup with deep red lipstick and fabulous false eyelashes. Just look at Christina Aguilera below -- she's got that classic glam look down!

Some women don't try false eyelashes because they think they are impossible to apply. But with a little know-how and some practice, you can look red carpet ready in no time!

Applying the lashes

1. Purchase a set of false eyelashes. My favorites are from MAC, but you can actually find them at most department store makeup counters and drug stores -- and you can even buy false lashes online! You will also need eyelash glue, a pair of tweezers and a small pair of scissors.

2. Trim the false lashes to fit your eyes. Hold up the strip of lashes to your eye. If they are a little longer than your lash line, use your scissors to trim the edges.

3. Apply eyeshadow primer over your entire eyelid from the lash line up to the browbone. The primer will help the glue adhere.

4. Place a line of lash glue on the back of your hand. Allow it to set for a few seconds to get tacky (follow the instructions included with your lashes or glue).

5. Using your tweezers, glide a strip of lashes in the glue. Make sure the glue is totally covering the edge.

6. Place the strip onto your eye as close to the natural lash line as possible. Press it into place, pushing down on the edges.

7. After you are sure it's firmly attached, repeat with the other eye.

8. Use a cotton swab dipped in eye makeup remover to clean any glue around the eye area.

Adding the finishing touches

1. After applying your foundation or powder to your face, add light brown eyeshadow to just the lid. You can actually use any color you'd like, but brown works well for most skintones.

2. Add a deeper complementary shadow into the crease of your eye to create some depth and definition. Blend the shadow upward and outward toward your browbone.

3. Use a black liquid eyeliner or ink lining pen to line your top lashes, filling in any gap between your natural lashes and the false eyelashes.

4. For a little bit of a cateye look, extend the liner just slightly past the outer corner of your eye, extending it upward.

5. Apply a coat of black mascara to your eyelashes. Apply the mascara to both the fake lashes and your natural lashes to help them blend together.

6. Choose a deep red lipstick and matching lip liner. Avoid brick reds, which make your teeth look yellow and skin sallow. Instead pick true reds or blue reds.

7. Line your lips and fill in with lipstick using a lipbrush for thorough application. Add a dab of clear gloss in the center of your bottom lip. Smack your lips together to spread the gloss.

8. Keep cheeks bare or very light. If desired, apply a pale pink or peach blush on the apples of your cheeks to finish off the look

Taking off false eyelashes

1. You should never sleep in false eyelashes. Remove them by using petroleum jelly or an oily eye makeup remover. This help to dissolve the eyelash glue. Don't tug to pull off the lashes -- you might take some of your natural lashes off with them. Instead apply more petroleum jelly and it allow it to sit for about 30 seconds, then gently lift off the false lashes.

2. Don't throw away your fake eyelashes after one wearing. You should be able to wear them about three times. Be sure to place them back in their original container so they will retain their shape.

With a little practice, you'll soon be the most glamorous girl around -- and might even give Christina Aguilera a good run for her money!

Tween makeup: Sweet or slutty?

Age-Appropriate Primping

We all did it as little girls. You know, sneak into Mom's vanity drawer and gorge our faces with the delicious bounty of lipsticks and eyeshadows, blushes and cold creams. Little girls love makeup -- and as they start to grow, it becomes a key player in forming their grown-up identities. But for moms, it's not easy. How do you draw the line between the fresh, pretty-girl look... and that of the hot, sexy nymph?

It started innocently enough. My 8-year-old daughter got a ring filled with lip-gloss, and naturally, this gloss began appearing on her lips. Enduring what felt like sub-zero temperatures the past couple of winter months, I let it slide. I figured -- it was a barely-there light pink lip gloss. It wasn't as if I were letting her out sporting harlot-red lipstick -- and at least it would protect her lips from getting chapped.

Then, about two weeks ago, I noticed some glitter on her eyelids, at 7:30 am, just as we were about to leave for school. While my first instinct was to march her into the bathroom and vigorously scrub her eyelids, I restrained myself, and said, "Oh honey that glitter is so cute -- but I don't think your teachers would approve. Maybe we'll just save it for special occasions." Code word for, when you're 17 years old.

overcoming mean-mom syndrome

So when is the right time to allow your tween out in public with makeup on? How do you allow her to satisfy her desire to look more grown-up, without looking like a baby prostitute? How can you strike that delicate balance, especially when you're up against Seventeen Magazine feature spreads of Selena Gomez, (an icon to tweenagers everywhere) decked out in three shades of eye shadow and lipstick?

According to Kristen Taylor -- mother of a 14-year-old and owner of online tween clothing store www.Juvieshop.com -- most mothers probably don't want to see anything more than lip gloss on their tween girls. Unfortunately, many middle-school girls these days wear eyeliner and mascara, and it's a tough battle to win.

"Even if your own daughter doesn't own makeup, and leaves for school every morning looking peaches-and-cream fresh, it is almost inevitable that she will eventually borrow some from a friend and come home with those pretty eyes ringed in black," says Taylor. "When this happened to us, I told my daughter that, ideally makeup, is hardly noticeable, and that contrary to what was in-style among her friends, an eye completely lined in black just wasn't flattering. And then I let it go. After some experimentation, she ended up not even wearing makeup every day, and wearing it lightly on others."

Why the rush?

Taylor's advice for moms of tweens: As a parent, the most important thing to remember is that the tween years are highly aspirational. Girls see teens as their role models, and will attempt to match teenagers' looks, music, and other interests. This is definitely a potential source of conflict between girls and their parents, and every family will have different comfort levels with the issues as they arise one by one.

"When your child is approaching their tweens, it helps to think through some of those issues beforehand and consider when you think your child will be 'ready' to, for instance, shave their legs, or start wearing eyeliner," says Taylor. "It's also important to remember that just because you think that 12-year-olds look silly in eyeliner, it's perfectly normal among that peer group. For them, it's considered odd not to wear it. But ultimately, parents can always say no if their kids are doing something that feels inappropriate. Then you can help their girl dial back the glam to an age-appropriate level. The bottom line: The only people who like seeing 12-year-olds with their eyeballs ringed in black are other 12-year-olds."

Fall beauty sneak peek

Our New York Fashion Week correspondent got all the juicy deets about what makeup and hairstyles will be hot this fall/winter 2010. Here's how you can steal the runway beauty looks for less.

Spring is coming, but the beauty vibes throughout the fall/winter 2010/11 collections at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week have tempted me into near obsession about the cool trends (literally) I want to wear now! Designer after designer previewed classic American beauty, washed into sultry tones of soft metallic, smoky grays and earthy browns, warm burnished corals, true reds and muted, pinky beige. Created to accent, not overpower the fantastic array of textures, and flattering neutrals in the fashions, the makeup, hair and nail focus was on wearable, chic, contemporary style. Almost effortless for the everyday woman to replicate, the dominant trends are quick to apply and work seamlessly for play, office or after hours. If you are on a beauty budget, (and who isn’t these days?) you will love these tricks from the trade! Here are a few tips on how to get the most current runway looks, straight from backstage, without breaking the bank!

Sexy and sultry

A very popular look for eyes this fall/winter will be centered on the sexy. At the Bebe fall/Winter 2010/11 show, featuring the Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian’s new collection, smoldering hues of soft black, charcoal, navy and browns were blended into the browbones, and amplified with layers of mascara, carefully coating every lash! False eyelashes are a MUST and work overtime to open up the eye, giving the smoky effect even more flair! Incorporate this look for yourself with Flirt It Lash Duo ($8) and Smokey Eyes Palette ($36) from Sephora.com, and L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Black Black ($7.99) at Target.com.

New necessities

Drowning in a deluge of beauty products? We can help! We scouted recent additions to the beauty product arena to find our top five picks for new beauty product must-haves.

SunSponge by ModelCo

Self-tanning lotions typically present a few challenges. To start, they are usually associated with an overwhelming telltale smell. Add to that the propensity to glob up between your fingers and under your nails (leaving you with perpetual Cheetos fingers), and you have an equation that is not always ideal. Kick these lotions to the curb and embrace ModelCo's revolutionary new SunSponge. The tanning formula, which automatically adjusts to your skin tone, is administered via sponge at the end of a plastic handle -- keeping your hands out of the mess. Best of all, it has a subtle and pleasant aroma. $39 at Modelco.com.au

Budget alternatives to your favorite beauty splurges

Trade this for that

Every woman knows that beauty products can break the bank -- but only if you let them. Some of the price tags on our go-to favorites are painful, yet we buy them anyway because it's hard to find affordable alternatives that actually work as well. In the interest of saving money while remaining your beautiful self, Katie Betian, a Los Angeles-based aesthetician and make-up artist, shares some professional secrets that will help you choose reasonably priced products without sacrificing results.

Mascara

For many, finding the perfect mascara can seem like a lifelong quest. Once you discover one that works for you, it's tough to let go. But, with prices reaching beyond the $20 range, you may think twice about applying that second coat. According to Betian, 'Mascara is all about the brush. Look for one that has a lot of bristles to help separate, lengthen and define. Sparse bristles will lead to clumps.' Another tip: make-up artists will often use two different mascaras, one for length and the other for thickness. If you want to experiment with this tip, apply the volume formula first and follow with the lengthening, even if it's just on the ends of your lashes.

Trade This:

DiorShow ($24) or Benefit Bad Gal Lash ($19)

For That:

L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara (around $8) or Cover Girl LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara ($8)

New Lash and must say.....

Best Mascara from Mac to date. and i love my Zoom Lash

www.M.A.C.cosmetics.com

Opulash

Big, fat, bouffant lashes. Dramatic density and curl achieved with a giant brush. Fibres go in all directions for a thick, rich, even application. No clumping. Long-wearing formula, up to 15 hours, quickly thickens lashes, root to tip. Contains natural beeswax.

$14.00

Flawless Makeup...

Want to know what I have on my skin?

Luminess Airbrush System

Includes:
• Micro Compressor and NanoDot Stylus
• 4 Shades of Foundation, Blush, Shimmer & Bronzer
• Complete Tanning System
• 2 Bottles of Tanning Solution
• GO Battery* -Portable Power Supply

$369.00

*Always get two or three colors so that in the winter and summer months you will have the right shade. Customizing colors for perfect match.