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| I Drive Fifty-Five! Photo by Maharet Hughes, Costume: Hallah Moustafa |
Just in case you didn’t realize, I am A Woman
Of A Certain Age. Specifically, that age is fifty-five…and I’m really and truly proud of
every damn year! I haven’t yet dabbled in “having work done”, but once in a
while I think about it. And sometimes
I miss my baby face of yore… the same
face that, as a younger woman, I insanely used to think was “fat” and puffy”. DUH! Believe
me, now I’m eternally grateful I had all that collagen- in fact, I now wish I
could’ve put it into a bank!
I’m going to share a few of my favorite make up and skin-care tips and products that’ll work whether you’re performing or just on
your way to dance class. These are small cosmetic tweaks which’ll make you look refreshed and gorgeous
no matter how young or old you are! These tricks will keep
you looking dewy and rested when you are
tired…and since The Holidays are just about upon us, they’re also a great
camouflage for those mornings when you’re lookin’ just a teensy bit hungover!
Eyes And Brows
A super-fab trick for making your eyes look brighter, is to use dark
blue liner... as opposed to black or brown.
I use navy blue to rim my eyes both in “real life” and on the stage. Blue liner plays an optical trick,
making the whites of your eyes really alabaster-white. For every day wear, I use a power shadow for this, cause it also makes the eyes look
softer than they do with a harsh liquid or gel liner. For stage, I apply the dark blue powder
shadow first, then go over them with a black gel liner, which adds definition
while retaining the softer look of the powder.
For every day wear, I use a
couple of coast of mascara- always! I love Rimmel’s
ScandalEyes Retro Glam Mascara , it’s absolutely telescopic…and my lashes
need all the help they can get! For stage, of course I use false lashes, the
bigger and thicker, the better!
As we age, our brows tend to thin out- or
maybe you’ve just over-plucked them. Lush brows are important on stage or off…
they frame our eyes, plus they make those
of us who are Of A Certain Age look younger . Right now, thicker brows
are in vogue, and the best way to get them-and also have them look natural, is
by using powders, as opposed to pencils.
For an every day look, I always use a matte powder. You don’t need to
buy a fancy brow powder, though there are many on the market that are
reasonably priced. I use a stiff angled brush and a mix of regular
matte brown and black eyeshadow. First, comb your brows with a spoolie brush,
or an old, clean tooth brush. Then use the angled brush to apply the powder
in short, swift strokes, going in the direction you’ve combed your
brows, the way they grow-or have been trained to grow naturally. If you make a
boo-boo just take a Q-tip and erase it,
and start again.
By the way, I always do my eyes first, then
clean up the migrating pigments underneath, before applying the rest of my face
make up. It prevents the dreaded raccoon eyes.
Foundations And Face Make Up
Because we dancers wear so much make up
onstage, many of us don’t use foundation for
every day wear. But many of us
have uneven skin tones, blemishes or get chapped skin during the colder months
that leads to redness or a mottled, ruddy complexion.
Even if you prefer not to wear foundation
for every day, here’s a little trick that will peel away the years.
Dip a flat but slightly thick and fluffy brush into a concealer that matches your skin tone,
lightly feathering the product over all the small lines and red
areas ( we all have them) around your nose. This one thing will make you
look at least a few years
younger-guaranteed! Or if you’re in the under-thirty age bracket, it’ll just
make you look more fabulous! Do the same
thing on any red spots or pimples, again
carefully blending it into the skin.
This will even out your complexion, without the heavy full-foundation feeling we sometimes get, as though we were
wearing a mask.
On stage, no matter how young or old you are, you need to wear foundation- because it will
make your complexion appear poreless and perfect. Those sheer, “natural look” formulas aren’t
strong enough- you need a very opaque, full-coverage type of foundation to get
the desired effect. Choose your foundation color by matching it as closely to
your own skin tone as possible. Try foundation samples on the inside of your
arm because the skin tone there is very close to the color of your face.
Often, performers will use a
foundation that is a shade or two darker
than their natural skin tone, because it makes their face appear brighter, more
robust and healthy under the harsh stage lights. I myself use this trick, and it works every
time! And I’m never without a primer under my foundation, either!
To apply foundation, use the
edge of a sponge or clean fingers to daub the make-up onto your face, blending
it well, making sure to extend the shade onto the sides of the cheeks, chin,
and onto the neck, so you don’t have a line where the foundation ends and your
natural skin tone begins. Press a similarly toned or translucent powder onto
your face to set the foundation, and then it’s time for…
Cheeks
When you do your blush, make
sure to pick a color that goes with your skin tone, and won’t make you look
sallow or unhealthy. Corals are great for those with olive undertones , and if
you’re pale, a true blue-pink or berry tone will work great. For gals who
are very dark, magentas or a blue red looks great, either onstage or off. A
word to the wise: in order to look natural – and not look odd in photos, always use matte- never
pearly-colors for blush.
To ( seriously) look five or ten years younger, apply blush to the apples of your cheeks only. If you go under the apples, you’ll look like an 80’s Nagel painting…a hawt look sometimes, but definitely not natural and also kind of dated, at least for day-to-day wear.
To ( seriously) look five or ten years younger, apply blush to the apples of your cheeks only. If you go under the apples, you’ll look like an 80’s Nagel painting…a hawt look sometimes, but definitely not natural and also kind of dated, at least for day-to-day wear.
Find the apples of your cheeks by smiling, then load a domed blush brush up with powder, blow or
tap off the excess product and gently
brush the product into the center of the apples, then curve it slightly up, in a “C” shape towards
your temples. For stage there’s almost
no such thing as too much blush, but if
you feel like you’ve applied a bit too
much color for “real life”, gently blend
the blush with a dry cosmetic sponge or just tone it down a little with some translucent loose powder.
As for winter time make up,
one of the problems most of us have is that our summer tans are fading. Check
the foundation you’ve been using to be
sure that the shade still matches your skin tone. You might want to mix two
colors together, so you can lighten or darken the current color you are using to match your “new” seasonal skin tone. For pale or fair gals, bronzer might be in order…and
you can find great, inexpensive ones at the drug store! E.L.F Studio Contouring Blush
And Bronze is only about four bucks and comes in a wide variety of
shades. If you want to go a little
higher-end, MAC Bronzing Powder is
the bomb. For bronzers, make sure to use them sparingly, since you are no loner
tan; take a large fluffy brush , and lightly go over the outside contours of
your face: cheek bones, temples, jaw line, then
fluff some across the bridge of your nose. This will give you a healthy
and subtle sun-kissed glow, and extend
the remnants of your summer color.
Lips
For stage, and for every day life, if I’m
going with a red lipstick, I make sure it’s a blue red , not an orange red. The blue-red gives the same effect
with our teeth as the blue eyeliner I
mentioned above… it makes anyone’s teeth truly appear pearly white! And, as we age, our teeth always- no matter
what our habits- tend to become a bit more yellow. This optical illusion
works wonders to counteract that dingy tone, believe me!
Onstage, I am a nut with
lip-liner; I go for the full Joan Crawford Effect by over-lining my lips almost
a quarter inch outside their natural
parameters. From the stage, under
hot lights, this is another very
anti-aging optical illusion, because as we get older, our lips lose
collagen and become thinner and less plump.
Of course, you can’t really get away with
this in very day life without looking
like a bag lady! For my “off duty” look, I
lightly line my lips just outside the natural guide-lines with a flesh-toned pencil ( I like to
use #
666 by Wet ‘N’ Wild ) pick a subtle peach shade or light blue-pink color of lipstick or gloss to use inside the faint
lines I’ve drawn.
Skin Care
During the winter, our skin
gets dry from the cold and wind and also
from indoor heating. Moisturizing is necessary, even more than it it is in
warmer months! As for moisturizers, I
love to go natural, and Atomic Cosmetics/ Xerion Skin Science has fantastic products that are all natural! The CEO-
and the mad doctor behind this company- is the super-cute, super-smart Jennifer
Dietrich, a gorgeous pin-up model and chemist with more than a decade of scientific study under her
patent leather waist-cinching belt!
Gorgeous Dr. Jen Dietrich of Atomic Cosmetics and Xerion Skin Science
Along with a mind-boggling line up of lipsticks,
blushes and eye shadows, Jen has created
some incredibly terrific skin care
products too. I absolutely adore her
anti-aging eye cream The New 20
, it’s so velvety and scrumptious that I
slather it all over my face! She also
makes City Skin , an anti-aging serum,
a superb Rosewater Facial Toner and
a wonderful primer that’ll keep your face looking poreless, ( with or without
make up) called Optimus
Primer.
About once or twice a week, I
use a scrub to exfoliate my face. There are
tons of products you can buy, but an easy
( and cheap!) home made scrub will do the trick, without causing
irritation.
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of dry oatmeal with ¼ teaspoon
of table salt- any kind will do. Add a teaspoon of water , or if your skin is
very dry, use olive oil instead. Rub it
into your skin very carefully with your fingers in circular motions, going upwards.
Make sure not to drag or pull your skin. Then let the paste sit on your face for about ten minutes,
and rinse it off with tepid water.
After this scrub, I apply natural coconut oil to my face.
You can purchase a large bottle of coconut oil at any health food store-
it’s great for cooking too. But when used on the skin, it draws moisture to you
and seals it in, without leaving you feeling greasy and gross…plus it smells
nice.
Here’s another natural, homemade skin scrub that is super easy to make and use:
Combine 1 cup coconut oil or sweet
almond oil, if you prefer, with one cup of sugar. Mix it well in a bowl,
and scoop it out with your hands, scrubbing your face and entire body down before you
step into the shower. This stuff works like a miracle! Trust me, your skin will feel like a toddler’s.
Have fun
playing with these colors, products and
ideas…and looking cute to boot!
#
My instructional make up
double-disc DVD Bombshell:
Dramatic Make Up For The Stage, Photos And Glamourous Occasions makes a great holiday gift! Get it – and The Belly Dance Handbook- here:
Order Atomic Cosmetics and Xeriox Skin Science
Products:
Contribute to
the Atomic Cosmetics Go Fund Me
Campaign ( and get rewards!) here: http://www.gofundme.com/ftvozs
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