K.I.S.S. My Pink Chic

Undoubtedly, at your family gatherings, parties and dinners, women are in a pickle with their make-up: "If I go too dark, grandma may lose her mind, but if I..."

Take note from Eva Mendes and Blake Lively and just remember to K.I.S.S. then make-up: Keep It Simple Stupid. For any family event, maintain a look that is both innocent and inviting. Show off your most glamourous self in a subtle yet refreshing way with a soft blush. Right above your cheekbones, on the bridge of your nose, browbones and right above your cupid's bow (your lip point), apply a sheer, irridescent blush in a soft pink to add a natural glow to your skin. Smile, then on the apples of your cheeks apply a muted pink blush. Why pink? This perky colour is great because it compliments all skin tones and immediately adds a fresh finish to the face. Depending on your skin tone, you may simply want to go lighter or darker but staying within the pink family.

Beauty Muse Daily Tip: First Comes Shading Then Comes...

An essential step in a make-up routine that is frequently forgotten is contouring. Generally, contour simply means shading, defining, an outline or silhouette. With make-up, it changes the entire look of your face by creating a sense of balance, adding definition to your face with color. Facial features are viewed as a combination of light and shadows; therefore, by applying a dark tone, you create a false shadow, making it appear as if there is more depth or recession. One way to create the most natural yet effective contour is using creams BUT the trick is to apply it before your foundation. Using any shade of brown that is slightly darker than your skin (depending on your skin tone), apply the cream right beneath your cheek bone, only as far as the middle of your face (do not go beyond the no-mans land). Then you blend it out so it is diffused without any harsh lines, and finally you apply your foundation and blush just like normal and you will definitely see a more defined difference.

Beauty Muse Daily Tip: The "No Man's Land"

When we get embarrassed, enthused or stimulated, the blood vessels immediately under the epidermis expand, causing a greater amount of blood flow to the skin and the result is a natural looking flush. This natural flush is a look that make-up artists and make-up users try to copy with a variety of blush shades and formulas.

Countless women skip the blush step altogether (however, not my sister that's for sure, wink wink), but it is a massive, colossal beauty mistake. Why? You get immediate radiance, definition, warmth and brightness to your skin with one simple "swoosh" of blush! However, many women either get blush-happy (circa 1980s), or apply their "swoosh" into what we like to call the "no man's land". On the face chart below (yes it is a Stila one), in between the 2 vertical pink lines is this forbidden area. It is forbidden because the point of blush is to add definition and "lift" to your face. If you go too far past your cheekbones and near your nasal area, you are ultimately shrinking or minimizing the size of your face (which is actually the direct opposite effect we want to achieve with blush).

Beauty Muse Tip: smile and "swoosh": you can't go wrong because you see your apples as soon as you smile, then you just apply the blush and swipe up.

We're Blushing...

With lips, lashes, and liners stealing centre stage for beauty last fall, it seemed our cheeks are getting kinda lonely and left out. Not to worry: re-add some life and vibrancy (and a youthful glow for that matter) back into our faces with a quick swipe of blush. If you tend to have drier skin or mature skin, especially throughout the winter, cream blush works miraculously and looks a lot more natural. Why? Cream blends much more easily into our skin and the colour appear to come from within versus on top. If you are more on the oily side, grab your powder blush and a big fluffy brush.

Beauty Muse Tip: try to stick to more matte colours or those with a subtle iridescence as we generally apply the blush to the apples of our cheeks (and up) and this is the spot of the face where pores are rather larger and the iridescence of the blush would only emphasize their size. Whichever product you decide on, be sure to smile as you apply!

Here are Beauty Muses' Picks:

BOWWOW! by Shu Uemura

What do you get when you mix an iconic beauty brand like Shu Uemura + Japanese pop artist Aya Takano? BOWWOW! Magic Queen Palette ($85, Holt Renfrew). (Check out their full colection online at shueumura.com) What is it anyway? A pressed eye shadow/cream eye shadow-liner/glow on blush, in which you can only bet the final result will fly off shelves before the blink of an eye (obviously embellished with a fabulous faux pair from Shu's collection). It is a warm-toned color palette for a peaceful holiday season--oh bah-humbug: we just love Christmas! "Feel relaxed, curled up in the magic queen's cozy home that is redolent with the fresh pine scent of her enormous Christmas tree filled with luxurious decor of silver, gold and bronze." This limited edition eye & cheek palette is complete with a mix of three pressed eyeshadows (silver, gold and bronze), one cream aqua-green cream colour eyeshadow/eye liner, a gold-iridescent cream highlighter and a peach-coloured blush, in addition to two applicator brushes. All of this gloriousness is jam packed into a bright pink compact, decorated with cherries, stars, hearts and a blue-haired, doe-eyed superwoman. We know what some of you may be thinking, with this kind of a treat, it must be Christmas already... (Check out their full colection online at shueumura.com)

Get Glowing!

Tarte Cheek Stain ($30, www.sephora.com) is a water-based gel cheek tint that gives you a natural flush (no more cheek-pinching necessary). This natural looking gel blush gives the illusion of a natural glow of colour coming from under your skin (and not make-up sitting on the surface). Not only is it alcohol-free (so it won't dry your skin) but also oil-free (so it won't clog your pores). Yes, there is more. It contains Skinvigorating ingredients like a T5 Super Fruit Complex. This is pure water to help the skin retain moisture and mineral-derived pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties. Another fascinating thing about tarte? In keeping with their eco-friendly efforts, they've partnered with Sambazon, creators of the Sustainable Acai Project (an initiative to promote positive change in the Amazon Rainforest through forest conservation, improved living conditions, and educational opportunities through the sustainable management of the Acai Palm tree). Acai is an antioxidant-rich super fruit that helps fight free radicals, promotes cell regeneration, has known anti-inflammatory and skin softening properties, and combats premature signs of aging. In 7 fabulous stains, this cheek stain contains this superfruit!