Thursday, December 29, 2011

How To Tightline Your Eyes So They Really POP!



Just in time for your big night out on New Year's Eve, I want to introduce you to an advanced eyelining technique I learned from my makeup artist on a big photo shoot.


Many of you are already familiar with using eyeliner on the top of your lids to help define your eyes or to create a cat-eye effect. Probably many of you have also lined the inside of your lower rim for an even more dramatic smokey eye look, but have you ever tightlined ?

Tightlining is when you apply liner to your upper lash line, sort of like drawing roots on the underside of your upper lashes, right at the waterline to make your eyes stand out and give the illusion of fuller lashes and bigger eyes.

Using eyeliner alone on the top lid can look very stark on a naked eye, but tightlining your lash line is a subtle way to define your eyes and not look like you've done anything at all ... perfect when you want to give off that "not trying so hard" beauty vibe.


Here's how you do it:
Close your eye and slightly pull the corner of it upward. Use a flat brush wet with a cake eyeliner, a waterproof gel liner, or my favorite a pen-like liner.  It's best to dab and not create a thick line. Try wiggling the brush in between the lashes rather on the water line getting as close as possible to the lash line itself. (If you use a pencil try to use one that is waterproof to avoid smearing.)

Laura Mercier 'Tightline' Cake Eyeliner | Nordstrom

Laura Mercier Tightline Cake Eyeliner






Think of filling in the spaces between your individual lashes so that it looks lush. Move along the entire lash line and fill in blending along the way. You might find that you need to use a q-tip to clean up some smudging before you go on to apply your mascara. Here is  a video tutorial to show you how.




Have some fun experimenting with this no makeup, makeup look!




To learn more model's secrets to looking your best and taking your best photos check out my new book Face This: Real advice from real models, photographers and makeup artists on how to become Picture Perfect! Available for just $7.99 on Kindle, Nook and iTunes. Also as paperback from Amazon.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Women's Facial Shaving - DEFUZZING THE MYTH OF THE FEMALE MUSTACHE!




It is well known that Mr. Mustache can also be tragically female. In fact, over 40 million women in the U.S. are bothered by facial hair. It's definitely a hairy situation, but is a woman who regularly shaves her face in danger of becoming the next bearded lady at the circus?

The thought that shaving your face will cause the hairs to grow back thicker and darker is a conspiracy theory that the beauty industry has promoted in order to make us spend thousands of dollars trying to get rid of what a simple 99 cent disposable razor can. I have been razoring the fine hairs off my face for years after a makeup artist told me about doing it for flawless looking skin in photographs. Makeup glides on afterward, plus foundation and powder won't become attached to those fine hairs and illuminated in your photos, especially visible in (Yikes) High Definition!

If you want to learn more about the science behind shaving your face for flawless photos and other secrets to taking prettier pictures, check out Chapter 3 in my new book dedicated to the science and history behind this subject along with nearly 200 color pages of other secrets models know!  FACE THIS: Real Advice from Real Models.

Newport Beach plastic surgeon, Dr. Edward Domanskis encourages his female patients to shave their faces to slow the aging process. He says that by removing the top layer of dead skin cells, the exfoliation can result in a tightening and plumping up of the skin through constant cellular rejuvenation. .Dermatology and plastic surgery offices across the country offer a similar procedure of shaving the face that costs hundreds of dollars called derma-planing. Elizabeth Cummaro, R.N. aesthetician comments, “I see a remarkable improvement in my client’s skin after I perform derma-planing, which is almost exactly what shaving does.” See a You Tube clip of derma-planing being done ----->


Embarrassing and seldom discussed, the peach fuzz and faint mustache on a women’s upper lip is not a good look. Shaving is a simple, inexpensive and safe way to remove it. Some may resist saying,  “Not by the hair of my chinny-chin chin” but if this model’s best beauty secret gets out, don’t be surprised if your man's razor mysteriously goes missing!


Kat gets a quick shave in a barber shop in Japan ----->


If you liked this story check out {Halo Hair Extensions - the new rage in fake hair } because sometimes a girl wishes she had more hair!

Shelley GoodStein is a 47 year old FORD model who speaks to women through television, national articles and public forums about a model's secrets to looking good from the inside out and the beauty of aging! She is the author of Face This: Real advice from real models, photographers and makeup artists on how to become Picture Perfect! Available of Amazon, Kindle, Nook and iBooks.

Cover Girl ad banned in US - Fake Beauty: A guide to keeping it Real!

Bigger, Better, Bolder

Beauty campaigns have been banned across Europe for over-photoshopping. Today, the US finally weighs in ... banning ads by Covergirl. The ads, one which featured popstar Taylor Swift promoting NatureLuxe Mouse Mascara, promised "2X's more volume" on lashes but couldn't be substantiated. The disclaimer in fine print on the bottom clearly stating "lashes enhanced in post production". 


For a reality check watch the 2006 Dove "Evolution" video showing a model's progression from bare face to perfectly airbrushed billboard transformation.


The fake photoshopped look has become normalized because we no longer distinguish the difference between what is realistic and achievable vs what is fake. Women are spending more money than ever for hair extensions, plastic surgery, veneers ... otherwise known as "peacocking": trying to show off and stand out amongst other women. 

It's time to consider the man's perspective in this wholeheartedly, especially the part where men don't like anything that looks fake. It becomes too distracting for them, they find it hard to believe that your eyelashes could really be that long and they start to wonder what else might not be the real deal. That bold lip color that you think will entice him to a kiss? He sees it only as a threat ... becoming smeared across his own face if he does. 

Models and celebrities know that there are products that can enhance your looks and bring out your own special glow, but even so you must be careful not to overdo it. Like overly manipulated photos, you could quickly become banned from a guy's attention or a call back for that model audition, by layering it on too heavy.

Here are some great products to try for natural looking enhancements in photos and in real life:

Benefit's Benetint $29 - "the sexiest flush you can get from a bottle." Benefit's kiss-proof and waterproof,  sheer rose-tinted cheek and lip stain.

Lorac's TANtalizer Bronzing Luminzer $32 - An easy way to mesmerize a better-than-natural looking bronze tan in a matter of seconds.

Crest 3D Whitestrips - Teeth whitening can set you back a few hundred dollars but these strips, used nightly, can give similar results over time. (New York city dentist, Golub-Evan says that 20 years ago when he worked with model Paulina Porizkova she insisted he keep her teeth their natural color but recently she came in to have them whitened saying "We live in a society that prizes youth and white teeth are a part of that. ")

Mac's Zoomlash Mascara $15- reportedly Kim Kardashian's favorite, it is also one of mine. Mascara is not all the same, but they all contain the same basic components. To make them really work for you apply a thickening formula over a lengthening mascara and watch your eyes really pop! 

For more secrets about how to look flawless in front of a camera (without photoshop!) pick up or download my book Face This: Real Advice From Real Models, Photographers and Make Up Artists on How to Become Picture Perfect!