“Make up gives every woman the potential to be beautiful. Not because I believe you need to disguise yourself to look great, but more because i think you need to feel great to look it, and playing with the magic dust of make up makes you feel just that.” Juliet Cohen, Vogue Make-up Artist

There are so many opportunities with cosmetics these days that you can literally change your image, just by changing your make up. Some of today’s most powerful female icons use make up to be a chameleon in their professions and create different characters. Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Kylie, and girl-band Girls Aloud for example, all embrace the power of make up to transform themselves throughout their careers.

With the seemingly endless possibilities of available cosmetics, I’m not here to dictate how to transform yourself with rigid rules about what to buy and how to wear it. However, a little information goes a long way...! So I hope to give some basics about skin types and simple guidance about how to make the most of yourself particularly in those winter months when we tend to look a little peakier than normal!

The skin is the largest organ of the body, yet because it doesn’t have a defined, decipherable shape it often get s neglected! However, I truly believe that flawless looking skin is the secret of confidence, and therefore beauty. Women often neglect their skin and opt for just wearing eyeliner/mascara and/or lipstick to complete their look. But with the right skincare, foundation or tinted moisturiser and concealer the transformation can be formidable!

Before applying anything though, it’s essential you establish what kind of skin you have. Sounds silly? It’s amazing how many women I meet as a make up artist who simply don’t understand their own skin and how to treat it. Inevitably skin types can change slightly throughout the month, and more drastically with age, hormonal changes or having a baby. What you put on your skin should change as well. Here’s a simple guide to each skin type and how to make the most of it:

* Dry Skin – If you have slightly scaly or flaky skin in parts you probably have dry skin. Dry skin’s pores are virtually invisible and are less likely to have breakouts in spots than any other skin type. However, the downside is that dry skin ages much quicker too. A lot of people with dry skin tend to want to saturate their skin in oil, when in actual fact, it’s not oil that’s needed, its water and protection from the elements. Drinking lots of water helps dry skin not to become flaky and there are lots of moisturisers on the market now that are hydrating without being oil based. Protective creams with a high spf are your best bet. Also using a cream cleanser works much better for dry skin and avoid cleansing wipes, they strip your face of essential moisture! In terms of make up, apart from on the odd special occasion, it is best to avoid powder products as they highlight lines and cracks on your face. Silicon based products will glide on easily and give the impression of radiance without taking valuable moisture away. With the winter months closing in blusher is an almost essential tool to brighten yourself up... There are hundreds of cream blushers on the market now and as people with dry skin should avoid powders they are definitely the most desirable for this skin type. However, it is essential if you choose them, to blend thoroughly or you’ll run the risk of looking like a reject from a WHAM video!

* Oily Skin – As I’m sure you can guess, the pitfalls and benefits of having oily skin are virtually a flipside of those of dry skin. Oily skin bearers definitely win the prize for aging the slowest! Oily skin is most common in those with Olive/Mediterranean features and the best and worst aspects are that it secretes a lot of sebum (a natural oil in the skin). On the one hand it’s a fabulous natural moisturiser which fends off the signs of aging, on the other hand though, this type of skin is likely to be affected by breakouts of spots and open visible pores. If you have oily skin you must resist the temptation of over washing your skin, or using drying toners with alcohol. This merely stimulates the glands under your skin and causes the oil to produce quicker!! Wearing the right make up is inevitably of great importance, and I’m afraid in order to prevent your lovely make up slipping off your face and onto any available garment, you’re going to have to become savvy to some beauty phrasing... Avoid at all costs any foundations or skin finishers that give a ‘glossy’, ‘dewy’ or ‘satin finish’. Instead there are plenty of oil-free, ‘shine minimisers’ and ‘matt finish’ products that will keep you staying fresh looking! Powder, is most definitely your friend. So to fix your make up, get a blotting, or translucent light powder, as well as powder blushers which dig into the skin and keep your make up there longer than you would expect. If you love a shimmery cheek, then you can get skin finishers and bronzers that are powder too.

* Combination Skin – This is pretty much what could be described as ‘Normal’ skin. Most people have areas on their face which are dryer than others, and most people have a more oily T-zone. I wish I could tell you there is a fantastic range of products that works perfectly for the two differing areas brilliantly, but alas make up technology hasn’t quite got there yet. So, as painstaking as it sounds, it’s simply better to treat them separately. You may have to buy two bottles of moisturiser, but hey!.. It’ll last twice as long! Make up wise, people with combination skin have a much easier ride. You have the pick of products and can opt for matt products or dewy products without having to fear too much, although it’s good to remember that a little goes a long way, and tide-marks are never good. Always work any foundation right on down into the neck area! It’s also worth remembering that at different times of the year, you’ll need to concentrate moisture and treatment on different areas due to the affects of the weather.

* Sensitive Skin – Most people have the odd flare up, but truly sensitive skin can flare up at the drop of a hat! If you have this skin type it’s best to treat it as if it were dry. No alcohol to go near your skin, and no strong facial detergents. Natural products often work very well with sensitive skin. I myself suffer hugely if I put only a tiny bit of the wrong type of moisturiser on my face. The reaction can be anything from a little pinkness that lasts a few minutes, to an angry rash or some spots a few days later! I find that the more natural products you can use in your beauty regime the better. Rosehip oil is very good for the uber-sensitive, and it’s balancing. And there are plenty of simple cosmetics that aren’t crammed with chemicals, and are hypo-allergenic. This also applies to the make up you choose. Look at the packaging, and look at the list of ingredients. If things like chamomile and aloe vera are listed THEY’RE SAFE – also if you find hypoallergenic on the label.

Hopefully this little guide will assist you particularly in the winter months, to make the right choices with skincare and make up so that you can keep your head held high. There is so much to say about make up that it’s important before anything else, you get your skin right and treated with the most appropriate products before applying colour. Then it’s just a case of experimentation!...

I am available for private consultations and lessons. I can work with individuals or small groups. If you would like to book a lesson or make up for a special occasion make up, or perhaps would just like to find out more... Then please contact me on the details listed below:

Contact Polly
Polly Colville – Make Up Artist
07989 231 412