5Minute OPEN UP YOUR EYES MAKEOVERS
Fast-acting make-up, skin, and hair savers can help you look gorgeous. By Jessica Prince.
5 MINUTE MAKEOVERS Fast times
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You already know that your eyes are the first place to show signs of ageing. And, sadly, that includes your lashes. While professional extensions and growth formulas do a fine job of boosting lash length and thickness – making your eyes appear lifted – they also demand a long-term commitment. Volumising mascaras are the quickest way to create a youthful look. Tarte’s new mascara is equipped with a flexible-bristle wand that promises more than seven times the volume after only two coats. “A full-bristle wand ensures that you can coat every lash, which instantly opens the eyes,” says make-up artist Moani Lee. For maximum effect, she advises dotting a liquid liner (like Clarins Instant Liner) on your upper lids in the spaces between lash hairs, curling your lashes, and then carefully wiggling the mascara wand back and forth from the base of your lashes upward.
HIDE YOUR WRINKLES
Botox and fillers remain the gold standard for eradicating fine lines and wrinkles, but products that fake a more youthful complexion do exist, especially when you’re desperate for a speedy solution. If you’re oily: Camouflage lines with something that’s lightweight and oil-free. Dior Capture Totale Dreamskin Global Anti-Aging Skincare Perfect Skin Creator is a primer-like formula loaded with mineral biomimetic powders to inflect light and conceal lines in 30 seconds. Apply it before make-up and notice how you’ll need far less foundation. If you’re dry: Shiseido White Lucent Total Brightening Serum now includes resveratrol that puffs up wrinkles on contact, along with ProBright 4MR that reflects light and makes lines less noticeable. “We call that fairy dust,” says Ava Shamban, a Beverly Hills dermatologist. “Any product that reflects light will make you look like you just had a five-minute laser treatment.” But beware, she says; these products won’t last all day, though they will give you results for an evening.
PLUMP YOUR POUT
Whether or not you’re genetically blessed with Angelina lips, “everyone’s will deflate with age,” says Shamban, and it can start to happen as early as your 30s. Although your Despite what you may think, your pores aren’t getting bigger. It’s just that when they’re open and clogged (with oil and dead skin, which can oxidise and turn black), they stretch, look larger, and can form blackheads. “The actual size of a person’s pores cannot be changed,” says Howard Murad, a Los Angeles dermatologist. The good news: You can reduce their appearance in minutes with Murad’s new pore and blackhead duo, a two-part system that exfoliates the gunk lodged inside with volcanic mineral clay, then seals and tightens pores with a salicylic acid serum. Unlike other pore reducers currently available, this one prevents the sebum in clogged pores from oxidising, which blocks blackheads from forming. Apply it twice a week.
Neveryday gloss may be capable of hydrating your pout (remember, moisture makes skin and lips fill out naturally), special plumping formulas such as Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick go a step further, forming a protective barrier to prevent moisture from evaporating to “enhance size and shape instantly,” says Lee. Shamban agrees. “Lip plumpers absolutely work,” she says, and they can even help puff up wrinkles on your lip lines. Look for ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, and peppermint oils as well as jojoba oil and hyaluronic acid. Since most offer only a hint of colour, try Lee’s trick if you want to pull off the bright-mouth trend: Apply your plumper, and allow it to set for three minutes; wipe off any excess with a tissue, then add lipstick.
TIGHTEN YOUR PORES
DISGUISE YOUR GREYS
No question – grey regrowth at your roots can tack on years to your face. In fact, it can add up to a decade, says LA colourist Denis de Souza. Because visiting a salon every two weeks is rarely feasible, Garnier Olia, a new-generation at-home hair colour solution, uses an Oil Delivery System formula of floral oils, doing away with ammonia and its unpleasant odour. Available in nine shades, it makes the hair look visibly healthier and silky smooth to the touch. Great results with effortless, uncomplicated application? Now, that’s what we call a five-minute makeover.