FOTD

FOTD stands for Face of the Day. I plan to include a lot more of these, as well as tutorials, just as soon as I get a decent camera. The pictures I took today were from Chad's cellphone and do the vibrancy of the colours no justice whatsoever. The little butterball turkey is my youngest son, Cailum.

I washed my face, applied a toner and a moisturizer. While waiting for the moisturizer to sink into my skin I made Rhett some breakfast, changed Cailum's diaper, and washed my hands.

I applied the Body Shop's Matte It primer all over my face, excluding the eye area. I gave it a minute to sink in, and while I waited I applied a tiny bit of lip balm. After that I put tiny dots of Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse in "Light" all over my face except my eyelids, especially focusing on the freckled areas. I stippled and buffed this into my skin using my trusty MAC 187 duo fibre brush. Since I didn't sleep last night and to set the foundation as well, I followed that up with MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NW20

I then stippled MAC Blushcreme in "Lilicent" onto my cheeks and blended it in with my 187 brush (which was wiped off after foundation application) To highlight my cheek bones and up the center of my nose I used Red Earth's Secret Potion Face'n'Glow loose powder in "Pink Princess." I own two of these in liquid and other colours for a dewier finish. I love them.

I traced my natural lip line in Wet'n'Wild lip liner, shade #666 (another cult classic, and remarkably cheap!! Find it at Walmart.) I skipped lipstick and applied Red Earth Lip Wonder ultra shiny plumping gloss in "Peachy Girl."

For my eyes I used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I applied a thin coat all over the eye area, from lash line up to the brows, and along my lower lash line as well. I styled my hair while I waited for this to dry. It really doesn't take long. Maybe a couple minutes. After that I patted MAC Golden Lemon pigment into the eyelid and blended it. I applied MAC Chartreuse pigment from the outer corner of my eyes to about half way in, above the outer edge of the pupil, and layered MAC Bitter eyeshadow over the Chartreuse and a little bit over the golden lemon. I lightly blended them together by taking a blending brush and sweeping from the inside corner of the lid outward a couple times. After that I applied a tiny bit of MAC Humid eyeshadow up the outer corners of my eyelids and blended upward into the crease. I lined my upper lid with MAC's limited edition (Art Supplies Collection) Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in "Undercurrent." A gorgeous green shade with a hint of blue, topped with golden shimmer. My lower lash line had already caught some Chartreuse coloured fallout, and it looked good so I decided to work with it. I then lined my waterline, and inner edge of upper eyelid with an Almay eyeliner in Black. I believe it's the one that says 16 hours, water resistant and smudge proof. Something to that effect. Anyway, it's really good for water lines! I dabbed a thin line of Lise Watier Eye Glitter in "Golden Green" across the upper lash line, and finished with two coats of L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara, combed my brows with a spooly brush, and Voilà! I wish the pictures did it justice. It's a super bright, summery fun look.

*You may also note that Cailum has his father's cool pink skintone. I believe Rhett is neutral. That boy is WHITE.

-H. Cat

Rhett's Return to the Splash Pad

Rhett had a playdate at the splash pad with his pal Conner today. I was a little nervous because last year he and an older child collided and blood was shed. Lots of blood. It was nearly the end of splash pad season, and we brought him back once more after the incident and he was terrified so we had to leave.

Today we packed up Rhett and Cailum, some sun screen, some Bactine (which came in handy when little Conner scraped his knee,) towels, changes of clothes, sandwiches, and of course diapers and wipers. We drive a crappy little Kia so Chad had to drop Rhett and I off to pick up our playdates.

Things looked bleak as Rhett squealed in horror when approaching the splash pad area of the park. I let him take the lead and explore the equipment until our friends arrived. He showed excellent initiative and independence. He decided what to do, and did not insist I walk him through it. I have Chad to credit for this progress.

It didn't take long before Rhett was sticking his hands and face in the water and screaming in excitement with the best of them. Has anyone noticed the fascination children have with putting their "junk" up against the water jets? Strange!

Rhett and Conner did collide but both parties were fine. The injuries tallied one each. Conner's bleeding knee, and Rhett's twisted ankle. Cailum bounced and giggled the day away in the shaded protection of his stroller. Our boys were the only two at the park sporting mohawks, which makes them the raddest of the children. To my knowledge, all three boys barely made it through dinner without passing out. It seems a good time was had by all, and hopefully we can do it again next week sometime.

I did notice some funny looks from a few children, mainly older girls. Generally the splash pad brings out the screaming animal in any child so Rhett's quirks go largely unnoticed. I saw him grasp the hand of another child, hug two children, and he seemed to take an interest in doing what Conner was doing on the play equipment.

Today was a proud day for me. My little man is progressing wonderfully! I also made a little friend. A little boy decided I looked like a most qualified water gun filler, and asked me to fill his gun four or five times. After the second time he promptly followed Rhett around, draining his water gun on his back. Irony! I help him fill his gun and he blasts away on my boy haha. Rhett was having far too much fun to even notice.

I take a moment to endorse Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, which I fully intend to review in more depth at a later date. I chose to wear bold and bright turquoise eyeshadow to match the straps of my bathing suit. I applied my makeup at about 10:00 am. I'm not sure what time we hit the splash pad. I would say 3 or 4. I was out in the sun sweating, chasing down Rhett, running through the water for about an hour and a half. By the time we left my makeup was still going strong. Only now at midnight do I notice that it has faded a bit.

Love this stuff!

-H. Cat

A Word About Skintone

One of the most important, and often over-looked factors in selecting makeup, hair colour, and even clothing choices is your skin's natural undertone. I know better than anyone how hard it can be to look at yourself objectively, so I'm throwing together this resource for you.

I've got yellow undertones. This seems painfully obvious to me now, but it took years to figure out. In fact, I am so yellow that I find it very difficult to match my skin to most foundations. Chad has obvious pink undertones. Next to each other we look like a pig and an incredibly attractive girl with jaundice. Haha. I kid. But, note the difference. You would be inclined to think of pink as warm, and yellow as, well... warm. But in the world of skin and cosmetics, pink tones are considered cool. Some people are blessed with a neutral undertone, and almost anything will suit them. This isn't common, however, as even most neutrals lean to one side or another- and everyone has a colour they look awful in!

As a quick and general rule, the skin's undertone could be determined by the colour of your most visible veins. If they appear green than you're likely yellow (warm) toned. If the appear blue, then you're pink (cool.) A warm skintone usually looks best in warm colours, and so on with a cool tone.

But it's not quite so cut-and-dry.

Another recommended way to determine skin tone is to hold a piece of white paper up to the base of your neck, by your collarbone. Use the description below to decide which category you fit into. I always had trouble with this one, but it may work for you.

The four categories of skin tone:

• Golden
• Olive
• Pink
• Neutral

Golden skintones are warm. They against the white paper you should notice the skin to have a yellow, golden brown, or peachy hue. These skin tones are most flattered by browns, golds, yellow based greens, shades of grey, warm reds, oranges, apricot, peach, and corals.

Olive skintones are mostly cool, and can have tones of green, yellow, or gray. These tones can differ so I would recommend experimenting with both cool and warm tones to see which work best. Of course neutrals will work. Some materials state to avoid warm colours for an olive skin tone, but I tend to believe these tones are best played up in oranges, golden hues, apricots, corals, etc.

Pink skintones are tricky. You would expect someone with a pink or reddish tinge to be warm, but they are actually cool. That said, cool and neutral colours are the general consensus here. Warm colours can make you look downright red, which I have witnessed on Chad, who is very pink. Silvers are popular, as well as navy blue, amethyst, violet, magenta, icy blue's, silvery greens, and bright blue-based reds.

Neutral skintones are balanced. They're not overly cool or overly warm. These are your ivory or beige skin tones. They can wear just about anything. I wish there was more to say on this, but it's really all about figuring out what works specifically for you, and what may not.

Now you might have an idea of what category you fall into. Take into consideration your eye colour.

Warm Eye Colours:

• Red-browns or golden browns
• Green with red-brown, yellow-based green, green with gold flecks
• Blue with gold flecks.

Cool Eye Colours:

• Black brown or gray brown
• Blue, blue with gray, gray, or violet
• Green with blue or gray flecks.

By now, hopefully, you have a pretty good idea of your skin tone and some new ideas of colours to experiment with. Maybe something to keep in mind next time you go shopping for something new. I was going to elaborate, but I'm getting tired, so I'll slack off and leave you with these:

Left: Colours to best suit Cool tones.

Below: Colours best suited to Warm tones.

Final thought (I'm going all Springer on you!): Like anything in makeup, fashion, and art- There are no rules, only guidelines. I'm warm toned, but do you see purple on that chart? Hell no, and yet in my opinion and based on compliments I tend to receive when wearing purple, I'd say it's one of my best colours.

-H. Cat

Review: The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector

The famous Hemp Hand Protector! This stuff is great. I remember mentioning wanting to try it to one of my co-workers, and sure enough she had a tube of it on her. I purchased my own in short order.

I have a few problems with this stuff. First of all, the packaging. I like the way it looks. Hell, I even like squeezing the tube. I'm easily amused, and it's fun. The problem is that it bends, cracks, and wears down. Then it leaks, and then the tube gets greasy. The next (and in my opinion, worst) issue is the smell. Some people dig that earthy hippie funk. Not I! I hate the smell of hemp, patchouli, any of it.

The healing and moisturizing properties are great. Great enough to overlook the stinky smell and the flawed packaging. This is said to be the choice hand protector of professionals, as well. Doctors and chefs love it because they are constantly washing their hands, which is very drying. My hands are simply dry, and it did the job for me. The real test was Chad's hands. Chad has calloused, dry, cracked, damaged, manly man hands. He does jobs that are hard on one's hands. Roofing, concrete, landscaping, factory. You name it. (Anyone need a roof done? Ha!) The Hemp Hand Protector worked wonders on him. In fact, I'm feeling a little Father's Day inspiration coming on!

But I digress, as usual. If marijuana and hippies are not your thing, don't let the packaging and scent scare you away from this product if you want to give your hands some intensive TLC. If you find that the smell bothers you (hey, some people like it!) I would suggest putting this on at night time, perhaps with cotton gloves over top. You'll get all the benefits but you'll be asleep so you won't have to smell it. Then use something with a better smell during the say. Mmmm Nivea.

So let's review. This will moisturize your paws, nourish and heal them, and in addition to that it will strengthen and build the flexibility of the fingernails, which will help protect them from breakage- which can be a major pain in the ass!

-H. Cat

Review: got2b Smooth Operator: Smoothing Satin Drops

What is not to like about this product? Just don't use too much, and use it for what it is. This will not work a miracle on your hair and repair your dry, damaged ends. It will, however, disguise that damage while you work hard to nourish your hair and grow out stronger, healthier hair. It's mostly silicones, which explains why too much will make your hair greasy, but just the right amount will make it look great.

 Make note that this does contain a 'UV protectant," which is always good, but I would like to know exactly how much protection is given here.

I love this product. The smell is okay. It's kind of a childish candy smell. Not mouth wateringly yummy, but certainly not offensive. I apply this after blowdrying or straightening. I work a few pumps into the hair, concentrating on damaged areas. I'd start with one pump for fine hair... but my hair could be described as anything but fine. It's coarse, thick, frizzy, and there is LOTS. It smooths frizz, softens the feel of hair, and adds a great natural looking shine. Sleek and shiny!

The formula is light weight and once you find the right amount for your hair you virtually cannot tell you've got product in, which is really important to me. I hate the look of product, and I hate feeling it in my hair. A little goes a long way and yet you don't get a large amount per pump, so little product should be wasted. Or if you're cheap like me, you won't find yourself struggling with gooey hands to get the lid off the bottle to scrape the excess back in.

The price tag is highly agreeable. I think I picked up mine on sale for $4.00 or so, from No Frills. The packaging is both practical and fun.

Go check it out!

-H. Cat

Review: GOSH Eyeliners

First up is the GOSH Eye Liner Pen in Black. Chad bought me this after my liquid liner from The Body Shop ran out. I usually use MAC's Fluidline, but I go through liquid liner phases.

I love this, and will repurchase again and again. You can find it at Shoppers Drugmart. It's relatively inexpensive, and seems to last forever. I started using mine about a year ago, and it's almost empty now after nearly everyday use.

It is a dark rich black. The formula is smooth, dries quickly but gives you time to work with it a bit. It doesn't really fade a lot from application to the end of the day. It doesn't sweat off in the summer like some other liquid liners do. The applicator collects just the right amount of product, no wiping required. It is as good as any other built in applicator, maybe a bit better, and it does not tug the skin. It's a felt tip that has some give to it but is firm. When I apply this I hold the wand horizontally and press it into my lash line. Then I glide over it with my trusty MAC 266 angled brush to create the perfect straight line. I wear this all day, never touch up, and it washes off easily without the aid of makeup removers or cold cream.

Secondly, and much more fun, is GOSH's Extreme Art Eyeliner. This is very similar to MAC's LiquidLast Eyeliner. In fact, I don't notice so much of a difference, except that I prefer GOSH's Dragon Green shade to my similar MAC Greenplay. The difference is purely colour, however. In addition to Dragon Green, Chad also bought me the Deep Sea and Blue shades.

Like the MAC LiquidLast, I find this eyeliner to be a bit gooey, and chunky at times. You have to smooth it over immediately. I wish they could get these formulas more the consistency of paint! Once you get a handle on the application these look amazing. They have great colour payoff, and a flawless metallic look with a hint of duo-chrome. It is slow drying, but I see that as a plus because it gives you time to perfect it before it dries. Once it dries it will not budge! The real selling point on these is the lasting power. I can apply this before an evening out (when was the last time that happened? Ha!) and fall asleep with it on. It will still look fabulous in the morning.

I have a few problems with these. First of all, the applicator sucks. I use this the way I use any other wet liner. I paint a thin line on with the original applicator, then I glide across it with my beloved 266 angled brush.  The consistency of the formula- they are hard to use with other shadows or blend. You need to apply it last. If you put shadow over it it tends to muck it up. And the pro turned con... They last. They last a little too well and can be a challenge to remove. You will need a makeup remover. A face cleanser simply will not do the job.

Typically when I wear these I will apply an all-over shadow to the eye, a slightly thicker line of this along the lash line, and a thinner line of the GOSH Eye Liner Pen pushed right into the lash line. It's simple, but the liner itself makes it look like something special. I have read that these work great for the waterline, but the thought of the tacky formula tangling up in my lower lashes repels me. Perhaps when I am feeling adventurous I'll make an attempt.

 -H. Cat

Review: Hypnotic Poison (Fragrance)

This fragrance has been described mostly as sensual, seductive, and warm. To sum it up: This is a love potion.

It is the third fragrance in the line, and was designed by perfumer Annick Menardo. She also is the creative nose behind Lolita Lempicka (love those apple shaped bottles!) and Boss by Hugo Boss.

Nothing is for everyone but this is a wildly popular fragrance. In fact, one misting of this magic-in-a-bottle and I knew I would be irresistible to Chad. Needless to say, it worked. This is a fragrance that smells varying from person to person. I've always had trouble looking (read: smelling) at myself objectively, so I'm not sure exactly which notes stand out most on me. I do have a friend who wears it as well, and on her it tends to smell a bit like hot chocolate, smokey dragon's blood, vanilla and leather. On myself I get a totally different smell.

Some consider this an evening fragrance. I use this any occasion, any time. For daytime I lighten it up by misting myself all over with Victoria Secret Beauty Rush in Juiced Berry and applying a hint of Hypnotic Poison to the collar bone and wrists. For evening I will usually just use a heavier spray of Hypnotic Poison, or similar to the day use but with a vanilla body spray instead of berry.

This stuff has lasting power! I don't put my hoodies through the laundry after each wear because I don't want them going grubby on me (fading, pictures cracking, material balling up, etc.) If I throw one on that I haven't worn for a week I'll almost always catch a hint of this fragrance lingering.

This scent falls into the oriental category and boasts a touch of vanilla.
The base notes are sandal wood, vanilla, moss, jacaranda wood, and musk.
Heart notes include rose, lily of the valley, jasmine sambac, tuberose,
And the top notes are ones of bitter almond, caraway, coconut, plum, apricot, and pimento.

Not for the faint of heart, this scent is definitely an attention getter. When I actually ventured out into the outside world I got compliments on this fragrance almost daily. And as Chad would tell you, one smell and he was hooked! ;)
-H. Cat

Playing in Silence

One of my favorite qualities in my son Rhett is the comfortable silence we share when he is not on the go. I thoroughly enjoy spending evening hours without saying a word. We don't need words to be on the same page. There's facial expressions, body language, and of course some music to keep things from being awkward. Most people don't understand this. They have oral diarrhea. Some people just have to talk.

Today I witnessed something awesome. We took Rhett to the park after visiting our local and lacklustre fair, and after taking him for lunch at Tim Hortons. He didn't pick his food apart, made minimal mess, and used a napkin. GO RHETT!! Mommy's so proud of you!! But I digress.

We arrived at the park to see picnic tables lined up and several children wearing silly pointed hats. A birthday party. This made me nervous initially. Will someone stare at him? Ask him a question and unwittingly cause him embarrassment by waiting for an answer? Will he bite a child? Will the other children ignore him?

I walked him over to the teeter totter so I could sit him down to spray some Bactine on his scraped knee. When I turned around from putting the Bactine under Cailum's stroller, I saw a child on the teeter totter with Rhett. Rhett didn't weigh enough for it to work efficiently, and soon another child ran over. They shuffled around a bit to get the best weight distribution. They smiled at one another but they never expected Rhett to say a word, and never asked why he didn't. A few of the kids took off, leaving just Rhett at the first boy. They'd learned from trial and error that the two of them couldn't make it work earlier. Normally I'd be inclined to go over and help, but we're trying to teach him to have some Independence while he plays. This one amazing little boy actually got off of the teeter totter and stood beside it, bouncing the other end so Rhett could ride. He made him so happy!

In a world full of rude bratty children, this was a heartwarming sight. After a while the boy moved on to something else and another little girl took a place on the opposite end of the teeter totter. She asked "Do you want me to play with you?" and Rhett smiled. This arrangement didn't last long. Neither of them could have weighed more than 35lbs. They both booked it for the swings, where the little girl yelled repetitively "Mommmmaaaaayyy.. COME PUSH ME. MOMMMM. MOM!!!!" I smiled. That isn't part of my world... yet.

It's nice to see that some children can interact silently without question or judgement. They don't ask why he doesn't speak, they don't whisper to one another that he is "weird." They just want to play. Adults are so judgemental.

Don't forget to check back. I'm working on entries about sunless tanners, colour theory, and a fragrance review.

-H.Cat

Contouring: Specific to Shape

This is a follow-up to my post on Contour Makeup. There I covered the basic application, and here I will cover the specifics to a few of the unique facial shapes.

First on the chopping block... *Drumroll*...

Oval

The oval is the most balanced of face shapes. The distance from the hairline to the brow should be equal to the distance of the brow to the tip of the nose, and the tip of the nose to the chin. The forehead will be slightly wider than the jawline, with cheekbones that taper softly to the chin. The standard contouring application will apply to this face. Dust your darker shade under the apples of the cheeks, curving upward and outward toward the ears. Softly highlight the cheekbone above.

Round

A round face will appear to be equal in length and width. This will give the appearance of a small forehead and wider cheeks with a round jaw. To balance this look you'll want to create a more angular appearance to both the forehead and jaw. This can be achieved by shading slong the edge of the forehead, beginning at the temples, and bringing the forehead up into an arc. Then shade the jaw line from the ear lobe, bringing the chin to a point. Almost as though you were shading off the round "corners" of the jaw. Highlight the apples of the cheeks, sweeping upward toward the temples, and also down the center of the nose to create a more angular face.

Square

The square face features a prominent jaw line and an angual appearance. The width of the cheeks are forehead will be similar as well as the width of the forehead and jaw line. Hence "Square." To play-down this angled look you must soften the jaw and the forehead. To accomplish this you will shade in the corners of the forehead as well as the jaw, similarly (interestly enough) to what we have done with the round shape. Highlight the apples of the cheeks and work your way up towards the temples.

Heart

A heart shaped face is widest at the forehead, tapering down to the chin, which will often be pointed. This face shape has little to no jaw line to balance it. To make this face more oval shaped, which is considered the ideal, one must give the illusion of a narrower forehead and a wider jaw. To achieve this you will shade the corners of the forehead (hairline) in a rounded manor. Almost like a C, then a backwards C. You will need to highlight both sides of the jaw line with either a lighter foundation or a highlighting colour. Then apply your highlighter just under the apples of the cheeks, sweeping up towards the little of the ear.

Diamond

Another self-explanatory face shape. The face will be widest at the cheeks, with a narrow tapered forehead and a tapered. To create balance to this shape the forehead and jawline need to appear wider. This can be done by applying highlighter on an angle on each side of the forehead, as well as on an angle at each side at mid to bottom jaw. Apply highlighter to the apples of the cheeks in a C shape, blending upward and outward.

Tips aside, I don't believe anyone should feel that they have to change their face shape. If you wanna play it up go ahead. These are the conventional techniques to achieving that classic oval shape. Perhaps it's not everyone's ideal. Fashion and fun makeup is about breaking the mould.

That said- I am an oval but have been known to contour myself into a heart.<3

-H. Cat

Contour Makeup

Contour makeup can be used to both play-up your best features and change the appearance of the ones you're not so fond of. I personally don't bother with contouring on a daily basis, but I do for special makeup occasions. It is a bit time consuming, so experiment with this on a day or night that you've got virtually nothing planned. Contouring has three (five?) key factors. Shading, highlighting, and blending (blending, blending!) *Note: The illustration to the left is an exaggeration of what you're going to want to do. Do not apply that much makeup.

Shading

Shading is used to emphasize the areas of your face where shadows naturally fall. Unless you are a professional, or are doing so for photographing purposes, it is ill-advised to attempt to create a shadow that doesn't exist. This can look very unnatural and silly. As a general rule, you want to use a bronzer, blush, or foundation powder that is about two shades darker than your skin. Obviously, the darker the powder, the deeper the hollows will appear.

Highlighting

This is self explanatory. Use highlighting to bring forward features you want to "open up" or draw attention to, such as cheek bones, brow bones, down the nose bridge, inner corners of the eyes, center of the forehead and chin, or the bow of your upper lip. I would just stick to a couple of those features and not all of them, unless going for a really dramatic look, or using a very very subtle highlighter.

Basic Application

First I will explain a basic application. My next entry, probably tonight or during "nap time" will elaborate on contouring for specific face shapes.

Foundation
Start with a clean face, even exfoliate if you like. Apply your moisturizer and let it absorb. Next apply your everyday foundation to even out your skintone. I suggest two methods for liquid/mousse/cream foundation application:

1. Place tiny dots of foundation (a very small amount) on your face, focusing on areas that need coverage, with fewer dots in areas that need minimal coverage. Take a cosmetic sponge, wet it, and ring the water out until it is barely damp. Smooth the foundation over your face, and then blend it into your skin using the sponge, a brush, or your fingers.

2. To save time, invest in the MAC 187 Duo-Fibre Stippling Brush. Also known as the "Skunk Brush." This is my holy grail of brushes. I use it for foundation, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter. Yes, even liquid foundation! Everrrything. Just wipe it off between applications and clean it regularly. With this I apply a small a dab of product to the back of my hand. Enough to cover my face. I dip the brush into the foundation lightly, then tap it around my hand in a stippling motion, removing excess. Then I stipple it all over a section of my face until it looks pretty even, then I gently wipe the brush off on something dry, usually paper towel, and blend and buff the makeup into my skin with a swirling circular motion. Blend outward to the edges of your face and a little beyond so it doesn't look like you're wearing a mask.

Those are the applications that work best for me. If you're satisfied with your method go ahead and do what you would normally do.

Shading
I recommend doing this under a very bright light, as this can look fine in the dim lighting if your home, but quite garish in store lighting, under the flash of a camera, and in the outside world. I also suggest using a powder for beginning. You can use a liquid if you're a pro at blending, but the powder will be much easier. Get your bronzer/blush/foundation of a darker shade. Apply a small amount to the hollowed areas which you want to appear deeper and darker. A highlighting colour should be something slightly lighter than your skin that reflects light well. These products often have a subtle shine or a hint of shimmer. Vanilla, champagne, and light pinks are popular choices.

Contouring
Cheek Bones: to build your cheek bones, begin by sucking your cheeks and applying contour makeup into the sunken area. Blend up and outward from under the apple of your cheeks towards your ears. Blend well. Apply and blend a highlighting colour on top of the contour colour for an especially sculpted look.

Forehead: to de-emphasize a more angular forehead and give it a softer, rounder look, blend contour into your temple and corners of your forehead by your hairline. You can apply a little highlighter to the center of your forehead and blend outward if you choose.

Nose: to create a slimming effect on a wide nose, apply contour makeup down the sides of the nose and blend carefully. Next apply a thin line of highlighter down the center of your nose and blend that as well.
To make a nose that "sticks out" less prominent, apply a shade slightly darker than the skin to the part of your nose that seems the "brightest" and then a highlighting powder down the sides.

Browbone: Simply sweep your highlighting shade under the arch and tail of the brow, blending down and outward so there is no line where the makeup starts or ends.

Eyes: I highlight my brow bone and eyes almost daily. For eyes it's easiest to use a highlighter that is powder and comes in a little bottle, almost like a liquid eyeliner. It should have an almost dull pencil shaped sponge tip applicator that sits inside the bottle. I tap or blow the excess powder off and press this, into the inner corner of my eyes. For a more dramatic look I will blend it upward up to my brows, so the inner corner of my whole eye area stands out. Another way is to apply a shimmer light coloured highlighter or eyeshadow to the inner corner of your eye and/or water line with your preferred makeup brush. I use the MAC 266 Small Angle Brush for this, filling in my brows, and with eyeliner. I love this brush!

Lips: To draw attention to the lips or create a plumper lip, I trace the bow of my upper lip with a highlighter and rub horizontally to blend it in. I apply a lip liner in the same tone as my lips, following my natural lip line. I fill in the lip with the liner, and apply a small amount of highlighter or a brighter, sometimes even white shimmery gloss to the center of my bottom lip. Blend, blend, blend, as always!

After you're done contouring and highlighting, if you want your efforts to last you should set the look with a pressed or loose translucent powder. I use Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder. This is another of my HG products, but comes with a steep price tag of $70 or $80 CAD.

I might expand on this later, but right now one of my kiddies is demanding my attention.
Experiment and have fun.
-H. Cat.