Celebrities aren’t given enough credit for their beautiful skin these days, or at least not the celebrity make-up artists who ensure that their clients are flawless and ready for the (HD) cameras at all times. The paparazzi couldn’t be bothered to photoshop each and every picture they take of  a celebrity and HD cameras of today are just utterly unforgiving to one’s skin. Somehow though celebrities still manage to look flawless and as close as possible to their digitally modified incarnations. Aside from being blessed with the “perfect-skin gene” most celebrities do rely on craftily applied make-up to look picture perfect.

Raquel Zimmerman with Make-up Maven Pat McGrath

In every day life, we mere mortals also undergo scrutiny from the macro lens of people who uncompromisingly and almost instinctively search for flaws in our face. Whether it is a fresh red zit at the tip of your nose or a year old scar on your brow bone from your first foray into the world of threading, if it’s there people are bound to notice it.

Make-up, one of the few products whose sales have radically increased during the recession is our ally in the battle of camouflaging imperfections and enhancing our assets. The best way to start of course is by ensuring that you have a clear canvas of good skin to work on, but you can’t just immediately pile on the pancake- as it will appropriately result to cake-y make-up. Applying make-up primer is an integral step to maximizing the flawless, natural coverage of foundation.

photo from mediastorm.org

Make-up base or primers serve one main purpose and that is to allow make-up to glide on smoothly and cover effectively. Most primers though have other benefits such as correcting dullness or redness, preventing excess oil & shine, skincare benefits and sun protection.

Available at SCCUBE The Apothecary

One primer with skincare benefits is Dr. Brandt’s Pores No More Pore Refiner. The Silicone and Mineral powder formula smoothes the skin’s surface for make-up while the salicylic acid and tea tree oil curb excess oil, shine and bacteria for clear pore less perfect skin.

Available at Sephora

To correct skin tone, you may opt for the vitamin and antioxidant rich Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer. A favorite of make-up artists, this product comes in 3 variants with specific functions: Blend- for discolorations and spots, Balance- for dull skin that needs radiance and Adjust- for reduction of redness. All 3 products may be used on specific spots only or all over the face.

Available at Shu Uemura counters

Last but most definitely not the least is a Japanese contender which is a heavy-weight in terms of function but feather light in texture. The Shu Uemura UV Underbase with SPF 10 is a light-weight mousse make-up base that corrects skin discolorations, redness and pore-size while protecting the skin from sun damage.

Do try and identify your most pressing skin concerns and choose the product best fit for your needs, as with these products you’re definitely a few steps away from the “primetime” of your best skin ever.

Unfortunately, yes he did…Mr. Pete Wentz went to the the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards looking like that! Probably still mourning the passing of his emo hair or the firing of his wife from the remake of  ”Melrose Place”, his grief ( and ours) amounted to this Guyliner/Smoky Eye/Wing-tipped mess that would put even the  reigning queen of raccoon, Taylor Momsen, to shame.

photo from omg.yahoo.com

Thankfully, I have the thought of going to this weekend’s FRONT ROW MOVING OUT SALE to comfort me throughout this distressing beauty ordeal! See you at the sale!

More like 12 days actually, and yes there is literally a countdown to the launch of the new book by make-up artist extraordinaire Francois Nars called 15×15. If the sample pictures are to be believed - the rest of the book is bound to be phenomenal and proof is how I couldn’t help but think how HOT Olivier Theyskens looked in his photo in the book. Normally, the ex-designer of Nina Ricci would remind me more of a cross between Jesus Christ and a hormonally-challenged Rose Byrne (Troy & Damages), but here he looked like another gorgeous dude with a penchant for using guy-liner, Frontman of the band 30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto. So who do you think is hotter? IVOTE … MARC JACOBS!hehe!

photo from homotography

Heidi Klum & Seal Halloween '08

Tis’ the season to wear masks, not just for Halloween but also in preparation for the onslaught of stress that the coming holidays may bring. It’s okay to look scary during trick or treat but anytime after that, one doesn’t have any excuse for having the complexion of Shrek. Like Halloween masks, beauty masks work best when they require the least amount of effort for the maximum amount of impact on the health and appearance of your skin. Here are some masks that you may want to try if you want to look like a fairy princess instead of the wicked witch.

photo from bodyshop.com

A certified skin savior is Body Shop’s Warming Mineral Mask, best for all skin types especially oily/combination skin, it’s a deep cleansing mask that heats up on contact. Applying it after cleansing feels like a soothing facial and skin feels really clean, soft and healthier looking after washing off. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s easy on the budget at just $29++.

Something more on the splurge side of town is Rodial’s Glamtox Peel, a detoxifying mask that serves 3 important benefits: pore refining, brightening and anti-aging. Glycolic Acid and fruit enzymes gently exfoliate dead skin cells, stubborn pigmentation and encourage collagen production for a radiant, toned & youthful skin. It also has Argireline, which relaxes the facial muscles, so all that stress and the resulting lines and wrinkles caused by time in front of the PC or frowning at everyone are wiped out. Enough about the mumbo jumbo though because the truth is that this 10-minute facelift is extremely effective that after the first use you will already see a world of difference as skin is left glowing and soft to the touch.

Read on…

photo from mtv.com

Shaving products are an oft foregone line of products by both men and women. To the misinformed let me take a moment and spell out just how important this product is: Shaving products make sure that the biggest organ in your body is protected, from a very sharp bladed object. Nuff said. The bottom line is that there are 3 important steps in shaving that should be followed to a T: Prep, Lubricate & Calm.

photo from dermalogica.com

Prepping involves exfoliating with the use of a scrub, this makes sure that the surface of the skin is even preventing nicks and at the same time it maximizes the innate peeling benefits of shaving. Try a scrub with fine beads to avoid excessive sensitivity like Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion in a Jar which comes in 2 varieties: Face & Body- this also allows you to prep skin on legs. For tougher stubble, a prepping cream like Dermalogica Pre-Shave Guard is best as it softens tough facial beard or leg/chest hair so the razor cuts through the hair and doesn’t pull on it thereby lessening chances of nicks & irritation.

photo from drbrandtskincare.com

Lubricating is as you may know very important too. I am so totally against dry shaving- my fervor could be mistaken for a televangelist. Gillette HydraGel for Tough Beard is a favorite of mine- it’s fuss-free and cheap and gets right to the job.

photo from biotherm.com

 For sensitive skin, try Biotherm Homme Sensitive Skin Shaving Foam enriched with skin-soothing and renewing Thermal Spring Water- the good stuff present in most of Biotherm’s skincare line, but you don’t have to take my word for it- ask “Mr. Big” Chris Noth himself who swears by the efficacy of the product. Now how’s that for bringing SEX to Lubrication City?

photo from biotherm.com

Lastly, you have to calm irritation and skin sensitivity after 2 stages of exfoliation. A new product from Anthony Logistics for Men called The Cool Fix is a good bet as it helps to address redness, razor burn and ingrown hairs in one calming and cooling formula.

photo from teenvogue.com

You can also try the Gelee Calme which comes with the Revive Microdermabrasion Renewal System. The Gelee Calme is soothes and speeds up the skin’s healing process using a Nobel Prize winning ingredient called EGF, which was initially used to heal the skin of post-op patients and burn victims. The additional anti-aging benefits are not so bad either.

So shave away your misconceptions about shaving and make it an opportunity to reveal fresh, radiant nick-free skin!

Gary Oldman as Dracula & Daphne Guiness as herself:

Who’s the bigger vamp?