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Curl those lashes
An eyelash curler, far from being the medieval torture device it resembles, is among the most effective and underused tool in a woman's beauty arsenal. There are numerous brands that range in price. The difference, says Redleaf, is minimal but important.
'The more expensive curler has the same basic mechanism and achieves pretty much the same effect, but it's wider; it gives a gentler, more natural curl; and it won't pull your lashes out on the sides,' he says. 'The less expensive ones do sometimes pinch and pull, and that's not good - eyelashes take a long time to grow back.'
When using the curler, insert your fingers into the handles like you would with a pair of scissors. Open the handles as wide as possible and bring the curler, which is contoured to follow the brow bone, to your eye. Your eyelashes fit through the small aperture at the base of the handles. Manoeuvre your lashes through the opening and then close the handles, squeezing firmly.
Redleaf first goes to the base of the lashes and gives the curler a good squeeze. Then he slowly opens the handles, brings the curler farther along the lash just a fraction, pumps it again and continues doing that to the end of the lash. The effect, he says, is a natural but enhanced upward curve - not the harsh 'crimped' look that comes from applying the curler just to the base of the lashes and squeezing hard. Don't curl the bottom lashes.
Apply mascara the right way
Once you've got the curl, you need to emphasise it with mascara. Redleaf goes for the straight stuff - no lengthening, thickening or curling mascaras needed, thank you very much. He wants a simple mascara that puts on colour for definition, and that's it.
'When you see a mascara that's saying it can thicken or lengthen or curl your lashes, what they're doing is making something that's got a lot of fibres that cling to your lashes,' he says. 'That makes clumps and can give a very gloopy look. It's also prone to flaking and falling off, which makes women look tired and aged.'
For the daytime, says Redleaf, don't apply mascara (or eyeliner if you can avoid it) to the bottom lashes or lid. It will give you a cleaner look without as much flaking, and at the end of the day you won't look exhausted.
For the night-time, go all out and accentuate every lash you have.
The best way to put on smudge-proof mascara is to tilt the chin up slightly and the head back slightly and lift your eyebrows up, like you're asking a question. That makes it easy to run the mascara brush along the length of the upper lashes from the base to the tip without smearing.
Follow those basic step preparations, says Redleaf, and no matter what the trends - glossy versus matte, nude versus smoky - you'll be able to apply any type of make-up.
His final tip for women: 'It's lid or lip. You can't have both.' In other words, if you're going to go for a glam eye, use a subdued lipstick. If you want a big red pout, downplay the eye make-up. 'If you don't, you're going to end up looking like a showgirl,' Redleaf says, 'and unless you really are a showgirl, that's never a good thing!'
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