Makeup and Skin Care Tips

August 09, 2000

CosmoGIRL! beauty editor Genevieve Jacobs answers your questions about beauty, skin care, makeup, and hair.

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"It's a way to look groovy." ".sufficiently plump up your pucker." ".carry your lip gloss with you for post-smooching touchups." ".dark powders help to make things look smaller than they are."

CosmoGIRL: Welcome to our beauty chat with CosmoGIRL! beauty editor, Genevieve Jacobs. Find out the best products and routines for fabulous skin, makeup, and hair! This chat is sponsored by CosmoGIRL!--a magazine for REAL girls with REAL issues. Log on at www.cosmogirl.com!

Genevieve Jacobs: Great to be here! I can't wait to start chatting!

Ruby: Hi Genevieve! In today's day in age, do you think that women are wearing more or less makeup to the work place? Do you feel the 'natural look' is in now?

Genevieve Jacobs: It would depend on what era you were talking about. If you want to compare the year 2000 to the year 1990, (if you even remember 1990), then definitely yes, the natural look is the way to go. With the growing popularity of makeup that's coined as sheer or 'wearable', women are able to achieve looks that are pretty, without being overdone. This probably says something about the way women view themselves in the workplace--that it's okay to be themselves and put their best face forward, not their most made up one.

Roxybeachbaby: My face breaks out a lot, and I like to put on powder, moisturizer, and stuff like that. Would that stuff make me break out more?

Genevieve Jacobs: No, as long as the products you're choosing to use are oil free, non-comedogenic, and fragrance free. Moisturizer is probably unnecessary if your skin is also pretty oily, but if you have dry spots, like your cheeks, around your hairline or your neck, you can go ahead and use it. An oil-free powder is a must for anyone with oily or acne-prone skin.

BlondieCGF32s: What kind of makeup should I use for oily skin with blemishes? I'm not sure if I should use foundation, cover-up, or neither? And also, for the dances at school, I want to look like really cool, but fun at the same time? How would I do that?

Genevieve Jacobs: You can wear both foundation and concealer, depending on how much coverage you want. My recommendation would be to start with concealer where you need it (on top of blemishes or to cover any scars), then if your skin is red in addition to being broken out, you might want to use a sheer foundation just to even out your skin tone. But I really do believe that less is more, so if you can get away with just concealer, do it, and use as little foundation as possible. As for those school dances, you can always try upping the intensity of your eyeliner. It's a way to look groovy without looking like you have tons of makeup on. Take a gray or brown eyeliner, and draw across your top lash line. Then, draw again, thickening the line a little. Now, take a clean cotton swab and smudge all the way across that line so the line is even fatter and a little smoky. For the bottom lash line, take the same eyeliner and just draw a very thin line as close to your lashes as you can get without poking your eye. If you want a little extra elsewhere on your face, take a little shimmer powder and apply it to the top of your cheekbones and then over whatever lipstick you're wearing--just dab it in the center of your bottom lip.

Hotpink6000: I wear glasses, and when I wear eye shadow or liner or anything, I can't even see it. When I put it on, it looks like enough, but when I put my glasses on, I can't tell. My friends can't even tell I'm wearing anything, and I want them to. Help!

Genevieve Jacobs: Hmmmmm.let me think.The thing with glasses is you have to be careful not to overdo your eye makeup. Most glasses slightly magnify your eye, and heavy liner or dark shadow could end up looking a little garish. My recommendation would be to keep any colors you use paler. Think ivories, white, pastel pink, pale yellow, and use a cream formula, so you get a little shine on your lid and brow bone. Be sure to curl your lashes before you apply mascara, and I'd go with a mascara formula that's black or black brown. And think about it.when your friends say they can't see your eye makeup, that's a good thing. People should be noticing your pretty eyes, not your pretty eye shadow.

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