BC Skin Journal

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Beauty Collective - Undertone

Undertone: Understanding your True Skin Colour

by Jo Boyden on Mar 15 2018
This word is frequently mentioned in the beauty industry but if we were to ask what your UNDERTONE is, would you know what to say? In this blog entry, ELES gives you tips on how to determine your undertone.From the word itself, it is the colour underneath the surface of the skin. Knowing your undertone is the key to getting makeup products (and clothes) that look great on you.There are three main types of undertones:Cool (pink, red or bluish undertones)Warm (yellow, peachy, golden undertones)Neutral (a combination of warm and cool undertones)Makeup artists can spot your undertone effortlessly but in the absence of a glam squad, these tips will help you determine your true colour! If you’re an aspiring makeup artist, knowing how to determine an undertone will help you create a great makeup base for your cilents as well. Here are our tips: A white cloth can tell you what your undertone is!This technique is very similar to what videographers call a white balance. After washing your face, go near the window where you can have natural light and place a white cloth or white paper beside your face. Ask someone to check out the contrast of your skin. If the skin appears: golden or yellow = WARM pinkish or flushed = COOL can't tell? = NEUTRAL Gold or Silver?Try wearing your gold and silver necklace or bracelet and ask someone which one looks great on you. If you look radiant and glowing in: Gold jewelry = WARM Silver and platinum jewelry = COOL What clothes look great on you?When picking clothes, it’s easy to know what shades are warm and cool. For cool colours, think of water, sea, and sky. For warm coloured clothes, think of the sun, Autumn leaves, and earth colours. If you look good in clothes that are colour: Orange, Yellow, Dark Green = WARM White, black, blue, and gray = COOL All colours. If you look fab like a supermodel in everything that you wear, you are blessed! = NEUTRAL ;) The Sun will also tell you your undertone! Your skin turns golden brown when you lounge under the sun = WARM Your skin burns when exposed under the sun = COOL Eye ColourThis is not always accurate but it will help. blue, gray, or green eyes = COOL brown, amber, or hazel eyes = WARM Check your Veins! Blue veins = COOL Green veins = WARM in between = NEUTRAL Our recommendations:Using a foundation that matches your undertone is the true secret to naturally flawless looking skin. It won't look cakey or fake and it will blend well as you fade your foundation down your neck. Below is a list of ELES foundations you can choose from:ELES HD Luminous FoundationCOOL - Ivory, Honey BeigeNEUTRAL - Buff, Almond, TanWARM - Linen, Cream Beige, SandELES Liquid Powder Mineral FoundationCOOL - Linen, Vanilla Cream, Sandy Beige, Natural Beige, EspressoNEUTRAL - Tender Beige, Porcelain, Cameo Beige, Almond,WARM - Cream Beige, Pale Beige, FawnELES Mineral Powder FoundationCOOL - Nude, ChestnutNEUTRAL - Shell, Tender, Sunlit, MochaWARM - Blonde, Cream, Sand, Toast
Beauty Collective - Oscars

Who wore it best at the Oscars? Makeup looks rocking it this year!

by Jo Boyden on Mar 06 2018
Soft pink lips, a touch of blush, fierce wings and vampy lip colours, this year’s Oscars bought an array of makeup looks from natural elegance to rock chic ready... …but our favourite look of the night was adorned by the lovely Emma Stone who opted for monochromatic makeup, one of the biggest makeup trends of 2018.For those not familiar with the term, monochromatic makeup simply refers to a look which uses one colour in multiple areas of the face, in this instance eyes and cheeks and lips.We cannot get enough of her peachy lid and cheek combo and the best part is it’s easy to pull off, and, we are going to show you how!OSCARS: Monochromatic Makeup Look Prep your skin Choose a base and shade that best complements your skin tone. In Emma’s case we’d use the Mineral Foundation Powder in Nude. Apply all over face using a powder brush. Choose your colour scheme Decide on the colour you want to use for the monochromatic look, then include multiple shades of that colour for all of your features. Colours that work great are reds, pinks, bronzes and oranges. Build your eyes Take your blush, Baked Blush in Tulip, and using a blending brush, blend all over eye lid up through the crease and to just under the brow bone. Then apply Mineral Shadow Tourmaline to the inner corners of the eyes and beneath the brow bone, blend out the edges. Using a flat definer brush also apply the Mineral Matte Shadow in Tourmaline along the lower lash lines. Next take Mineral Matte Shadow in Terra Peach and wet it to create more intense colour. Apply to outer corners of eyes.Using a flat definer brush apply Mineral Matte Shadow in Indigo to the upper lash line. Next take the Superwear Gel Liner in Baroque and apply along the lower lash lines and smudge out with a small tapered blending brush.Finish with two coast of Lush Mascara in Black to both the upper and lower lashes. Apply your blush Using a blush brush, apply Baked Blush in Tulip (same blush applied initially to eyes) to the apples of your cheeks and sweep upward into hairline. Layer your lips Complete the look with a lip shade that will compliment the blush colour chosen as well as complete the monochromatic look. Try Moisture Crème Lipstick in Peach. Finish with Pucker-Up Lipgloss in Air Kiss.Follow these five simple steps and you’ll be channelling Emma Stone in next to no time! Monochromatic looks are an easy way to look flawless and sophisticated without too much effort!
Beauty Collective - Shanina Shaik

Need some last minute help with your Valentine's evening makeup?!

by Jo Boyden on Feb 14 2018
[caption id="attachment_2123" align="alignleft" width="300"] Perfect for Valentine's Day (and night) -- Australia supermodel Shanina Shaik sporting the “no makeup” makeup look[/caption]Whether it be for a date-night with a loved-one or a fun night out with the girls, here are some makeup tips on how to be date-ready this Valentine's Day!FACEA fresh face that appears free of makeup is one of the most coveted looks. After all who doesn’t want to look like they have flawless skin without even trying?Firstly apply a long-lasting base they’ll keep makeup in place in this hot weather! Smooth all over face and neck and spread gently to even the complexion. Remember less is more!For natural sun-kissed radiance apply bronzer. Use it to contour beneath your cheeks and jawline to “slim” the face, add a swipe to the forehead for that little extra “natural tan”.A clever use of highlighter means that any complexion can have a healthy radiance. Apply sparingly where light would naturally hit your face – brow bones, cheeks and the tip of the nose.Try; ELES Age Defying BB Cream 30 - it primes, tints, nourishes, evens out skin tone and protects all in one. And upon application skin appears more uniform and luminous. I promise! ELES NEW Anti-oxidant Bronzer – this multi-faceted bronzer offers a subtle bronzed hue and is rich in vitamins C & E to condition the skin as well as help combat the damaging effects of free radical scavengers! ELES Illuminator – a sheer, lightweight liquid illuminator that imparts a natural radiance to the skin creating the ultimate shimmer or subtle bronze glow. You can also bend into foundation for an all over luminosity or apply to decollaté for sun-kissed radiance. EYESApply eye shadow according to your eye shape below.Then take your bronzer and apply just above the crease of the eyelid and beneath the lower lash line for a natural smokey eye.Next coat lashes with mascara by applying from the base to the tip in a slow sweeping motion, for thicker and longer lashes, allow to semi-dry and apply a second coat.Try; ELES Mineral Eyeshadow in Moonstone and Mineral Matte Shadow in Roselle. ELES Lash Fortify Mascara in black BROWSUse a light hand when doing your brows.Try: ELES Brow Blender in Dark Taupe. With the spool end brush the brows, then using the short soft strokes, apply pencil to achieve a natural effect, brush again to mute the edges. LIPSTo complete the look, finish with a nude lippie with a touch of pink.Try: ELES Moisture Crème Lipstick in Natural Glowing skin and makeup what more could you want?
Beauty Collective - ageing

6 Makeup Habits That Might Be Ageing You

by Jo Boyden on Aug 17 2017
Remember the days of youth when you could cover your blemishes, slap on some mascara and gloss, a little makeup and look “done”? Why on earth did so many of us waste that opportunity to embrace natural beauty?The irony is that many of us 40+’s now find ourselves using a lot less makeup believing everything should to be soft and muted. Mature women are featured in makeup videos and made up like soft focus grandmas! Enough!Makeup for the mature (I prefer to call it Youth Enhancing Makeup) is not about hiding behind multi layers of pastels, it’s about two things; defying gravity and redefining the features.And while makeup does not guarantee a more youthful appearance; some of the most common makeup mistakes can actually age you!Mistake No 1: OVERLY PAINTED BROWSYes, we need brows to look youthful; they frame the eyes and lift the face. Many of us tweezed our brows to thin lines in the 80’s only to find they never grew back. However, harsh, red toned brows (for some reason many brow pencils are red toned?) make us look hard and older. The goal is to create natural looking thicker brows like the ones we used to have. Opt for taupe colour brow products instead of warm browns; these will frame your eyes beautifully without taking over your face. Apply the brow product in soft stokes to create the illusion of natural hair.We recommend ELES Brow Blenders, the soft pencil is easily used to fill in the gaps and then simply brush through the brows to soften the effect.Mistake No 2: COOL SKIN BASEMany foundations and BB Creams come in warm and cool tones. Opt for warmer tones that help counteract complexion pinkness that comes with thinning of the skin and exposure of fine capillaries. Warmer tones also conceal shadows better which means you need less concealer.We recommend ELES BB Cream, it’s packed with nature’s anti-ageing actives and leaves the skin glowing.Mistake No 3: WRONG CONCEALER AND WRONG COLOURAs we mature and the face loses its youthful “plumpness” shadows appear; under the eyes, around the nose, at the corners of the mouth etc. It’s tempting to reach for a heavy duty, ultra-light shade concealer to hide these dark areas. The problem is that they just make the dark shadows look grey as opposed to concealing them. Opt instead for peachy toned, lightweight concealers that won’t cake on the skin and counteract the blue in the shadows.We recommend ELES Dual Action Concealer, this is like 8 hours sleep in a tube!Mistake No 4: EYE MAKEUP THAT MAKES THE EYES DROOPAs the upper lid of the eye is crepe paper thin it tends to droop as we age and the upper crease of the eye becomes obscured, therefore the eyeshadow on the upper eyelid also becomes obscured. If you are extremely skilled at applying makeup you can fake the crease with exacting eye shadow application. However many of us don’t have the time or inclination on a daily basis to fuss with this, so apply a dark fine line through the upper lashes and a softer brighter eyeliner beneath the lashes instead. This “lifts” the eyes making them appear younger, then simply apply a warm shade of brown on the eyelids with the eyes open to ensure you can actually see the shadow. This method is quick and easy! Finally apply two coats of mascara to the upper lashes only to help conceal the eyelid that has dropped. Remember; Darker on top, light below. Shimmer shades under the lower lashes brighten the eyes and give a more youthful look.We recommend ELES Superwear Gel Eyeliner, its soft and easy to blend out and once set won’t transfer to the lids.Mistake No 5: COOL BLUSHSimple, use warm coral and peachy shades, which always look more vibrant on the skin rather than cold pink/mauve shades. This will also make the iris of your eyes more vibrant!We recommend ELES Baked Blush in Bouquet, it’s natural and warm and suits almost everyone.Mistake No 6: COLD FROSTED LIPSTICKAs we lose volume in our lips fine lines not only appear around the lips but on the lips themselves. Frosted lip colours enhance these lines. Instead, opt for cream lipstick that makes the lips look fuller and smoother, many of these contain moisturising molecules that plump the lips and keep them hydrated longer.We recommend ELES Colour Balm in Nude, its super hydrating, lasts for hours and looks like perfectly coloured natural lips.Follow these steps and you’ll create a youthful, flattering makeup that re-defines the features which is always more effective than trying to hide flaws!See this example of makeup mistakes on the left and correct application on the right and you be the judge, which one looks better?
Beauty Collective - Selfie foundation

Our Favourite #Selfie Foundation

by Jo Boyden on Aug 04 2017
National Selfie Day may have ended in June, but you can capture your best self all year around with the ELES HD Luminous Foundation. It’s formulated to deflect imperfections so you won’t need the blurring filter for your next selfie. This new tech foundation will do all the high-tech work for you. Plus, you'll have a luminous glow all day long.Let's start with the coverage: It feels very light, you can barely feel it on the skin and you can build it with layers that give you any desired effect from super-light to full. A little goes a very long way! You may need concealer; a little under the eyes and on blemishes if you want the “perfect skin” look, however most are happy with the coverage and don’t feel the need for added cover up.One thing we love is the flexible pigments in HD Luminous that float above lines and wrinkles and adjust to your facial movements, giving you natural-looking coverage that won’t crease or crack. Great news for those of us with fine lines!What’s inside? Pro Barrier Complex helps protect and repair damaged skin. This complex contains LCA Complex for advanced moisturization, multi-layer skin renewal and antioxidant protectionIt is formulated with ceramides, cholesterol and essential fatty acids to aid in restoring a healthy lipid barrier over impaired skin making it ideal for all skin types, including sensitive and rosacea-proneIt also has specially-engineered Titanium Dioxide which helps scatter light for a more even skin tone and Optical Diffusion Technology which helps minimize the look of lines and wrinkles and acts like a “soft filter” for the skin.If that’s not enough we’ll throw in some Ascorbyl Glucoside, which slowly releases Vitamin C for all day skin radiance and Silk Powder to help hide pores.Finally White Water Lily, Indian Jasmine, Vitamin C and Vitamin E help brighten and condition skin.So all up this foundation is so much more than makeup, in fact, if you took away the pigment you’d have a wonderful anti-ageing skin care product!And the exciting news is we’ve added two new shades! Welcome Linen and Cream Beige, two of our most popular shades in the Liquid Mineral Foundation.What’s more…this month when you purchase a HD Luminous Foundation, you’ll receive a free Pro-Blend Sponge, an indispensable tool for getting an airbrush effect to your base!
Beauty Collective - Rosacea

10 essential makeup tips to conceal rosacea

by Jo Boyden on Apr 01 2017
Suffering from facial redness? Flushing? Visible blood vessels? Pustules? Chances are you have rosacea and so do over 45 million other people around the world!Believe it or not rosacea is actually one of the most common skin conditions and with the right treatment can be kept at bay. However we all know, no matter what our skin type that some days our skin just doesn’t look its best and needs a little bit of makeup loving to conceal those flaws and make way for what appears to be the perfect complexion!Follow these nine makeup tips and have your flushed skin looking nothing short of flawless in a matter of minutes. First steps Make sure you cleanse and moisturise your face with soothing and calming skincare. This will hopefully reduce any inflammation and prepare your skin for makeup application. Keep things simple Less is more when it comes to concealing rosacea. Think less products, less likely to aggravate your skin. Opting for multi-tasking products is also a great solution! Mineral makeup is best Make sure you select a range of breathable products that are only going to enhance your complexion not clog up your pores and irritate skin even more. Opt for mineral makeup products. Prime your skin Using a primer will create a smooth foundation for your makeup while ensuring it stays in place all day. It’ll also create a barrier between your skin and your makeup preventing any further irritation. Try ELES Retexture Crème Face Primer. This deeply soothing liquid-cream made with Aloe Vera leaf extract, Roman Chamomile, Witch Hazel, Calendula, Mallow Flower and Centaurea Cyanus Flower extract, leaves skin with the smoothest sensation. It soothes, hydrates, retexturizes and refines, so foundation applies effortlessly and endures impeccably for hours longer. Colour correction Rather than covering up your redness with a thick layer of concealer and foundation, opt for a colour corrector which will help visually correct redness and even out skin tone. Using one with UV protection will also help shield your sensitive skin from exposure that can aggravate rosacea. Try ELES Luminous CC Cream 20. This lightweight, oil-free colour correcting cream with broad spectrum protection, multi-tasks like no other! Set your makeup with an oil-free foundation powder A mineral powder is the best choice as its ingredients are usually non-irritating. Apply with a brush rather than a sponge, which can harbour bacteria. Try ELES Mineral Foundation Powder. Highly compatible with common skin sensitivities, this lightweight powder easily adjusts from sheer to richer, more opaque coverage while effectively camouflaging imperfections. Don’t forget to blush You might think blush would be the last thing you should apply after concealing any facial redness but by using the right shade it’ll actually distract the eye from problem areas and enhance your complexion for the better. Select peach tones rather than pink or reds though and try a mineral makeup blush – ELES Mineral Matte Blush in Adobe. Choose extra-gentle eye makeup Eyes can be sensitive so it’s important to treat them as you would your face – gently. Again think mineral makeup shadows – ELES Mineral Matte Shadow (neutral shades can be less irritating since they have less pigment) and hypoallergenic, sensitivity-tested, fragrance-free mascaras. Use ELES Sensitive Mascara. Choose for a neutral lip colour Choosing red shades may exacerbate the look of any redness in your skin. Try ELES Moisture Crème Lipstick. This innovative, instantly nourishing lipstick formula provides long-lasting wear and a burst of hydration in one smooth application.For long term treatment of rosacea, use these makeup tips in conjunction with an effective skincare program specially designed to control rosacea. Check out our blog on a great skincare treatment option for those looking for outstanding results. Say goodbye to rosacea once and for all!*****Check out PEVONIA AUSTRALIA ORGANIC SKINCARE on Facebook and Instagram to see the mechanics of our competition this APRIL and get a chance to win 1 of 5 BLEMISH-B-GONE PACKS!