A few weeks ago, I discovered brow pencil in a really big way. My slightly thinned out brows were immediately transformed into those of a catwalk alien. However, I got a little overzealous. Think more Groucho Marx, less Brooke Shields. So, when I stopped in to visit the Lancome counter at Yonge and Queen, Lancome’s official makeup artist Lora Spiga gave me some great advice to look more chic than geek.

1. Get Primed. Allow your skin to breathe by using a makeup primer. Though an anti-aging solution, Spiga uses Génifique Youth Activator as a great base for her makeup looks. It’s refreshing, and gave my skin that just-washed feeling.
2. Don’t apply your brow pencil straight onto your brows. Spiga says she likes to warm it up first by applying a lot on her hand, and then using an liquid eyeliner brush to apply onto the brows for control and precision.

3. Add blush for a romantic look. Lancome’s “Desert Rose Blush” is perfect for just about every skin tone, and gives you that perfect flush. For sharper, more defined cheekbones Spiga suggests using a blush or bronzer in a tone slightly darker than your skin. Using an angled blush brush, Spiga applied a bit of bronzer on my skin, followed by a highlighter that gave me knock out definition.
4. Look for mascara that works with your eyelash type. Lancome’s eyelash wheel impressed me a lot. Learning that I had straight lashes let me know that I needed to be searching for a mascara that gives me curl, length and volume.
5. Think pink. Usually, the combination of bright pink and lip gloss terrifies me. However, Lancome’s Juicy Tubes lipgloss in “Awakening of Love” was just the right amount of pink, and the right amount of gloss, giving me the perfect, beachy come-hither pout.

~Natasha Hunt