This year’s Billboard Music Awards served up a colourful array of trends to try, from the bubblegum-pink lipstick on Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez to the smoky burgundy eyes on Carly Rae Jepsen and Jennifer Lopez. Meanwhile, Kesha skipped makeup altogether… and Miley Cyrus went full ’80s with black liner and red lipstick (and it actually looks good!). Here are all the night’s beauty looks.

The question

Ri writes:

I’m seriously considering a glycolic chemical peel because I have some acne scars and uneven skin tone and texture. My skin is also pretty pale, even in the summers. But I’m scared of getting thinner skin, which I’ve heard can happen if you get too many peels.

The answer

Dr. Nowell Solish says:

Glycolic acid will not thin your skin, but it also does not significantly improve acne scars.

What it can do is give some help to uneven tone and colour.

Lasers—such as fractionated erbium or fractionated carbon dioxide lasers—can significantly help acne scars, as well as texture and tone. They do have more downtime, risk and expense.

Dr. Nowell Solish is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and a cosmetic dermatologist at 66 Avenue Road, Suite 1, in Toronto. Visit solish.com or call 416-964-8888 for more information. 

Got a skincare question of your own?

Submit your question here for us to tackle in a future BEAUTY EDITOR post.

Disclaimer: This information is for general purposes only and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Dr. Solish recommends that you consult your physician or other medical professional for insight into your specific condition and medical options.

Remember how Diane Kruger was the one to watch at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012? Well, get ready for the same thing to go down this year, except substitute Diane with Nicole Kidman instead. That’s because Nicole, like Diane before her, is a member of the 2013 Cannes jury—and so we’re about to be treated to a boatload (yachtload?) of red carpet gorgeousness. Starting with this week’s opening ceremonies.

Also there and ready to impress were Carey Mulligan, Cara Delivingne and a whole bunch more celebs… here’s the top 10:

Nicole Kidman

Wow! Are you as blown away as I am? I feel like this has to be one of her best showings in a long time—maybe it even belongs in a lifetime hall of fame. The pink lips, the radiant skin, the fuller brows, the incredible sculptural ponytail…

Super cool. And can you even imagine the hours of prep time this all required? (I’m talking dermatologically… not just about the hairstyling.) Anyway, whatever she’s doing these days, I’m good with it. Nobody brings class and poise to a red carpet like Kidman.

Carey Mulligan

Did you realize Carey’s hair was this long? Me neither! Not sure why she’s been hiding it for the entire Gatsby promo tour, because it looks fantastic—especially the way it’s been styled with a centre part and then tucked behind the ears as seems to be the trend lately. (But I still love her with short hair too… she’s one of the few who completely, 100 percent pulls off short.)

Obviously the focal point is the lipstick, and look how it’s been applied with a brush to get those pointy angles on the cupid’s bow. Maybe something to consider for the next time you want to be super-duper dressed up. I’ve also got word on the shade. It’s Jungle Red from NARS, in a lip liner and a lipstick:

NARS Lipstick in Jungle Red, C$30.00/US$25.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

It’s a classic!

Cara Delevingne

Cara broke the beauty “rule” about how you’re not supposed to play up eyes and lips. But she’s only the world’s hottest model right now so she’s allowed to do it—and she totally pulls it off. Just not sure if us non-model types could do these smoky eyes and shiny brick red lips without looking like rejects from the ’80s. The matching nails are a great touch too.

Of course, my favourite thing about Cara is her eyebrows and here they are again, looking INSANE. Look at that fan! I die.

Lana Del Rey

Now here’s something else that’s different. Instead of her usual style of cat’s eye liner, Lana’s done the new thing–which is to extend the liner diagonally from the bottom lash line instead of the top. Then she also deepened the creases of her lids with a lighter, brown-coloured shadow and extended that line to meet it. Plus gold shadow on the lids. Cool, right? It gives the eyes sort of an Egyptian, Cleopatra look.

Georgia May Jagger

Another celeb, another simple and stunning red lip that’s been applied with a brush for the ultimate precision. (She doesn’t even need blush with this. Just lashes.)

The shade is Big Bang Red 004 from a new Rimmel London range called Apocalips Lip Lacquer. (Apocalips! Best. Name. Ever.)

I haven’t seen this range in person or in stores yet, but let me know if you have! Oh, and for a lip look this bold you’ll want to follow Janelle’s tips for making it last all night (or day).

Julianne Moore

Nothing groundbreaking about Julianne’s hair here (it’s her go-to loose style), but her eye makeup is new. Usually, she goes for a much cleaner eye, but I love this top-lash line-only look. It’s only very slightly winged out at the edges—it’s more about the thickness of the line itself. Much, much thicker than normal liner.

I want to try it! Seems like it’d be way easier than having to do the flicking action.

Isla Fisher

Another red carpet redhead, and I don’t really have anything to say here except that Isla has great hair. That is all.

Paz Vega

I do believe this is Paz’s BEAUTY EDITOR debut. Not sure why, because there’s plenty going on for us to talk about here. Makeup-wise, that peachy lip is super-pretty with her skin tone, dress and hair colour—and I like how she’s only used lashes and a hint of liner to emphasize her eyes. With her strong brows, she really doesn’t need anything more. Hair’s interesting too, because the waves cascade into a reddish Ombré. Top marks!

Solange Knowles

Solange’s dress may have been a bit bizarre, and I’m not so sure about the earrings—hey, odd fashion choices run in the family—but those lips! Orange really, really suits her. The rest of her makeup’s very pretty, too, and it’s nice to see a curly-haired celeb rocking her natural texture. (I didn’t think it worked so well for the Met Ball’s punk theme, but otherwise YES.)

Cindy Crawford

Still pretty hot at age 47! I like that Cindy hasn’t mucked up her face—probably she’s had Botox and some fillers in her cheeks, but it’s nothing crazy. She’s held on to her beauty signatures: softly waved hair, nude lips and smoked-out eyes. When something works that well, you keep it.

Tell me:

Who were YOUR faves from Cannes opening night?
Are you dying over all these amazing lip colours?—red! pink! orange!
Which of these looks would you try in real life?

The question

Alana asks:

Can Tony elaborate a bit more about how to pick the appropriate shade given your current hair and the colour on the box? Hard to determine sometimes when you’re standing in the hair colour aisle.

The answer

Tony Chaar says:

This question is all about knowing your own underlying pigment, and what you want.

There are two important things to remember:

1. If you have orange or yellow undertones

If you’re naturally a dark mousy blonde, then your underlying pigment is mostly orange and yellow.

If you want to lift to a golden blonde shade (a level eight or higher), then you should be using a sandy blonde colour to neutralize the orange. That way, you will be able to achieve a nice gold.

2. If you have red undertones

If you are naturally a dark brown, then your underlying pigment is red.

If you want to go to a couple shades lighter, to a lighter brown, then you should choose an ash colour (two shades lighter with ash -1) to neutralize the red.

Those are the basic principles, without getting into the more complicated green and blue (cool-toned) concentrates, which you need to be more careful with.

Tony Chaar is a Toronto-based hairstylist who has worked with celebrities such as Coco Rocha, Freida Pinto, LeeLee Sobieski and Kim Cattrall. Visit his salon at 11 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto or call 416-920-9965. On the web, find him on Facebook, Twitter or at tonychaarsalon.com.

Got a hair question of your own?

Ask Tony! Submit your hair colour, cut or styling question here for Tony to tackle in a future BEAUTY EDITOR post.

I’ve recently had an epiphany: lipstick is amazing!

Throw a little on and you instantly look polished. If you wear glasses like I do, it’s often the only makeup you need to wear, and it really makes an impact.

But yes, I know I’m a little late to the lipstick party. I tend to shy away from anything that you need to reapply often. Who can remember to take a minute and spruce up after meal? Or worse, when I do want to reapply, I usually can’t find my lipstick—which seems to mysteriously gets lost in the inner recesses of my purse, never to be found again.

Luckily, after a lot of smeared lipstick and a lot of frustration, I finally discovered a way to apply lip colour that lasts for HOURS. I’ve managed to go to work, then a boxing class, and then to my favourite snack shop to eat the most amazing cheeseburger—without reapplying! Pretty amazing, right? (Please don’t tell my boxing instructor that I ate a burger after his class… sorry Tony!)

This multi-step process is not for the faint of heart, but the results are definitely worth the extra time.

Step 1

Prep your lips by exfoliating them and then moisturizing with your favourite lip balm.

This is the most important step, so if you feel like skipping anything, skip a step lower down on the list! Scrubbing your lips will make them more readily able to take in moisture, which is very important when you wear lipstick—especially matte colours—as they can be very drying. There are a ton of lip scrubs and buffers on the market, but I am a bit of a sucker for products that you can make in your kitchen. I like to mix a little olive oil, honey and brown sugar together  in equal parts, and then work the mixture onto my lips with an old toothbrush before rinsing off. You can make enough to last a few days and store it in an air-tight container. It works like a charm and won’t do any harm if you “accidentally” taste it.

As for lip balm, I like to use Burt’s Bees Classic Beeswax Lip Balm. It’s better to use something that isn’t overly greasy or you’ll have a problem with the lipstick actually adhering to your lips.

Step 2

Line your lips with a liner in your colour of choice to prevent your lipstick from bleeding.

I use Lise Watier Virtual Lip Colour. It is colour-free so it works with everything.

Step 3

Fill in your lips with your favourite lipstick.

I’m currently obsessed with MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo (pictured at the top of this post). In my experience, reds with an orange undertone are not the most flattering on me (which is probably why I previously stayed away from red lips in general), however Ruby Woo has a blue undertone that works really well with my skin. I absolutely love it and I am eternally grateful to the makeup artist at MAC who helped me pick it out.

It does have a downside though—it’s extremely drying! So, if you do use Ruby Woo make sure not to skip Step 1.

Step 4

Blot off excess colour with a tissue.

This helps to set the colour —making it last a little longer— and gets rid of excess lipstick that can end up on your teeth.

Step 5

Powder your lips using a loose or pressed powder in whichever shade you would use to set your foundation.

Load up an eyeshadow blending brush, or any brush you have handy and apply a light layer of powder to your lips. Feel free to use your fingers as I have in the above photo. The powder acts as a sealer for the lipstick; it dries out any excess moisture in your lipstick to lock it in place, kind of like how blotting sets the colour multiplied by a million. See why you want to exfoliate and moisturize?

A word of caution: too much powder will cause your next layer of lipstick to flake and make you look like you have hideously dry lips. Not really the look we’re going for, so use sparingly.

Step 6

Apply another layer of lip colour. (I tend to re-do steps 4 to 6 at least twice more because my lips are naturally dark and the colour doesn’t always look like it does in the tube on the first try.)

By the way, if you have naturally dark lips like I do you may want to insert one extra step (I know, but hear me out!). If I want to wear a lighter colour —like one of the bright spring/summer colours that we all saw strutting down the runways— I’ll use a tinted moisturizer (or foundation or concealer; they work just as well) to mute my natural lip colour. Then I follow with loose powder like I did in Step 5 before I apply my lip colour. This is a great way to get your lipstick to look exactly as it does when you test it on the back of your hand.

And there you have it! It may sound like a great deal of effort, but just think of how many burgers you can eat.

Janelle Wilson is a Toronto-based freelance writer, avid DIY-er and enthusiastic traveller. Follow her @janellesade on Instagram or Twitter.

Have you tried these tricks for making lipstick last?
Got any other good lipstick tricks?
What’s your go-to shade of red?

SPONSORED: Here at BEAUTY EDITOR HQ, we’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing brands over the years, to bring you guys the chance to score some equally amazing prizes.

But I think it’s safe to say that none of them have been quite as amazing as this one: a head-to-toe beauty and fashion makeover from our friends at Crest and Oral-B. Seriously, when I say “friends,” I mean it. The prize consisted of a hairstyling session, makeup, a brand new outfit, professional photo shoot and of course, their newest brightening products to ensure a glamorous white smile in the pics. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience!

And now I’d like to introduce you to Nicole, the winner of said experience—and the luckiest girl on the planet as far as I’m concerned! Here’s what it’s like to play model for a day…

On makeover day, Nicole was asked to show up to the studio bare-faced, so this is her “before” shot:

In the weeks leading up to the big day, Nicole was on the Glamorous White teeth-brightening system, using these three products:

• Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous White Toothpaste, which removes up to 90 percent of surface stains in just five days.
• Crest 3D White Multi-Care Whitening Glamorous White Rinse, which kills bad breath bacteria and will freshen your breath. When used together with Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous White Toothpaste and the Oral-B Advantage 3D Vivid White Toothbrush, you can get a whiter smile in just two days by removing surface stains.
• The Oral-B Advantage 3D White Vivid Toothbrush, which gently cleans and whitens by removing surface stains.

She was also asked to supply a few images of her favourite celebrities, along with her sizing information and measurements, for editorial fashion stylist Randy Smith.

Handily, Nicole already had a Pinterest board called “My Style,” which helped Randy assemble a selection of outfits that were not only the perfect fit, but right in line with her sense of style. I was going gaga over the rack of clothing, oodles of jewellery and boxes and boxes of shoes!

The first order of the day for Nicole was trying everything on and then deciding on four outfits: two casual, and two dressy. While that was happening, editorial makeup and hair artists Sabrina Rinaldi (who did the makeup) and Eduardo Mella (who did the hair) flicked through images on an iPad to get some celebrity inspiration:

Oh yeah, and let me just make note of the word “editorial.” All three of these experts—Randy, Sabrina and Eduardo—are among Canada’s top talents and work on high-profile magazine shoots. So you could say they know a few tricks about making a girl look good in front of the camera.

Next up was hair and makeup, using products from Pantene and CoverGirl.

Eduardo was after a “soft, beachy look” for Nicole’s fine-textured hair. After prepping with Pantene mousse, he blew it dry in every direction using a Denman brush—a technique that’s called “wrap drying.” (It basically means the hair can fall in any way; it’s not dried into a specific style.) Then, he used a small-barrelled curling iron to create imperfect waves that he roughed up with his fingers and some Pantene hairspray.

Meanwhile, Sabrina was on makeup. “Nicole has really nice skin with lots of freckles that I want to keep so that she looks natural and fresh.” (My thoughts exactly!) After a super-sheer application of CoverGirl foundation, Sabrina multi-tasked with Jumbo Gloss Balm on the lips AND cheeks, and then applied Clump Crusher mascara to the lashes.

Finally, it was time to start shooting! That job went to fashion photographer Vincent Lions, who had things all set up:

WOW. Told you it was a professional photo shoot—it was exactly the same set-up as for anything you’d see in the pages of a fashion magazine!

Here’s shot number one, a casual, work-appropriate outfit:

Vincent also took some full-length pics. Here’s the second look:

Layering is the key to elevating your sense of style, says Randy. “It takes some practice, but it gives your outfit more interest instead of just two pieces, top and bottom. A statement necklace, colourful blazer and sequined tank top can turn a pair of white jeans and a white shirt—which should be staples in everyone’s wardrobes—into a whole new, fresh look for spring and summer.”

And this is the close-up. As you can see, the makeover fairies straightened out her hair, and added some tawny eyeshadow:

Next, it was time for eveningwear, and another hair and makeup change.

If you think this eye makeup looks good here, you should’ve seen it in real life! Sabrina is a true artist—she must’ve used at least five our six shades to smoke it out. I especially loved the contrast of the elaborate eye with the fresh and natural skin. So beautiful!

The last outfit of the day was this super-flattering, shoulder-bearing dress that Nicole ended up deciding to bring home with her:

This was my absolute favourite look of the day. How gorgeous is she with this high ponytail and black eyeliner?

And yes, her teeth really did look that white! Of the products, Nicole says: “The Crest 3D White toothpaste and mouthwash were wonderful. Using a whitening toothpaste and mouthwash is a lot easier to work into my daily routine compared to other whitening products.”

And the experience itself? “It was very surreal to have so many beauty professionals working to make me look and feel my best. The whole experience was a great confidence booster: whiter smile, flattering makeup and hair, and lovely clothes. I have been a religious BEAUTY EDITOR reader for ages so it was great fun!”

Couldn’t agree more. Here’s the team behind the makeover (including moi). It takes a village…

Hope you enjoyed this look behind the scenes! Tell me:

What do you think of Nicole’s makeover experience?
Ever done anything similar?
Have you checked out the Crest and Oral-B products yet? (Here’s what some other readers had to say about ‘em!)

The look:

Bare skin, brown eyeshadow and black eyeliner along the lower lash lines.

The inspiration:

“Deconstructed classicism.”—makeup artist Pat McGrath for CoverGirl.

The how-to:

FACE

1. Apply CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in a shade to match your skin tone.

EYES

1. Define the brows with CoverGirl Brow & EyeMakers.
2. Apply the “step two” shade from the CoverGirl Smoky ShadowBlast in Bronze Fire from the lash line to crease.
3. Line the inner waterlines with CoverGirl LiquilineBlast Eyeliner Pencil in Black Fire.
4. Apply two coats of CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara in Black.

LIPS

1. Apply CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist.

The reader

Whitney writes:

I have thin hair that dries naturally straight—maybe a couple of kinks here and there. I also have this awful cowlick that you can kind of see at the back of my head. Basically, my part goes haywire and if I don’t tease that area around it, it can look like a bald spot. Usually, my only real change is going from hair down to the middle of my back to a couple inches below my shoulders. I’ll occasionally add a side-swept bang, and then just gradually let it grow out.

I’m naturally brunette but when I was younger being in the sun would lighten my hair significantly, so I really have never seen it all brown—don’t think I want to?!

Lately, I just feel like the style is making my face look rounder. I like the Jennifer Anniston wannabe layers that come around under my chin sometimes, but then on the other half of my head it never seems to happen. I know you believe in all one length for girls with hair like me, but I just love some movement and lift at the crown.

HELP! I haven’t loved a haircut in a few years…

The advice

Bill Angst says:

Whitney, thank you for submitting your photos and your dilemmas with your hair. You are doing the best you can with your long locks and teasing is a way of dealing with your crown cowlick.

My suggestion for you is to redistribute your part.

I think that Kate’s cut and colour would be the ultimate change for you:

The parting will help with your crown, and I feel a side-swept bang and a shorter length will give your hair a bit more volume.

Currently the weight of your long hair pulls it down and emphasises the cowlick. If you loosen up the layers, this will help solve the problem.

Make sure they are long layers because if they are too short, you will have a sprout at your crown and you will not be pleased with that.

I also think all of the depth and tones in Kate’s colour will give your hair more dimension and make it appear thicker.

Other options:

billyxoxo

Bill Angst is one of Canada’s top celebrity hairstylists and the owner of Angst Salon at 240 Queen Street East in Toronto. Call 416-360-5942 or visit his website and blog at billangst.com.

Want your own hair consultation?

Send at least TWO well-lit, preferably hi-res photos of you (one close-up, one full-body) with a brief description of your hair texture, colour and main hair challenges to INFO (AT) BEAUTYEDITOR (DOT) CA with “Bill Angst Hair Consultation” in the subject line. Oh, and get ready for some life-changing advice… not kidding!

Cream blush is our friend. A really good friend, because it melts seamlessly into our skin, making the colour look more like a natural, believable flush compared to powder blushes. (Sorry, NARS Orgasm.) The moist texture gives us a bit of a dewy, luminous glow. It’s great for dry skin. And it couldn’t be easier to apply and blend…

Or could it?

If you’re like me—and probably 90 percent plus of other cream blush users—you put the stuff on with your fingers.

And that’s cool. Nothin’ necessarily wrong with your technique. Except when I was on set with makeup artist Sabrina Rinaldi last week (more details on that soon!), I picked up a cool trick from her that you might want to consider. (Well, technically it’s a trick I’d heard of before but had never really implemented in my own routine.) And that trick is to…

Apply your cream blush with a brush!

That’s right. Instead of dabbing it on and blending it out with your fingertips, a makeup brush can give you better control and an even nicer end result.

You know how sometimes your cream blush can look way overdone… or just off? I’m a blush addict, so I know this problem well. It’s a combination of too much product being picked up by your fingers, and then imprecise blending that kills the placement—it’s just so easy to push the product outside the apples of your cheeks when you’re using your fingers. I’ve often caught myself in the mirror after my morning cream blush finger-application and had to wipe some off that was creeping up to my temples or too close to my nose. It was too much!

A brush helps you avoid this issue. Not only do you have better control over the amount of product and its placement (which should be just on the apples), it kind of helps push the product right INTO your skin for the most natural effect. I’ve been doing this for a week now, and I swear it’s true.

What kind of brush to use

So the whole reason most of us weren’t doing this before is probably because of the whole synthetic versus natural bristles thing. Basically, TBPTB (The Beauty Powers That Be) have put this “rule” out there that thou shalt only use natural hair bristles with powder products, and synthetic for anything cream or liquid.

It’s bollocks.

The world isn’t gonna end or anything if you use a natural hair brush to apply your cream blush. In fact, some makeup artists, like Greg Wencel and Amy Nadine, prefer it. I haven’t bothered to analyze my own brush collection to figure out which are which type, so I say don’t worry too much about it. Instead, experiment with these different types of brushes to see what works best for you:

A regular blush brush

Stila #1 Blush Brush, US$28.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

This is the one I have and it works great. You might think it’d pick up too much product, but it really doesn’t. A quick dab into your cream blush palette and you’ve got enough to start building up the colour. (With cream blush, it’s best to start with less and then layer to your desired intensity.) I’m not sure if ALL blush brushes would work this well though—look for one that’s not too large nor too dense.

A stippling brush

Sephora Collection Pro Stippling Brush, C$42.00/US$35.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

I also have this one (and it works for applying foundation OR blush, but we’ll stick to the blush topic today). You can recognize a stippling brush by the black and white hair—the black is the natural, and is denser, while the white is synthetic and floppier. Stippling brushes work amazing for pushing product into your skin for an almost airbrushed effect. The white hairs pick up a minimal amount of product and you, well, stipple it on before pressing a bit harder to buff with the black hairs. My only gripe with this type of brush is that it sheds like crazy, so check your face for stray hairs before leaving the house!

A fan brush

Laura Mercier Fan Brush, C$35.00/US$30.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

Ever wondered what the heck you’re supposed to use a fan brush for? Same here. I’ve actually got mine stored in the “archives” since I never use it. But makeup artist Jillian Dempsey recommends the fan for cream blush because the thin hairs make for seamless blending.

How to apply it

You want to use the classic trick of smiling to find the apples of your cheeks—feels silly, but it really works! Swirl and buff the product around, but don’t be tempted to drag it up to your temples unless you want to look like a clown. (I’m not sure who started the whole diagonal blush application myth… who blushes up there really?) It does NOT “lift” your face or make you look younger or whatever. It just makes you look like a crazy lady who is wearing too much blush.

Similarly, you don’t want your blush to be too horizontal either, because that’s unnatural too. Although I do think it can be cute in the summertime to mimic a teensy tiny sunburn by sweeping the blush across the bridge of your nose. Just make sure it melds into the well-blended, circular apple shape on the pads of your cheeks.

If you apply too much, you can take some product away with a dampened sponge:

Beautyblender Makeup Sponge Applicator, C$21.00/US$19.95; click here to learn more and purchase.

A quick note on the Beautyblender. I asked Sabrina about it, and she confirmed what I was thinking: it’s a great tool for taking away makeup, but not putting it on. I spritz mine with a facial mist and then press it into my skin if I feel like I’ve applied too much foundation, powder or blush and need to tone it down.

Cream blushes to try

Everybody’s got their faves, but I’ll give a shout-out here to one that Sabrina loves, the classic Convertible Color:

Stila Convertible Color, C$33.00/US$25.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

You can also apply your favourite tinted lip balm as a cream blush!

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balms, C$8.99/US$6.99 each; click here to learn more and purchase.

Just scribble it on the back of your hand (or even blend two or three shades) before swirling it on to your brush and applying. I tried it and it really does produce a beautiful sheer pop of colour—plus you get to match it with a lip in the same shade. Another genius tip from Sabrina!

Fun extras

A bit of highlighting action can add the perfect finishing touch to your blush application. As Rikki mentioned here, you can press any pale, shimmery, champagne-coloured shadow along the tops of your cheeks to illuminate them.

Or, keep the cream theme going and dab on a bit of cream highlighter such as this one from RMS Beauty (a favourite of makeup artist Sheri Stroh):

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, C$42.00; click here to learn more and purchase.

Et voilà! Perfectly flushed cheeks!

Tell me:

Are you a cream or powder blush fan?
Ever applied cream with a brush—and if so, what type?
What are your favourite cream blushes?

The look:

Bare skin, natural eyes and light pink lips.

The inspiration:

Late ’30s and ’40s silhouettes. “Confident and beautiful; sweet and tough.”—makeup artist Pat McGrath for CoverGirl.

The how-to:

FACE

1. Apply CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in a shade to match your skin tone.
2. Use CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadow in Champagne as a highlighter to illuminate the high planes of the face.
3. Dust CoverGirl Cheekers Blush in Plumberry Glow across the apples of your cheeks.

EYES

1. Sweep CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadow in Snow Blossom across the entire lid.
2. Deepen the crease and emphasize the lash lines with CoverGirl Eye Enhancers 1-Kit Shadow in Mink.
3. Apply one coat of CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara in Brown on the top lashes only.

LIPS

1. Apply CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Haute Pink Twist.