How to pull a put-together look

DEAR LUCY,

I live quite far from the place where I work and I seem to never have enough time to look polished for my job in an office where a lot of ladies look so glam. What is a quick way to look put together?   

LUCILLE

I find that it saves me precious time when I choose and lay out the clothes I will wear to work the night before. It also helps when you already wash and set or blowdry your hair the night before so that when you wake up in the morning, you can just take a half bath, and the time you would have used to fix your hair can be spent putting on makeup. For that, I would suggest a BB or CC cream, cream blush that you put on your cheeks, and a light dusting of powder. Always curl your lashes and use mascara. Wear bright colored lipstick so that you look like you made an effort. Also, lipstick always has this charming way of making you look instantly dressed up. I learned that from my lola who, even at home, in her house dress, always wore bracelets, rings, and her  favorite Revlon lipstick in a shade called Wine With Everything.

If you have more time and you want to do your eyes, then you can use a matte eyepowder in white or cream as base and a brown shade on the crease. A little eyeliner would look nice, but if you are like me and putting on eyeliner is a challenge, then you can just dip a flat tipped angled brush in dark powder (navy is a nice alternative to brown) and sort of trace your upper lash line, just to give it subtle definition.

On days when I really am not able to set or blowdry my hair, my quick fix is to tie it back into a ponytail. Always works.

LUCY

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Lipsticks for different occasions

DEAR RISSA,

I love lipstick, but I’m confused when it comes to the best color to wear on different occasions. Can you share some tips?

SHEENA

They say the average woman carries around three lipsticks in her bag.  I’m guilty of that, too! Women change their lipstick according to their mood or outfit, but the right lip color can be the best accessory for different occasions. For work or job interviews, loud colors tend to be distracting. Go for berry shades which show you are both soft yet strong, and wonderfully bring out your features without overpowering. Save rose-colored lippies for those romantic dates. For big presentations or important meetings, serious wine shades call attention and exude confidence and strength without being distracting. Red will always be reliable for nights out. For weddings and dinner parties, pretty pink shades are celebratory colors that make you feel pretty. When it’s time to meet the parents, go for happy peachy shades; they’re a great balance of sweet yet sensible.                               

RISSA

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Newbie makeup tips

HI, REGINA!

I’m a makeup newbie! In what sequence should I apply what I have? Like, what would go first, concealer or powder foundation?

BEA

If you have any liquid base, like foundation, or BB/CC cream, or tinted moisturizer, that should go on first. After you apply that, then you can see where you might need to apply concealer. (Typically, it’ll go over dark circles, or to further cover up any blemishes or discoloration that your liquid base didn’t completely mask.) Then, you apply powder foundation to set all of it, or just apply it where you need it most — to wipe out shine along your T-zone. If you’re skipping liquid base, though, then apply concealer where necessary and then apply powder foundation.

Then, you can do the rest of your face in whatever sequence you prefer. I like to start with my eyebrows, though, because then you can really see your definition taking shape. If you’re partial to lipstick like I am, and tend to choose bolder shades, then do your lipstick first, so you can gauge how heavy you need to go with the eye makeup (which is to say: definitely not heavy, if your lipstick is heavy). Otherwise, go on ahead and do your eye makeup, then apply your lip. I like to apply blush or cheek color last, so that I can put it on with a light hand; just enough to balance out the rest of the colors on my face. Nothing screams “makeup newbie” quite like too much blush.

If you do go a bit overboard, you can always tone down the intensity of the blush with a light dusting of powder, or a sweep of tinted moisturizer.                     

 REGINA

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Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil. Send Regina Belmonte your questions at vivatregina.tumblr@gmail.com or tweet her @vivatregina.