Blush !

Ah, blush. Few beauty products have the ability to strike fear in the hearts of women everywhere as this makeup product can, but don't let it! When you apply blush properly, your whole face lights up and better still, you'll discover striking cheekbones you never knew you had!

The key to getting this look right is to first decide if you want it to highlight the apples of your cheeks or to make your cheekbones standout. If you want your cheekbones to standout, start the blush just under the apples of your cheekbones and sweep it up to your temples. Once that's done, apply a touch of color to the apples of your cheeks for just a hint of color.

If you want the apples to appear more prominent, don't sweep it up to the temples. It's that simple to look great!

• For inspiration: Let Beyonce be your guide in this makeup arena.

Smoky Eyes and Nude Lips

And the number one makeup look is…smoky eyes and nude lips! Why is this look number one? Well, it's the top look among men (they rate is even higher than red lips) and it gives you that soft-focus, gauzy look that Victoria Secret models have down to a science!

This look takes your eyes and makes them stand out in the most beguiling of ways, while the nude, romantic-looking mouth seals the beauty deal. If you are looking for one makeup style that's guaranteed to stop them in their tracks, then this is it!

• For inspiration: Jennifer Lopez is known to rock many different looks, but many people prefer her in the smoky eye look.

10 things you should avoid when applying make-up!

• Always apply face powder after crime. On a dry skin the face powder clogs
  
  the pores making them visible. However, on an oily skin powder doesn’t last long.

• When choosing a nuance, remember that brighter shades are not face-flattering. Bright colors accentuate wrinkles and signs of tiredness.

• Our advice: apply a small amount of foundation in the chin area, which is close to your natural skin tone

  
  . Fixate it with a sponge by gently tapping on. Then apply powder in a peach-pink nuance with a big brush.
  

• Don’t restrict the foundation application only to the chin area. This will result in an unnatural effect of a mask.

The trick is to use a damp makeup sponge and apply the foundation starting from the neck and going up. After that tap off excess foundation for fixation and do not apply any powder on top.

• Applying eyeliner on the inner rims of the eyes doesn’t make them look bigger. On the contrary – it makes them smaller and less sparkling.

To add depth to the eyes put tiny dots at the base of the eyelashes on both eyelids and then join them up. Ideally the line should always be applied as close to the base of the eyelashes as possible and accentuated with eyeliner.

Holiday Makeup Looks

The holiday season often means invitations to many kinds of gatherings — including a black-tie gala, drinks with close friends and socializing with your boss. You want your makeup to look appropriate for every situation, but you also want to look fabulous. We asked iVillage makeup guru Deborah Grayson for advice on how to look gorgeous no matter the occasion.
Go with just a light touch here — after all, it's a casual environment where you want your "you-ness" to show through. Think of wearing just a golden sheer gloss on the lips. LipFusion makes an excellent one called Glow. For eyes, a glossy, sheer pink cream eyes shadow is wonderful. Ramy makes especially great cream quads for the eyes, which I find myself dipping into over and over again. For blush, try a sheer, creamy matte pink applied to the highest part of the cheeks. I like Tickle Me Pink Cream Color Base from MAC. And finish this light-touch holiday look with one coat of black or deep brown mascara on both the upper and lower lashes. One of my favorites is Neutrogena's Lash Tint.

Additional Lip Tips

Lips and eyes are the most important focal points of your face so one must pay special attention to these areas while doing makeup. Here are some additional tips for your lips that you can use:

• Lipstick staining your teeth makes you look extremely shabby. To avoid this, pucker your lips in an extreme 'O' and then apply the lipstick.
• Even if your lipstick smudges to the insides of your lips, wrap your finger with a tissue and put it into your mouth, and twist it slowly to eliminate any extra color.
• You can also highlight your lips by using a light film of eye shadow color coordinated with your lip color in the center of the upper and lower lips.