Start with your face: it's your "canvas."

Have a little extra time the night before an event for which you want to look your best? Super - exfoliate your face with a mask or microdermabrasion (using the right products for your skin type and special needs) and then moisturize your skin thoroughly. Also shape and clean up your eyebrows to complement your face.

On the day of your event, perform steps two through four for healthy skin: cleanse, freshen and moisturize. (Step one is exfoliate, which you've done.) Your foundation and makeup apply much more smoothly and evenly over well-hydrated skin so carefully moisturize your face and eye areas.

Since the eye areas don't produce their own moisture, apply an eye cream; it's specially formulated for that delicate skin. (Moisturizers for the face tend to have humectants which can puff up the skin around the eyes.)

Foundation: Do you know that foundation is the fifth and "protect" step for healthy skin? Apply your foundation and finish it with powder. The powder will "set" the foundation and help it last longer so there's less need for touch ups.

Eye primer: An eye primer allows eye color to go on more smoothly and stay in place longer without creasing and smudging.

Eye color: The simplest approach to eye color is to apply a neutral or soft shade (from the upper lashes to the brows) which will enhance or "pop" another color placed over it.

Almost as easy is another technique using two colors. Follow the eye primer with a single color from lash to brow. Then apply a second stronger or darker color over the lids and into the creases to complement the shape of your eyes. If you're getting ready for an evening event, be more dramatic than for an event during the day.

Eye liner: Line the eyes if it enhances them, staying close to the lash lines.

Mascara: To make your eye lashes appear thicker and longer, start with the wand close to the eyes and then wiggle the wand back and forth as you move it away from your eyes. To really "open" your eyes, use an eyelash curler.

Eyebrows: A simple and natural way to emphasize the eyebrows is to brush them with a matching shade of eye color and then set the color with a gel. The gel will also help emphasize and maintain the shape of your brows.

Cheek color: For your cheek color, either smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks or sweep it up along your cheek bones starting two fingers away from your nose and stopping at your temples. Then blend the color gently.

Lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss: If color 'bleeding' is a problem, run a lip outliner pencil along the outer edges of your lips. Define your lips with a lip liner, fill in color with a lipstick and polish with gloss.

Your canvas is now a "work of art!"

? Copyright 2005 Charlotte Maddox

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print as long as the bylines, URL and copyright are included. Please print the article in its entirety, unchanged and send a copy of the publication to charlottemaddox@marykay.com.

Charlotte Maddox is an independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay Inc. Her goals are to share her knowledge and expertise in helping clients develop skin care and beauty routines which suit their preferences and lifestyles and to save valuable time and effort in busy clients' lives. http://www.marykay.com/charlottemaddox