Beauty problems

Say goodbye to common skin, hair and makeup dilemmas with these easy fixes

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Say goodbye to common skin, hair and makeup dilemmas with these easy fixes

My Reading Room
Mascara gives you panda eyes 

FIX IT

Technique is everything when it comes to mascara, so place the wand at the base of your lashes and wiggle rather than brush up towards the ends. As you go, twist your wrist gently to allow the mascara to evenly coat the entire lash and prevent flakes or clumps. To prevent your mascara smudging, or rain or humidity ruining your makeup, try a waterproof variety. However, keep in mind that waterproof mascara can be drying and is harder to remove so use it on the days you really need your eye makeup to stay in place.

TRY:

Heroine Make Advanced Film Mascara Long & Curl, $21.90, elongates blinkers with 5 mm lengthening fibres, and is resistant to water or even a tropical rain shower.

Browhaus HD Mascara, $17.90, is extremely waterproof and sebum-proof, and lasts for up to 24 hours without streaking or clumping.

My Reading Room
Chipped nail polish

FIX IT

For a quick fix, smooth over the chips with a buffer before reapplying polish with a cotton bud. Then go over the entire nail with a top coat to create a smooth, even finish. Prevent further chips down the track by nourishing your nails with vitamin E oil trimming the edges regularly, as this is the oldest part of the nail and it gets weak from age.

TRY:

Presto Gel Manicure at Manicurious, $85 for 75 minutes, uses premium Japanese chip-proof gelish colour that last for three to four weeks.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat, $16.90 (14.7 ml), protects your nail lacquer from chipping and boosts shine dramatically with a high-gloss finish.

My Reading Room
Eyeliner runs

FIX IT

Ensure your liner is budge-proof by using a matte-finish concealer underneath to act as “glue”. Smudging the line also helps, but if you like a clean eyeliner look, sweep pressed powder over the line with a flat eye shadow brush to set it in place for the whole day.

TRY:

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h WP, $19.90, has a waterproof formula that moisturises the delicate eye area with hyaluronic acid and collagen. n Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, $42, is a moisture-rich concealer that provides the perfect matte base to hold eye makeup in place.

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder, $18.90, achieves lightweight, breathable coverage with a natural second-skin finish.

My Reading Room
Foundation slips off by lunchtime

FIX IT

Primer is the key when it comes to keeping your makeup in place as it gives your foundation something to adhere to while reducing oil build-up. Apply primer to freshly cleansed skin before using a makeup brush or sponge to press, rather than rub, your foundation into place. Pressing foundation onto the skin helps “set” it for longer-lasting results.

TRY:

Benefit the POREfessional Matte Rescue, $49 (50 ml), is designed to tame midday shine and blur out pores with diamond powder. n Sephora Multi-Texture Sponge, $8, effortlessly deposits just the right amount of foundation for an airbrushed finish.

Yves Rocher Serum Vegetal Wrinkles & Firmness Plumping Day Care, $45 (50 ml), plumps up skin, fills up wrinkles and creates a smooth canvas for makeup. Powerful plant extracts reactivate cellular activity, and revs up collagen and hyaluronic acid production for anti-ageing benefits.

My Reading Room
Frizz and flyaways

FIX IT

Dry, damaged hair can cause frizz and flyaways, so use a hair mask once a week to smooth the hair shaft, and always use a heat protector spray before blow-drying. Also, try wrapping your hair in a cotton T-shirt post-wash. The cotton creates less friction than a regular bath towel, meaning less frizziness down the track.

TRY:

Kerasilk Keratin Treatment at COVO, $300 for 3 hours, restores shine and smoothness to damaged hair.

Kerastase Discipline Maskeratine, $69 (200 ml), is formulated with a high concentration of Pro-Keratin to tame even the most unruly tresses.

My Reading Room
Flat hair

FIX IT

Combining a volumising mousse through your roots before blow-drying is one easy way to get volume, but if you want height that lasts all day, use a volume powder instead. Powders give the hair more structure than creams and mousses, and tend to keep height in your hair all day.

TRY:

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Teasing Dust, $35 (11 g), regulates sebum and boosts hair roots to achieve instant volume and definition.

My Reading Room
Bare brows

FIX IT

Use an automatic (wind-up) brow pencil to “feather in” missing hairs, create your perfect shape and bulk up sparse brows. Then, to add density, use a brow mascara, which individually coats every hair to make it look fuller, the same way lash mascara does.

TRY:

Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touch Up, $46, defines, volumises and conditions brows with wheat protein and pro-vitamin B5.

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil, $53, achieves fine hair-like strokes with its triangular shaped tip on one end, and grooms brows with its nifty brush on the other end.

Clumpy skincare

FIX IT

Do your skincare products ever appear clumpy on your face? That’s known as ‘piling’ and occurs when multiple products are incorrectly applied. Make sure you apply one layer at a time, gently patting them in, and allowing time for them to absorb. Start with water-soluble products, follow with anything oil-based, and finish with things containing silicones, talc, iron oxide or mica.