How To Put On Makeup To Look Young

There is no makeup technique you should master first other than how to put on makeup to look young. More and more people in their twenties are experiencing wrinkles, crows’ feet, and dull skin. Because of an unhealthy diet, inadequate hydration, exposure to free radicals and pollutants, and sun exposure, many young women’s faces now show signs of premature aging. Learn how to cheat your way to younger skin through the makeup tips below.

• Before applying makeup, wash, moisturize, and put on sunscreen. And that should be everyday, come hell or high water. Your everyday routine can very well affect how old – or young – your face and skin will look. For instance, washing vigorously will lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Make sure you wash your face – gently – and dab your face dry instead of wiping it like you do your behind. Settle for a noncomedogenic wash that does not strip your skin of its natural oils. Then, find a water-based moisturizer… and if it has SPF, then that’s two birds with one stone! A well-moisturized skin has extra protection against wrinkles, especially when moisturizing is done regularly.
• Try wrinkle fillers before putting on foundation. Wrinkle fillers can reduce the appearance of visible wrinkles and lines, making foundation application much easier and more effective.
• Use a light foundation that has light to medium coverage. Using a thick foundation will only make your face look cakey, which becomes even more obvious because of the fine lines you might already have. Instead, go for light foundation in a liquid formula: it covers flaws while allowing your skin’s natural color to show through.
• Use a trusted concealer that does not cause your skin to dry up. You may also use the same foundation under your eyes; however, if you have extra dark under-eye circles, a concealer may be necessary. Of course, don’t overdo it, or you’ll end up looking a little overdone.
• Use lip gloss to plump thin lips. The sheen of lip gloss reflects more light, giving the impression of thicker lips.
• Use a lip liner to redefine your lips. This is especially useful if you have a marionette face: if the corners of the lips droop a little. Follow the outline of your lips, except when you reach the droopy corners, where your line should fade off.
• Use pink lipstick and blush. A pink blush and lipstick both give the impression of young, healthy skin, as pink cheeks are often associated with youth.

If you want to know how to put on makeup to look young, the above tricks should do it. Lastly, eat a healthy diet rich in antioxidants, always drink enough water, and learn to manage your stress! Don’t just fake youth; fight aging!

Natori now in the Philippines

Natori is now available in the Philippines! This November, Josie Natori, the designer responsible for the wildly successful Natori line, and Nedy Tantoco, the president of Rustan Commercial Corporation, bring us Natori in the Philippines.

Natori at Rustan’s is actually the only boutique thus far that has set up camp outside the United States. Josie Natori is quite happy to make the Philippines the very first non-U.S. flagship of the Natori brand.

The Natori collection is actually a myriad of fashion ideas from both Asian and Western influences. Natori provides both RTW and luxurios lines, while also providing bedsheets and perfumes.

Almost forty years back, Josie Natori sold lingerie in the U.S. Together with her husband, they started a fashion house, now known as the lifestyle go-to brand, Natori.

In the United States, Natori is available at Sak’s and also at Neiman Marcus. Many Natori fans love the brand for its wonderful lounge wear, made of wonderful fabrics like silk. The design allows for a lot of room, hiding all unwanted bulges. This way, Natori lounge wear actually provides both style and comfort.

Another plus factor is that Natori provides the Philippines with the same collection as abroad, at just 90 percent of the actual overseas prices! Natori’s A/W 2011 line draws inspiration from Japanese Samurai fashion.

Although Rustan’s only offers Natori lounge wear and lingerie for now, their RTW will soon be available, too.

Take a look at several of Natori’s ensembles below.

Caftan (made of charmeuse and silk), with bead detailing, worth PhP100,000

 

Robe (made of silk and habotai or chinese silk)

 

Caftan (made from silk and habotai, also known as chinese silk) worth PhP69,500

 

Pyjamas made of micro satin, bold prints, worth PhP7450

 

Caftan, made of charmeuse, worth PhP9,500
Tunic Pyjamas, also made of charmeuse, worth PhP8,950

 

Caftan, made of charmeuse, worth PhP9,500

 

Chemise, worth PhP12,500

 

Maxi dress with belt (made of natural cord and mother of pearl)

Natori is now in the Philippines, so what are you waiting for? Drop by Rustan’s and take a look at the rest of their autumn collection!

Negative Aspects of Cosplay

Cosplay has received quite a following in the past few years. More and more people want to don costumes and becomes cosplayers, acting out roles, learning dynamic poses, and making their own costumes from scratch. Although cosplay has a lot of positive aspects, there are negative aspects to cosplay – and I’m here to talk about that white elephant in the room, so to speak.

As a fashion lover, I love the costumes worn by cosplayers! Sadly, many issues are now being brought up which point to the negative aspects of cosplay. Some of these are listed below.

1. Cosplay can be an act of fandom – or an act of obsession. Many anime and comic book fans want to cosplay their favorite characters. Simply put, they are true-blue fans. However, some people develop a certain obsession, where cosplay becomes an integral part of it.
2. Cosplay opens up a new breed of discrimination. One of the negative aspects of cosplay is that it makes many cosplayers prone to discrimination. They are discriminated in terms of gender (where males seem to have a lower rank than females), looks (where less-than-pretty cosplayers are laughed at or criticized), weirdness (where certain cosplayers are immediately dubbed weird or eccentric), and race (where cosplayers who do not look Japanese are frowned upon). For instance, try looking up the most popular cosplayers and you are bound to see handsome or pretty faces who look Japanese.
3. Cosplay gives the world a wrong portrait of Japanese culture. Many, though not all, cosplayed characters are actually Japanese in origin. A lot of fictional characters imitated by cosplayers come from Japanese anime, mangga, or graphic novels. However, cosplayers portray these Japanese characters as whimsical or cutesy, sometimes saying sayonara or kawaii, both japanese words, in little, high-pitched voices. FYI, the falsetto voices are deemed disrespectful by the Japanese as they seem to mock the Japanese race. The inaccurate portrayal of anime characters by cosplayers are seen by the Japanese as “cheap imitation”.
4. Cosplay encourages people to address their self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-image issues by “shedding one’s real personality”. There is nothing wrong with wearing a costume – but if you wear it because it boosts your confidence, then you spring back to your low self-esteem once the costume is taken off, then therein lies the problem. Instead of allowing young people to explore their true selves, they learn to hide behind masks and feel better by pretending to be someone else. The real self is discarded, as it does not produce the same satisfaction as the fantasy self. In this way, cosplay, for many shy youngsters who have self-image issues, becomes a form of escapism.
5. The world of cosplay, just like the world of of modeling, may give the youth unrealistic expectations of what they should be. False lashes, contact lenses that increase the size of one’s pupils, and wigs have become quite popular in the non-cosplay world, a phenomenon encouraged by cosplay. Many youngsters now look at these accessories as indispensible. Some cosplay critics believe that cosplay discourages people to be who they are, that it keeps people from being comfortable in their own skin while promoting a culture of pretense.
6. Cosplay also promotes the objectification of women. A lot of cosplayers will shun the idea of wearing plunging necklines in real life, but will not hesitate to wear skimpy costumes for cosplay. Many cosplay fans actually admire cosplayers because of their skimpy attire. Female cosplayers are objectified this way, earning the wrath of many feminists. There is a subset of cosplay that revolves around sex appeal: cosplayers actually choose very revealing, sometimes very explicit, costumes. To be blunt, cosplay has become the perfect excuse for many young women to wear inappropriate clothes under the guise of self-expression.

And before you call yourself or cosplayers as “otaku”…

In Japan, otaku has a negative impression. Decades ago, an “otaku” kidnapped many young girls and took videos of their dead bodies. This otaku serial killer has caused a lot of panic in Japan. Ever since, most Japanese think that to be called “otaku” is very insulting.

Many cosplay fans and cosplayers will beg to differ. But more and more people are getting diagnosed with cosplay sickness syndrome, where people who witness cosplay develop a severe aversion towards it. More psychological profiling needs to be done before the benefits and negative aspects of cosplay, from psychological, psychiatric, and social points of view, are properly identified.

Summit Magazine Subscription Problems

Two months ago, I paid for a fashion magazine subscription from Summit Publishing. I was told that I would receive my first magazine after two months – that’s this month. However, I have received no magazine thus far. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

I decided to call Summit at their hotline. On my first call, I was redirected by a recording to the subscription department. However, nobody was there to take my call. Twenty calls later, the same thing kept happening.

I’ve been trying to call Summit’s subscription department for more than a week, to no avail. Perhaps they just put up the phone number extension for that department so that they can say they do have that department. But contacting them is so much harder than you think.

I wonder, am I the only person who experienced this hassle before? Lesson learned: no more subscriptions from Summit! The Trinket Princess needs to get her fashion fix somewhere else. Thank God for online magazines!

If you have been having problems with your magazine subscriptions, tell me your story by leaving a comment below. Thanks!