Bobbi Brown Q & A

I love Bobbi Brown's philosophy: "Rather than zeroing in on what's "wrong" and using makeup to cover it up, I believe in honing in on what's right and using makeup to enhance it. I can't tell you how many times women come to my makeup counter so fixated on their "bad" feature that they overlook everything else. To those of you who are reading this and nodding your head in recognition, I say: Ease off and stop being so hard on yourself. Pick your best feature (we all have at least one) and make the most of it. Here's Rather than zeroing in on what's "wrong" and using makeup to cover it up, I believe in honing in on what's right and using makeup to enhance it. I can't tell you how many times women come to my makeup counter so fixated on their "bad" feature that they overlook everything else. To those of you who are reading this and nodding your head in recognition, I say: Ease off and stop being so hard on yourself. Pick your best feature (we all have at least one) and make the most of it".

Now on to the Q & A's:

Question: What's the best way to cover fine lines?

Answer: Don't think of your lines as a negative. I think they're beautiful and we get them from living, laughing, expressing ourselves. You can't really cover lines, so focus on making your skin look smooth and even. The best way to do this is with a rich face moisturizer, which will help plump up skin and make lines look less obvious. Use cream formulas of concealer, foundation, and blush; they'll glide over your skin instead of settling and collecting in the lines. If you've got fine lines around your eyes, draw attention away from them by lining your eyes to make your eyes stand out. A touch of blush on cheeks makes you look fresh and pretty. Use a rich lip balm (or even your eye cream) to hydrate lines around the lips. To keep lipstick from feathering, line your lips with after applying your lipstick.

Question: How do you diffuse wrinkles?

Answer: Ultra-rich moisturizers and creamy makeup formulas are the key to getting smooth-looking skin. Be sure to exfoliate on a regular basis with a gentle scrub or an AHA cream. This helps stimulate cell turnover and sloughs off dead skin cells, which can make skin look dull and prevent your foundation from going on smoothly. Make sure your skin is well hydrated. A great moisturizer literally plumps up your skin. Stick to creamy formulas of concealer, foundations and blush. Powder can settle into wrinkles, making them more visible. No one has wrinkles on their cheeks, so play them up with a little extra blush. If you have lines around your lips, keep the area moist. Try using a lip balm on and around the lip area and don't try to conceal the wrinkles with foundation. Instead, pick a creamy lipstick and matching lip pencil to prevent feathering.

Question: How do you cover up dark circles?

Answer: Apply a light eye cream underneath the eye area. It should absorb quickly and leave your skin feeling smooth. If you're using a corrector, use a concealer brush or your fingertip to apply it at the inner corner of the eye. Continue placing the corrector underneath the eye, staying close to the lashes and patting the corrector wherever your see darkness. Gently blend the corrector by pressing it with your fingers. You're now ready to apply your concealer. Use a concealer brush or your index finger to apply the concealer in thin layers. Be sure to blend well. Apply the concealer all the way up to your lash line and - this part is critical - onto the dark areas by the inner corners of your eyes. Use more concealer than you think you need, and blend it into the skin, using your fingers in a soft, patting motion. If you still see dark circles, go ahead and apply a second layer of concealer. To the lock the concealer into place, apply pale yellow powder over the concealer and on the eyelids with a powder puff.