Makeup & haircare tips to take years off your look

Applying concealer and bronzer correctly can help you achieve a healthy, youthful appearance, while covering your gray can take years off your look.

Tip 1: Conceal under eye circles. You could hide behind giant sunglasses, or you could disguise dark circles with a little makeup. Concealer looks best when it¹s totally undetectable. To find the perfect fit, follow these pro tips:

• Choose a yellow-tone concealer if your circles have a blue cast, a peachy one if your circles have a brown or yellowish tint, and a tone that matches your skin exactly to hide redness. .
• Find the right texture: Creamy formulas are best for the dry skin around the eyes.
• Use a regular mirror, not a magnifying one, when applying concealer, so you don't overdo it.
• While most women use their fingers to apply, experts swear by a small concealer brush (it has a flat, round head). It's more precise and better at reaching the inner corners and around the nose.
• Be careful at the outer corners of the eyes; concealer can settle into crow's-feet and accentuate them. One way to prevent this is to put just one tiny dot of color over the dark spot right at the outer corner‹and don¹t blend it out past that point.
• If concealer does cake or settle into lines, dip a cotton swab in a drop of eye cream or face lotion and lightly sweep it over any color that has gathered.
• Don't put concealer on your eyelids, it can make them look heavy. To cover redness, dip your fingertip in a drop of foundation and tap on lids.
• A warning if eyes are puffy: Skip the concealer -- which will just make the bags look bigger. Instead, pat a tiny bit of foundation on the bags, and then dot a highlighting cream (pinkish for fair skin; golden on olive and dark skin) at the inner corners of the eyes and slightly underneath the puffy area.

Tip 2: Warm up your face. There's nothing more aging than a deep tan. A light glow, however, is another story and a little makeup can help restore that glow of youth.

• Choose a true rose blush (one without a trace of brown) and blend it on the apples of the cheeks only.
• If you like bronzer, select a shimmery cream one and smooth it on wherever the sun would naturally hit (the cheekbones, the temples, and lightly on the bridge of the nose and the chin). Either way, make skin look dewy by dabbing on a little highlighter. It mimics the sheen of healthy skin.
• Platinum or silver is best for pale skin; for olive or dark complexions, bronze or copper is most flattering.

Tip 3: Cover the gray. You start by plucking out your gray hairs until there are so many that you run the risk of going bald. Most women begin to notice their first grays around the hairline. If you just have a few (less than 10 percent of your head), use a vegetable dye to cover them. More than that and you need permanent dye. One warning: Just don¹t change your color too dramatically at first, says colorist Rita Hazan of the Rita Hazan Salon in New York City.

• IF YOU'RE BRUNETTE: Make your natural shade look deeper and richer. The color needs a reflective quality to appear soft and touchable and to brighten the skin. If you're doing your own color, choose a formula that¹s one shade lighter than your natural color, it always comes out a little darker than you think. For extra shine and to seal in color, apply (or ask for) a glossing treatment.
• IF YOU'RE BLONDE: Avoid going too blonde or too ashy --it's aging.
  • Natural-looking blonde is sexy--blonde that's bleached and over-processed makes you look old. The key is a medium-gold base and light-gold highlights.
  • If you're doing your own color, beware of going too light or adding too many highlights. For extra shine and to seal in color, apply a glossing treatment.
• IF YOU'RE A REDHEAD: Try a copper-red with gold undertones. If you¹re doing your own color, choose a formula that¹s one shade lighter than your natural color --it will produce slightly darker results. For extra shine and to seal in color, apply (or ask for) a glossing treatment.

Come back next week for new advice from Allure.

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