Beauty & Style

four quick ways to look beautiful

Quick Fixes For Party Season

Look beautiful in a hurry!

by Helen Clemson

Is your Blackberry's calendar rather jammed with dates this month? It's the start of a busy social season and that means less time to preen and pamper. Here are four quick cheats when time is tight...

Fake Big, Sexy Eyes

Fake a false-lash look by applying your regular mascara in the right spots on your top lash line. If you concentrate the mascara above your pupils and also the outer corners of your peepers (in other words, the lashes that grow in the outer corners of your top lash line), you've instantly cheated a more wide-eyed look.

Embrace The Pony

A ponytail is your best friend when your hair is less-than clean (apply some gel before you style your hair). We recommend wearing yours in the nape of your neck with a deep side parting. Wearing it this way will also help disguise roots that need re-doing.

Get A Light-Coloured Manicure

Wearing a sexy bright colour on your nails is super-fun but it's not very practical unless you have time for re-painting. If you know the next couple of weeks are crazy, ask your manicurist to paint your nails in a buff, sheer cream or sheer pink colour as these soft shades won't show up chips as much as other colours do.

Wax, But Not Too Often

Waxing your legs and bikini area means less time in the bathroom getting rid of unwanted hair. But, if you can, aim to wax about every three weeks because if you wax too often your hair might start to grow in two cycles. The result could be that you’ll notice shorter hairs coming up just as the longer ones have been removed.

Last updated: Mon, 2011-11-07 10:46

By Miss B on 2011-11-10 11:35

The last point (waxing) is not necessarily correct. There are 3 stages of hair growth, and although there are estimate periods of time for each stage of growth, EACH hair follicle has a cycle of it's own which is why we don't shed like animals. So if you get waxed and find hairs that "have grown back" a week later, they are not necessarily the same hairs that were waxed 7days ago. Those hairs have simply not surfaced yet by the time you had waxed. Alternatively, your hairs were waxed in the telogen stage (resting phase) and have already been detached from the root (which is why it doesn't hurt as much sometimes) and new hairs have already started growing (active growing stage) in the exact same follicle. But as mentioned, every follicle has a cycle of it's own. I agree that you should wait for significant growth before you wax (again) but in terms of growth cycle it doesn't matter if you wax every 2 weeks or every 4 weeks. It differs from person to person. Some people are obsessive about being hair free and just can't wait 3-4 weeks. You should, however, check your waxed area 2 days after your appointment and if you can see/feel hairs, call the salon/spa and go back as soon as possible and ask for it to be removed by your therapist at no additional cost as he/she was not thorough.