Rachel McAdams is a natural beauty in the Holiday film The Family Stone.  Want to know how she does it?  She uses an eco-friendly skin care line called Sponge with products that are based in olive oil with organically grown herbs. Primer is also a necessity! Besides keeping your foundation on your face all day, primer makes your makeup look smooth and evenly distributed. Try Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer. A foundation brush also helps you create a more natural, polished look. When using it to apply your foundation, concentrate on the focus areas which need covering up like the center of the face and blend outward toward the jaw line.

Finish the look with a translucent powder like Maybelline Finishing Veil Transluscent Powder. Translucent works better than pressed powder for a lightweight, fresh look.  The reason Rachel McAdams’ face looks so natural is that she hasn’t over-applied foundation.

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This A-lister is embracing punch pink lips this week. Camilla Belle is a picture of elegance, wearing her hair slicked back in a glossy dark punk while sporting bold lips and strong brows.

Wear a dark pink shade on your lips when you are feeling unique or when you feel like stepping out of your comfort zone. This look is cool and vibrant, but never boring. Try Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Vintage Pink. Another different option is the Alice & Olivia’s Mac Shade Go For it.  Because dark pink is such a vibrant shade, don’t wear too many other colors on your face; otherwise it may look a little clownish. Pair it with a tinted moisturizer, black eye liner, mascara and a bit of bronzer on the cheeks.

What better way to prepare for the season than an ice toned shadow? A slight hint of metallic across the lid and smudged in the inner corner of the eyes boosts Whitney Port’s polished Wintery look.

Silver eyeshadow is one of the most versatile colors to wear and can be used on any skin type, with any makeup style and any time of the day.

Three perfect Mac shades to try are Silver Ring, Electra, and Print shadows. To start, apply the silver from your lash line to the brow ridge, blending the powder evenly and working it into your skin. Apply your regular makeup on top.

Help to keep your look fresh by applying a very small dab of silver eyeshadow to the inner one-third of your lower lids, beginning as near to the inner eye as possible.  Finish by wearing a charcoal colored eyeliner on the upper and a lengthening mascara. Spray Skindinavia finishing spray so that your look lasts from day to night.

Recently Scarlett Johansson told Vanity Fair, “I know my best angles.” Exactly. Any successful model or actress knows her strongest features and how to work them in front of the camera. You too should be closely, intimately familiar with the unique strengths, challenges and charms of your face in order to know how to properly enhance it with makeup.

Knowing how, and where, to apply various makeup products on your face is the secret sauce of achieving that red carpet, camera loving polish. It’s how the gal with perfectly unoffensive and average features, someone you wouldn’t look at twice if you bumped into each other on a Saturday morning in your sweats at the neighborhood coffee shop, is transformed into another specimen entirely on screen or in a magazine. If you’re not convinced, take a peek at a few candid celebrity photos, the ones where they’re not wearing any makeup.

Engaging in a bit of self reflection on the face front allows you to pinpoint exactly where you should be focusing your efforts when you pull out the makeup case. To conduct a quick and easy assessment of your face, do the following:

• Pull your hair back and examine your clean, makeup-free face in a mirror lit with natural light.
• Note 1.) the condition of your skin, 2) the overall symmetry of your face, and 3) the strengths of your individual features. If you find it hard being objective, pretend you’re a scientist studying an anonymous subject.
• What are your top positives? Perhaps you have beautiful skin, an elegant jawline and expressive, doe eyes. Great eyebrows. Elegant cheekbones. A distinctive nose. You name it. And don’t be modest–or mean.
• Once you have consciously identified your favorite attributes, write them down on a piece of paper. Jot down, next to each feature, what you can do with makeup to make it even more standout. Coat my lashes with extra layers of thickening mascara to highlight my eyes. Contour my cheekbones so they look more dramatic. Find a lip shade that flatters my skin tone and makes my lips pop.

Repeat your assessment from time to time, and use the results to smartly steer you to those products, shades and strategies that will best optimize your unique, one of a kind beauty.

Constance Dunn is a beauty researcher and author of the presentation guide Practical Glamour (2010). http://practicalglamour.org/

There’s no denying that Drew Barrymore always looks stunning, but this pretty girl look suits her very well. The soft, flushed cheeks light up her face and make her look younger. This is the kind of look that looks great on almost everyone, and is perfect for Fall/Winter.

Here’s how you can get it:

1.  Prep the skin with a hydrating, water based foundation. This will leave the skin looking fresh and feeling natural, while covering any little imperfections you may have.
2. Use a light natural looking eye shadow, like a tan, brown or beige. Give your upper and lower lashes a coat of lengthening mascara and the eyes are done.
3. For the cheeks, opt for a pink cream blush and smooth it on with your fingertips. A cream blush will give you a soft, dewy finish and brilliant color. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks, and blend it up towards your temples. The warmth of your skin helps blend the color into cheeks.
4. Apply a shiny pink gloss to the lips.
5. Mist Skindinavia’s finishing spray all over the face to keep the look in place.

It’s time to dust off your classic red lipstick after a summer full of corals and nude glosses. This season, red lips are so hot and famous ladies are embracing their inner divas through juicy red lips. A pregnant Hillary Duff was glowing in red as she signed copies of her new book “Devoted” this month at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in L.A.  Here’s how to wear the look: You will want to apply foundation all over your face first. Then add concealer to the outer corners of your mouth before applying lipstick.   Fill in lips with liner. Then apply a sultry red lipstick, blot, and add another layer of color. For more staying power, cover with a thin layer of tissue, then reapply and spray Skindinavia finishing spray all over face and lips.  Keep the rest of your makeup low key. When you rock the red lips make sure they stand out – Don’t overload on color everywhere—if you’re wearing a vibrant shade all you really need is mascara.

It’s time to dust off your classic red lipstick after a summer full of corals and nude glosses. This season, red lips are so hot and famous ladies are embracing their inner divas through juicy red lips. A pregnant Hillary Duff was glowing in red as she signed copies of her new book “Devoted” this month at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in L.A.  Here’s how to wear the look: You will want to apply foundation all over your face first. Then add concealer to the outer corners of your mouth before applying lipstick.   Fill in lips with liner. Then apply a sultry red lipstick, blot, and add another layer of color. For more staying power, cover with a thin layer of tissue, then reapply and spray Skindinavia finishing spray all over face and lips.  Keep the rest of your makeup low key. When you rock the red lips make sure they stand out – Don’t overload on color everywhere—if you’re wearing a vibrant shade all you really need is mascara.

Contoured cheeks a la Leighton Meester

Contoured cheeks are synonymous with Fall and this season is no exception. Rouged cheekbones, like the ones seen here on Leighton Meester, are an easy way to add definition to your face, make it look thinner and quickly turn your makeup look trendy.

If only we could all be born with naturally high and defined cheek bones. Most of us, however, need a little help to get the perfect contour and shape. Here’s how to create a Leighton-like look in three easy steps. First, apply a primer on your face to help to create an even surface for your makeup. Then apply a foundation that’s one or two shades darker than your skin tone to the area of your cheeks that hollows out when you pucker up. Blend well, so that there’s no line.

Use a peachy apricot or a brown-based blush on the apples of your cheeks and be sure to blend well. Lastly, shine and define. Use a light golden or shimmery yellowish powder on the area right above your cheekbones. One swipe with the brush should be enough for a glowing accent. Finish with Skindinavia’s Original Finishing Spray to keep your sexy contoured cheeks in place.