Photo: Victoria’s Secret
It’s that time of the year again, you’ve been overindulging in hearty foods and you suddenly realise your work Christmas party is less than a month away.
If the thought of squeezing into your new mini dress in front of the whole office scares you silly, here are some clever makeup tricks that will fool everyone into thinking you have a toned and svelte body (until your healthy eating plan and workouts pay off).
Fake a more prominent collarbone
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When done right, contouring your collarbone makes them “pop” against your skin, lending your shoulders a lifted effect that’s very flattering, especially if you’re swathed in an off-the-shoulder figure-hugging dress.
Convinced? Here’s how you can accentuate your collarbone with makeup. Dust highlighter that is a shade lighter than your complexion on top of your collarbone with a fluffy brush – anywhere you imagine that light would it. Finally, contour your collarbones by sweeping contour powder above and below them with a blush brush.
Fake your way to toned arms
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Instead of having your arms planted on your hips and elbows out to the side throughout the entire party, reach for a matte bronzer and use it to contour your arms for a night of definition.
The easiest way to see where you need to pop your contour is to hold your arm out and flex your muscles.
With another hand, sweep a waterproof matte bronzer between the tricep and bicep muscles with an angled contour brush. Make sure to apply it very lightly and blend out any harsh lines.
Fake longer, leaner legs
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To create the illusion of gleaming gams, put on your favourite pair of high heels, as this will naturally flex your calf muscles, and paint the shadows created under your muscles again with a gel type bronzer and foundation brush to buff it out.
To make your legs look thinner, streak a shimmery, gold-tinted lotion down the middle of the quads and shins, and on the centre of the calves.
Fake a toned stomach
Photo: Unsplash
Get instant abs and create the illusion of a trimmer waist by manipulating light. Add a bronzer and deep toned powder to areas you want to look like they have more depth.
So draw two lines down each side of the stomach and a light one in the middle for your belly button with a contour stick, then blend it in towards your abs.
You want to make sure the blending is seamless, so you can spend a little more time there. If you like, you can also add a little more bronzer on the side where your love handles are but make sure not to get too heavy handed as it needs to be super subtle.
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