I hate the idea that you should approach beauty having to adhere to lots of diktats and rules, beauty should not be like living in Mao's China, it should be a process of nurturing yourself and self expression. A joyous act. No one should live in fear of doing the wrong thing.
Thus beauty is a continual process of experiment. Of finding out what works for you. And of course different things work at different times in your life.
One of the many brilliant things about make up is that if anything goes wrong, if you over indulge on the blush or eyeshadow smudges below your eyes, you can whip it all off with a really good cleanse and start again. Even in these economically straightened times a decent cleanser is an essential every woman should have in her bathroom.
Help save the Icelandic economy by buying Taer Icelandic's Complete Cleanse, an excellent effective cleanser that you can either sweep over the whole face to create a blank canvas for your make up, or apply with a cotton bud to dissolve micro mistakes around the lips and the eyes.
Truly I don't really classify many things as scary or a definite no no. I've worn black, green and blue lipstick myself, am something of a beauty rebel and enjoy transgressing norms. However I do believe that we should all strive to be as healthy and interesting looking as possible.
Well hydrated, clear, smooth skin is something to aspire to. And one beauty issue that I scare myself with in the mirror during winter months is chapped lips. A really good balm is a handbag must have and my current favourite is Mini Moa's Green Balm, it salves flaky lips whilst being really good value under a fiver.
I find my own skin unpleasant when it is red or dehydrated, a quick blast with Dr Bragi's Intensive treatment mask helps these problems and prepares skin for the bitter and inclement winter months when it is whipped with cold winds and then blasted with central heating.
As I say, being an ultra-liberal experimenter in the world of beauty means that there's very little I find declasse or scary. But I guess the one thing I do find tasteless and vulgar is really orange fake tan. To me it looks dreadfully trashy and ostentatious and is the main reason I find that many modern tangerine-hued celebrities (Victoria Beckham and Katie Price to name two) really don't cut it for me as great beauty icons in the same way as say, Ava Gardner or Rita Hayworth.
There is absolutely nothing worse than Cuprinol orange skin in winter or summer so if you long for a golden glow mix fake tan it with something like Decleor's Systeme Corps Body Milk before you apply it, you’ll get a subtle and classy golden glow rather than a terracotta stain. Many fake tans on the market now provide a much more natural tan, try Xen-Tan or Decleor, pumpkin orange skin is truly outre – even during the season of Halloween.
Bethan
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