Olympian Gracie Gold on Red Lipstick and Ice-Proof Makeup

Gracie Gold is everything I imagined an Olympic figure skater to be: precise and on point (lots of training), upbeat and optimistic (how else to survive all that relentless competition), and obsessed with beauty (did you not see her red lipstick?). I spoke to the 18-year-old Sochi veteran—and CoverGirl spokesperson—about her favorite products and where she looks for inspiration. Her biggest beauty lesson? “Always wear a smile because you never know who is watching.” Spoken like a pro.

Beauty inspiration: “Grace Kelly is my main inspiration, for her timeless beauty. I like Jennifer Lawrence for her fun, down-to-earth style, and Taylor Swift is always elegant. On the ice, I go for a simple, elegant—always one color, nothing extreme. When I’m at home, I am much more expressive and quirky.”

On her love of makeup: “Red certainly is the family color. From my mother and my grandmother I’ve learned a lot of little tricks—the significance of color and lipstick being one of them. I started skating when I was eight years old, and my mom did my makeup for me back then. I guess I started experimenting with makeup myself the summer after eighth grade, when most girls do—clumpy mascara and lots of eyeliner.”

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Beauty on ice: “All of the skaters do their own hair and makeup. Sometimes my mom will help me, and [ice dancing gold medalist] Meryl Davis’s mom will help her. Timing depends on the look; if it’s a very complicated bun or curls, I may need up to three hours to prep. This year, I needed about an hour and a half. The makeup is a lot like stage makeup—nice and thick to last a whole day of training and competition. Meryl actually taught me the ropes on a lot of makeup looks and blush. Matte finish is always a must—powder finish is the best. At Sochi, everyone can tell who the figure skaters are because we come from practice with full makeup and hair done.”

Skating soundtrack: “Classic music will always come across better on the ice because skating has such a rich history, rooted in tradition. One skater here at Sochi performed to Queen and ZZ Top, and I thought that was so fun. Beyoncé’s ‘I Was Here’ could be really beautiful on the ice. I’ve always wanted to see a team do ‘Say Something’ by Christina Aguilera.”

Post-Olympics beauty splurge: “I’d love a hot-rock massage and full facial.”

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Four Tips to Rock Bold Brows That You Haven't Heard Already

Aside from recently being named the face of Burberry Body Tender, model Cara Delevingne has two other claims to fame: her famously bold eyebrows. Her embracing full brows has spawned a trend that has women contemplating their eyebrow brushes. But if you're a little scared about dusting on some pigment for fear of looking perpetually angry at the world, don't fret. Here are some things to keep in mind while doing up your eyebrows:

Stick to powders, not pencils. While pencils have usually been the mainstay for brows for generations (hello, '80s makeup), powders are easier to handle and create a more natural, feathered look. Grab two shades: one that is a shade lighter than your natural color for daytime and one that is a tone darker for more drama.

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Brush powder on your hairs, not your skin. One common mistake women make is that they press on their brushes and pencils too hard, causing pigment to adhere to their skin. This makes brows look clownish and fake. Use a lighter touch to ensure the pigment coats your hairs, not your skin, and always make sure you're brushing in the direction that the hair is growing in.

Focus pigment on the outer two-thirds of your brows. If putting powder on your brows makes you look clownish, take note at where you're focusing the pigment. Brushing powder into the inner corners of your eyes causes them to look fake. Instead, focus the powder from the beginning of your arch to the end of your brow. Then, using a brow brush, blend the existing pigment into the inner corner for a more natural look.

Mix your colors. The best way to get a natural look is to blend your colors. Use the darker shade in a thinner line along the center hairs of your brows. Then blend the lighter shade out from the center of your brows to the ends. This will ensure you'll always look natural.

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Six industry secrets: How to prep skin for make-up

New year, new you! Whether you've resolved to don a bold lip more often or to try that cat eyeliner look you're always salivating over in magazines, now is the time to take some risks in your beauty routine. But first, are you prepping your skin properly for make-up application? Not sure? No need to worry. We've got the make-up artist approved tips to ensure that flawless finish.

Learning how to apply make-up - and which looks suit you best - is no small feat. It can take years! But that's only half the battle. Before you line your eyes and blush your cheeks, you need to create the perfect canvas. We spoke to hairstylist and make-up artist Holly Daigle to find out her insider secrets for prepping skin for make-up. Here are her tips!

Clean your make-up brushes

Bet you didn't see this one coming first! Neither did we, but it makes sense. Prepping your skin for make-up is kind of wasted if your brushes are dirty, right?

"Clean make-up brushes are super important," Holly says. "I use clarifying shampoo mixed with water to clean my brushes."

Try to clean your make-up brushes once a week. If that seems like too much (we get it) then aim for once every two weeks, minimum.

Exfoliate

"The Clarisonic Skin Cleaning System is fabulous because it gently exfoliates," Holly says. "If you're on a budget, the Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System is what I use."

Even if you don't use a facial brush, make sure you're (gently!) exfoliating your skin on a regular basis. Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment is a great option. Aim to exfoliate two to three times a week, you don't need to do this every day as you can over-stimulate your skin.

Exfoliation leaves your skin smoother - giving you a better base for your make-up.

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Moisturise

Moisturising pre make-up is key. No matter what moisturiser you use, make sure those three magical letters are on the bottle. "SPF is huge. The skin on your face is so sensitive and always exposed to light, so you want to make sure that you have that on 24/7."

Take care of your under eyes

"It's super important to take care of the skin underneath your eyes, because it's so thin."

Holly recommends applying any under eye products with your ring finger, because it has the gentlest touch. Apply products from the outside in.

If you're looking for an anti-ageing formula, we love Kate Somerville Age Arrest Eye Cream. ​

Prime your skin

"After you exfoliate, moisturise, and take care of your under eye skin, you'll want to prime your face," Holly says. "I cannot live without Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer."

The nice thing about Smashbox is that they have an extensive line of primers. If you need a hydrating or oil-free formula, or if you're looking to colour-correct, you can probably find it in their line.

Prime your eyelids

"I've been using Urban Decay Primer Potion for years. It makes your eye make-up last all day. I've never found anything else that works as well as this."

Using eye primer is key for eliminating eyeshadow creasing. This will especially pay off if you're doing a smoky eye!

Bonus! Apply setting spray post-application

So that's all it takes. It sounds like a lot of steps to get your skin ready for a perfect make-up application but it'll definitely be worth it. And once you're pleased with your make-up, Holly has one last product tip to make sure your make-up doesn't budge.

"Urban Decay makes a setting spray called All Nighter. It really guarantees that your make-up will stay put all day,"

This is one of those products that you probably won't need to use every day, but it's definitely worth the investment for big events and nights out on the town!

What I learned from online makeup tutorials

Ah, Jane, what a flatterer you are. For you to imagine I possess in-depth knowledge about makeup is very sweet indeed, especially as you have the evidence of my pasty-faced byline photo to suggest the contrary.

Of late, my inability to apply lipstick without resembling the clown from Stephen King's It has begun to bother me. Not as much as my inability to iron bothers certain people in my life, but a hell of a lot more than my inability to iron bothers me. So I decided to remedy the problem because, dammit, it's annoying not being able to do something that looks like a lot of fun. To the internet!

But my determination to master le maquillage has resulted in me developing a dark addiction. I really don't know what to say. I've never had any addiction problems before. I'm just not the type, you know? But this stuff – damn, it got me good. And now I find myself up at 1am, reaching out and croaking: "Just … one … more… hit!"

I am, of course, talking about online beauty videos. I love them. I watch them, hypnotised, as women (it is largely women) fiddle-faddle about with brushes as they stare into the lens and say things such as: "Then, you just flick your eyeliner – like that!" They may as well be saying: "And then you kick one leg behind your head and effortlessly do a split – like that!" But nonetheless, I find these videos inspiring, fascinating and sometimes even helpful. So after a year's immersion in beauty videos and tentative experimentation, I shall share what I have learned and what even those of us without opposable thumbs can manage.

First, I really love Sali Hughes' videos for the Guardian and her beauty blog. Yes, I know I've mentioned these before and, yes, I know she works for this paper, but hey, what can I say? She's just really good and trustworthy and I've never had a duff recommendation from her.

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Charlotte Tilbury is made from a different cast to Hughes. Where Hughes is plain speaking, Tilbury is all fabulous-fabulous Ibiza hyperbole, where everyone is "gorgeous" and everything is "amazing" and looking like a movie star is everybody's aim. In the same way that I love reading Vogue, I love watching Tilbury's videos because while she may be over the top, her makeup tips are easy to follow and useful.

Hadley's makeup tips

Those of us who cannot be faffed with foundation and are scared of looking like a dowager countess should use a tinted moisturiser and the best around is by Laura Mercier. There are loads of under-eye concealers that are far better than the overrated Touche Eclat by YSL, which makes people look faintly deranged in photos. My personal favourites are Touche Veloutée by By Terry and Radiant Creamy Concealer by Nars. If you want to make an extra effort, smear Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer all over your face, which will make your skin look airbrushed and helps when you come to blend in the concealer.

Before you start on your eye makeup, slick some Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion on your lids (a Hughes tip) as that will stop your eyeshadow and liner creasing up underneath your eyebrows. Once that has dried, you can whack on the colour and the easiest way to do that is with Tilbury's brilliant Eyeshadow Pencils. You just scribble them on your lids like a crayon and they stay on for – I speak from scruffy experience here – 24 hours. They are even colour-coded so you know which to get, but don't feel restricted. My eyes are brown but my favourites are Champagne Diamonds (such a Tilbury name), which is for blue eyes, and I scrawl in a V shape on the inner corner of my eyes to make them look a bit brighter (a Tilbury trick), and Black Diamonds, which will make you look like Kate Moss at her 30th birthday. Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick is lovely for a more subtle dust of sparkle, as are Bourjois' always reliable eyeshadows. By Terry's eye pencils are so soft and rich even I can use them (recommended by India Knight in the Sunday Times, proving I don't have a Guardian bias) and they will make you look like a sooty-eyed demoiselle. Before putting on mascara, clamp your eyelash curlers as close to the eyelash roots as possible and pump them as this gives a bigger curl than just holding the curlers down (a Tilbury trick). My mascara choice is Estee Lauder's Double Wear Mascara, which is so resistant to smudging I suspect it was actually made by Nasa. I personally find cream blushers easier to use than powder ones, plus they tend to stay on longer, and Bobbi Brown makes the prettiest and longest lasting ones. Finally, for lips, I'm sure lipliner is great but I personally cannot be bothered and recommend Revlon's Lip Butter lipstick, which is a total bargain.

No, most of these products aren't budget but I promise they're easy to use and they will last you absolute yonks. They also make makeup what it should be, fun and confidence-boosting, as opposed to how it so often seems: an impenetrable world of expensive pointlessness.

Blush for tanned skin

I’M an Indian girl with tanned skin. I love using blushers but after applying, it disappears within an hour. Is there a way to make it last longer? Which blush colour or tone is suitable for my skin colour? I also have oily eyelids.

My whole face tends to be pretty oily generally, but my eyelids are the worst! I sometimes feel I can’t wear any eyeshadow or eyeliner because they will just slide right off or smudge. It gets into my eyes and causes a stinging sensation, because the oil (I think) gets into them. Is there any solution for this problem? – Suzana

It important to choose the right blusher colours for your skin. Each person should have at least two shades to pick from, a peach and a pink, says Joyce Lee, chief make-up artist for Estee Lauder. This way you have a colour to choose from regardless of the look you are going for.

For tanned skin, choose colours from mauve to plum, or rose to deep oranges. Choosing a shade that’s too light will make your skin appear washed out and pale.

And then, you need to get a blusher that will last through the day. Powder is typically the best for oily and combo skin. Cream is great for dry skin. Liquid and gel are great for oily skin. For better results, combine cream and powder together.

To apply a long wearing blush, use a liquid gel blusher and dap onto cheeks with your fingers with Estee Lauder Pure Color Cheek Rush. Apply powder blush, Pure Color Blush, on top of the liquid gel blusher. If you’ve gone a bit heavy on the powder blush, brushing Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder lightly over it will calm it down.

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For those with extremely oily eyelids, these steps will help reduce smudging.

At Estee Lauder, we have a technique called “Simple Smudge”. Prep your eyelids by using Estee Lauder’s Double Wear concealer on your eyelids. Next, use a setting powder which will help your eyeshadow to last.

Apply Estee Lauder Double Wear eyeliner that lasts up to eight hours. Smudge the liner using the smudger, and then apply your eyeshadow. Avoid using cream eyeshadows. Use the Double Wear Gel Eyeliner on top of the pencil liner. And then, set your eyeliner by applying a powder eyeshadow in a similar colour on top of your eyeliner.

Don’t worry about having oily eyelids. Think about it, when the skin stops producing oil, it becomes dry and dehydrated, and that’s when wrinkles start to creep in!

I’M 54 and have dark patches around my cheeks. Also, how do I get rid of eyebags? I noticed that my laugh lines are getting longer and deeper. I have tried some products but so far they haven’t yielded any results. – Deel

According to La Prairie trainer Rebecca Ong, dark patches, skin pigmentation, sun and age spots are due to increased pigment at the bottom layer of the skin.

Skin pigmentation may be induced by hormones, such as birth-control pills and estrogen therapies, or triggered by UV light. Other causes could be skin inflammation, acne marks and certain types of medication. which can make the skin become sun sensitive.

Whilst dark patches are worrying, firming and conditioning the skin are also important. Cleanse twice a day with a hydrating face wash, exfoliate three times a week and use sunscreen with SPF protection daily. Use La Prairie White Caviar Illuminating Système collection which will treat the dark patches, and enhance skin firming and promote skin hydration.

La Prairie White Caviar collection uses advance formulas for treating pigmentation without bleaching agents or harsh ingredients that irritate the skin. Using the system together helps control discoloration before, during and after pigmentation sets in, as the formula works to reduce tyrosinase, the enzyme responsible for melanin production. This results in less clustering of melanin, a more even skin texture and lightened dark patches.

The White Caviar collection contains high caviar extract, antioxidants and anti-wrinkle peptides that can help reduce the depth of laugh lines. Start with White Caviar Illuminating Clarifying Lotion day and night. This pre-treatment lotion helps to condition, clarify, gently exfoliate and prepare the skin for the brightening process. Golden caviar and edelweiss extracts help to lift, firm and refresh the skin.

Follow up with White Caviar Spot Treatment two times a day, applied only on the dark patches. This formula contains the highest level of brighteners developed to focus on stubborn spots and prevents new spots from forming.

Lastly, use White Caviar Illuminating Serum and White Caviar Illuminating Cream day and night. The formula has licorice extract, vitamin C and high antioxidants that will help interrupt melanin production, lift and firm with nutritious golden caviar extract and anti-wrinkle peptides. Apply La Prairie Sun Protection Emulsion Face SPF 30 during the day for protection and prevent moisture loss.

Eyebags are common sign of ageing as the skin membrane tends to break down. It could also be fluid retention under the eyes. Use White Caviar Illuminating Eye Serum and Eye Cream after cleansing. The brightening and other anti-ageing effects will be seen on the deeper and outer layer of the skin on the eye areas. Enhanced blood circulation will give you firmer and smoother skin texture around the eyes.

Halloween Makeup Idea: Pretty, Sparkly Fish

My favorite part of Halloween isn’t necessarily dressing up—it’s being able to play with all the crazy makeup that I love, but never have the chance to use. And that’s actually how I came up with this year’s costume. After finding a collection of iridescent sequins stashed under my desk and a hair gel that makes your hair look like rubber, an idea popped into my mind—I could be a fish! Random, yes, but when I started looking around online, I realized it could be very, very cool. I knew I needed some help coming up with a look, so I called MAC makeup artist Gina Bettelli. To give her an sense of what I was thinking, I sent her inspiration shots as diverse as makeup from the couture runways to the CoverGirl Captiol Collection ad campaign. Together, we came up with a plan, picking the colors, the features we wanted to focus on, and the fact I wanted to look beautiful rather than like the creature from the black lagoon. When we got together, she put together a makeup look that went above and beyond what even I could imagine. It looks complicated, but Bettelli helped break the process down into easy steps. Check it out by clicking here, then read below for some of her great tips for creating costume makeup look like this.

Never skip foundation. “It keeps everything looking pretty and clean,” explains Bettelli. Also, always rim your eyes in black, especially when wearing crazy colors. Not only does it make the colors stand out even more, it does the same for your eyes.

Always lay down a cream first. “You need something for powder shadows or loose pigments to stick to,” she says.

Easy does it on the glitter. When looking through the inspiration pictures I sent, Bettelli pointed out the difference between the ones we really liked and the ones that were only so-so. “The ones that are a little crazy looking have glitter all over the face,” she said. “It looks prettier if you only use glitter in small doses.”

Get the right tools. Applying sequins and crystals requires a steady hand and a lot of patience, especially if you’re using tweezers. Bettelli has an easier method: Pick up the iridescent flakes with a waxy brow grooming stick (she used the MAC Brow Finisher), or anything waxy like a crayon. Oh, and dot the glue on your skin first. Bettelli used the end of a makeup brush to apply the perfectly sized dollop.

Stand back. The most important thing about this type of makeup is making things symmetrical, which you can only really do by stepping away from the mirror a bit.

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