Looking for perfect attire, shoes and accessories to look beautiful? wait a minute! You can have all the best material to look good but if your hair and your skin is dull, you are just wasting your time.  You must always remember that an appealing face can be a boost when you've got nothing else to show off. You don't have to be pretty to be appealing but a clear and smooth skin can be a bonus. And then once you become comfortable with your face, you can now focus on your hairstyle and then your clothing. This is easier said than done, but you will need some extra time to add a spark on your looks.

1.       Skin

The first step is to wash your face thoroughly with a face wash or gel, depending on your skin type. Secondly, you need to tone your face with a toner using cotton. Thirdly you have to moisturise your skin with a moisturiser (skins differ, there is normal skin, oily skin, dry skin, combination skin - ask your beautician for a skin test).  Knowing your skin type is the first step before you buy any moisturiser. When you buy a moisturiser it's advisable to buy a moisturiser with SPF 15 or above.

If you use makeup, the trend is to go for bold makeup. Soft (light) and skin tone makeups are fading; you must go for bright and bold shades.  The new trend now is to combine "statement" lips and "statement" eyes. "Statement" refers to buying the first bright colour that catches your eye in the cosmetic store.

2.       Hair

Blow dried instead of wet and sticky hair can keep you on the spotlight. Craig Chapman says "don't blow-dry wet hair as it's like boiling your hair. Instead, towel-dry the hair first and always try to direct your dryer down the hair shaft so your hair lies smooth. If you can't bear to be separated from your straightener, invest in a good heat protector." He adds that "Split-ends are generally caused from blow-drying on a high heat setting, excessive colouring and over straightening,"

If you can't keep up with the Jones's you can put on hair extensions or a weave. If you are putting on a hair extension, it must look natural because we don't want to see your fringe hair appearing over the extension, you must make sure that it's covered or it perfectly matches the extension. For hair colour, make sure that it suits your skin complexion. A tip:  if you are dark in complexion you can't go for blonde, yellow or purple hair colours.

Source:

• Lifestyle

Updated: 02 November 2010

by Zanele Matshotyana