The Boyfriend Manual

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised."

 -Proverbs 30:31

 That is one of my all time favorite scriptures. It gives a little insight into what true beauty really is. True beauty cannot be achieved with any amount of make up because true beauty comes from your heart and your relationship with God. Yeah, I know you've heard that a thousand times and it sounds a little corny, but there's quite a bit of truth in that statement.

 So, getting on to what this has to do with make up. How many of you wear makeup on a daily basis? And how many of you who answered "yes" are going to give up wearing it just because "It's the inner beauty that really counts"? Exactly. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with makeup, because that would make me a hypocrite, but there comes a point where enough is enough and too much is too much. Many of the girls I see wearing makeup have no real idea of how to wear it correctly. Makeup is supposed to enhance what God gave you - what you have naturally - not cover it up. In other words, if we see your foundation or eyeshadow and not you, then we have a problem. Here is a list of the most common mistakes and how to fix them.

  Don't

 1. Wear foundation that's too dark. Okay, admit it, we all want a nice, tanned face all year round, but caking on a dark foundation that is nowhere near your natural skin color is NOT that way to do it. Look at your face when you have no makeup on. The color of you neck and your face match, right? Then they should match when you're wearing makeup, too. Otherwise, you look fake.

 Do

 Invest in a good concealer for those trouble spots. That should take care of the redness without covering up your whole face. The key is getting the right shade, though. If possible, test a spot along your jawline about two inches from your ear. Get as close to that color as possible, and when in doubt, it's always better to be a shade light that a shade dark. Having a concealer that is darker than your natural skin tone will only accentuate that problem spot.

As well as having a good concealer, it's also a good idea to have a translucent pressed powder to dust lightly over your face. It should be the same shade as your concealer and applied sparingly. Get a good powder or blush brush to apply it with (five bucks at Wal-Mart). Do NOT use the applicator that comes with it. That's how you get the cakey look. (P.S. Stay away from scented products, too. They tend to irritate your skin.)

Don't

 2. Wear heavy black eyeliner on the lower eyelid. All this really achieves is making you look tired. I think that eyeliner should be left off the lower lid period, but that doesn't mean you have to quit eyeliner all together. A good gel pencil applied to the upper lid as close to the lash line as possible actually opens the eye up and makes it look bigger. Smudge it a bit to make it look maore natural and Viola! There you go.

 Do

 Keep it natural. If you still want a it a little darker under the lower lid, apply a little bit of the eyeshadow used on you upper lid right along the lower lash line. Smudge it a bit, and you've got the same look in a more natural-looking way.

 Don't

 3. Use crazy colored eyeshadow. Neon pinks, greens, blues, oranges, and purples should be reserved for Halloween. If you see the eyeshadow and not the eye, then there's a problem. The bright colors not only look fake, but they do nothing to accentuate your natural eye color. Why would you want to wear something that does that?

Do

 Wear muted, natural colored eyeshadow. Eyeshadows that contrast your eye color actually make them stand out more. There are a set of shades that work best to accentuate each eye color. (As a general rule of thumb, brown works for all shades.) For green or hazel eyes, try  dark plums (2)  warm browns and rusty peaches. You can mix even them together if you want. Experiment, but stay away from blues and most pinks. For blue eyes, browns are best, but  golds and bronzes can work, too. It's mostly a matter of trial and error. Stay away from blues and most greys. For brown eyes, stick to deep bronze and brown colors. Sometimes greens and greyish purples can work, too. Anything else is pretty much a bad idea. A final tip is NEVER match your eyeshadow to your outfit. Eighties anyone?

Have fun with your makeup, but remember to keep it natural. We should see you, not that orange foundation, heavy eyeliner, or crazy eyeshadow. And if all that isn't enough to convince you, just look at this poll. Guys actually prefer the natural look! Here is the article that goes along with the poll.

Keep it real, ladies!