When applying base, it’s generally most flattering to leave your forehead bare. The forehead tends to be quite even-toned, unlike the nose and cheek area, so usually needs very little in the way of camouflage help. What’s more, foundation has a tendency to sink into lines and wrinkles, which has an immediate ageing effect. Just make sure you’re using a foundation that exactly matches your skintone. Prone to shine? Sort it out with blotting paper.

Smoky eyes and false lashes are two of the trickiest makeup looks to master. Until you meet these two newies, that is. They fake a been-worked-on-by-a-pro-backstage look brilliantly - and in almost less than a blink of the eye.

First up, there’s Yves Saint Laurent Kajal Eyeliner Kohl ($42, from department stores). It’s one of the smudgiest, sexiest eye smoulders yet. Simply draw all around your eyes and use your fingertip to blend out to a smoky effect. It’s also great to wear on the inner rims thanks to the gentle chamomile-infused formulation. NB: it may require a couple of cotton-bud touch-ups throughout the night, but for the super-seductive eyes you get, the effort is completely worth making.

Then there’s Lancôme Cils Design Pro Custom Design Double Mascara ($55, from department stores), a two-step lash-customising mascara. Use the wand end to deftly define lashes, then the mini-comb end to add a second false-lash-like coat. Experiment to create various special effects - for instance, accentuate and volumise individual lashes right along the lashline, or just at the outer corner of eyes for a flirty lift.

Jet-black hair need not just be for burlesque babes. Here, how you too can find your own inner lady of the night. Pasties optional.

First of all: Although women with darker features - skin, eyes, brows - tend to carry off jet hair best, there’s no reason fairer girls can’t express their dark side too. Think the naturally golden-haired glowy-skinned Heather Sweet - aka Dita Von Teese. Just be aware that the change requires total commitment to the glamour cause. You’ll need to be prepared to overhaul your makeup style, take immaculate care of your skin, and have colour refreshed frequently.

Softly Does It: There are blue-edged and red-infused blacks but the most natural-look version is, unsurprisingly, the one you’d most often see naturally: a soft black. For example: Clairol Nice’n Easy in Natural Black, $11.99, 1800 226 524. Black may seem scary at first, but it’s a colour that is ideal for at-home application - if you feel brave enough. Start out with a semi-permanent (unless you need to cover greys). You’ll find that with repeated use, the colour will build up and start to act like a permanent anyway. Eventually, you can just touch up the roots and crown, and refresh ends by washing colour through. Prepare for touch-ups every six or so weeks. (more…)

This one’s a tricky little beauty move, and requires a little bit of practice and patience. First of all, make sure your pencil is sharpened. Then, start by lining upper lashes from underneath; use your fingertip to gently lift your eyelid up a little, and etch the pencil right along the inner upper rim, as close to the lashline as possible. You want to kind of push the pencil into the roots of lashes, so you in effect fill in the gaps between the lashes.

Next, work your pencil along the top of the lashline; to best do this, direct the pencil slightly downwards and draw it on in a join-the-dots manner, rather than a single sweeping action. This will allow you to get closer into the lashes. If your pencil has a smudging tip, use this to blend through and blur the line.

Finally, when applying mascara, make sure to start at the very base of hairs and slowly wiggle the wand up to tips. If you have fair hair, you may find that professional tinting can make lashes look lusher and less gappy.

Pictured: Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeliner, $19.95, call 1800 025 488 for info

Want to keep the beauty police off your beat? Oh, and look hot too? Read on for the top ten beauty commandments …

Play up Lips or Eyes - Never Both

This beauty rule has probably been kicking around since Cleopatra decided she was an eyeliner girl. What the original beauty queen knew: there’s power in playing up and making up one facial feature only. Alluring eyes can be made even more mesmerising; a seductive mouth even more sultry. So, pair smoky or brightly shadowed eyes with a nude glossy lip, or a glamorous red mouth with sheer and shimmery lids.

Test Foundation in Natural Light

A swipe of foundation on your hand under the glare of fluorescent lights is not going to give you an inkling of how that same product is meant to look: as in, on your face, in natural light. That’s why, if you want to find your perfect foundation match, you must apply it on your face - anywhere on the cheek will do - and go outside to mirror-check its compatibility rating. Yes, annoying. Yes, you’ll feel a little silly. But it’s a sure-fire way not to waste your hard-earned money on a foundation that you’ll never wear. Or that will make you look like an oompa loompa. (more…)