We're all on the quest to look and feel our most youthful and fresh—and in the beauty world, there are many creams, facials, and procedures to aid us on this mission. But something as simple as the way you apply your makeup can also have a great effect on how young (or old) you look, and sometimes, it's a very significant effect.

Here, we are provided with some of the most common, and most aging, makeup application mistakes (ref: Kimberly Soane, director of artistry at Bobbi Brown), including easy tips to correct them and how to put on makeup in the most flattering way, with photographic examples. Here they are;

MISTAKE # 1: Wearing foundation that does not match your skin colour.

Many women end up looking they have a floating head or they are wearing a mask because their foundation does not match their face and neck. When you go too light it makes your skin appear flat and lifeless. Instead of natural, it will look like the makeup is just sitting on your skin, which can add years to your face. But if you go too dark, you are not highlighting your features, but dragging them down and adding a dullness and heaviness that is just as aging.

In order to get the right colour, when testing out a foundation, do not blend it in too much. Simply tap it on your face from the top of your cheekbone to the bottom of your jawline and try to not go lighter or darker than your actual skin. If you are tan on your neck and body, you can bring that colour into your face with a bronzer, without having to use a foundation that's too light. The goal is to connect your skin by blending it evenly across.

The more aging way is pictured on the left, and the correct way is on the right. 

There's a saying that a woman's hair is her crowning glory. That's why women devote such time and care to their hair.

For the average Nigerian and black girl in general, hair care is even more of a challenge owing to the fact that the texture of our hair requires more care and luxury to really thrive. The good thing about this is that we have a wide range of hairstyles to explore and tryout to get a desired look whenever we want.

For this reason, here are 5 hairstyles I think every Nigerian and black girl should try at least once in her lifetime.

The Fringe:

Fringes are great for one thing - they instantly create this sophisticated, chic look. It also works for virtually any face shape with just a tweak in length or volume to suit the face type. You can make things interesting by making the back of the hair somewhat wavy like Olivia Pope from Scandal or you can simply go for the straight weave Naomi Campbell and finally it can be a short fringed do like Rihanna in her 'Shut up and drive' video. Just be sure to understand your face shape and go with the style that most suites you.

Rihanna with a short fringe.

Disney’s live-action version of Cinderella opened at the theatres last week Friday,

March 13^th. In the film, the gown for “Cinderella” was created by costume designer Sandy Powell. It featured hand-painted flowers along the neckline and bodice, and a full silk organza skirt. With it came a slew of fashionable options inspired by the fairy-tale.

One of these options was the release of the limited-edition gown inspired by the film and created by Alfred Angelo, the design team behind Disney’s Fairy-Tale Weddings collection. The ball gown features a basque waist and full skirt made of organza, satin and tulle. There are three colour ways to choose from:  An all-white or all-ivory gown, or a light-gold coloured gown with multi-coloured flowers.  Brides also have an option of necklines: the classic strapless silhouette, or one that resembles the dress in the film with long, fitted organza sleeves. These limited-edition frocks will arrive at Alfred Angelo’s U.S. stores in April.

Certain things can be harder to find than others. The perfect red lips that actually looks good with your skin tone, and makes you feel like a million bucks is usually one of those hard things to find. Well, until now.

We’re here to help you discover the red lips you’ve been looking for; I mean that one that is guaranteed to look amazing with your particular skin tone. Keep reading to meet your match:

CARAMEL SKIN

Any form of Acne breakout is undesirable. Apart from the fact that it takes a lot away from the usual flawless skin, it takes even more away from a smooth make-up application.

Breakouts are largely as a result of poor lifestyle habits but sometimes they may indicate health issues. Dermatologists are usually able to diagnose the causes by simply looking at the face; this technique is called face mapping, which is known to work.

Acne Face Mapping Diagram,

Below is a breakdown of what your breakouts might actually be telling you;

2015 is definitely a great year for Elite Model Look Nigeria (EMLN) 2014 Female category winner Mayowa Nicholas.

After being announced as the winner of the modelling competition last year, Mayowa was signed to one of the top modelling agencies in Nigeria (Beth Model Management Africa) and to Elite Model Management Paris. And this year she finally made her international runway debut at the recently concluded 2015 Paris Fashion Week.

Mayowa who is from Lagos State and the 1^st of 3 children is a 300 level accounting student of Crawford University. Upon winning the EMLN last year she was quoted as saying “winning Elite Model Look competition is like a dream come true for me.” Well seems more of her wildest dreams are coming true as she showcased her modelling looks and talents at an international stage during the Paris Fashion Week. 

First dates are quite important as they set a first impression of you. As it turns out, what to wear on a first date actually matters, more than any of us probably want to admit. Well we’ve got you covered as we’re here to provide some very important tips on how to dress up for that first date and make the best impression.

Dress For The Appropriate Occasion.

You're probably not going to want to be super dressed up for a casual date. On the other hand, you probably don't want to show up to a fancy restaurant wearing your old jeans and yesterday's t-shirt. Know what type of date it's going to be, before you make any fashion plans.

1.

For a low-key casual date like going to the movies, wear some nicer variation of what you normally wear. So for instance, if you tend towards jeans and a t-shirt, make sure you're wearing your nicest jeans and a nicer t-shirt (or a nice jacket over your t-shirt). If you wear skirts and flats mostly, stick with that, but wear something a little fancier than normal.

2.

For a really fancy occasion (like a dinner at a nice restaurant or similar) a nice black dress, with nice shoes, and some jewellery will do you well.

3.

Shoes depend on the date as well. A nice pair of flats can either dress up or dress down, depending your outfit and are a great versatile and comfortable choice of footwear. Only wear heels if you're comfortable doing so and aren't in danger of keeling over with every step you take.

Example of an LBD for a dinner date.