Q: How do I translate the latest beauty trends into my own look?

A: Makeup artist extraordinaire Scott Barnes says practice makes perfect! Try them out first to see if they work for you and then incorporate them into your beauty regimen. Every trend may not work well with your skin type or colouring.

Q: How do I pick the right foundation for my skin tone?

A: Selecting a foundation to suit your skin tone can be a tricky thing. I asked my friend Troy Surratt — one of my favourite beauty industry insiders — for his advice.

“The first step is to know whether your skin tone is fair, medium or dark. Secondly, is your skin tone pink, yellow or more neutral? Once blended in, the foundation should literally disappear into your skin. The best colour test is to try it on in daylight. The natural light will tell you immediately if it’s a match or not.”

Troy continues to say, “If you find yourself between shades, go with the warmer shade. I love Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse because it smoothes on effortlessly to a soft matte powder finish. Just a dab blends easily with fingertips to give every skin type complete coverage.”

Q: How do you use gel blush, or blush that comes in stick form? Where is the best place to apply it to add dimension to the face?

A: One of my go-to girls for fabulous makeup tips is Grace Lee, a senior makeup artist with M.A.C cosmetics. Here she offers the latest techniques to get that coveted rosy look.

“Gel blushes usually dry quickly so you have to work fast,” she says. “It’s best to use your fingers and blend into the cheeks. With stick blushes, you can use your fingers or a brush. An easy way to know where you are applying the blush is to smile and apply blush to the round apples of your smile. The trick is not to go too far below the apple and don’t streak the product or it won’t look natural. You can apply directly from the stick and then blend out with your fingers or a brush. Or your other option is to work off the stick and then apply to the cheeks with your fingers.

“Gel blushes can look really translucent and sheer, so they give a natural, flushed look. But sometimes it’s hard to work with. You have to know how much to apply and it dries quickly — so work fast.

“Stick blush is easy to carry around and you can easily use it and blend. Having a stick formulation is great because of the convenience factor –- you can easily use it on your eyes and lips, too! But you can’t get the same variety and choice of colours that you would find in powder blushes, and if too much is applied it can tend to look greasy, so be wary of how much you apply.”