Healthy Beauty Makeup

So you're not in Hollywood, prancing down Oscar's red carpet and clutching at a golden statue. That doesn't mean you can't look the part. As gilded and glamorous as these cinema lilies are, beauty experts say getting that red carpet glow is not all that difficult -- if you know the right products to try.

"It's all about the products -- it's knowing what to use and how to use it -- that's what makes Hollywood glamour," says legendary celebrity makeup artist Adrien Arpel, who now conducts the "world's largest beauty classroom" seen regularly on the Home Shopping Network and HSN.com.

The latest buzz on the lips of Hollywood's most famous glamour dolls says Arpel is primers -- as in skin primers. Mostly silicone-based, she says these "under-makeup makeups" can turn skin that's been up all night into a face that radiates like the morning sun.

"It's like spackle for the face. These products cover everything by putting a thin layer of nontoxic silicone between your skin and the makeup. It creates the look of a totally flawless complexion," says Arpel who was so impressed by the technology she expanded her own Signature Club A makeup line to include nontoxic silicone foundation and blush.

Another bonus: Experts say that with silicone primers you can wave "ba bye" to enlarged pores, acne scars, and even fine lines and wrinkles -- if only for the moment! Primer use is reportedly so popular on Oscar night, one makeup artist (who dolls up such famous faces we can't even mention her name!) whispers that most of the gorgeous gals you'll see waltzing down the red carpet this year would look "just dreadful" without at least one coat of primer under it all.

Get the J-Lo Glow

Perhaps, however, nothing says Oscar glamour more than the increasingly popular Hollywood "glow" -- that dewy luminescence made famous by stars such as J-Lo, Demi, Cameron, Julia, Drew, Charlize, and countless others. The good news is you don't need a 5-carat pink diamond to get the sparkle. What can do the trick? Products called "skin illuminators," say experts. These are pearlized shimmer creams that reflect light onto the skin.

"These products were a great breakthrough in makeup technology because by reflecting the light they make the skin look smoother and younger," says New York City celebrity makeup artist Laura Geller, who regularly offers beauty tips and products on electronic retailer QVC. When making up famous faces, Geller says she starts with a primer, then adds a cream or lotion with a small amount of pearl essence, which she says she blends over the entire face or, better still, mixes into foundation or even moisturizer. The result, she says, is the fresh-faced look frequently seen on the younger stars. However, she cautions that skin illuminators should not be confused with "sparkle powder" -- products with large chunks of metallic that should never be used on the whole face.