By Ana-Maria Tolbaru

As little girls, we have all had Barbie dolls, which unmistakably had a perfect complexion, blonde shiny hair and a perfect smile. They had a kind of make up that never washed away, no matter what. But as a teen, when I saw my first spot in the mirror I realized that Barbie's face does not come for free. There is a lot of effort, beauty sleep, exfoliating and make up behind it. I started to question the size of my nose, the form of my lips, the length of my hair - did I fit in?

Most girls are asking themselves the same doubt and it might take forever until one becomes confident in one’s own skin. Three students from Bournemouth University could not wait anymore and they went to a make up session, determined to get the right answers to all of their doubts.

Laura has never liked her chin. She loves photos taken from the right angle, as to hide her imperfections.  Make up artist for Lancome, Tara, says you can trick the lenses of the camera. “Blush can create shades and can sculpt your face the way you like it. If you really do not like a bit about your face, also move the focus on something else,” she advises.  Laura normally wears red lipstick, but Tara chose a pink shade as it was different, fresh and matched her pink blouse, too. Laura looked very happy when Tara said that she can wear anything. “She has a nice, porcelain color to her face- she can wear any color  of lipstick or eye shadow that she wants. And her eyes are great. Actually, I will move the focus on her eyes.” And so she did. 

Meanwhile, Kate was experiencing her miracle makeover. Kate has always hated her lips. She never liked their form and the fact they are not full enough. It’s not a surprise, as most girls dream about having Angelina Jolie's lips (and husband!). Dr Garth Fisher, a popular plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said: "I know people like to look like Angelina Jolie - her lips, her nose. Beyonce's got some really great lips - people like that when they're trying to inject the lips."  Truth is, those lips would not look good on everyone. The beauty of your lips is unique, so just enhance it, with the shape you have already got," suggests Vicky, account manager for Benefit.

Indeed, Ange’s lips would not look good on everyone, but Kate still thinks a bit of volume on her lips would not look bad at all.  And you can get fuller, sexier lips without collagen. Use Lip Plump from Benefit, and you’ll see that your lips appear fuller and it also keeps the lipstick on for longer, says Vicky. But she is not only putting some miraculous lipstick on, she’s also blending it in with a small, high angled brush.

TIP:

For sexy lips:  Apply a special lipstick that will make your lips fuller (Lip Plump by Benefit), but remember to blend it in and shape it with a small high angled brush for miraculous effects.

But lips are not our major problem. Google “I hate my lips ” and you’ll get 1,130,000 pages. Then do the same with “I hate my nose” and you’ll get no less than 1,680,000 unfolding on the screen! Kate’s friend, Hattie was never too fond of her nose either. If she had to cover one bit of her face, that would be the area she would choose.  “I really think there is nothing wrong with her nose, it’s very distinctive, it adds character to her face, too. A nose job will make you look funny!,” laughs Rebecca, make up artist for Eliabeth Arden.

Tara, make-up artist for Lancome, believes in potential, and not in perfection. "When you are not very keen on your nose, just move the focus on something else," she says. Tara prefers highlighting and defining the eyes, in order to create more depth and make them more expressive.

But if you don't want to box our eyes in black mascara, then don't. The only 'do' in the make up business is a clean, clear face.  Tara recommends a special base from Lancome that keeps the make up on for long and makes the skin feel silkier. It's called Perfecting Make-up Primer, it has a smoothing effect and it's oil free.  "It's my favorite product, really. It feels really light, not like I have got a lot of make up on," says Tara.  And to top it off, just a bit of the right foundation can brighten up your face and make you look really fresh.  To hide any imperfections, try a slightly lighter shade of concealer than your foundation. "Applying good foundation takes the impact away from the area of your face that you want to hide," advises make up artist Rebecca.

The results:

Kate: “I feel more confident in terms of my whole outlook on things, says Katie. I was surprised that she has completely changed the bit that I hated about myself and it is amazing what she could do just with make up.“

Hattie: “It looked a lot different. It’s not something that I easily wear, so it’s a bit of a change, I feel a bit more mature.

The make up artist was very nice to me all the way through and that helped. I don’t normally wear foundation, but I will definitely start wearing it now!”

Laura: “I like that she has emphasized the parts that I like about myself. Plus, it’s something different. I feel more self conscious with make up on than if I had none on, though. But it is different to myself – I can take aspects that I like from it but I would not normally wear it. Especially in day time."

WOULD YOU LIKE THE CHANCE TO WIN £60 WORTH OF EMPORIO ARMANI DIAMONDS BEAUTY PRODUCTS? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW.