Makeup 101

Per request of one of the readers here, I have put together a “Makeup 101” post to help women who need some makeup application tips. Follow these easy guidelines to get the look you want in as little as 10 minutes.

Day Wear

You want the makeup you apply for during the day to be much different than what you wear during a night on the town. You want to light eye makeup, soft blush, and medium-light colored lipsticks.

For a fresh, natural day look that isn’t ‘too made up’, try the following:

Step 1. (optional) Start off by applying a liquid or powder foundation (which ever you prefer). I prefer powder unless I have some dark circles or blemishes to cover up. My personal favorites are I.D. Bare Escentuals “Bare Minerals Foundation” and Jafra Translucent Face Powder.

Spread powder evenly with a fat brush. The trick is to get the powder worked into the bristles of the brush. The most common misconception when apply a powder is people only put the powder on the outside bristles. This will make the powder go on un-evenly and you end up taking a lot more time to apply it. You want to make sure you get a lot of powder worked into the brush and then sweep it over your face starting from the forehead and working your way down. When blending the powder onto your cheeks use an upward motion.

When applying a liquid foundation, use a foam cosmetic sponge. It is important to wet the sponge before using it. These are very inexpensive and available at most drugstores and Wal Mart. Most of these sponges come in a triangle / wedge type shape, but you can also find them in round and oval shapes.

It’s harder to blend the foundation if you use your fingers and blending is the key thing with liquid foundation! You want to make sure you only apply a thin layer. Don’t work in small increments either. You want to apply the foundation to the entire surface of your forehead all at once, then do each cheek separately, then finish by blending into your nose, chin and neck. It is very important that you do your neck, or you’ll look like you have a mask on!

During the day, if your face gets oily, don’t apply more makeup. Keep a small package of Blotting Sheets with you in your purse. If you find that your face is looking a little too shiny, use the blotting sheet to absorb access oil on your face without removing your makeup. It leaves your face looking fresh and doesn’t clog your pores.

Step 2. Next, I like to apply my blush. I have a very pale skin tone and red hair so I like to use a soft peach colored blush. My favorite blush is a pressed powder blush in “Tender Peach” from Jafra. (If you need help choosing a blush that would be best for you, email me or leave a comment below.) I usually use a powder blush, but some choose to use a thick liquid blush. I hear that you have to be quite talented to apply those!

Another option that is especially nice for summer is using a “bronzer” blush for a sun-kissed look! This may also be applied like a foundation using a large brush. I like to use “Natural Bronzer” by Rimmel London. My favorite shade is called, “Sun Dance”. You can also choose from a variety of different ‘mineral’ bronzers from Physicians Formula.

Use a medium sized soft bristle brush to apply powdered blush. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks in an upward motion. Brush any leftover blush toward your eyelids to create lift. Make sure to blend it into the rest of your skin so it doesn’t stand out too much or look like “stage makeup”.

Step 3. Trends change, so you may not always want to use the same color eyeshadow. If you want something that looks best with your skin and hair color, choose the eyeshadow combination that is right for you from the “Bring Out Your Eye Color” post. Always start with applying the lighter color under your brow line and along your brown bone. You may do this with a small brush or a foam applicator.

First: Gently sweep the light eyeshadow into the crease and then up onto the brow bone, working it into the skin right under your eye brow.

Next: Either using the same brush or the pointy end of the foam applicator, apply the darker shade on your eyelid working from the crease right down into the lash line. Look down your nose so you can clearly see the crease. You want to sweep in on from the inside out. So apply it from the corner of your eye lid closest to your nose and sweep it horizontally out towards your cheek. (But don’t sweep it onto your cheek!)

Last: Once you are more experienced (or if you want to wing it) finish off your look by applying a very small amount of the darker color under your eyes right in the lash line. Make sure you do not add to much or you will look like a raccoon! It takes a steady hand or a really small brush to do this correctly.

Step 4. If you have thin eyebrows, this is when you want to fill them in with an eyebrow pencil. Use light strokes, like you are drawing each little hair instead of making a big thick line. You want it to look natural. If your eyebrows are far apart, you can correct this with the pencil.

Step 5. Apply one coat of mascara to eyelashes. Either use brown or soft black, anything darker will make you look too dressed up for daytime wear. A light, clump free mascara like Covergirl “Lash Exact” Mascara or Max Factor “Lash Perfection” Mascara in Black/Brown is perfect for day wear.

Step 6. Finish your look with a lip color that best matches your skin and hair color. Smudge the lipstick with your finger for a more natural look. I have very fair skin and red hair, so I use very pale pinks and light bronze and coppers during the day, and deep wine and plum colors for evening. Email me or leave a comment if you need help on picking the best lip color for you.

When in doubt, always go with a lighter color. My favorite stay-on lip color I mentioned in another post a while back. Another one of my favorites of stay-on lip color is L’Oreal “Endless Kissable.” If you don’t mind your lipstick coming off or having to reapply after eating, try Maybelline “Moisture Whip” and “Wet Shine”. It’s like wearing chapstick almost. Not thick, but very soft and it feels great on.

If you like lip gloss and plump lips try Sally Hansen “Lip Inflation”. It feels like the nicest lip gloss in the whole world, tastes and smells fantastic, and it makes your lips appear fuller and plumper.

Evening Wear

To go from day to evening, put a little eyeliner on your bottom lid. A great eye pencil like “Exaggerate” from Rimmel works best. I use dark grays and blacks for evening. You may need to touch up your eyeshadow, if so, try going a shade darker. Apply a darker lip color and you are set to go!

If you aren’t going from day to evening and are just getting ready for a night out on the town, follow steps 1 – 6 from above, but use darker shades of eyeshadow, darker mascara, apply eyeliner to your bottom and top lids and work right in the lash line, and use a darker shade of lip color.

I hope I explained everything well! Please email me or leave a comment if you have any questions!

^{Someone asked about how to apply makeup for those who wear glasses. Since I don’t wear glasses I don’t know a lot about this. For those of you that need help in this area, I have found a helpful link with a few pointers on how to apply makeup that will look right with your glasses. Click here to read the article}