Foundation
- As far as foundations go, the first tip is to make sure that it is your color! Even if you think it looks like your color, make sure you know if you have pink or yellow undertones. If you have pale skin and blush easily, you probably have a pink undertone. If you are usually darker-complected for most of the year, you probably have a yellow undertone. (which actually makes it harder for us to buy foundations, sometimes!) Some people even have a neutral undertone, which means they can go either way! But now alot of drugstore brands are offering charts and custom-shades that describe whether the specified foundation is yellow, pink, or neutral. If you have no idea which shade you are, go see a makeup counter at the mall and I'm sure they will be able to help you out!
- Even if you have oily skin, well-moistured skin will always look better under foundation. Skin that flakes is not too pretty so make sure to moisturize! (Oily skinned ladies make sure you pick an OIL-FREE one. (My personal favorite is Neutrogena Oil Free Fresh moisture, available at any drugstore)
Concealer
- Make sure you are putting your concealer on AFTER your foundation. If you do it beforehand, the process of applying your foundation will rub it all off!
- The best concealer I have found that covers up under-eye circles and blemish marks wonderfully at a great price is the Maybelline Cover Stick.
- Ideally, using a brush to apply concealer is the best because you can concentrate solely on the spot that needs it. Although if you do not have a brush, use your ring finger to apply it, as this is the finger that uses the right amount of pressure to deposit it without rubbing it away.
- I have found that a pressed powder as opposed to a loose powder works best. For more coverage, pick a powder the same or similar shade as your foundation. For a more natural look, a translucent powder may be your best bet!
- Save money on powder touchups by investing in oil blotting sheets. E.L.F. Blotting sheets are only $1 for a pack of 50! These soak up the oil on your face without ruining your makeup.
Blush
- Whenever you buy a blush, the first and most important thing is to throw away the little brush that comes with it. These are cheap and do not distribute the blush properly! Get a nice fluffy brush to apply your blush with for natural, even coverage.
- Find a blush that complements your skin tone. If you have olive/tan skin, pick a golden/peachy shade, and if you have fair skin, a rosy pink shade is best. Pinch your cheek and release- the color your cheek gets is the color of your ideal brush shade!
- Also, if you have dry skin, a creamy blush formula would work well for you, whereas if you have oily skin, make sure to stick with a powder formula or else it will fade very quickly!
- Make sure you put on mascara before your eyeshadow so you don't have to go back and fix your eyeshadow if you make and mascara mistakes!
- Before applying mascara, use an eyelash curler to make your lashes pop even more. I use one about everyday, because my lashes tend to stick straight out!
*For EXTRA curling power, blast it with a hair-dryer for a couple seconds before applying to your lashes, but be careful because it can get kind of hot. This step is not for the faint-of-heart.* - Also, when you take the wand out of the tube, make sure to wipe off the excess from the tip and side on the inside of the tube, because if you don't it can get messy!
- Apply the mascara to the bottom of your lashes and wiggle it side-to-side as you go up, rotating the wand as you go up. This will create the most dramatic effect as opposed to just brushing it on.
- If you have one and you have the time and you want to create very dramatic lashes, repeat the previous step 3 times, separating lashes with a lash comb each time in between.
- For a super-WOW effect, use my all-time favorite mascara: Diorshow. At around 20 something dollars a pop, they are definitely not cheap, but the effects are worth it. This in conjunction with the tips mentioned above will get you FABULOUS lashes, trust me!
- If you are not willing to shell out the money for the Diorshow, Maybelline Define-A-lash is another favorite mascara of mine.
- For a natural look that still looks polished, it's good to have a couple colors to work with. A neutral eyeshadow palette is something that I always use, and is good to have. Also, try to invest in good quality eyeshadow for it to last. Sometimes you can find really nice eyeshadow for super cheap at TJ Maxx and Marshalls and places like that. I got this Stila eyeshadow palette for $5!
- Another favorite eyeshadow combo is Clinique Strawberry Fudge.
- A general rule is to have one neutral shimmery shade to go over the entire lid up to the eyebrow, one color to use in your crease, and one color to use as an eyeliner, or if you use stick liner, then just stick to 2 eyeshadow colors.
- The light neutral shade will serve as a highlight to your brown bone and to the inner corner of your eye, and the crease color will give your eye definition.
- The right makeup brushes are also essential to great eyeshadow application. The sponges and mini-brushes that come with certain eyeshadows are not good for blending, and alot of the times will waste your eyeshadow because they are rough and will break it up.
- When applying your eyeliner, I have always found that using a dark brown eyeshadow (MAC eyeshadow in Embark) with a skinny eyeliner brush is my favorite way of applying it. I use MAC because it lasts FOREVER. You barely ever have to buy eyeliner!
- When applying eyeliner, you can make your eyes look larger by focusing on the outer corners of the eye, don't carry your eyeliner all the way into your inner crease!
- Also, if you use an eyeliner pencil, don't forget to BLEND!
- You can use a liquid liner for a retro look, which I love to do and pair with red lips sometimes. If you have never used liquid liner before, don't fret, because it will take some practice and some goofing up at first. But once you get used to it, it's a snap to apply! Just make sure you are resting your elbow on a flat surface.
- If you have problems with your eyeshadow melting off after a couple of hours or creasing, invest in an eyeshadow primer. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is my personal pick! I actually just found it and wrote a blog about it a few blogs earlier. This makes your eyeshadow look virtually just-applied up until you are about to go to bed. Miraculous!
- For a dramatic night-time look, or just for the adventurous makeup guru, there are a couple things that will be helpful.
- A selection of bright, fun colors. I prefer MAC or Makeup For Ever eyeshadows as they are both very pigmented and last a long time. But there are super-pigmented drugstore versions now that should do the same trick when doubled with a primer.
- Good brushes!
- A highly pigmented black shadow
- Black Liquid Liner
- Fake lashes if you want
- Creativity!
- Here is one dramatic look that I did recently:
To achieve this look I used a turquoise blue MAC eyeshadow, My Stila palette for the neutral shade, Make Up For Ever in a rich black for the smokey effect, and liquid black eyeliner.
If you want to try a look like this, this is how you do it:
- Apply mascara in the way I showed above.
- Apply a bright color across your lid up to the crease.
- Then apply the black in your crease, as well as the outside corner of your eye, making a shape like this "<" on your outer corner going into your crease. Be liberal with this and make it really dark and smoky, making sure to blend it well with whatever color you choose!
- Apply liquid liner, extending it past your eye for a cat-eye effect. Blend the black down to it.
- Apply a light shimmery neutral to your browbone
- Accent your eyebrows if they need it with an eyebrow pencil for more drama!
And voila! There you go. Use this guide as a jumping point to create your own dramatic eyeshadow looks. Don't be afraid to get crazy, because makeup is supposed to be fun! =]
Lips
- For an everyday look, lip gloss is generally your best bet! There are so many different brands of lip gloss out there everyone is sure to find their favorite! Some of my personal favorites are Victoria's Secret extreme lip plumper, Sally Hansen Lip Inflation, And any other Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip glosses.
- Some days I like to heighten the drama and go for an intense bold red lip. There are several steps to getting the perfect red lip to stay for longer than just an hour, and here they are:
- Make sure your lips are conditioned! Slather them with a moisturizing balm and then rub a washcloth over them to get the dead skin off.
- Use a lip liner close to the same shade as your lipstick, and line your lips AS WELL AS filling them in all the way! This is very important and will make your lipstick adhere to the liner so it lasts longer.
- Apply your lipstick with a lipstick brush for precision!
- Apply concealer with a brush along the outside edges of your lips, blending it ouward into your foundation. This lesser-known step will make your lips POP, and creates a sharper contrast with your lips to your skin. Make sure to blend it well though so it doesnt look like a lip-halo!
- Apply some clear gloss
And you are done! Follow all of the above steps, and your lips will be radianty red for hours on end.
- A general rule, however is if you are doing really strong lips, keep it easy on the eyeshadow, unless you are going for an extremely glamorous nighttime look.
- Also, if you are doing a very strong, dramatic eye like what I showed above, keep the lipgloss simple. A nude gloss works best.
Eyebrows
- Often neglected, eyebrows are essentially what frames your face. You can have an awesome makeup job, but if your eyebrows are unkempt, something is always going to look a bit "off."
- If you want to get your eyebrows looking pretty, but don't know where to start, go get them waxed, then use tweezers at home to maintain the shape whenever they grow back in. It really is unnecessary to continue waxing your eyebrows. I've only gotten mine waxed once in my life and I've just maintained the general shape with tweezers for years!
- I also use tiny scissors to trim the unruly eyebrow hairs that I have. Everybody may not need to do this-it just depends on how long your hairs grow!
General Tips/Recap:
- Invest in a set of really nice makeup brushes, (or ask for them for Christmas, like I did!) I would recommend MAC or Sephora brushes as they are the best quality!
- Don't be afraid to experiment. Makeup is FUN.
- Read magazines for inspiration and makeup tips. Clip out pictures of makeup that you really like and try to recreate it at home.
- Watch Youtube videos for hundreds of makeup tutorials. You will find out some great tips this way!
- Check out stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls for discount makeup deals.
- Good quality products you can get at drugstores: Lipstick, Lipgloss, Mascara, Blush, Foundation, Powder, Concealer
- Products you should splurge on: Eyeshadow, Primer, Mascara
So there you have it! Those are all my favorite makeup tips that I have learned over the years. I hope this has been a helpful guide to anyone reading.
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