Makeup Tips to Get The Look You Want

Makeup application isn’t rocket science, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy either.  Makeup can enhance your natural beauty and accentuate your best features or add five years to your appearance with the stroke of a foundation brush.  Thankfully, with a few tips and tricks and a little know-how on everything from how to cover unsightly blemishes and selecting the perfect foundation color for your skin to tips on how to create the illusion of longer, fuller-looking lashes, you can achieve the perfect makeup look – no glam squad needed!

 

Flawless Complexion

The perfect complexion begins with a primer.  The use of a primer ensures that your foundation and concealer will glide on smoothly instead of settling into your fine lines or wrinkles. For best results apply concealer and foundation within a minute of applying your primer – you don’t want it to absorb into your skin completely.  Apply concealer before your foundation but in doing so remember that it is denser than foundation so a little goes a long way!  Choose a shade that either matches your skin tone or is one shade lighter and cover dark under-eye circles by gently patting over the area and blending with your ring finger.  Also pay special attention to the red areas around the nose and on the chin to brighten up your complexion.  Use a concealer brush to cover up any blemishes – the tapered bristles can get into the crevices of a blemish better than your fingers can.  

 

Selecting the right foundation will be the difference between a flawless complexion and a caked-on makeup look.  The right shade of foundation should disappear on your skin, making it look as if you aren’t wearing any at all, so experiment with a few shades before making your final selection.  There is no right or wrong method of applying foundation; whether you use a sponge, brush or your fingers, it’s all about preference.  Some makeup artists prefer brushes because they allow full coverage whereas others believe that using your fingers warms up the foundation, which helps it melt into your skin.  Whatever method you select be sure to blend, blend and then blend some more using downward strokes to avoid highlighting fine hairs.  For a polished look and extra staying power, fix foundation with a light brush of powder. The final step is to warm up your complexion with a bronzer – use it sparingly to highlight the forehead, cheeks and nose.  

 

Enchanting Eyes

For an everyday natural look, sweep a neutral eye shadow from lash line to brow bone to neutralize any discoloration.  Next, apply a medium brown eye shadow on the eyelid up to the crease.  For natural-looking eyeliner and the illusion of fuller lashes, use a dark brown eye pencil and carefully press a series of dots between your lashes following your lash line. Alternately, line your eyes with a dark shadow using an eyeliner brush (for a more intense line dampen the brush a little).  If you don’t already own a white pencil, now is the time to invest in one! Instead of lining your water line with dark eyeliner, use a white pencil to create the illusion of a bigger eye.  Complete the look with two coats of mascara.  To prevent clumps aim to replace your mascara every three to four months and whatever you do, do not pump the wand to try to get more mascara out, this will only pump air into the tube causing it to dry out even faster.  For an easy fix, run the wand under hot water until the water runs clear and place it back in the tube.  The water and heat will soften the mascara liquid, making it easier to apply as if it were new!

 

For a more dramatic, night-time look use light, medium and dark eye shadow shades in graduated tones. Apply the dark shade along your lash line, the medium shade on the crease, and a light shade up to the eyebrow bone but not beyond. Soften and blend any hard edges so one color seems to melt into the next. Place a dot of a light shadow in the inner corner of each eye to really open them up.  If a sultry, smoky eye is what you are after, trace the upper and lower lashes with a dark shadow then smudge with a blending brush.  For even greater impact, retrace with an eyeliner. Use an eyelash curler for flirty lashes.  Before curling, hold a blow dryer up to your lash curler for about three to five seconds; the heat works the same way as it does with your curling iron for maximum impact. Next, sweep a thin layer of powder over your lashes before applying your mascara to create a fuller lash effect!

 

Cheery Cheeks

When applying blush, you want the color to look soft and natural as if it comes from within, so opt for a color that mimics your cheeks when you are flushed or after exercise.  While you generally can't go wrong choosing a pink or a peach shade, as a rule of thumb stick to lighter shades if you have fair skin and darker shades if you have tanned, olive or dark skin.  Once you have found the perfect color it’s time to choose the right formula for your skin type; powder is typically best for oily and combination skin; cream is great for dry skin; liquid and gel work well for oily skin.  Invest in a full-sized blush brush and tap or lightly blow on it to remove any excess blush to prevent uneven application.  Apply your blush to the apple of your cheek and carefully blend upwards towards your hairline.  For a pretty, flushed look that will last all day try layering two tones of blush.  After applying your natural blush shade add a pop of color with a more dramatic tone just on your apples – be sure to smile while applying your blush as this is the best way to find the apples of your cheeks.  

 

Luscious Lips

While most of us have a strict skincare routine that we abide by religiously, our lips are often neglected. To get smooth, soft and supple lips use a baby toothbrush to exfoliate your lips. For better results, mix your own lip exfoliant at home by combining sugar and coconut oil (petroleum jelly works too) and apply to your lips before scrubbing. For an everyday lip look, choose a lipstick that is similar in tone to your lips and create definition with a lip liner afterwards.  Top it off with a sheer lip gloss and you are good to go!

 

For a night out on the town, always remember that you should play up either the eyes or the lips but never both, so if you opted for dramatic eyes stick with natural lips.  If lips are your focal point, why not go for a red-hot look or dramatic tone.  Start by lining the lips with a sharp lip liner in the same color as your lipstick.  Fill in the lips using the side of the liner and then apply lipstick with a lip brush for precision.  Filling in your lips with lip liner will give you long-lasting color. Alternately, blot lipstick with a tissue or dust a thin layer of powder before applying a final coat of color.  Depending on the finishing you want to achieve, use the following tips as a guide: For a creamy effect, apply a lip balm before applying lipstick. For a matte effect, apply lipstick then blot gently with a tissue. And for a sheer effect, apply lip balm and gently dot a small amount of neutral lipstick across the lips before blending it in. If glossy is more to your liking, apply lipstick then finish with a coat of clear gloss for a moist, seductive shine!