The Basics About Makeup

Makeup Tips and Tidbits

Whatever your best facial feature is-lips, cheeks or eyes-play up that feature and downplay the others. Never use heavy makeup on more than one feature at a time or they will fight and look clownish. Another advantage of playing up one feature is you can draw attention away from a feature you don’t like such a less than perfect nose by playing up eyes or lips and use little to no blush which would bring attention to the nose. If you have nice full lips but small eyes, use a rich color on lips and go light on eye makeup to keep from making small eyes look even smaller and bring all the attention to your nice lips. If you have great eyes but lips are less than perfect, use a neutral shade on lips and maximize your eyes for attention. If your cheeks are shaped perfectly, you can make them rosy and highlighted with a shimmer, downplaying eyes and lips for a natural, healthy look.

The average time it should take to apply makeup should be 7 minutes or less. If you take more time than that, you’re probably overdoing it for everyday wear. If you apply your foundation right and get a radiant finish, essentially you can just add mascara and lipstick or gloss and look fabulous. If you apply a light layer of foundation to your eyelids to conceal any redness or discoloration, you often can go without any eye shadow at all. This is a great look for those who are very fair or have very small eyes and don’t look good with lots of eye makeup on. Just apply foundation and a couple good coats of mascara to brighten and define eyes.

All About Foundation

Choosing a Foundation
Foundation should always match your skin tone exactly. Yellow-based foundations work best on most skin types, because they neutralize any pink or red undertones and blotchiness from acne, and result in a clearer complexion. Avoid pink-based foundations, which often end up looking too pink or ruddy on the skin and make acne redness look worse. Most often, foundation with yellow undertones works best for most skins unless you already have a lot of yellow in your skin. In that case, you would look for a shade with no yellow but a more taupe/beige neutral shade to tone down the yellow in your skin so you won’t look sickly.

When choosing a new foundation or other makeup, take a picture of yourself in it to see if it matches your skin tone, hair and eyes-you’ll be able to tell better in a photo. It may be difficult to choose a base color with products that are sold over the counter at your local drug store. Ask the clerk if you can try it and step outside in day light with a mirror to check the color for correctness since fluorescent lights can drastically change the way it matches. Always test on your jaw line and allow foundation to dry. If you see a spot or the color, it's not right, it should be invisible. Why wear something you can't see? It’s meant to even out skin tone, remove blotchiness and create a fresh, healthy looking complexion (not a mask). Then, you factor in contouring, blush, concealer and powder. All these steps cover what you want to cover. Foundation is like priming a canvas. Don't try to darken your skin with the foundation step. That is where contouring and bronzers come in (for contour information, see “Professional Photography Makeup Contouring” under “Model Tips” category). For women with darker complexions who want to avoid ashiness, this occurs when the color is too pink or blue based, or if the foundation is too light.

Types of Foundation
Liquid:

Offers light to medium coverage. Available in moisturizing formulas with a satin finish for dry skin or oil-free versions with a matte finish for oily skin.
Cream:
Offers light to medium coverage, slightly heavier than a liquid and great for dry skin. Avoid creams if you have oily or combination skin.
Stick:
Foundation sticks can also double as concealers. The new gel or powder finish formulas are not as heavy or greasy as the older "pancake" type formulas.
Dual-finish compact formulas (liquid to powder or cream to powder):
Light coverage which is great for combination skin, but should be avoided by those with excessively dry skin since it can be drying, or those who need heavier coverage.
Tinted moisturizer:
Can be used under foundation or alone for minimal to no coverage. Almost like a liquid bronzer.
Mineral Makeup Powder:
These are powders that go on smooth and can be layered for more coverage. They are good for all skin types and problem skin as well.

Foundation Application
Applying foundation makeup can be done in many different ways. It all depends on what you’re comfortable with and what kind of coverage you want. You can use your pointer finger and tap a tiny amount on problem areas, blemishes, redness, discolorations and under eyes until it fades into skin for a natural look, covering just the areas needed without using too much. You can use a soft brush and swirl it on for a polished look. I personally teach girls to apply it with a synthetic makeup sponge and stipple like you’re stipple painting a wall, applying in the center of the face where most of the discoloration is and sweeping the remainder on the sponge outward toward hairline and under jaw line. Using a clean sponge each time will help prevent bacteria from contaminating your foundation which is important for those prone to breakouts. Your fingers also have oil in them and that will spread to your foundation if using your fingers and if you’re using oil free product you don’t want to introduce any oil to it. However you decide to apply it, never swipe or wipe it across your skin since that will just remove it and you’ll end up using more product. Tapping, stippling, blotting or swirling applications work best where you just spread the product around to even it out.

To help makeup last longer, use foundation sparingly and don’t use your fingers to apply since the oil on them makes product fade faster. Always use loose powder to set foundation. Never use pressed powder in a compact to set your makeup. The reason pressed powder stays solid in the compact is because they add oil to it so it sticks together and you can’t set makeup with oily powder. Save the compact to keep in your purse for touching up shine on your nose or dust a blemish during the day. If you find a foundation that matches your skin perfectly, use a true translucent powder that will not add any color, which would change your foundation color and give heavier coverage.

Makeup primers are used like lotions and applied over your moisturizer in a thin film but under your foundation. It helps your makeup last for hours and evens out bumps creating a smoother finish to skin. Makeup will go on easier and blend better if you use a primer underneath. Be sure to use an oil free moisturizer under primers since they don’t stick to oily surfaces and let moisturizer soak in about 10 minutes before applying primer. Foundation is the first step to beautiful make-up application. Spend a few extra dollars for a foundation that you can try on at the beauty counter at a good department or makeup store

All About Lip Color

Lipstick Application Basics
1. Apply a light coating of foundation or primer to smooth and soften lips. This step helps to fill in the lines and smoothes the surface of lips. Also helps lipstick to last longer. Dust with loose powder.
2. Use a lip liner that matches or is slightly darker than your lip shade (if you want to make lips appear to be larger.). Line lips starting at one corner of your upper lip tracing around your lip line to the other corner. Repeat for bottom lip. Do not go right to the corners. The top and bottom liners should not meet or you may get the "circle' look. It helps to form a half smile so lips are taut making it easier to line. Fill in lips using your lip liner to prevent a ring being left behind when your lipstick wears off. This step will also help lipstick stay longer. Smudge liner slightly or blot with a tissue.
3. Apply lip color with a lip brush to avoid smearing liner. Swipe the brush over the lipstick a few times. Starting at the center of lips, work the color outwards. Be sure to line color where lip liner ends at the corners of your mouth. Brush lips one more time with another coat of lip color. Repeat a third time if a more intense pout is what you desire. Blot excess off.
4. Optional, applying a lip gloss to give a nice shine to lips.

Lipstick Types
Matte Lipsticks:
Some are also categorized as “Long-Wearing”, which usually contains kaolin as the primary ingredient for staying power and give lipsticks a non shiny/greasy texture. They tend to be drying, but if you're looking for staying power, matte is a good option unless you are over 50 years old-a bad choice since they show lip lines and emphasize a crepey surface-go with a creamier based formula if you are older or have dry, flaky or wrinkled lips. Many Long-Wearing lipsticks claim to ‘last all day even through kissing’-these claims are a bit exaggerated…
Sheer Lipsticks:
The pigmentation of sheers is not very high and tend to be transparent. They can be more moisturizing then other types of lipsticks and wear off easy but leave a nice hint of color.
Cream or Moisturizing Lipsticks:
These contain conditioning ingredients such as shea butter. They tend to wear off easily due to moisturizing ingredients in them but if you have dry lips or aging lips, these are best.
Staining Lip Colors:
These often have dual uses for both lips and cheeks for staining. Some have good staying power depending on how much they stain. Apply lip gloss over stains for moister looking lips. Stains will give uneven color if applied to dry, peeling lips since the dead skin stains darker so be sure to exfoliate lips first before applying.
Gloss and High Gloss:
These will make your lips look fuller since they reflect a lot of light. They can be worn alone or over another lipstick.

Lipstick Color Choices
When choosing the correct shade of lipstick, look at your complexion. See my tips further down under the “Makeup Tips” category: ‘How to Choose Makeup Colors for Your Season’ a guide to colors to choose for your skin and hair color. The deeper your skin color, the richer and deeper you can go with lip color. Fair skin tones should stick with lighter, softer colors or a sheer lipstick. Avoid orange undertones in lipsticks unless you are sure you have a warm “season” complexion, either spring or autumn. Your lipstick color should be in the same color family as your blush-if your blush is rose, choose a rose or pink shade lipstick. If your blush is peach, choose a peachy or coral lipstick. Anyone can wear red but be sure to choose the right red for your complexion. If you have cool color skin tone, choose red with more blue undertones to it, for warm skin tone, choose red with orange undertones. To wear red with fair complexions, use a sheer red lipstick so it doesn’t overpower your skin tone by being too intense. Keep in mind that darker shades will make your lips appear smaller and lighter shades will make your lips appear fuller.

Lipstick Tips
-For a very long lasting stain use Jell-O or Kool-Aid powder. It stains lips and doesn’t wear off. Dip a brush into the powder (cherry or strawberry flavored) and apply to bare moistened lips. Apply red liner and fill in with transparent red gloss for lots of depth.
-If you wear braces keep your lips well moisturized, avoid drying matte lipsticks and wear neutral shades to avoid bringing attention to your braces. Play up your eye makeup so attention is diverted there instead of at your braces.
-Over the age of 50, you should not pick a really dark shade lipstick since it’s very harsh, aging and makes your lips look smaller. Since lips tend to get thinner with age, you definitely don’t want to apply a lipstick that makes them look thinner.
-Tone down a lipstick that’s too bright by putting some lipstick on the top of your hand, blend a little foundation into it and paint on lips with a lip brush.
-Lipstick will last much longer if you line lips thinly and fill in, blot with tissue, then line and fill in again using a thin coat. Top with a lip sealant clear film and apply a little gloss.

For the “Nude Lip” Look
The nude lip look is perfect for either a no makeup, natural look or playing down your lips when you have strong makeup on your eyes. Choose a beige that’s one to two shades darker than your skin tone and lean toward a little more color if desired-like your own lip color only a bit brighter-a hint of rose for cool or peach for warm color skin, pinky browns look good on fair, cool color skin and browns or golds for darker skin tones. Be sure to line lips for dimension and shape, then rub a bit of gloss on top-even a sheer colored gloss will look nice and give depth. To find a shade similar to your own lip color, make sure you have no makeup on since the color should look great without makeup. Choose a few lipsticks that seem to match your lips then brush a bit of the color from each in the middle of your bottom lip. It should not look milky, ashy, orangey or reddish. If you look tired, it’s probably too light, so go a shade or two darker. It should compliment your features regardless of what other makeup you apply without being overwhelming. It’s best to check the colors in sunlight and not fluorescent lighting which can change color quite a bit.

All About Blush

Blushers
For cheek color, blusher is placed directly on the cheeks starting at the center or fattest part of the ‘apple’, and blended out then up towards the temple area or hair line (smile big to find the fattest part of your ‘apple’). It you have applied cheek contours (or lowlights-see article on “Professional Photography Makeup” in the “Model Tips” category for how-to’s), you want to blend your blush back and up meeting the contours so they blend together. Never apply blush closer to the nose than the outer rim of your iris or below an imaginary line from nostril base to the bottom of your ear, and keep color away from underneath the eye area which could look more like a sunburn or skin irritation than a healthy glow. Since we generally want our cheekbones to look full and defined, avoid getting blush up too high on your cheekbones-you want the cheekbones to be lighter so they appear full. If you apply your blush high on the cheekbones into your temples it looks very unnatural. When foundation is applied, its purpose is to even out skin tone and eliminate any redness in the center of your face so you don’t want to put that redness back in with blush-you only want a little soft color with the correct placement. Using a smaller brush to apply blush will get a better placement of color than if you use a large fluffy brush that deposits color in a large general area. The brush should be larger than the one they give you in the compact, but smaller than your large face powder brush. To get a soft, warm, healthy looking flush to your cheeks, avoid brownish shades and choose colors in your ‘Season’ that match or coordinate with your eye shadow and lip color or that have slight reddish pinky/rose (for cool complexions) or peachy/coral (for warm). Be sure to blend the edges of blush well so there are no hard lines and the effect is a very natural glow.
Types of Blushers
-Powder: the boldest color and good for all skin types except dry skin.
-Cream: is sheerer than powder and good for dry to normal skin.
-Liquid: has a matte finish that stains skin and lasts a long time. Good for all skin types except possibly dry or flaky skin since it can cause blotchy color.
-Gel: is the sheerest color and can be used as lip stain as well but is not the best for dry or flaky skin. Be sure to exfoliate first since it leaves dry flakes darker.
Blusher Tips
-To look more awake on a bad day, try using a blush color a shade brighter than your normal blush or dab on some lipstick in a bright sheer color and blend well.
-Never use dark bronzer or brown shades as your blush if you have fair skin. It will be too dark and too warm appearing unnatural and dirty looking.
-Don’t apply blush too bright or heavy-it will look clownish, and if your eyes or lips are emphasized with dramatic color, go very soft with the blush so they don’t compete.
-For dry skin, cream blushers work best. To apply cream blush, dab a little blush on your pointer and middle fingertips, smile big and starting in the center of the fattest part of the apple, make a big ‘check mark’ on your cheek and blend in.
-When applying gel blush which can dry quickly and streak, get a good finish by dipping fingertip lightly first in moisturizer then a tiny bit of gel blush on top of it, mix them and then blend into cheeks.
-If your face is long, and you want to make your face appear rounder, apply blush straight across the cheekbone. Avoid placing blush high on the cheekbones or on temple.
-If your face is round, and you want it to appear longer and more oval, apply blush diagonally on the cheekbone, angled toward temple.
-Soften and subdue a too bright or heavy application of blusher with loose face powder.
-Heat and oils from your finger will help blend cream, liquid and gel blushes and other makeup (wash hands first).
-Your blush should match and compliment the rest of your make-up but especially your lip color.
-Don’t use sparkly/iridescent blush or bronzer over acne since it will highlight zits. It’s best to just forgo blush and contours all together when you have acne so you don’t call attention to the bumpiness. Play up eyes or lips to divert attention away from areas that are broken out.

Old Time Skin Remedy and Ancient Health Tonic

Honey... with Milk
Honey is like a wonder tonic. A spoonful of honey acts to balance metabolic systems when ingested, and is a natural antibacterial. Cleopatra from ancient Egypt bathed in milk and honey for a flawless complexion. England’s Queen Anne used it on her hair for moisturizing and shine. Honey is a natural humectant that attracts and retains moisture. With its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, it’s been touted for centuries to repair damaged, sensitive skin. Bacteria cannot grow in honey so the ancient Egyptians painted it on wounds to keep infections from forming. Smear some honey on your gums to help heal sensitive, sore mouths. You can make a classic old time smoothing lotion for extra dry skin by combining equal parts honey, lemon juice and any kind of vegetable oil (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil are excellent), leave it on dry areas for 20-30 minutes and rinse off or jump in the bath and soak it off leaving skin soft and smooth all over. It’s also touted that if you take a spoonful of honey daily that is produced by bees in your geographical area, it will help you become immune to allergies of pollens since that honey is made directly from the pollens you’re affected by. Honey is good to take for a sore throat since it helps sooth and disinfect the throat. Taking honey daily can also help ward off arthritis and joint problems. Using honey to sweeten everything instead of sugar can gain you many health benefits while omitting the bad calories and dentist bills. See also under the category to the right “General Health” for information on apple cider vinegar and the ‘other wonder tonic’.
For more information on honey and vinegar: Beauty and the Budget at VirtualBookWorm

Face Mask for Glowing Acne Free Skin

Acne Skin Softening-Flax and Yeast
Here’s a mask good for all skin types but excellent for acne. It softens, smoothes and nourishes skin giving it a fresh, youthful glow. Yeast is a particularly good treatment for acne:
Place 2 teaspoons flax seeds (available in health food and specialty stores) in a small bowl with just enough water to cover seeds. Let sit until the water forms a gel like substance. If you want to make it faster, you can boil the seeds covered in water until seeds burst and form a gel then let cool. Add 1 tablespoon Brewer’s or Baker’s yeast (found in little packets in the bread baker’s area) and more water as needed to make a soft paste like gel. Apply to clean face and let dry then rinse with tepid water and pat dry.
For more information on Acne and Yeast: Beauty and the Budget at VirtualBookWorm