Makeup is constantly evolving with new trends and products being added every other day. There are a million and one steps that a professional makeup artist would take to give you a ‘facebeat’ to the gods but what should you not do as a beginner? Not everyone will apply makeup as a pro but to get a more than decent ‘facebeat’ there are certain things you shouldn’t do.
BASICS
Foundation Shade
It goes without saying – Your foundation shade SHOULD match your skin tone. The whole idea of makeup is to enhance not create something new entirely. Using a shade that is not your shade is not acceptable. Your neck, arms and body will definitely stand out and not in a good way. Be sure your foundation matches your skin and not the skin colour you wish you had. A word is enough for the wise.
Drawing in your brows
Remember when black eye pencil was used to draw on eyebrows? Now that you have remembered, go ahead and delete that memory. Never use a completely black eye pencil in your eyebrows, the look almost never comes out natural. Use an eye pencil that is softer and not completely black. You can’t go wrong with a medium brown. When applying the pencil, please stick to short strokes that will mimic the hair growth pattern and don’t chart a whole new path for your eyebrows; unless you are intentionally going for a particular look. Avoid harsh straight lines for a more natural look. Asides eye pencils; there are other products that can be used to draw in your brows, always try and match it to your hair color as closely as possible.
Defining the Brows
After drawing in the brows, if you want to go a step further and make it look neater, the next step is defining. Generally, this is done with a concealer but you can use your foundation as well. If you are using a concealer, use one that is a just a shade lighter than your skin color. Anything more and the finished look is ashy and the purpose is defeated. And please blend it well, the aim is to make it look natural, not blending well makes it stand out and not in a good way.
Eye Primers
Anyone familiar with makeup knows about face primers. They are used to give your overall makeup a good finish, to absorb oils (For those with oil skin) and to make your make up last longer. Do you know eye primers for eye shadow exists as well? If you are a make-up afiancando and you want to go a step further, invest in a good eye primer. They will help your eye shadow stay on longer and vibrant as well as prevent creasing. You can also use your concealer to prime before eye shadow as well.
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Use a base color
Most people ignore this step. When applying your eye shadow, first go in with a base color or a transition color. A transition colour helps merge colours together. It also helps in bringing out the true colors of the eye shadows you will apply. Almost all eye shadow palettes have a shade that can work as a transition color. Use a colour that is a shade or two darker than your skin tone. Do not start with the colours you want to use at once, using a transition makes the overall look better. Try this and see the difference.
False lashes
This is not a beginner step and you shouldn’t try this until you are comfortable. The key to putting on strip false lashes is to apply them on your natural lash line. Some people actually stick in above their natural lash line and call it a day. This is very wrong. It is obvious most people don’t have lashes as long as falsies but the idea is to create the illusion. Putting them right along your natural lash line allows you create that illusion.
Highlighters
With highlighting your face, less is more. Do not pack on product on your brush and always tap off excess product. If you really like your highlighter to be blinding, be sure you can blend well and be ready to own that look.
Contouring
This is a recent fad that most are already abusing. Do not use a shade that is too dark unless you are a bit more advanced and can work with it. Blending is key as well. Harsh lines for a contour is a no no.
Blush
This step is delicate and can be overdone with one wrong misstep. Blushes can actually be traced to as early as the 1500s though it had various meanings in different eras. The whole point of blushes is to give one a look of youthfulness; sort of like a child with plump pink cheeks. The key to doing this right is to find a shade that suits your skin tone and BLEND well. If you miss matching your shade well or blending properly, you end up looking caricature-like.
Nude Lipsticks
Never use a nude lipstick without first lining your lips. Use any brown lip pencil that works well for you to line the lips before filling in the lipstick. This helps the lipstick apply better and not look patchy.
As a beginner in makeup, watch a YouTube video or two; there’s a lot that can be learnt. The above steps are not necessary for everyone, you mustn’t contour or use blush every single time you apply makeup. But if you must do it, you might as well do it right.
