Makeup Basics 

Foundation Basics

Definition: (From Milady’s Text) foundation is a base or protective film applied before makeup and/or powder.  Foundation evens out skin tone and color, conceals imperfections in the skin and protects the skin from the outside elements of climate, dirt and pollution.

Liquids, sticks, cream to powder and tinted moisturizers are the most popular choices for foundation. 

Always start with clean hands, clean face and clean tools.

I like to use makeup sponges, but using your fingertips is just as effective.  Sponges make blending easy and cleaning up any messes are simple.  Fingertip application is known to be a lighter way of applying foundation.  The key no matter how you choose to apply, is blend! Blend! Blend!  It has to be even and well blended.

Always match foundation to the jaw line and apply in natural light to prevent mask effects.

How to Choose a Foundation

Foundation should always perfectly match and blend with your skin tone.  Sometimes shades are too orange or too pink, or not dark enough (for people of color).  Always test foundation on clean skin that has no makeup on it.  Test along your jaw line and be sure it blends with above and below the jaw.  Don’t be afraid to tell the cosmetician you want to go outside and see what it looks like in the sunlight.  Wear it for at least 30 minutes before you buy it.  Cosmetics can change color as they settle or mix with oxygen, and they can cause an allergic reaction that may not happen immediately.  This doesn’t guarantee that you won’t react to it later, but it will decrease your chance of reacting.

*Tip: If you have acne or lots of clogged pores try to use a sheer foundation or a tinted moisturizer with salicylic acid in it.  This will help heal the blemishes and prevent more breakouts.  Caking foundation on top of a blemish actually makes it look worse and more prominent, than if you lightly cover it.  Removing makeup each night is vital to healthy skin.

There are some new products on the market now such as airbrush foundation (sold in spray cans) and mousse textured foundation and blushes.  All of which have their place.  Air spray foundations are generally sheer and even out tone really well.  Mousse foundations and blushes go on thick and require pretty good blending techniques.  Play with your cosmetics on the weekend when you’re not going out.  Or have a makeup party with your girlfriends to practice.  You can help each other with application and color choice. 

Concealer Basics

Concealer is used to cove blemishes and discolorations and may be applied before or after foundation.  It should only be a shade lighter than your skin.  For blemishes I like to apply concealer before foundation, for eyes, I like to apply it afterward so it blends well and helps eye shadow stick better. Don't extend concealer too far under the eyes or you end up with white circles just underneath your dark circles.

Colored concealer such as yellow and green tinted ones can hide redness better than a regular one.  Choose concealer based on your needs.

Face Powders

Powder adds a matte finish to the face.  Powder comes in loose or pressed forms.  Lighter coverage is best with loose powder applied with a very large brush.  Pressed powder is applied with a sponge or pad and gives heavier coverage.

I always apply my powder very last.  Mistakes and messes are easily cleaned up before powder sets the foundation, and it can help blend if you’ve added too much cheek color. 

Eye Shadow Basics

Eye shadow accentuates and contours the eyes.

Eye shadows come in stick, cream, pressed and loose powders and now even thick pencils and tubes that closely resemble lip gloss.  They also come in finishes such as matte, frost, shimmery and dewy.

Everyone has their preferences and I think every type of formula has its place and suits different people.  I personally prefer powder shadows.  They suit most skin types and are easy to apply.  I have a problem with the mid-afternoon creasing ad have had horrible luck with creamy eye shadows. Try different formulas until you find the one that works for you.

Don’t match your eye shadow to your eye color, it creates a flat field of color instead of adding expression.  Use a contrasting color to enhance the eyes.

Dark colors make the iris appear lighter while lighter shades make the iris appear deeper.

You can pretty much wear any color you wish, it’s the tone that matters. You can wear trendy shades just choose lighter or deeper versions of any given color that best suits your skin, hair and eyes.

The colors are classified as highlighters, bases and contour colors.

Milday’s Text describes them like this:

A highlighter color is lighter than the skin tone and may have any finish.  Popular choices include matte or shimmer.  These highlight areas such as just underneath the brow bone or a dab of shimmer in the corner of the eye.  A light color such as white, makes an area appear larger.

A base color is generally a medium tone that is close to your skin tone.  It is used to even out the skin tone on the eye.  It is often applied all over the lid and brow bone, before other colors are applied, thus providing a smooth surface for the blending of other colors.  When used this way, it is best to use a matte finish.

A contour color is a color in any finish that is deeper and darker than your skin tone.  It is applied to minimize a specific area, to create contour in a crease, or to define the lash line.

Apply color close to the lashes and the upper eyelid, sweeping the color slightly upward and out ward.  Blend to achieve the desired effect.  More than one color is an amazing way to enhance eyes, just remember to blend well!!

Eye Liner Basics

Use liner to outline and emphasize the eyes.  It comes in tons of colors, pencils, liquid, pressed and even felt-tipped pen form.  You can easily create a line on the lid close to the lashes to make the eyes appear larger and the lashes fuller.  Try to push liner right into the roots of the lashes.

Many people go with basic black or brown and that is great.  Other colors can add more individuality and uniqueness, but you should feel comfortable with the basics before you set out on trying greens and purples.

Practice having a steady hand and always use a sharp liner.  Use gentle pressure and short strokes for the neatest lines.  When using powders, wetting the brush a bit before dipping will give you a dramatic look for evening.  It is helpful to gently pull the skin taut, from right below the eyebrow up, to ensure smooth application.

Eyebrow Corrector

Pencils and shadows add color and shape to the eyebrows.  You can use brow color to correct their shape, darken them and fill in sparse areas.

I prefer powder in the brow because it looks more natural and is easier to use.  Choose a color a little lighter than the natural color of your brows.

Use soft and short strokes and blend well.  You can use a clean Q-tip to help blend the lines.

There are also brow gels to hold unruly brows in place.  These are clear and non-sticky.

Mascara

Mascara darkens, defines and thickens the lashes.  It comes in so many formulas now it can be hard to choose.  I like black, waterproof, volumizing formulas.  They pretty much suit everyone.  But you should play around with a few to find what works best for you. If you want thick lashes go for a volumizing one, if you want long lashes go for a lengthening one.  So many brands have all these different brushes including silicone "bendy" ones, oscillating brushes that vibrate and coat the lashes better.  It really is a hard decision!  The only way to know is to try.

Use your eyelash curlers!  These are great, they give curl and definition to the lashes.  Position curlers, squeeze for a few seconds and then put on mascara.

Blush Basics

Cheek color comes in stick, cream, liquid, dry (pressed), loose, and mousse whipped creams, tints and glazes.

Blush gives a natural-looking glow to the face.

(From Milady’s Text)

When choosing cheek color consider the following:

-          Cream or gel cheek colors resemble cream foundation and are generally preferred for dry and normal skin.  Depending on the formulation, blush is usually applied with a brush or a cotton puff.

-          Liquid cheek color blends well and is suitable for all skin types.

-          Dry (pressed) cheek color imparts a matte finish and is the most widely used.

-          Loose powder cheek color comes in a variety of shades.

Blend the color so that it fades softly into the foundation.

Don’t over use blush.  A light cheek color on the apples of the cheek compliments majority of people.  Fair skin should choose from rose colors and light peaches, medium skin can go peachy and coral, dark skins (oh you’re so lucky!), can wear mauves, berry shades and brilliant pinks.

Lip Color Basics

Whatever your choice, make sure its blended, and it suits you.  Trends come and go, but the pictures your friends have of you will be around forever. 

Try different colors and different formulations.  Bring a friend you trust with you when shopping for colors. 

Glosses are more natural looking, but they have the sticky factor to consider. Even products that claim to be not sticky still are to some degree.

Lip Sticks are more opaque and add more color, but there are so many variations, from pure pigment, to glossy, to shimmery and many more.  

Tinted Lip balms are really hot right now.  They give the coverage of a lip color but the benefits of a lip balm.  I love them for a sheer to medium tint.

I really like basic lipstick because I can’t stand sticky stuff on my lips, but for most people gloss is the safest when trying out colors.  

Lip tints have been cropping up all over the place now and come in tons of colors.  I still like to apply a lip balm or gloss over top of the tint to give some definition.  Play around to find what you like.

Your lip liner should match the lip color you choose.  Gone are the days of light lipstick and dark liner.  To give more color to a gloss and have color last longer, fill in lips with the liner first and then cover with gloss.  When your gloss comes off, you’ll still have a stain of color that will last you until you can reapply.

Many companies are making lipsticks easier to choose because they make translucent colors that suit a variety of tones and they categorize them based on fair, medium and dark skin tones.  It’s easy you just select from the colors made for your skin tone.