Makeup can accentuate the best features and hide the unfavorable ones. You can never learn enough about makeup. Whether you are a veteran or a beginner, these tips and tricks will help you get fabulous looking makeup in no time.
Foundation:
- Many women complain of their foundation looking cakey and unnatural. It even looks overwhelming at times. To get a natural and flawless finish, apply the foundation all over the face and then slightly blot it with a tissue. This will make it easier to apply the blush without looking artificial. It will bring a life to the skin too.
- A full foundation and too much of concealer can look extremely unnatural. Apply the foundation only on areas you need and then blend to perfection. Ditch the foundation brush, your index finger is best for blending the foundation.
- You have to be careful about matching the foundation color to your skin tone. Match the foundation shade to your neck rather than the face.
- For daily wear, avoid using a foundation. Stick to tinted moisturizers and BB cream instead. The cream will hide the imperfections, giving you a natural look. To create your own tinted moisturizer, mix a bit of concealer with facial moisturizer. This will work equally well.
Eyebrows:
The best shape of the brows depends entirely on the facial features and shape. The shape and thickness of the eyebrows will soften the shape of the face. Bold looking eyebrows can create an attention-grabbing look. Comb the brows with a clean mascara brush to see how the brows lay naturally. Use a soft brow pencil to shape the brows by using the thin side of the tip. Then take the flat angle of the pencil and fill the brows using short strokes. Finish the look by applying highlighter below the brow bones. This will add brightness and luminosity to the skin.
Concealer:
- To hide the eye puffiness, highlight the crease, then apply a shade darker than the actual puffy area to conceal the bags.
- Instead of using the bulky eyeliner brush, use an eyeliner brush for a more precise control.
- To get a wide-eyed look, apply a fast absorbing eye cream on the under eye area and then apply a concealer two shades lighter than the foundation color. Then set the area with a pale yellow colored powder to help it last longer and prevent creasing.
Smoky eyes:
For a sultry and smoky eye makeup, start by lining the inner rims of the lower lashes, working the liner into the lashes. Apply the liner right between the lashes to appear as though you are not wearing any makeup at all. This is a great idea of adding a little color and definition to the eyes.
- Use the smudger to smudge the liner and then apply the eye shadow on the lids up to the crease, blending outwards and upwards.
Eyeliner:
- Liquid liner can get very tricky to apply, but once you learn the right way, you can create some amazing looks. Liquid liner, if not applied perfectly, can look extremely harsh and stark. For a proper line, use a taupe or a nude liner to trace the line on the upper lash line. Make sure the line is even and accurate. Then apply the liquid liner on top of the traced line.
- Use scotch tape as an eye stencil to achieve an even and balanced look for both the eyes.
- Sweep a brown eye shadow over the liner to soften the look and hide the imperfections.
- To keep the liner in place, dust some loose or pressed powder under the liner on the waterline. This will create a barrier, preventing the liner from smudging.
- In addition, lining the waterline with a white-eye liner will create the illusion of bigger eyes.
Lipstick:
- Is there anything more seductive than a red pout? A hot red lips can instantly transform a girl’s look. To get the perfect pout, line the lips with the same color as the chosen lipstick. Smile a little while applying the liner so that the liner glides easily. Fill the lips with the lip liner first and then apply the lipstick using a lip brush. If you have made a mistake, then take a little concealer on a brush and the erase it.
- For the prettiest finish, exfoliate your lips using a homemade sugar and coconut oil lip scrub before applying the lipstick.
- To get a matte look, hold a tissue over the lips after applying the lipstick and dust powder over the tissue. This will not just create a matte look, but will even make the lipstick last longer.
- Our finger is a better gauge as it has a color and texture similar to the lips. While purchasing the lipstick, test the shade on your fingertip and then hold the color next to the face to see how it looks.
Eye shadow:
- The placement of the eyeshadow is as important as the color choice. Careful placement can make the eyes appear wider/ prominent/ deep set/ closer set or just about any illusion you want. You first need to determine the eye shape and then accentuate them accordingly.
- The placement of the highlighter is very important while creating a naturally beautiful eye makeup. The light colors like creams, whites and ivory should be applied to the middle, inner corners and under the brow bones. Apply the lightest shades first and then move to the darker shades.
- Applying white eyeliner on the eyelids before applying the shadow will make the colors pop.
- Sweeping a light pink matte eye shadow along the entire length of the brow bone will create an appearance of higher arch. Make sure you blend the line well, so much that it should not be detectable.
Fix a dry tube of mascara:
Mascara, over the time, dries out and starts forming lumps. To prevent this, do not pump mascara to get more products on the wand, as this way you are pumping more air into the tube. This leads to the drying out of mascara faster. To fix it, add a few drops of eye drop into the tube and then rub the wand. The eye drop will soften the mascara, making it easier to apply. Remember, you have to change your mascara in every 3 months.
Blush:
- Blusher doesn’t just adds color, but also contours the cheekbones. You need to first determine the face shape before applying the blush in the most flattering way.
- Get a lip and cheek stain to pop it on both lips and cheek. Get an opaque, pink colored lips stain with a bit of gold in it. Mix the stain with some moisturizer and blend it on the cheeks for a healthy, flushed look.
Eye lashes:
- If you are blessed with long and thick lashes, you do not really need tons of eye makeup to stand out.
- To get thick and long lashes, curl the lashes first and then apply a thin layer of powder before applying the mascara. You can get the most out of your lash curler by pinching at the base of the lashes and then lifting the curler to an inverted position. This will create double curl and will make them last longer.
- Heating the lash curler will make it more effective. Hold a blow dryer next to the lash curler for a few seconds. The heat will work the same way like a curling iron.
- Apply two coats of mascara and wait for 2 to 3 minutes in between each coat to prevent clumping. The trick to sexy lashes is to get the thickness into the base of the lashes and then taper naturally to the ends. Wiggle the mascara at the base of the lash and then sweep it back and forth while going up. The left and right motion will coat all the lashes perfectly. For best results, make sure the mascara is not more than 3 months old. Fresh mascara glides on easily and does not chip or flake.
- Use a plastic spoon to apply mascara on the bottom lashes without getting any under the eyes. Apply just a single coat on the bottom lashes.
- If you want clump free lashes, wipe the mascara wand with a tissue first before each application. Wash and clean the expired mascara wand and use them as an eyebrow brush.
Contouring of the face:
Not everyone is lucky enough to be blessed with killer cheekbones like those of Kareena Kapoor. However, you can fake the cheekbones by contouring the face. Contouring is highlighting and accentuating the features. It is essentially important for brides, as the camera tends to pick up shadows and highlights better than the naked eye. Sweep the bronzer along the top of cheekbones and under the temples. Pucker up to find the hollow of the cheeks and then dust a nude blush in the sunken area. Smile and apply the blush on the apples of the cheeks using circular motions.
A bronzed look never really goes out of fashion, no matter what the season is. To avoid looking like a disco ball, strategically sweep the bronzer on the temples, along the sides of the face and under the cheekbones. Never apply bronzer on the center of the face as it can make you look older. The bronzer should be a few shades darker than the foundation. Blending is the key for a natural look. Do not forget that.
Shelf life of the makeup products:
Yes, yes, we all love our makeup products and it is very difficult to let go after spending thousands of bucks on them. However, makeup does become unhealthy for the skin and eyes and you have to give it away. The shelf life of the makeup products is:
- Mascara: 3 months
- Nail paint: 2 years
- Blush: 12 to 18 months
- Foundation: 8 to 10 months
- Eyeliner: 18 to 24 months
- Lipstick: 12 to 18 months