Instead of using my last blog post to explain how to apply some type of makeup, I wanted to write about something somewhat related to my blog that has been annoying me for awhile. When most people see women (and sometimes men) wearing makeup, instead of complimenting them or making them feel better, they question them as to why they decided to wear it. The main reason why many people decide to wear makeup is for themselves, believe it or not. Many people like to think that women like to get up everyday and put on a full face of makeup because they don’t like their appearance, or to attract a man. While that can be true, makeup can simply be used because people like it and because it is a form of art. Most men cannot even tell the difference between lipstick and lip gloss, so why would we wear it for them? The biggest argument that people try to make when talking about makeup is “makeup changes how you look so what will you do when you take off your makeup and someone sees what you really look like?” Sure makeup can be used to change your appearance and make you look different, but seriously, who in the world is born with bright red lips and sparkly eyelids? Even if you look different without makeup, if a man really cares about your appearance that much then he’s the wrong kind of man for you. And telling someone that “they don’t need makeup” isn’t going to change the fact that they like to wear it. Makeup is a form of self-expression that can be used by anyone at anytime. There are no rules or limits when it comes to apply and wearing it. If it makes you happy to wake up everyday and put on a bunch of eyeshadow and foundation then you should do it. If it makes you happy to wake up and never wear any makeup then you should do that as well. You can wear as little or as much as you want. The only thing that matters is that it makes you happy.

Lipsticks & Highlighters

Applying lipstick or lip gloss can definitely add to a makeup look. It can make it look more dramatic, or just add some more detail to your face. When it comes to choosing what to put on your lips, there are many different choices. Lip liners, lip glosses, and lipsticks are a few to start with. When wearing lipstick, it is always best to apply lip liner first to ensure the lipstick will stay on longer. You can also use a different color of lip liner to change the color of the lipstick to make it darker or lighter. After using a lip liner on your lips to outline them, you can either apply a lipstick or lip gloss to the middle of them, or just leave them like they are. If you choose to apply lipstick, you need to decide what kind to get. Most lipsticks come in matte, metallic, and satin finishes. Matte lipsticks usually last the longest and look dry on your lips, while satin lipsticks look more wet and move around more. Metallic lipsticks have tiny shimmers in them to reflect light and they look beautiful in the light. If you would rather use a gloss, they also come in glossy and metallic finishes. Lip glosses look shiny on your lips and  definitely need to be reapplied during the day. While lipsticks, lip liners, and lip glosses all come in different finishes, they also come in a variety of different colors. You can pick from a light dusty pink, to a bright turquoise blue. Picking a color depends on what look you’re going for and how brave you can be with a bold color.

After you get everything else done with your makeup, you can move on to using highlighter. Highlighters are usually very shimmery and make certain features of your face stand out more than others. Using a highlighter may be intimidating at first, but you can definitely get the hang of it in no time. To start, you want to either choose a peachy pink color, or a color that is slightly lighter than your skin tone. Then you need to find the places you want to highlight and lightly place highlighter in those areas. The most common areas are the top of the cheekbones above where you apply your contour and blush, the tip of the nose, cupid’s bow, and underneath the brows. You can choose between liquid and powder highlighters to apply shimmer to your face. The most important thing to remember with highlighter and most other makeup products is that a little goes a long way. You don’t want to apply too much highlighter and end up looking sweaty.

Like I mentioned in my last blog, there are several different ways and body parts to contour. As the most common and trending part of the face to contour is the cheekbones, the nose is also a popular body part to contour among makeup artists and beauty gurus. Nose contouring is very popular in order to make the nose slimmer and give it a different shape. Many celebrities get their noses contoured in order to make them look different. When contouring your nose, you take a shade of foundation or power that is a few shades darker than your skin tone in order to create a shadow effect where you want to contour. To begin the contour, you go down the bridge of your nose on both sides to slim the middle down. Then you round off the tip of your nose to give it a “button nose” effect. Using a light shade of concealer, you then place the down the middle of your nose in between the dark shades to highlight this area and brighten it up. This can slim down your nose and give your face a new structure.

The other very popular facial structure to contour is the lips. Many celebrities do this in order to make their lips bigger and more full. Many beauty gurus have began this trend after seeing Kylie Jenner’s lips. To contour your lips, you can either overline your natural lip line with a lip pencil, or you can use concealer and a dark lip pencil to make them look more full. In order to make them bigger with a lip pencil, you simply draw out a shape bigger than your actual lip line. You have to make sure to blend out where you overline or else it will be very easy to tell. That is something you always want to avoid. Using a concealer and dark lip pencil to contour your lips is usually more time consuming, but also more effective. You begin by outlining where you want it to go, then you have to shade the lips to give them depth and definition. You then apply a light shade of concealer to the middle of the lips and blend that out. After that, highlight the cupid’s bow and you’re finished! Contouring is a very popular trend that has been known for changing facial structures and making people look different. It may not always work for everyone, but it may work for you. You always need to make sure you blend everything out and do not overdo it.

Falsies & Contour

Applying false lashes is an optional step to applying makeup. False lashes, or falsies, come in a variety of brands and styles. When it comes to picking false lashes, you should decide if you want them to look dramatic or natural. Dramatic falsies are better for bold makeup looks and tend to be more full. Simple false lashes tend to be less full and help enhance your natural lashes. Before applying false lashes, you need to make sure that they fit your eyelid the way you want, and you can always trim them if they are too long. When trimming lashes, it is best to start at the end of the lash, because trimming the front will make the lash look odd on your eyes. After trimming the lashes, apply a tiny amount of lash glue along the strip and carefully lay the lash as closely to your natural eyelashes as possible. Be careful not to add too much glue or else it will get all over your eyelid. You can choose to use tweezers to help get the lashes as accurate as you can. Gluing them close to your real eyelashes will make them look more natural and ensure that they stay on longer. After laying the lashes where you want them, gently apply pressure to all parts of the lash so you can make sure it gets glued on.

       Contouring is a popular makeup trend that has been copied from many celebrities. It can alter the structure of your face depending on what and how you contour. The most popular structure to contour is the cheekbones and jawline. You can use bronzer to give the impression of shadows from your cheekbones and jawline. Since contouring has become a popular trend, many makeup artists have found other ways to contour different parts of the face such as the nose, lips, and even ears. When you contour, you can either use a powder bronzer or even a liquid foundation or concealer that is a few shades darker than your skin tone. When contouring the cheekbones, you apply whatever product you are using to contour with a little below where your actual cheekbone begins and you blend it out. You don't want to have harsh lines or a very noticeable contour on your face. It is best to start small and work your way up. There are many different types of contouring that I will begin to explain next week.

Eyeliner & Mascara

After you get your eyeshadow blended and applied the way you want it, you can move on to eyeliner. Eyeliner is in my opinion, the most difficult part of makeup to deal with. It has taken me a lot of practice to be confident enough with my eyeliner ability. Eyeliner comes in many forms such as liquid, pencil, and gel. If you use an eyeliner pen they either have a brush or felt tip. For gel eyeliner, you have to use a brush to apply it. When you first start out doing eyeliner, it is easier to start off slowly and add on to what you're doing such as a wing or just a line. You can find eyeliner in almost every color, and there is even glitter liner. If you want to do winged liner and you're not very good at it, you can buy stencils that can help you apply it easier. If you don't want to buy one, you can apply scotch tape diagonally on the outer corner of your eyelid and use that to direct your liner the way you want it. If you mess up your eyeliner, you can use concealer to correct it. Aside from using eyeliner to make a wing or lining your eyelid, you can tight line your upper lashes to make them seem fuller. To do this you take a black eyeliner pencil and apply it to your upper waterline underneath your upper lashes. This will help your lashes to look fuller and make it look more dramatic. You can also line your bottom waterline with black to make your eye look smaller and also to smoke it out and make your eyeshadow look more dramatic. If you do not want to use black, you can use white to make your eyes brighter. Aside from using eyeliner to complete an eye makeup look, you also need mascara.

Before you apply any kind of mascara or even false lashes, you should always curl your lashes with an eyelash curler. When using an eyelash curler, you have to be careful not to make any sudden movements so you don't end up ripping your eyelashes out. When curling your lashes, use the lash curler and place your upper lashes between the clamp and get as close to the base of your lashes as possible and then close down on your lashes for a few seconds. Be careful not to do it too harshly to prevent your lashes from breaking. After curling your lashes, you can apply mascara. Mascara comes in two forms; waterproof and non waterproof. Waterproof mascara is great for when you know you'll be around water, but you should not apply it everyday because it is harder to remove and the ingredients in it that make it waterproof are not very healthy for your eyelashes. While applying mascara, it is best to try and coat the bottom and top of the lashes. This makes the lashes look darker and it will help the mascara to last longer. After coating your top lashes, you can move on to the bottom lashes and coat them in mascara as well. When applying mascara to your bottom lashes, it is easiest to tilt your head down to make sure you don't get mascara under your eye. If you do happen to get it on your eyelid or under your eye, you can use concealer to cover it up, a makeup remover wipe to clean it up, or you can apply eyeshadow over it.

Eye makeup

When it comes to doing your eye makeup, there are limitless looks that you can create. How you do your eyeshadow and eyeliner depends on what kind of makeup look you want to create. There are eyeshadow looks that are more natural, and others that can be more dramatic. After you decide how you want to apply your eyeshadow, you first need to start by applying primer on your eyelid. This will keep your eyeshadow from creasing and moving around on your eyelid throughout the day. When you’re choosing shades, you need to decide if you want matte or glitter colors. It is also good to determine which colors best compliment your eye color. For blue eyes, purples, coppers, silvers, and blues make the eyes pop. The best colors for brown/hazel eyes are greens, golds, earth tones, and smokey blues. Green eyes look best with plums, taupes, gold, and neutral colors. After deciding what colors to use, you need to decide what you want your eyeshadow to look like. You can do a cut crease look, smokey eyeshadow, natural, or dramatic. There are countless YouTube videos that can educate you on how to achieve any of those looks.

To do a simple makeup look such as the picture below, you start out by applying primer all over the lid. Then, you blend a light brown or burnt orange color into the outer crease, making a “V” shape. On top of where you applied the transition shade, you layer a dark brown overtop of it. Using a clean blending brush, blend the two colors together, while keeping the “V” shape in the outer corner. After you get the colors blended the way you want, you can then apply eyeliner. If your eyeshadow doesn’t turn out as winged as you would like, you can always use concealer to clean up the edges. After applying eyeliner, you can curl your lashes and brush on mascara and/or apply falsies. Using a white eyeshadow, you can lightly apply it under the arch of your eyebrow to highlight. If you choose to do so, you can use some of the brown that you used in your crease to smoke out your bottom lashline. This will make your eyes appear bigger and more open. Applying a white or cream colored eyeliner in your bottom waterline will also help your eyes to look brighter if you think the eyeshadow made your eye look darker.

     If you want to do an eye look with glitter, it is best to use a glitter primer to ensure the glitter stays on all day. The Too Faced Glitter Glue or the NYX glitter primer are both great primers to use. The only downside to using glitter is that it can get pretty messy and you have to make sure you know where you want to apply it. Applying glitter can dress up a simple eyeshadow look and make it look more interesting and bold. You should always make sure that the glitter you use is safe for your skin because if not it can irritate skin and damage it. There are many different brands that sell skin safe glitters, and you can always search them and read reviews to find the best one for yourself.

Baking and Eyebrows

                 

After you finish blending out your concealer, you can use a powder to set your face. Applying powder on top of your foundation and concealer ensures that your makeup will last longer throughout the day and keep it from creasing. “Baking” is a technique used for primarily for undereye concealer to keep it from creasing. To “bake” your face, you simply take translucent powder on a slightly damp beauty blender and pack it on top of where you applied concealer. You let the powder sit on your face for three to five minutes before you brush it off. The heat from your face draws out the oils in your skin and mixes with the powder, allowing your skin to stay matte. After you have waited three to five minutes, you can use a large makeup brush to dust the excess powder off. Baking is recommended for people who suffer from oily skin. After you finish setting your face, it is up to you to decide which area of your makeup that you would like to move on to. Personally, I like to do my eyebrows and eyemakeup after I set my face.

                                              

I always find it easiest to do my eyebrows before I start applying eyeshadow, just in case I’m not happy with how they look and I want to fix them.Since eyebrows can change the way you look, it is always best to figure out how they best suit your face. When it comes to doing your eyebrows, you first need to decide whether or not you want to follow your natural brow shape, or if you want to make your own. If you plan to follow your natural brow shape then it is usually easier to use a brow pencil or powder. Although if you want to shape your eyebrows a certain way, brow pomade and brow gel is generally a lot easier to work with. If you plan to use a pomade or a gel, you should always start with a small amount and build the pigmentation up. Trust me, a little goes a long way when it comes to brow pomades. After you fill in your eyebrows, you can use a clear or tinted brow gel to keep your brow hairs in place. Brow gel is basically mascara for your eyebrows. If your eyebrows come out looking a little messy then you can always use concealer to clean up the edges of them.