If you have problems with your makeup creasing, crumbling, moving or fading, you might be applying your makeup in the wrong order. These problems are very common, and the solutions are very simple. To achieve a flawless face, follow these 14 fool-proof steps!
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1. Moisturizer
This is what you should do 5 to 10 minutes before you begin your makeup routine. Facial makeup tends to cling to dry skin, so hydrating your skin is absolutely essential. The reason you should be applying your moisturizer in advance is so that it can completely soak in. If your moisturizer is still sitting on the surface of your skin, it can encourage your primer and foundation to move around.
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, $36
2. Primer
A primer’s main goal is to be a base for foundation. It allows the foundation to go on smoother and more effectively “stick” to the skin. Primers can come with specific purposes: to fill in pores, reduce redness, illuminate, moisturize, etc. You should choose primer based on your skin’s biggest problem areas. Like moisturizer, you should let your primer sit for a little before going in with foundation.
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3. Foundation
All foundations are made to even out the skin tone, but which type of foundation is right for you? My personal favorites are liquid foundations and tinted moisturizers. Liquid foundations tend to be medium to full coverage and range from matte to dewy in finish. Tinted moisturizers and BB creams provide a lighter coverage but tend to be more hydrating and better for the skin.
Foundation should match the rest of your skin, so when picking a shade, match it to your neck. Often times, our faces are not a good representation of our skin tone. To be sure that your foundation blends in seamlessly, remember to blend it down the neck, under the ears and into the hairline.
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4. Concealer
Concealer that’s the same shade as your foundation is for covering imperfections like blemishes, dark spots and redness. Concealer that’s lighter than your foundation is for covering dark circles and highlighting under the eyes. You can also use lighter concealers to highlight the bridge of your nose and center of your forehead.
It’s important to always apply concealer after foundation. Otherwise it won’t stay in place. However, if you choose to color correct, you can do so over or under foundation.
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5. Setting Powder
Powder sets your liquid makeup in place. The most important places to set are under your eyes and in your T-zone. Setting powder helps to prevent creasing and oiliness throughout the day. Some people confuse setting powder with powder foundation, and there is a big difference; powder foundations provide coverage while most setting powders do not.
The reason to apply setting powder before bronzer, blush and highlighter is to ensure a smoother application. If you try to swipe a powder bronzer over liquid foundation, it will stick to the foundation and make for a patchy application. It’s much easier to brush a powder over a powder.
6. Eyebrows
Doing your eyebrows before your eyes is essential. The shape of your eyebrow will guide your shadow and liner application. First you should brush your eyebrow hair with a spoolie brush. Then you can apply pigment with a pencil, pomade or powder. You can then apply a gel or wax to set the hair in place.
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7. Eye shadow
Applying eye shadow has everything to do with preference. The colors you apply and style you choose depend heavily on your eye shape, skin tone, eye color and hair color. Some people apply an eye shadow primer before this step, but I think applying concealer to your lids and setting it with a powder is just as good.
8. Eyeliner
Applying eyeliner after shadow is important. If you apply eyeliner before shadow, the shadow can cover or smudge the liner. Now, liner is not essential to every makeup look. Many people don’t apply liner at all, and that’s fine. You should do what best suits your face.
Liners come in many forms: usually liquid, pencil and gel. Liquid liners can be precise and pigmented but are easier to mess up. Pencil liners are easy to manipulate or erase if you mess up but can smudge or wear off during the day. Gel liners go on smoothly and easily but must be applied with a brush.
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9. Mascara
You should never apply mascara before eyeliner. Liner needs to be applied as close as possible to the lash line, so if you’ve already applied mascara, your lashes will get in the way. I look for a mascara that does three things: lengthens, volumizes and separates the lash hairs. For an extra glamorous look, you can apply false lashes after this step.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer, $30
10. Bronzer
Bronzer tans the skin and replaces natural shadows that were covered up by foundation. If you applied blush or highlighter before bronzer, it would cause the bronzer to look muddy. Bronzer should be a part of your base. Be careful to not buy a bronzer that’s too dark for your skin. It should look natural!
11. Blush
Having flushed, pink cheeks makes for healthy, youthful-looking skin. Put that pink back into your cheeks with blush. Many makeup lovers apply their bronzer, blush and highlighter right after setting powder. That is certainly an option! I’ve chosen this order because I think it’s easier to match my blush to my eyes than vice versa. You want to be light-handed with blush. It should look like a natural, subtle flush.
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12. Highlighter
Highlighter attracts light to your skin. Applying it to the high points of your face (where light will hit) creates dimension and a glow. These high points are the bridge of the nose, brow bone, tops of the cheekbones, center of the forehead, inner corners of the eyes and cupid’s bow. If you have extra texture on your skin, highlighter can bring attention to it. To avoid that, simply skip the more textured areas.
13. Lips
Lips should always be the last step in applying makeup. Whether your going for a matte lipstick or a simple gloss, you want it to last as long as possible. If you have your lip color on while your applying creams and powders, you risk getting those in your lip color. You then have to layer on more product which can cause your lip color to cake, crease or crumble.
14. Setting Spray
Using a setting spray helps to set your makeup in place and make it last. I can get away with not using a setting spray if I’ve applied a really long-wearing foundation and powder, but setting sprays have another use, too. They are the best solution if you’ve over-powdered your face. Spritzing your face helps to make that powder blend into the skin and creates a dewier finish.