You head to the store where a daunting wall of hooks holds your morning and night routine. Cosmetic brands hover above you, each of their products with a more promising message than the last: “beautiful, radiant skin,” “big, bold lashes,” and “smooth, kissable lips.” But we don’t need all these products. There’s only a few things every Collegiette should have and know how to properly use.
Toner and Moisturizer. Every Collegiette (and collegi-man?) should use a toner and moisturizer after showering or washing your face. Toner consists of moisturizers, oils, and extracts to help soothe skin and close pores, and should be applied with a cotton ball. Choose the right toner and moisturizer for your particular skin type to keep skin healthy and balanced. These are the products you should use to help with oily, dry, or shiny-looking skin (not foundation or bronzer).
Concealer. It’s one of those iffy products with a few different uses.
A lighter concealer is meant to conceal while brightening. Use a lighter concealer to cover up dark circles or sun spots, on the bridge of your nose to make it appear smaller, or on the arc of your chin to give it more shape. A thin, dabbed application of a lighter concealer with your fingertip or a makeup pad makes for a natural, yet enhanced look to the area. For dark circles, apply only where the dark color occurs, not directly below the entire eye, says the magazine Elle.
A concealer that matches your skin color conceals blemishes, like pimples and scars, but be sure to use it sparingly and blend it with the area you’re covering.
Foundation. Most Collegiettes use it, but not all use it in the right way. A foundation is meant for evening the skin tone and for possible problem areas. But when it doubt, use less and use the right products!
- Tinted Moisturizer. Now this isn’t like your moisturizer from right out of the shower. Tinted moisturizer has added color, but is lighter and more natural looking, and can help conceal freckles or uneven skin tone without giving you that caked-on look. For those with little-to-no problem skin, apply a tinted moisturizer on areas where you’re looking to even the skin tone (not necessarily on your entire face!) with clean fingers or a makeup pad. Again, use less at first and make sure to blend completely for a flawless look.
- Foundation. For those with problem skin, go for a liquid foundation that matches or is slightly lighter than your natural skin tone. There are plenty of different versions of liquid foundation (oil-free, oil-based, waterproof, etc.) and ones with even different types of coverage. This type of foundation conceals completely, so don’t use it if tinted moisturizer will do the trick! First apply sparingly with a makeup pad, then apply more if desired. A little goes a long way with liquid foundation, so just a dab or two should be enough for full coverage. Make sure if you are using liquid, you apply to your jaw line and neck as well as your face to complete the entire look. Powder foundations are another option to apply full coverage on your face, but powders don’t always blend as much as they appear to sometimes sit on the skin, so apply powder sparingly, too!
Blush and Bronzer. Two products either under-used or over-used. Both of these products are meant to accentuate parts of the face, not completely cover or color.
Use blush to contour your cheeks by brushing on your upper cheeks and into your hairline. A light pink blush works for most skin types, and a bright pink blush for tan skin. Though most girls don’t bother with blush, it can add a lot of great, natural looking color to your face!
Use bronzer to contour, and contour only! Bronzer isn’t meant for your entire face but for adding shape and shadow to what’s already there. Use bronzer directly underneath cheekbones, on your jaw line, and on the sides of your nose (for those looking to make it appear smaller) with a round-top brush, then lightly blend it into your neck and hairline! Bronzer should be applied where the sun hits your face to add (what appears to be) shadow, not just to make you appear tanner. Though we all want that beautiful, summer glow, adding it artificially is not the way to go.
Eyeliner and Mascara. Two more products that do wonders for your face, and just with minor application. For eyeliner and mascara, browns and blacks are your best bet, and they’re easy to carry out with you for minor touch-ups.
Apply a thin line of eyeliner above your top lashes, and make gradually thicker as you come to the outer corner of your eye, but not too thick! Top liner should just enhance your eyes, not take away from them. Then, apply a brushing of liner to your bottom lid and simply fade into the inner corner of your eye; don’t pile on eyeliner here either!
For mascara, use an eyelash curler (if you so desire) before applying, and then apply lightly and gently to your upper lashes and even lighter to your lower lashes. Fake, thick lashes are easy to spot and distracting, when long, natural-looking lashes bring positive attention to your eyes. Brown mascara doesn’t add as much contrast as black mascara and is good for those with light colored lashes as well as dark lashes. Try slowly closing your eye while simultaneously applying mascara for a lengthened curl.
SO, when in doubt, less is more and don’t overdo it! As much as we may rely on makeup for a beautiful, flawless face, a natural look is truly the best one. So clear out that makeup bag and strip down to just the essentials. You’ll be surprised at how easily you can accomplish a gorgeous look with just a little makeup.