There are some gals who are blessed with the ability to sweep on a perfect contour and effortlessly blend and highlight their faces. And then there are those who struggle to keep their eyes open when putting on mascara. Sometimes makeup just seems super intimidating. There are all these videos out there that display expensive materials and years of experience. That’s all good for the people who are comfortable with that, but if you’re like me and just starting out with a CVS lipstick and eyeliner (and let’s be real, probably not expunging much beyond there), there are still ways to look fabulous without all the scary new terminology and intimidating equipment. Here are some basic tips to help you look absolutely flawless.
Lips
The first step — the easiest one to transition to and probably the most noticeable — is a nice lip look.
Basic Tools: Lipstick
More Advanced: Lip liner and lip gloss
Tips and Tricks: Lipstick is pretty self-explanatory for the most part. Start in the middle, and then sweep outwards. To make your lips look a little bigger, apply it just ever so slightly over the line of your actual lips. If you do have lip liner, first create an outline to fill in with the lipstick. Blend the outline so it looks more natural. For that perfect cupid’s bow, draw an ‘X’ at the high points of your lips. If you want some shine or a bit of a color blend, add some lip gloss.
Eyes
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and a good eye look can say it all. This is my personal favorite part of the makeup routine.
Basic Tools: Pencil eyeliner, liquid eyeliner (I strongly recommend Maybelline Line Stiletto—it goes on super smooth, is easy to use and doesn’t leave as many smudges as other liquid eyeliners), mascara (look for lash volume ones!), eye shadow.
More Advanced: Eyelash curler, tweezers (for the brows) and eyebrow pencils
Tips and Tricks: The standard order is eye shadow, eye liner and then mascara, but feel free to skip over whichever step you don’t feel like doing. The easiest way to start off is with just one shade of eyeshadow. If you want to progress to more colors, use the lightest color first on the inner corners, the middle of the eye and just under the brow. Then move on to the darker colors. When applying a cat eye, make the outline of the shape you want, and then fill it in. If you’re struggling to get it even, a neat trick is to use a piece of tape just under your eye to get the perfect tilt. If you happen to have white eyeliner, apply it to your water line (that’s that area below your eye and before your lower lashes!) to make your eyes look bigger.
Other Miscellaneous Tips
- A bit of a shimmer on the top of your cheek bones makes you look sunkissed and glowing.
- If you’re applying blush, suck in your cheeks a bit and work with that hollow space you get.
- Invest in makeup sponges to evenly apply liquid foundation. For extra coverage, use a powdered concealer over liquid foundation.
- Sometimes all you really need is a dab of foundation to cover up dark circles under your eyes.
- Don’t go to bed in makeup! Use makeup wipes to quickly get rid of your makeup before you sleep. If you don’t have any or can’t find them, baby wipes work just as well.
- Q-Tips are great for correcting mistakes in eyeliner or lipstick.
Makeup can be a fun tool to express yourself, but by no means should you ever feel forced to use it or try it. If it is something you’ve always wanted to try but never had the guts to do, hopefully these tips can help you on your way to makeup greatness! Or at least they can make you more comfortable in trying out that eyeliner your mom gave you for your birthday.
Photo Credit: rebeccabrown.com.au