THE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
1. Moisturize your skin - To create a nice base for your makeup, your skin must be smooth and moisturized.
2. Apply primer - You can use one of the great and highly recommended primers from Smashbox, Urban Decay, or Armani. But I recommend using a nice sunscreen during the day time as a primer like Bioderma or Clarins.
3. Apply foundation - The simplest way to get foundation is to go into the store of your choice - either drug store, department store, Sephora, or Mac, and ask one of the salespeople to help you match afoundation to your skin color. You can take a second or third opinion from other salespeople in that store and in other stores to make sure the foundation suits you and doesn't make you look pale, ashy, oily, or too matte. Next, use your fingers to apply the foundation, bit by bit on your face. Be sure not to over apply.
4. Use a concealer - Now that you have applied foundation lightly, use concealer to spot cover those hard to cover areas like acne, pimples, or hyperpigmentation.
5. Use a powder - Although I don't recommend using a powder since it predisposes the skin to wrinkles, it's a personal preference. Using a fluffy brush, sweep powder on top of your freshly foundation-ed face.
6. Do your eyes - You can use your fingers or a smaller brush to sweep eyeshadow across your eyelids. To apply eye liner, I recommend using a liquid liner, and with a steady hand, sweep the applicator across your lid close to the lash line. You can also use a pencil eye liner to rim your lids from the inside. For a smoldering look, use black on the inner rims, or you can use white for a wide-eyed effect. The finishing touch for eye-makeup is mascara. Simply swipe the wand from lashline outward. You can even apply mascara on your lower eyelashes.
7. Do your cheeks - Using a mid sized brush, apply blush on the apples of your cheeks, sweeping outward toward your hairline.
8. Apply lip color - Make sure to clean the outer edges of your lips to prevent feathering. And don't forget to check if you got lipstick on your teeth!
9. Finishing touches - There are many additional steps that professionals use when applying makeup. You can use highlight (a cream or powder color a shade lighter than your skin tone) along your brow bone just below your eyebrows, along the center of your nose, and above the apples of your cheeks. Use a lowlight (a darker cream or powder color) on the sides of your nose, below the apples of your cheeks, and on your temples. Use a bronzer on the outer edges of your face applying it as the number 3: temple, cheeks, and chin. Doing your eyebrows can make a drastic difference in your appearance.
Take either a brow pencil or use a thin brush with brown powder and color in your brows starting from the arch and going outwards, then going back to the beginning of your brows.
As with everything, practice makes perfect. It may take a while to understand your face and what looks best on you, so keep trying and have fun!
Be sure to check out my other articles!