As a licensed cosmetologist, I would like to
share how to develop the art of truly being a makeup artist on your own face.
First, please toss out old ideas you may have
had, as well as the “one size fits all” beauty tips you’ve picked up along the
way. You don’t want any pre-conceived ideas that may cloud your judgment.
Get in front of a mirror, with natural light.
Cleanse your face, moisturize, etc. to get it ready for makeup. Get all your
brushes, makeup gathered and pull your hair back out of the way. Imagine
yourself as your own artist, with your face as the canvas upon which you are
about to create a look.
There are 2 very important principals to
remember. Light colors bring out, gives the illusion of an area being forward
or front. Dark colors set back, creates a look of depth.
Now, really study for your face for a few
minutes, don’t focus for now on any particular area, look at shape overall. It
might help to even write down notes about impressions you get. What areas seem
to need brought out? What areas seem to need to be set back?
An example would be a very round face would
need an area in the cheeks set back (darker) to give the illusion of higher
cheekbones, more slender face, at the same time using some lighter shades on the
forehead area above the temples to also create a look of lengthening the face.
A chin that is a bit undercut would need to be brought forth more to give the
appearance of being more prominent than it is (lighter color).
When using lighter & darker colors for
shading & highlighting, be sure to blend very well and use a light touch.
Choose a foundation that is very close to your natural skin coloring. I
personally have recently discovered mineral makeup (you can do an online search
for several brands) or you can use any brand you want. I just have found these
very easy to use for using light & dark colors where needed. Blend, blend and
blend more, you don’t want anything that looks obvious or any streaking
appearance. Also if you’re a light blonde, you wouldn’t use something super
dark for shading because you wouldn’t be able to blend it in a way to look
natural. Use a shade that’s 1 or 2 shades darker than your natural skin tone,
same with lighter shades, 1 or 2 shades lighter than your own skin tone.
Look at your eyes closely now. You want to
create balance. Not every eye will look best with the typical medium color on
the lid, darkest in the crease and highlighter on the brow. Again, look at your
eye shape, what needs brought forth (light), and what needs to recede (dark). A
person with deep-set eyes for example will do best with a light to medium shade
on their lid, the lightest side in their crease, and a medium shade on their
brow bone. The person with the deep-set eyes needs to avoid dark colors
altogether, it will only accentuate the problem. Having the lightest color in
the crease will help bring forth their eyes, making their eyes look bigger,
wider and not set back. This is the opposite pattern of what is typically
taught.
If a person has eyes that are close set
together, you want light colors around the inside areas of the eyes (near the
nose) to give the appearance of more space being there, making the eyes look
wider apart, and darker colors on the outside edges.
Play with the different looks until you get
the right one for your bone structure. It also helps to stand back away from a
mirror, from across a room to look, as you get a better feel of overall balance
than right up close. Don’t be afraid to try new combos you hadn’t thought of
before, it might be the perfect fit for you!
At this point, I've got to mention a brand of
makeup that I love, love, love! Bareminerals SPF 15 Powder Foundation - Medium
(other colors available too)
is unlike anything I've ever tried before. They are
basically crushed minerals, so everything comes in a powder form, including
foundation. It's also very good for your skin and actually helps clear up
your complexion some. As I've aged, I personally was concerned trying it
as anything in powder form seems to be very drying to my already alligator
(hypothyroid) dry skin. Cosmetics also tend to settle in the fine lines
(notice I didn't say wrinkles lol), and I obviously didn't want that look.
The other thing I was amazed at, I have NEVER tried a brand of cosmetics in my
life that stayed on my face more than about 2-3 hours. Doesn't matter what
I do, the cosmetics are just absorbed into my skin and disappear. I've
found with these, literally it stays on, looking great all day, plus it doesn't
feel as though you are wearing any. Because the foundation is in a powder
form, it also makes shading and highlighting as described very easy.
(other colors available too)
is unlike anything I've ever tried before. They are
basically crushed minerals, so everything comes in a powder form, including
foundation. It's also very good for your skin and actually helps clear up
your complexion some. As I've aged, I personally was concerned trying it
as anything in powder form seems to be very drying to my already alligator
(hypothyroid) dry skin. Cosmetics also tend to settle in the fine lines
(notice I didn't say wrinkles lol), and I obviously didn't want that look.
The other thing I was amazed at, I have NEVER tried a brand of cosmetics in my
life that stayed on my face more than about 2-3 hours. Doesn't matter what
I do, the cosmetics are just absorbed into my skin and disappear. I've
found with these, literally it stays on, looking great all day, plus it doesn't
feel as though you are wearing any. Because the foundation is in a powder
form, it also makes shading and highlighting as described very easy.