I've had several girls tell me recently "Larken, I want to wear makeup but I don't really know how to do it." This is for you. This is also for Nate, who will probably want it to be required reading for every girl, ever.
GENERAL MATERIALS:
The Eyelash Curler- If you are not blessed with naturally curly eyelashes, you want one of these. It the BEST way I have found to open up the eye, brighten the face, make you look more awake, etc. It is NOT hard to use, it just takes a little practice, as all makeup does, and if you are doing it right, it DOES NOT hurt. And NO, it will not pull out your eyelashes or break them, especially if you use it BEFORE you put on mascara.
Brushes- You CAN get by without them, using Q-tips, your fingers, sponges, etc. However, they are the best investment and make makeup much easier. You don't have to get the most expensive kind, just something soft that will be nice to your face. Most of the time, the brushes that come with a package are NOT soft and nice to use. That is why I never use them. Same with the little sponge applicators- those are good for one time use and that is about all. You SHOULD periodically wash out your brushes. Trying using Shampoo or dish soap. I won't scare you by telling you about all the strange things that can grow in brushes that aren't clean, but just think about it for a quick second and decide not to share and clean your brushes, m'kay? As for types, I recommend a big poofy one for powder/bronzer (get 2 if you are picky about cross-contamination), a slanted one for blush, something small enough for the eyelid, especially for getting in the crease, either a flat square brush or a flat angle brush and a lip brush is always nice. If this is sounding like a lot, try www.eyeslipsface.com. Everything there is $1. No joke. And they have brushes. If you want to put on foundation with a brush, get a foundation brush too. I have done it that way but mostly I use a sponge.
BASE/FOUNDATION/SKIN:
First thing I always start with is moisturizer. If you don't moisturizer, you must not live in Utah and/ or have supernatural skin. Will moisturizer make you break out? NO NO NO. It will probably improve your skin, even if you have an oily type face. If you wear moisturizer, you might as well get some with sunscreen in it.
Base should always, always match your skin. It is acceptable to go 1 to 2 shades darker if you are going to be on stage. Going a shade lighter will probably make you look sick. If you are very pale (like me) please don't think darker makeup is the answer to looking tanner. That is what tactful bronzer is for. And self tanning face creams. And the sun. And accepting your skin the way it is. So MAKE SURE YOUR BASE/FOUNDATION MATCHES YOUR SKIN. Try to get as much light on your skin as possible when checking this. Look to see if you have that nasty line between your face and your neck. If you do, your foundation is the WRONG color.
Cream or liquid foundations are designed to be set with a powder after application. Otherwise, they will stay liquid/ creamy and rub off your face. Nobody likes this. So use a loose or pressed powder. It ALWAYS makes the foundation look better anyway. Do it. For me. And for the boy you are hugging. He doesn't want makeup on his shoulder.
Orange skin DOES NOT look good on anybody but Oopa Loompas. Avoid orange by avoiding bad self tanners and bad foundation.
Again when applying blush and bronzer, try to see what you are doing in good light. Experiment until you find colors that work for you. Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks and go diagonally up into your hairline. Blush makes you look awake, alive, happy, all kinds of good things.
Finally, let's try to look like we have skin, not some other material on our faces. Looking naturally pretty is a wonderful thing. Remember you probably see problems with your skin that no one else does. So go for less. Cause we can tell when you pile it on and IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. Right Nate?
EYES:
Eyeliner, my friends is supposed to be mysterious. By that I mean it should be nice and cosy with your eyelashes. "Floating" eyeline does not look good. If you have a hard time with this, try gently pulling your bottom lid down and approaching from above with the liner. Or on the upper lid, gently pulling up and applying liner below the lashes. It takes practice to do it this way and not get it IN your eye, but IT CAN be done. Feel free to line the whole lid, or just a part of the lid. Try both and see which looks better on YOUR eyes. You can use eyeshadow for eyeliner. That is what your flat square or flat angled brush is for, among other things. Get the brush a little wet and you will have an easier time of this.
Eyeshadow- Is fun! Trust me! This is the area where you can play most with color. As a general guideline though, use the darkest color in the crease of your eye and the lightest color as a highlight near your tear duct (not in, please) and right under your eyebrow at the outer part of your eye. This creates an optical illusion that your eye is both bigger and more lifted. Good things, I promise. I don't care how many different shades you wear on your eyes, just try to not to look like you are in a runway show, cause that stuff is scary.
Cat eye/smoky or smudy eye/ Jack Sparrow eye makeup/ rockstar eyes- This is generally a look for evening. If you wear it all the time, during the day, I hope you 1. have a record deal or 2. are seeking therapy. Rock it at night, especially in the low lighting.
Mascara- There are so many different products out there I think the best thing to do is keep trying different kinds until you find one you love. The only real advice I have is to wear WATERPROOF is you might, for any reason, cry. Church, funerals, weddings, Hallmark commercials....
Eyelashes should not be solid or chunky. You should see individual hairs. False eyelashes are in a different category and if you have questions, talk to me after class.
EYEBROWS:
My pet subject. They are too often overlooked. Here we go.
Please pluck, wax or do whatever you need to do. Please. This one applies to guys too. If your shape is fine otherwise but you need to trim your eyebrows, do that. You will probably need help doing this.
Boys! Don't overshape your eyebrows unless you want to look gay, European or like an escort. Get your girlfriend, your sister or someone you trust to help you out.
If you are a natural blonde and you would like to have eyebrows ( I highly recommend you do), please use a LIGHT colored eyebrow pencil or powder. Unless your life's ambition is to look like Groucho Marx.
If you are an "enhanced" blonde and it is appropriate to do so, PLEASE lighten your eyebrows.
GENERAL MATERIALS:
The Eyelash Curler- If you are not blessed with naturally curly eyelashes, you want one of these. It the BEST way I have found to open up the eye, brighten the face, make you look more awake, etc. It is NOT hard to use, it just takes a little practice, as all makeup does, and if you are doing it right, it DOES NOT hurt. And NO, it will not pull out your eyelashes or break them, especially if you use it BEFORE you put on mascara.
Brushes- You CAN get by without them, using Q-tips, your fingers, sponges, etc. However, they are the best investment and make makeup much easier. You don't have to get the most expensive kind, just something soft that will be nice to your face. Most of the time, the brushes that come with a package are NOT soft and nice to use. That is why I never use them. Same with the little sponge applicators- those are good for one time use and that is about all. You SHOULD periodically wash out your brushes. Trying using Shampoo or dish soap. I won't scare you by telling you about all the strange things that can grow in brushes that aren't clean, but just think about it for a quick second and decide not to share and clean your brushes, m'kay? As for types, I recommend a big poofy one for powder/bronzer (get 2 if you are picky about cross-contamination), a slanted one for blush, something small enough for the eyelid, especially for getting in the crease, either a flat square brush or a flat angle brush and a lip brush is always nice. If this is sounding like a lot, try www.eyeslipsface.com. Everything there is $1. No joke. And they have brushes. If you want to put on foundation with a brush, get a foundation brush too. I have done it that way but mostly I use a sponge.
BASE/FOUNDATION/SKIN:
First thing I always start with is moisturizer. If you don't moisturizer, you must not live in Utah and/ or have supernatural skin. Will moisturizer make you break out? NO NO NO. It will probably improve your skin, even if you have an oily type face. If you wear moisturizer, you might as well get some with sunscreen in it.
Base should always, always match your skin. It is acceptable to go 1 to 2 shades darker if you are going to be on stage. Going a shade lighter will probably make you look sick. If you are very pale (like me) please don't think darker makeup is the answer to looking tanner. That is what tactful bronzer is for. And self tanning face creams. And the sun. And accepting your skin the way it is. So MAKE SURE YOUR BASE/FOUNDATION MATCHES YOUR SKIN. Try to get as much light on your skin as possible when checking this. Look to see if you have that nasty line between your face and your neck. If you do, your foundation is the WRONG color.
Cream or liquid foundations are designed to be set with a powder after application. Otherwise, they will stay liquid/ creamy and rub off your face. Nobody likes this. So use a loose or pressed powder. It ALWAYS makes the foundation look better anyway. Do it. For me. And for the boy you are hugging. He doesn't want makeup on his shoulder.
Orange skin DOES NOT look good on anybody but Oopa Loompas. Avoid orange by avoiding bad self tanners and bad foundation.
Again when applying blush and bronzer, try to see what you are doing in good light. Experiment until you find colors that work for you. Apply blush on the apples of your cheeks and go diagonally up into your hairline. Blush makes you look awake, alive, happy, all kinds of good things.
Finally, let's try to look like we have skin, not some other material on our faces. Looking naturally pretty is a wonderful thing. Remember you probably see problems with your skin that no one else does. So go for less. Cause we can tell when you pile it on and IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. Right Nate?
EYES:
Eyeliner, my friends is supposed to be mysterious. By that I mean it should be nice and cosy with your eyelashes. "Floating" eyeline does not look good. If you have a hard time with this, try gently pulling your bottom lid down and approaching from above with the liner. Or on the upper lid, gently pulling up and applying liner below the lashes. It takes practice to do it this way and not get it IN your eye, but IT CAN be done. Feel free to line the whole lid, or just a part of the lid. Try both and see which looks better on YOUR eyes. You can use eyeshadow for eyeliner. That is what your flat square or flat angled brush is for, among other things. Get the brush a little wet and you will have an easier time of this.
Eyeshadow- Is fun! Trust me! This is the area where you can play most with color. As a general guideline though, use the darkest color in the crease of your eye and the lightest color as a highlight near your tear duct (not in, please) and right under your eyebrow at the outer part of your eye. This creates an optical illusion that your eye is both bigger and more lifted. Good things, I promise. I don't care how many different shades you wear on your eyes, just try to not to look like you are in a runway show, cause that stuff is scary.
Cat eye/smoky or smudy eye/ Jack Sparrow eye makeup/ rockstar eyes- This is generally a look for evening. If you wear it all the time, during the day, I hope you 1. have a record deal or 2. are seeking therapy. Rock it at night, especially in the low lighting.
Mascara- There are so many different products out there I think the best thing to do is keep trying different kinds until you find one you love. The only real advice I have is to wear WATERPROOF is you might, for any reason, cry. Church, funerals, weddings, Hallmark commercials....
Eyelashes should not be solid or chunky. You should see individual hairs. False eyelashes are in a different category and if you have questions, talk to me after class.
EYEBROWS:
My pet subject. They are too often overlooked. Here we go.
Please pluck, wax or do whatever you need to do. Please. This one applies to guys too. If your shape is fine otherwise but you need to trim your eyebrows, do that. You will probably need help doing this.
Boys! Don't overshape your eyebrows unless you want to look gay, European or like an escort. Get your girlfriend, your sister or someone you trust to help you out.
If you are a natural blonde and you would like to have eyebrows ( I highly recommend you do), please use a LIGHT colored eyebrow pencil or powder. Unless your life's ambition is to look like Groucho Marx.
If you are an "enhanced" blonde and it is appropriate to do so, PLEASE lighten your eyebrows.
before they lightened my eyebrows. Ew ew ew.
After the lightening. Ta-da! I'm a blonde
DON'T do this yourself, or you could go blind.
On the same note, it is always nice when your eyebrows match your hair. For example, right now I have red hair and people don't believe me when I tell them its not natural because my eyebrows are red too. This is because I put a nice coppery eyeshadow in there with my slat square brush. And then comb through it with an eyebrow brush. Not hard. Makes a huge difference. This same technique can be used to fill in empty spots or just strengthen your eyebrows all together, which is nice because they are the frame for your eyes and eyes are the windows to the soul. Or so I've heard.
BLONDES:
I know this goes against every natural instinct, but you look good in neutral eyeshadows and brown mascara. Black can be too harsh, especially during the daytime. So just think about it sometimes, k?
Look at this photo where I did my makeup as if I was still a brunette and ended up looking a little cracked out.
not such the best picture of me
12 TO 15 YEAR OLDS, OR THOSE WHO ARE MAKEUP BEGINNERS:
You probably don't need foundation. Exceptions are those of you who have pigmentation-altering conditions. Concealer for blemishes? Sure. Just remember, if its a cream or liquid, it needs to be set with a powder and it NEEDS TO MATCH
Stick with neutral colors. I promise if you start experimenting with really dark or bright colors you will attract the wrong kind of attention. Wait till your face starts to thin out. Or maybe wait for a big event like Prom to go buck wild.
Lip gloss is good.
Remember what I said to blondes about brown mascara? It applies to you too. I would say optimally, you would wear moisturizer with sunscreen, curl your eyelashes, a quick coat of mascara and a little blush and some lip gloss. Maybe a little eyeshadow for Sundays.
Remember makeup takes practice. Ask your mom for help. If your mom doesn't wear makeup, ask a friend or a friend's mom.
DISCLAIMERS:
I am not a licensed cosmetologist, aesthetician, or dermatologist. However, I have had lots lots of practice and lots of classes. And I'm pretty dang good. So yes, I know what I am talking about.
I talk a lot in absolutes, but of course there are exceptions to every rule
If you don't wear makeup and don't want to, that's fine. I don't wear makeup every day. But consider it for special occaisions. Like your wedding.
Feel free to reproduce this at any time, for anything. Give me credit if you feel like it.
If you cannot get your eyelashes to curl, talk to me. I have lots of experience with stubborn eyelashes
If you have makeup questions or would like me to show you anything I have talked about here, feel free to ask me. I love doing people's makeup.
I LOVE YOU LARKEN!!! I like the post... I think everyone in the WHOLE WORLD needs to read it!!! Hugs and Kisses my DOVE!
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