For All Those Beginners: How Do I Put On Make-Up?

It is very important to start with a clean slate. Use a gentle cleanser with a light exfoliant. It is important to make sure that it is hypoallergenic. Your face is a very sensitive area and it won't take much to irritate it and make things worse. Whether you are in the shower or standing at the sink, gently apply a small amount, about the size of a pea, onto your face and softly rub onto face in an upwards motion, your forehead and left-right motion. Someday there will be a point when we are all worried about getting wrinkles and bags, and by always touching our face in an upwards motion it will help delay the aging process on our faces. We shouldn't help the aging process along at all, even if our faces are fresh and wrinkle-free now. Gently rinse the cleanser off and pat your face dry with a soft warm towel.

Soft as a baby butt! A good moisturizer is key. Your face will feel very itchy and flakey if you don't keep it moist. I like, again, Velocity facial moisturizer. It is lightweight and doesn't leave your face feeling greasy. Plus it helps absorb oil throughout the day. Apply a small amount, maybe a little more than the size of a pea, and gently massage it into your face. Make sure you are still using the upwards motion we talked about in step 1. Massage into face until all excess moisturizer in absorbed into your skin. Now doesn't that feel good??

Build a strong foundation. Some people do not like to use foundation and that is ok. But foundation is a great way to help protect your face from all those hazardous things you literally "face" everyday. The sun, wind, rain--anything can cause your face to get irritated. A good foundation will help protect your face from whatever is out there. Try a foundation with a light sunscreen in it. The extra protection will make a big difference. Make sure that you do not get a color that is too light or too dark for your face or it will look too painted on. It is important for it to look natural. If you really want a nice warm look on your face, a darker foundation is not the answer. Try some bronzer, which will be mentioned later. The general rule of thumb is to try to match your foundation with the color of your neck. This will assure that it is the most natural color you could wear. Blend the foundation into your face and make sure that is it all absorbed before you move onto the next step. A triangle sponge is very helpful to blend the foundation the best.

Conceal those blemishes. Chances are, like most of us out there, you might have some imperfections on your face. Try a slightly lighter that your foundation shade of concealer. You have the option of applying your concealer before, or after, your foundation, but it seemed to make the most sense to put things in this order. Apply a very small amount of concealer on the tip of your ring finger and lightly dab it on the desired areas of your face. Typical concealer is placed on the under-eyes and on any pimples that might be visible at the time. Dab on the concealer and allow it to dry for a few seconds and start to carefully blend it into your skin to make it look as natural as possible. If needed apply some more foundation to help it blend even more. Let concealer fully absorb before moving onto the next step.

Loosen up with powder. Get your hands on nice large powder brush. After putting on your foundation and concealer, use either a loose or pressed powder to help set the make-up on your face. Lightly dab your brush into your powder and get a small to moderate amount onto the end of your brush. If using a loose powder, lightly tap the end of your brush on the counter to cause the powder to drop into the bristles a little so that it doesn't just fall onto the first part of your face that you touch. Lightly stroke your face with your brush in downward strokes until your entire face has been brushed and you have achieved a nice matte look on your face. This is the only time we would ever use a downwards motion on your face. Unfortunately all of us have small amount of "peach fuzz" on our faces and by brushed our faces downwards it helps to lay those little hairs down and make them less noticeable. Make sure that your powder is applied evenly and move onto the next step.

You want your make-up to last all day, right? I thought so. To make it last, I suggest using an eye shadow primer before applying any eye makeup. Try Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Apply it everywhere you apply eye makeup. Then that ever-elusive eye shadow and liner will stay put for you. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Now its time to line those gorgeous gems of yours. Eyeliner is good to start with so you don't mess with your mascara. Some of you don't like eyeliner, so you can just skip this step. Anyways, first you have to decide which eyeliner formula to use: liquid, or pencil. Both have their advantages. Liquids are usually more long lasting as they don't smudge, and provide you with a clearer, definite line. The fact that you have to "paint" it on and wait for it to dry can make it tricky though. Pencils give a smokier, sultry quality and can be applied more easily and with more precision. However, they have tendency to smudge. Starting at the inner corner of your eye, slowly apply a thin streak along your lash line. If you are using liquid, fan it dry, then open up and see how you like it. Too thin? Try it again, this time a little thicker. Too thick? Dab a q-tip with water or eye-makeup remover, and swipe away from the thickness until you're satisfied with the result. It's also a good idea to make your eyeliner thicker toward the outer corners of your eyes to make them look larger. If you would like, repeat the process on the bottom lash line, or just above it at the inner rim of your eye (this can be tricky for beginners.)

Open your eyes to the wonders of eye shadow! Yes, this sounds cheesy, but with practice eye shadow really is amazing. There are so many effects to choose from when using eye shadow. But basics are still good, so here goes. First decide what color family you want your eye shadow to be. Pink and blue are popular as well as neutrals like brown, peach, and cream. From these color group, pick one color as dark as your skin tone (think basic pink), one darker or brighter than your skin tone (think darker mauve or hot pink), and one much lighter than your skin tone (think pale pink). Using an eye shadow sponge apply the darker or brighter shadow along the crease (basically, the dip between lid and brow bone), applying more heavily toward the outer half. Then with the medium shade and an eye shadow brush, dust the lid and smudge the edges of the darker color until things look even. Then wipe the brush off on a towel or piece of toilet paper, and sweep it through the lightest shade. Then sweep the brush along your brow bone to taste. Tweak your shadow as much as you want using our other tips sections.

Bat those lashes, girls! Time to put the finishing touch on your eyes: mascara. Its less versatile but can be the most beautifying of your eye makeup. Start out by, if you wish, curling your eyelashes wish a metal lash curler. Place at the base of your lashes and squeeze gently. Then take your mascara wand, dab the tip off on a towel, and place the brush at the base of your eyelashes, under your lashes. Wiggle the as you push it up through your lashes. Repeat as necessary, focusing on the tips after the first stroke. Coat your bottom lashes as much as you want, but they are less important.

The apple of my... cheek? This is the easiest of all the steps. Get your blush, and with a nice, mid-sized blush brush, lightly brush your cheeks in an upwards motion. Starting at the apple of you cheek, right below the middle of your eye (in most cases), brush outward toward your hairline lifting the brush away from your face as you go. Doing this will focus colored where you first applied it and will blend it outwards to create the desired effect. Use a triangle sponge to blend even more if desired.

Luscious Lips! There are many options when it comes to your lips. Lipstick or lip gloss? Matte lipstick or metallic? Shimmer gloss or shiny? In the end, the only thing that matters is what you like. If you do want to use a liner, I would suggest going with a natural or neutral shade. You can change things up a bit with different colored lipstick or gloss--depending on your mood. If you want something a little more daring, try a liner a shade or 2 darker than your actual lip color. Take the liner in your hand and hold it like you would a normal pencil. With light strokes, "draw" an outline of your lips starting at the top in the center of your lips and working outwards and down. If needed, lightly stroke the liner on the inside area of your lips to help blend the color so you don't have such a definite line. If you don't want lipstick then skip this step. Take your lipstick and, again, start in the middle on your top lip and work your way out and down. Rub back and forth until you get the desired amount on your lips and then smack your lips together to ensure uniformity. Top it all off with a nice lightly colored lip gloss. Apply like you would the lipstick blending as you go. Smack your lips together again and check your teeth to make sure you don't have any smudges.

Written By:
Katie Weaver & Debbie Frantzen
http://www.glitznspritz.com