How to make up?

Answer 1

It really depends on what type of look you're going for, and what products you would like to use. Here are some basic guides to the bare essentials of make up.

Foundation

1. Liquid Foundation. This is my personal favourite because it offers fantastic coverage and lasts a long time. To apply liquid foundation, all you have to do is put a tiny blob on your hand and put spots on your face. Your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks are the areas you need to put spots on. Then use a makeup blender to cover your whole face as evenly as possible.
2. Cream foundation. Your cream foundation should feel slightly dry to the touch in order to offer light to medium coverage. They are not reccommended for use on mature skin. To apply this you apply light strokes on your face then use a wedge shaped latex sponge to cover your face. These are often slightly more difficult to blend.

You will need to test your foundation first. Always test it in the shop before buying, in front of a mirror and, if possible, in natural light.

Concealer

1. Stick concealer. This is fantastic for covering spots and blemishes but tugs the skin around the eyes and so is not recommended for use there.
2. Liquid concealer. This has a wand and so is easy to blend and apply. It is brilliant for use around the eyes as it does not tug at the skin but often doesn't offer good coverage for spots and blemishes.
3. Cream concealer. This is most commonly used by makeup artists because it offers the advantages of the other two types and none of the disadvantages.

Powder

Powder is used to set your foundation. Your foundation will often make your face look shiny and therefore greasy, so to achieve a glossy, matte finish, you will need powder.

1. Loose powder. This is good, especially for touch ups, as it does not build up on the skin and any excess can simply be brushed away.
2. Pressed powder. This is best applied with a powder puff and pressed lightly into the skin. Of course, this is much less messy for carrying around on the go, but can build up on the skin.

Eyes

There are countless products that are for your eyes. There are:

1. Eye shadow. This gives your eyes great coverage and is applied either with a sponge applicator or a brush applicator. I personally prefer sponges because it makes the shadow easier to apply without hurting your eye lids. It is recommeded that you dip or slide your brush through the shadow and then sweep it across your lid from the outer corner in. Often makeup artists prefer the colour to be slightly lighter on the inside.
2. Eye liner. There are two types, liquid and pencil. The object is to draw a line along the base of your eyelashes, as close to the lashes as possible. If you are skilled at this you might want to apply it after shadow, but if you are a beginner then applying it before would avoid having to wash it all off and starting again should you get it wrong.
3. Mascara. To apply this simply run the wand through your lashes while quickly pushing it from side to side. It is recommended that you let it dry slightly then run an eyelash brush through it to avoid the lashes clumping up.

Before applying shadow or liner you may want to apply primer first. This just stops the lid from wrinkling up and spoiling your look.

Lips

Lip colour can be very important. You can either use lipstick or lip gloss. Lip gloss is quick and easy to apply, but is only good for going out unless you use a pinky tone (which also appears to whiten your teeth), and also can wash off quickly if you are eating. Lip stick achieves often a more sophisticated look, but must be applied exactly in the right place, or it could spoil a look.