Getting Healthy

Look Your Very Best With Professional Tips on Applying Makeup

October 22nd, 2009

While makeup fads and trends come and go, often according to trends in fashion, the basics are pretty much evergreen. That is, once you learn the basics of makeup application, they never go out of style. Learning the basics ensures you will always look your personal best.

To create a beautiful result with makeup, you need a combination of three elements: high quality products like Elizabeth Arden makeup, a skin care regime, healthy skin as a solid foundation, and the proper makeup tools and application procedures.

After you learn all of the basics, you can finetune your makeup application to create a personal signature look and highlight your best features.

But first, here’s how to get started with the basics.

1. First Step, Clean Your Face

Prior to applying any makeup products, you need to clean your face to ensure healthy skin and provide a fresh canvas for your makeup. Use a high-quality cleansing product to gently remove dirt and oil from your facial skin, using a fresh cotton pad and soft circular motions. Rinse your skin with warm water and repeat until your face feels clean and fresh.

2. Pluck Your Eyebrows

Pluck any stray eyebrows from outside of your desired eyebrow line, plucking in the direction in which they grow naturally. Shape your brows so they form a slight natural arch. Simply grasp the base of each hair with a tweezers that has an angled edge and tug gently.

3. Apply A Matching Shade Of Foundation

Using a small fresh makeup sponge, dot foundation on your face and then gently feather and blend it, working from the middle of your face to the outside edge. No lines or blotches should be evident when you are finished. Be sure to select a foundation that closely matches your existing skin tones (which can change based on sun exposure) for a subtle effect. Foundation should help disguise any skin imperfections and make skin appear flawless.

4. The Correct Use Of Powder

It’s best to select a good transparent face powder or one that contains a little sheen and matches your foundation color. Dip a large fluffy brush into the powder and dust it across your entire face, particularly your t-zone where it tends to get shiny. Brush off any excess.

5. Add A Delicate Blush

A good blush color for you will closely match the flushed color of your cheeks when you exercise. A slightly darker color may be applied for evening wear. Using a large blusher brush, apply a small amount of blush to the apple of your cheeks, smiling at yourself in the mirror to find the appropriate places. Blend the color gently along the cheekbone up toward your hairline. (Don’t use the little brushes that came with the blusher because they aren’t large enough to get a good result.)

6. Emphasize Your Eyes

Select an eyebrow pencil in the same color or just a shade darker than your natural color. Using short light strokes, feather in any gaps in your eyebrows to make them appear fuller and subtly shape them. Using a soft shade of eyeshadow and a small brush or applicator, blend a bit of color on your eyelids and into the crease.

7. Line Your Eyes

Using eyeliner-most often black or brown-apply short gentle strokes to fill in the lash line on the upper lids. Start near the nose and move outward, using a bit thicker line at the outside edges to make eyes really pop. For the lower lashes, start at the outside of the eye and work inward.

8. Application Of Mascara

Curl your upper eyelashes with an eyelash curler. Then select a brown or black mascara-the same shade as your eyeliner is best-and apply it gently using the mascara wand. Hold it parallel to your lashes and gently apply mascara to the upper lashes, sweeping up softly from below and separating the lashes. You may need to do this a couple of times. Use an eyelash comb to separate any clumps while the mascara is still wet. Then apply mascara to the lower lashes using a gentle side-to-side motion with the wand.

9. Creating Dramatic Lips

Applying a lip liner helps define the lip area and keeps lipstick in place longer. Select a shade that matches the lipstick you will use and draw a line of lip liner to outline your lips. Start from the middle and draw outward. Then add lipstick, filling in the outline. Rub lips together and then blot. Don’t forget to check your teeth and wipe them off if you got any on your pearly whites. When selecting lipstick colors, darker colors are best for evenings and dim lighting.