Beauty 101 will cover the things you need to know to navigate a makeup counter or maybe a skincare consultation. It will cover products and what they do and what differs between them. And if you have questions, drop me a comment and if I can I'll get you the answer and post it here!
The first thing we're going to talk about is complexion products. At my job I get a lot of customers who are confused about which product does what and which ones they need or want. So let's break it down:
Primer
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| Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, $36 at smashbox.com |
Many primers are silicone based, like the Smashbox primer pictured. This gives them the smooth texture (once applied to the skin it will feel slightly velvety) and can help to fill in uneven texture. Natural brands like Korres make silicone-free options as well, and you can get primers that will o everything from filling in visible pores to color correcting to controlling oil. It's important to know what you want the product to do: are you just looking for something to improve makeup wear, or do you want an additional benefit like correcting redness or hydrating your skin? Once you know what you want, you can start researching or asking more pointed questions when you see a sales associate at the beauty counter, which will give you a better chance of getting the right product.
Foundation
Your foundation is the base color that will go all over your face. Some people confuse this with concealer, which is more targeted to specific problem areas (more on that in a minute).
Choosing a foundation can get complicated. There are a lot of options out there right now: powder, liquid, cream, mousse, anti-aging, tinted moisturizer, etc. And given the innovations in cosmetics you can get a foundation with almost any skin benefit you can imagine as well. When you want a foundation, start by answering these few questions:
• What level of coverage do I want? Do I want something that will hide light freckles and imperfections (full coverage), or something that will just give me some evenness of tone but allow my skin to show through (sheer coverage)? Or something in between?
• What type of skin do I have? Does it tend to feel oily or dry during the day? Am I allergy or breakout-prone?
• What type of foundation do I want? Am I most comfortable with a powder, or a liquid, or a compact, etc.?
• What would I like my foundation to do? Do I want something with an SPF? Something with anti-aging benefits? Something that will control oil or hydrate dry skin?
Once you have those answers you can start looking for a product that will suit your needs.
Now here is the important part, and I cannot stress this enough: Foundation should MATCH your natural skin tone. Match. As in exactly. The idea is to create the look of perfect natural skin, which means that you want something the color of which will blend seamlessly with your own coloring. "But I want to look tan!" you might say. And that's fine, but the way to do that is by using a self-tanner or a bronzer. Using a darker foundation will only make it look like you're wearing too-dark foundation unless you plan on using it all over your body. If you can see a difference between where the foundation is and isn't, it's the wrong color.
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| Foundation swatches. Image courtesy beautyntreat.blogspot.com |
If you aren't comfortable testing a product on your face or don't have access to someone who can match you, the inside of your wrist is the closest match you'll get to your facial skin color. Do not test for color on the back of your hand. Your hands get more sun exposure than your face, so they're usually a darker shade. If you go tanning, do so before you get color-matched to ensure accurate results.
Concealer
Concealer, unlike foundation or primer, isn't something that goes everywhere. This is something just for covering up problem areas: dark circle under the eyes, blemishes, etc. But like foundation, concealers come in a variety of textures. There are liquids, creams, and even powders like those offered by BareMinerals.
Again, you want this to match your skin tone. A too-light or too-dark concealer will actually call more attention to flaws than nothing at all.
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| Make Up For Ever 5 Camoflage Cream Palette, $36, sephora.com |
For blemishes you want something that matches your skin tone and covers well without needing to pile it on. You can use a green-toned concealer to counteract redness and then use a concealer that matches your skin tone over it to mask the spot.
When blending concealer, pat, don't rub! Rubbing around the eye area will pull the skin and contribute to wrinkles. And rubbing anywhere removes product and irritates the skin. Instead, apply the product and then lightly pat it with your fingers or buff it in small circular motions with a fluffy brush. This will give you a natural finish, save you product, and give your skin a little less stress.
Blush/Bronzer
A face with foundation can look a little flat or pale. Blushes and bronzers add warmth and color back into your complexion. A good bronzer can fake a slight tan or create contour in the face, accentuating cheekbones and creating shadows where you want them. A good blush can give you a brightened, glowing complexion that looks youthful and flushed.
Again, know what texture you want. Blushes and bronzers come in powder and cream forms. If you're using a powder foundation it's best to stick with powder blushes and bronzers since putting liquid on top of powder may change the texture and turn your foundation cakey or chalky.
After that it's a matter of color – for bronzer, you don't want something too much darker than your skin or it will look fake. Look for something that you can see on the skin but blend easily to a natural-looking finish. If you have pale or pink-toned skin, look for golden browns over orangey tones. Decide if you want a matte finish (no shimmer or glitter, which can look more natural) or something with more of a sheen to it (which can highlight the skin and add radiance). And if at all possible, try it on!
There are lots of ways to use bronzer, YouTube has plenty of tutorials depending on the look you want to achieve. A good blush/bronzer combo will give you a well-sculpted face that picks up light where you want it to and looks warm and healthy.
Highlighters
You know how celebrities always have skin that glows? How the light picks up their cheek and brow bones just so and makes them look otherworldly? They don't get out of bed that way.
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| Jennifer Lopez |
Highlighters come in a variety of textures (sensing a theme here?) but they all do the same thing: they accentuate the high points of the face and create dimension. If you're using bronzer at the places where you want shadows (hollows of the cheeks, etc.), then you want highlighter at the high points to further sculpt the structure of your face.
A highlighter, like this illuminator by NARS, should be applied sparingly and not add a lot of color to the face. You want to create the illusion of perfect facial structure, not look like something out of a sci-fi movie. Ultimately you want something that blends out sheer but gives a nice healthy glow to the skin. You can also mix highlighters with a liquid foundation for an all-over glow (this can help add radiance to dull or aging skin).
Do you absolutely need every type of product listed here? No. Makeup is all about choice. You decide what you want and what you're comfortable with. Maybe you want a minimal-effort, fresh-faced look. Maybe you want to look like a magazine cover every day. Either approach is fine. The key in either case is knowing what you want and the tools you'll need to get it. So I hope this guide helps you do that!
Thanks for the tips! I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to makeup so this will be very helpful. Any suggestions for preventing breakouts? I'm 23 but I still get them, especially on the sides of my face and along my jawline.
ReplyDeleteGlad I could help!
DeleteDo you tend to rest your chin in your hands? I do and it causes me no end of breakout trouble. For more tips I'll work on a more detailed post on that topic. :)