Getting the most from your Makeup

This is a small list a things you can do to get the most bang for your buck and maximize the full potential of your makeup.







FOUNDATION
The key to any makeup look is a great foundation base. Choosing the best foundation to fit your skin tone proves to be a difficult task for most who are just starting to experiment with makeup as well as to some professionals. Foundations usually come in two undertones, yellow and red. Deciding if your skin has red or yellow undertones will help to eliminate half the shades you have to choose from. Once your have decided if you have more yellow or red undertones, pick two shades you think are the closely related to your skin tone. Test these two colors on the jawline, not the back of your hand, forehead or cheek. The one that blends in completely with your skin at the jawline is your primary foundation color.

Quick Tip: Bring a pocket mirror with you when picking a foundation color. Hold the foundation up to your face in the light if you are unable to test them on your face.





CONTOURING
Our faces naturally have areas where you want to draw attention and areas we want to pull attention from. The easiest and most full proof way to subtly highlight and contour you face is to use foundations. 

In addition to your primary foundation, get another foundation that is 1 to 2 shades darker than your primary. Use this a contour color for these areas:

• Down the sides of the NOSE for a slimmer effect.

• The hollows of your CHEEKBONES for the appearance of a higher cheek bone.

• The JAWLINE for a more rounded look.

• The TEMPLES of the forehead to slim it.  

Quick Tip: Investing in your primary foundation is great, but for your contouring foundation pick up a drug store brand. I use Make up Forever HD foundation as my Primary and Cover Girl as my contouring shade. 








EYESHADOW
The brightly colored eye shadows in the most vibrant colors are usually the eye shadows I grab first, and sometimes these super bright ultra pigmented colors don't appear as bright and pigmented as it did in its original packaging. What could be the issue? You've tried everything from layering the color multiple times to packing on the color with a flat dense bristled brush but still no luck.
Try moistening your brush with a few drops of water. Do not soak your brush in the water, just wet it enough so that its damp. Doing this will allow your shadows to illuminate to their full capacity.

Quick Tip: Purchasing a small squirt bottle and filling it with water will save you tons of time.


MASCARA

Big lashes full of mascara can be a flattering look on most women, but nothing is more unflattering that big clumpy globby lashes. Addressing the correct way to apply mascara may help. Curl your lashes first.With your mascara wand, start at the base of your lash line and wiggle the brush upward towards the tip of your lashes. For those who like to apply more than one coat, (I recommend applying 2 to 3 coats) Apply your first coat evenly and before your first coat dries begin to apply your second coat. This will help you avoid clumpy uneven eyelashes. Remember don't wait for your previous coat to dry before you apply the next. Simple as that.

Quick Tip: Use a plastic spoon to cover your eyelid when applying your mascara to avoid any mistakes on your makeup look.






 LIPSTICK
Bright colored lips are definitely in now a days. The major problem with that is fading and with fading comes the re-applying which usually leads to lipstick build up in the inner corners of your mouth and that is an unflattering look on anyone. Prepping the lip is important. Here are a few thing you could do to help your lipstick last:

• Exfoliate your lips with an unused toothbrush at least once every 2 weeks to remove the dead skin that may be giving your lips a "chapped" look. 
• Moisturize your lips at night before you go to bed at night.
• When applying your foundation, apply it over your lips as well. This will act as a lip primer. You can also use a small dab of your eyeshadow primer and your lip moisturizer. 
• Line your lips using a liner that is 1 to 2 shades lighter or darker(depending on which direction your going for with your look) This will prevent the lip color form bleeding into the foundation around your mouth.

Quick Tip: Lip Stains and OCC lip tars provide the longest wear that I know of (you definitely want to prime your lip before using those)




Thanks for reading. I hope these tips and trick will help you achieve the very most from your make up and help you create beautiful show stopping looks.