Natural makeup relies on nude colors to create a style. Very light foundation or powder is applied first. Often, this can be switched from a BB (beauty or blemish creams) cream giving the face a fresh look. Light lip gloss, peach or brown eye shadow, light mascara and minimal bronzer finish off the look.

Natural makeup is suited to sporting events, most forms of work, and any event where the user feels the need to be understated. There is almost no event where natural makeup is a bad choice.

Evening makeup adds to natural makeup with more contouring, brighter lips, and occasionally darker or shimmery shadows. These additions make it perfect for a night on the town, a cocktail party, or a banquet of any sort. The secret is to not overdo any contouring and often less bronzer will be used as well.

Traditionally, evening makeup would have been worn in less lit areas and tends to be a bit more forgiving. The focal points of the lips and eyes allow for something to stand out in the dark. The natural makeup base ensures that the face does not look caked upon or overdone.

Smokey eye makeup is usually simple and subdued except for the lips and the eyes. The lips may be bright and well defined in this style. The eyes will have a dark color that blends into another dark color to give the illusion of the eye looking deeper or framed by smoke.

This striking style is good for more upscale events, any event involving pictures and many others. Traditionally, this style is considered very sexy and sensual. For this reason, many costumes or performances also incorporate this style as well.

Finally, glamour is a style where full makeup is applied. Foundation, powder, light blush, well lined lips, brighter eye makeup and a healthy amount of bronzer are usually involved in this style. The traditional application for this style is pageants, performances, plays and other high visibility situations.

Of all the styles, glamour is the easiest to get wrong. Due to the vibrancy that is meant to be conveyed, it is easy for the makeup to look overdone and otherwise overpower a person. For this reason, this makeup is best done in bright light and if possible, with help.

Knowing these makeup styles and their applications allows an individual to understand how they should be used. This knowledge then allows for a better social representation and avoid awkward moments of social worry over one’s physical appearance.

When you are doing your make-up, it is a good idea to work on your eyes first before you apply any foundation to your face. As you are applying your shadow, bits of powder may land on your face. If your face has a flawless layer of foundation on it, these specks of color can be irritating. So, apply a little bit of foundation onto the eye area first to prep it, apply the shadow, than set it with a gentle dust of powder.

Before you apply any shadow, it is important to understand how the different shades will affect the appearance of your eyes. Typically, the light colors will bring out the eye areas that are shallow. If there are prominent areas around your eyes that you wish to de-emphasize, applying darker colors will make those areas recede.

When you apply your colors, you want to blend the colors so that the light colors will smoothly and gradually transition to dark colors seamlessly. This is how you will shape your eyes.

Brushes produce better results than sponge applicators. A flat brush is good for applying a color over the whole eyelid. A dome-shaped brush is good for applying shadow on the crease of your lid and blending that outward. If you want a little shadow close to your lash lines or on your eyes’ inner corners, use a soft pencil brush. Using the correct brushes will give you better results.

Avoid loading your brush with too much powder, or else you will not be able to control the amount you apply. Removing extra eye shadow is troublesome. Always start with a little, then add on more until you get the desired effect.

Start with your lightest color. This can be a color close to your skin tone. Use your flat brush and apply this near your eye’s inner corner and above your lash line. This light color will highlight your eyes. You can apply this just under your eyebrow area, too.

Then, apply the medium color by patting on the powder with your flat brush. Go over your whole eyelid, from the top of the lashes to the crease, but not further out than that.

Next, use your dome brush to pick up your darkest color. You will contour your eyelid with it. Begin on your eye’s outer corner and blend into the crease in a circular motion. The color should be the darkest right above your lash line. Blend the color out and let it fade gracefully.

Finally, use a clean dome brush and blend all the colors together to soften the look. You should not be able to tell where one color begins or ends.

These are just the basic techniques on how to apply eye shadow. There are endless effects that you can explore by using different combination of colors. The important key is to blend well using the right brushes. With some experimentation, you can create different moods and effects suitable for every occasion.

As a matter of fact, there are many women all over the world that will not wear any makeup except for mascara. A little bit can go a long way with this cosmetic product, especially if you know some of these mascara tips that the professionals use to make the most out of anyone’s lashes.

Once you know how to really manipulate your mascara to your advantage, you will be able to easily apply it, make it last a lot longer, prevent any clumping and even, put on false lashes with ease.

When you open a new bottle of mascara there can be a lot of excess product that will transfer onto the wand over the first couple of uses. This can lead to clumping on the lashes and a certain level of mess. Prior to your first coat, you can simply glide the mascara brush over a tissue or a napkin to help get rid of some of the extra formula.

Pulling the wand out of the mascara tube, you can take the tip and gently bend it against the side of the tube so that the tip ends up being perpendicular to the mascara handle. This shape comes in very handy as you are applying your mascara as the brush will be easier to handle and you will also be able to get right into the areas that are harder to reach. No longer will you have to fight to get to the smaller lashes that are located on the inner portion of your eyes.

If you try to coat your lashes too evenly from root to tip, you could end up weighing the lashes down. This can cause them to straighten out if you have curled them. If you want to hold a good curl to your lashes, take your mascara and apply a thicker amount at the roots and a lighter coat at the tips. You can do this simply by wiggling the brush back and forth starting at the base and then quickly coming through when you get to the tips.

One of the most important mascara tips that you will ever learn is the proper way to hold the brush while you are in application mode as it can really make a world of difference. You want to hold the brush in a horizontal fashion if you want to get volume, then you can wiggle it from side to side. If you hold the brush in a vertical fashion and you work by running the tip of the mascara brush out the length of your lashes, you are going to end up with a more natural and longer look.

No matter what, you will see that practice will make perfect and help you to learn the best possible mascara application skills.

Find Three Complimentary Shades of Foundation

Do more than just buy a color of foundation that matches your skin tone. Find an additional shade that is about three times lighter than your natural skin tone and one that is a few shades darker than your natural skin tone.

There are two reasons to have three shades of foundation. One reason is so that you can achieve a natural, defined and contoured appearance. Another reason is that it helps to have a dark shade for times when you want to have a more tanned appearance either during the winter season or during the early summer.

Never test foundation on your hand before you purchase it. This is because the skin color on your hands is different from that on your face. If you are unsure, ask the cosmetician for a sample of the shades that interest you. You can try them at home and return to the store to buy the full size foundation when you know which one is best.

Invest In A Foundation Brush

There is nothing wrong with applying foundation with fingertips or a makeup sponge. However, for the best application, use a foundation brush. Some people find that it helps to have a few different types of brushes including a kabuki type brush and a regular, flat bristled brush.

There is a noticeable difference in foundation that is applied with a professional brush. It also allows for better coverage and greater control during the foundation application process.

The Foundation Routine

Some people like to apply a primer to the skin prior to applying the foundation, but it is all right to start applying foundation on clean skin all by itself. Develop and practice a routine that suits you. For day-to-day wear, you want a clean, natural look that should not take more than five minutes to achieve, but for special events or a night out, you want to develop a more complex routine.

For a basic look, start by applying the lightest shade in a triangle under the eyes to the bridge of the nose and out towards the cheeks just about the cheekbone. Then, apply a triangle of light foundation at the bottom of the chin and swipe a thin line down the nose and over the brows.

Next, apply the dark shade underneath the triangle, almost as if you are applying blush. Apply it beneath the chin, following the jaw line and up around the hairline. Finish by applying it at the sides of the nose.

Take the kabuki or largest brush you have and apply the natural toned foundation to the remainder of your face. Blend them together for a naturally defined, contoured appearance that looks like you learned how to apply liquid foundation from a professional.

It is particularly important that you remove eye makeup, especially if you wear contact lenses. Particles from the makeup can build up on your eyelashes and get into your eyes, increasing your risk of infection.

Ways to Remove Makeup

The first thing you should do is remove your eye makeup using a specialist eye makeup remover. Do not use standard cleanser for this because those products can irritate your eyes. Use a mild, gentle product to remove your mascara and eyeliner and wipe off part of your eye shadow as well, but don’t worry if you don’t get all of it at this stage.

Now use baby wipes to remove your blush and then, wash your face with warm water. This should get rid of the majority of the makeup you are wearing.

Those steps are just the start of removing makeup. A lot of people do these things and think that means they know how to remove makeup properly. The truth is that those steps alone are not enough to keep your skin looking great. You should do more than just wipe off the surface makeup – you should cleanse your skin thoroughly.

Take some time to steam-clean your pores. Do this by filling a sink with steaming hot water, put your head above the sink and drape a towel over your head to trap the steam. Let the steam work for a few minutes and then, continue removing the makeup with a gentle facial scrub.

To remove your lip gloss, apply a little petroleum jelly or vaseline to your lips and rub it in with a tissue. Then blot your lips dry. The lip gloss or lipstick should come up with the petroleum jelly leaving you with clean, moist lips.

Wash your face one more time with a gentle facial wash and use cotton swabs to dab up any makeup that has run under your eyes, or down your neck.

Finally splash your face with cool (not cold) water to close your pores, and then apply some gentle moisturizer. Ideally you should use unscented, natural moisturizer so that your skin stays as healthy as possible.

Get into the habit of thoroughly removing makeup every day and apply moisturizer before you go to bed each night. This will keep your skin as healthy as possible, for as long as possible, ensuring that you keep a youthful and healthy appearance. Do not use exfoliating facial scrubs every day. They are okay to use sometimes but if you use them too often they will dry your skin out.