I have taught many people over the years how to apply makeup. I do not in any means believe that there is one way to apply makeup, as new formulas and products have reached the market confusing the general public on what is the “correct” way to put on makeup.
I was teaching my gorgeous mother how to apply her makeup a few weeks ago, as over time some of my products have gone walk about into her cosmetic bag even if she wasn’t quite sure how and where to apply them. We had this massive set up on the kitchen table, mirrors and all, with products all over the bench for our in-depth tutorial.
Her biggest takeaway from our workshop?
Start light and build.
Too many of us, in a hurry, pile up our brushes with product only to attempt to blend it out and commit to the bold look we accidentally did to our faces.
Especially with eyeshadow, many makeup artists use multiple colours to build on our look, with clients complaining that they won’t be able to recreate the look at a later date with the number of colours we use. We start with a slightly darker colour than the skin, and work our way darker to build a colour story as it is so much easier to blend out, creating the perfect smokey eye.
Sometimes you may not need that much colour to get the desired look that you are after, and it is easier to add more colour than fix a dark mess, as it is hard to remove parts of your makeup once on.
Another tip my mum had a glowing lightbulb moment over, where you first apply the brush on your skin is where the most pigment will be placed.
When applying her eyeshadow, mum was placing her brush at the inner corner and blending out when it is always more flattering if the outer corner of the eye is darker. Same concept with contour, it is best to apply the brush just above the ear, pretty much in the hair line, and blend down to avoid any dark patches of colour on the face.
Also pretend to be a beauty guru and tap off the excess product as you remove some of the colour, making it blend smoother on the skin.
I hope these tips help you in your makeup adventures.
Blog 