Makeup 101

When I was about 15 years old, I wish I knew that there are a few basic rules for applying makeup. Unfortunately nobody told me, and 6 years ago I knew nothing about makeup tutorials on YouTube. Even if I would have known about them, I would not have known where to start. This is why I wanted to make this post: I am not a beauty blogger, nor do I intend to be, but I wanted to share some makeup-hacks on this blog hoping that someone will find them useful. It took me a few years to figure it out, and I wish I had found something like this around that time. Again, I am not trying to be a beauty blogger, and I am certainly not a model. I just wanted to share some useful tips because I know a lot of girls struggle with this, especially when they normally do not wear makeup or have just started taking an interest in wearing it. If you're that girl, take my advice on these: 4 topics to get your makeup right on. Illustrated by yours truly!

1. Concealer

You can create all kinds of optical illusions with concealer. The first place to put it is beneath your eyes, that will give you a fresher look. You can also apply it on the sides of your nose to make your nose seem smaller. Ofcourse, if you have any red spots or acné, those are the places to conceal. Make sure to tap it in with your vingers so that you don't leave any blotches. You can always fixate with some powder. Make sure your concealer is the right shade for you, I always use one lighter than my skintone, it appears more natural.

2. Blush / Bronzing Powder

When applying blush, smile first. When you smile, you can easily see the apples of your cheeks, that's the place to apply your blush. It's a great trick! Then work your way up over your cheeckbones until you reach your temples. I always apply some extra just above my eyebrow to give my face more structure. Never apply blush beneath your cheeckbones! It will make you look strange and possibly puffy. If you want to enhance your cheeckbones, use bronzing powder. Suck in your cheeks and apply the powder there. It is wisest to combine with blush. In summer you can use bronzing powder instead of blush to fake a sunkissed look. 

If you wear large glasses, it is best to apply blush right beneath them.

Smile :-) , start on the apples, work your way to your temples over the cheeckbone, round of under or just above the eyebrow (I did not use bronzing powder because it seems unnatural in combination with my white skin)

3. Eyeshadow / Eyeliner

When you put on eyeshadow, always start with a light color in the corner of your eye, and gradually go darker towards the outer side of your eye. That way your eyes will look bigger. If your eyes are close to each other, this is also a good trick to make them look more centered. The darker your eyeshadow in the corner of your eyes, the smaller your eyes will look. If you want smokey eyes, remember to always use a lighter shade of grey to start with!

1. Start at the corner of your eye with the lightest color in your pallet, 2. Start in the middle of your eye to apply the grey (or the one-but-darkest color in the pallet) 3. If you want smokey eyes, use the darkest color on the outsider and in the sockets of your eyelid to create more depth 

Same goes for eyeliner, a lot of girls draw a line over their entire eyelid, this makes your eyes look smaller and more narrow. If you want your eyes to look bigger, start with a thin line in the middle of your eye and make it thicker at the end. This will also give you a more feminine look.

4. Lashes

Use a curler. That's about all I have to say on the matter. Your mascara will be easier to apply afterwards. When applying your mascara, don't zigzag, you will get lumps in your lashes if you do so.

Before / After

The difference may not be staggering, but it doesn't have to be. A natural look is something you should strive for, makeup is just a way to enhance your positive features and not to conceal your face or look fake. 

Thank you for reading, 

Hope you have a wonderful day!

xo

Elise

PS: If you would like to know which makeup I use or how to find it, I have uploaded a post with all of my products at Makeup 101: my products !