I love make-up. It wasn’t until starting a career in the entertainment industry that I realized just how many make-up options and tools were even out there. From BB cream to CC cream, lip stain to lip gloss, foundation primer to setting spray, there’s a lot of options out there and knowing where to start can seem a bit overwhelming.
I can remember the day of our very first live show of CI Living. I headed to the make-up counter with the help of our station’s main female news anchor. With less than an hour to show time, I was feeling unprepared to face the thousands of viewers in central Illinois as she was laughing at the contents of my make-up bag. She said , “You need to get to Sephora. Tonight.” Okay, awesome! I went from being a stay at home mom, to a TV show personality in a matter of weeks and since that day I’ve learned to love make-up.
Make-up can make you feel glamorous. Make-up can make you feel flawless. Make-up can make you feel confident. And make-up can make you feel like a million bucks. But in case you’re feeling overwhelmed as I was, here are a few tips to help you get started!
Know Your Skin Type
Before you start buying your base, or foundation, think about your skin. Is it dry? Oily? Maybe it’s a combination of both. Or you may have extra sensitive skin that can be easily irritated by make-up. According to our easy, breezy friends at COVERGIRL, if your skin tends to be on the dry side, choose double-duty foundations that moisturize while helping to smooth the appearance of your skin’s surface. Avoid alcohol-based products like harsh toners and astringents. Moisturizer is your friend.
If your skin is more on the oily side you’ll want to try a foundation or powder that helps control oily shine without drying you out. Don’t touch your face, as oil from your hands gets transferred to your fingers without you even realizing it. (Plus that’s just gross, think of all the germs you come into contact with everyday!)
If you’re one of the lucky ones who has a combination of oily AND dry skin, make sure to choose an oil managing powder for your T-zone, which is where the majority of people get oily skin. You’ll have to have a more flexible make-up routine.
For those of you with sensitive skin who experience itching, burning, or stinging skin that irritates easily, stay away from harsh facial washes or soaps that have a main ingredient of alcohol or fragrance. They could just irritate your skin even more. Stick to fragrance free make-up. (And if you really want to clear up any redness, I may have a great solution for you. Lots of people have had great success with the Soothe regimen by Rodan + Fields, the same makers of ProActiv. You can learn more about it HERE.)
Tricks to applying Foundation
There are so many foundations out there, how do you know which one is right for you? The best way to test a foundation is to test it on your jaw line, which will give you the most accurate match for your skin tone. Take into consideration the season, too, because you will not use the same shade of foundation in summer as you would in fall. If you’re lucky enough to have a Sephora close by, they’ve teamed up with Pantone to bring you Color IQ. It will scan the surface of your skin and then tell you your scientifically chosen lip, foundation, and concealer matches. And another side note, when shopping for any make-up in drugstores, it’s hard to determine through the glass bottle if it will actually be a good match. Save your receipt! Most places will let you return it if it ends up not being a good match!
There are a few different ways to apply foundation. You can use wedge sponges, a foundation make-up brush, or your fingers. I’ve found that using a sponge is good to get in those difficult spaces around your ears and between your eyes, but you end up using twice as much foundation when you use a sponge. For me, I love the coverage I get when using a stippling brush, plus I end up using less foundation. This ends up saving me money over the long run. Winning. Using your fingers is always an option, too, but that’s not exactly the most hygienic method. After shaking the bottle really well, starting at the center of your face, work your way out, blending as you go. Blending is KEY. You do NOT want to see a make-up line separating your face from your neck.
Primer
For those with normal to dry skin types, prepping your face with a make-up primer can help smooth fine lines and make for a smoother make-up application. It might seem like an unnecessary step, but it can help your make-up to look fresh all day. Start by moisturizing your face, then apply a small amount of primer, applying the same way as you would your foundation. Again, you can use you a make-up sponge or your fingers to apply the primer. Wait a few minutes for it to set before applying your foundation.
Just as there are a plethora of foundation choices, the same goes for primers. With a little help from the beauty experts at Allure, they’ve helped break it down.
If your skin is looking rather dull, try a pink tinted primer. For pasty skin, try a lilac shaded primer, and to neutralize redness, go with a green tinted primer.
For those with acne, you can even find a primer with anti-acne ingredients, like this one from smashbox. You’ll be able to skip any acne spot treatments if you use this, as too many acne fighting products layered on your face could do more harm than good. (But if you really want to clear up that acne and get flawless skin, give the Unblemish regimen from Rodan + Fields a try!)
Primers also come in many different price points. They can range from $8 to $40. One of the more budget friendly ones I love, you can find at Wal-Mart, made by Hard Candy. There’s a variety of different primers to choose from, but this one is my favorite. It does the trick at only $8.40.
On the other end of the price range, I’m a big Makeup Forever fan. I love their Skin Equalizer Smoothing primer. It’s very lightweight and creamy and evens out your skin’s texture by filling in any fine lines or wrinkles. It’s a little pricier, coming in at $37, but remember, you only need to use a raisin size amount of primer!
Just like you prep your foundation by applying primer, you can also prime your eyelashes and lips. A great primer for your lips for only $3 is this one by E.L.F.
This E.L.F. Lip Primer & Plumper primes and plumps your lips. First apply the primer to help your lipstick stay in place and not smudge all day. Then the cinnamon scented plumper enhances your lips with a tingling effect to get that plump, fuller looking pout.
For dramatic volume and silky soft lashes, prime them first with a little prep. Try this eyelash primer that gets great reviews, Opening Act Lash Primer by tarte. Just don’t go overboard with your mascara, as you don’t want it to look clumpy!
Don’t forget to finish off your look with a finishing powder! One that I’ve found that will leave your face looking flawless is HD Touch Up Powder by Colour Basis, specifically for those in the television industry, but there are other more budget friendly ones like these from Makeup Forever or E.L.F.
Mascara
Time to talk LASHES! Mascara and lip gloss are my jam, the two things I would ever hate to be without if I were stranded on a deserted island. A few tips when applying mascara, first of all do not pump the wand up and down inside the tube. Pumping will not add more mascara to the wand, but will instead create more air inside the tube, thus drying it out. No bueno. Before applying your primer or mascara, give your lashes an extra boost by curling your lashes with a curling wand. What I like to do is first heat my lash curler with my blow dryer, not too long or you risk burning your eye! Gently press your lashes for 5-10 seconds on each eye and then apply mascara. No need to curl your bottom lashes and never curl your lashes after you’ve applied mascara, as you risk pulling your eyelashes out. Again, no bueno. For extra volume and thickness, start with your mascara wand at the base of your lashes and wiggle your way up to ensure that each lash gets hit. Wait 10 seconds between coats, and I wouldn’t advise applying over two coats unless you like the Tammy Faye Bakker look.
Eyebrows
I’ll never forget one of the first not so sweet comments left on our show’s facebook page about me, and of all things, it had to do with my eyebrows. Apparently they bothered this viewer. There was just something about them that she found troublesome. Troublesome enough that she had to take it to facebook. I kindly replied that as long as I had two eyebrows and not one, they were fine by me. (I wonder if she’d have the nerve to say that to my face… I’m going to guess no.) But anyways, eyebrows can be tricky. I’m not the expert on brows, which is why I’ll let the experts at COVERGIRL take this one.
STEP 1
Look straight into the mirror. Hold a pencil vertically against one nostril. See where the pencil meets your brow? That’s where your brow should start. Tweeze in the middle between there and the other brow.
STEP 2
Next, pluck only from beneath the brow and remove any obvious stray hairs.
STEP 3
To get the right arch, angle the pencil to the outer side of your pupil, with the eraser end at the side of your nostril, and the top just past the middle of your eye. The spot where the pencil hits the brow is where the top of the arch should be, about three-quarters of the way out. Create a line that tapers upwards to this point. Repeat on the other side.
STEP 4
Next, angle the pencil so it aligns with the outer corner of the eye. Where it hits the brow is where the eyebrow should end. At this point, it should taper slightly down.
STEP 5
Now, use your Brow & Eyemakers Pencil with very light, feathery strokes to fill in gaps along the entire brown line.
And as a side note, one thing that I must agree with their pros on is definitely plucking your eyebrows after showering, it’s a whole lot less painful!
Lips
Everybody wants a kissable pout!
But, we don’t want to go to the extremes of the #KylieJennerChallenge of putting our lips in a shot glass, sucking all the air out and thinking we’re going to get her famous pout when the shot glass comes off. Instead, you’ll probably come out looking like you’ve been busted in the mouth with a baseball bat. Not really the look we’re going for here.
There are tricks out there to make your lips look fuller, wider, or even thinner. When you’ve found the perfect shade of lipstick, be sure to pick out a lip liner color in the same shade. To have them looking fuller, stick to lighter colors and using your lip liner, line your lips without going outside the natural lip line. Filling in your lips first with lip liner will ensure that your lipstick will stay on longer. To get a wider grin, line the extreme edges, even to the corners, of your lips with liner and then fill in with lipstick. Top with a gloss in the middle of your lips only. For thinner looking lips, line just inside your natural lip line and then fill in with a darker, matte shade of lipstick.
Now, as we age, our lips lose that youthful pout. Those naturally, full, smooth lips that nature gave us are now thinner, flatter, and surrounded by lip wrinkles. Something you can use to help reclaim those lips of yesteryear is the lip renewing serum by Rodan + Fields. Apply at night after exfoliating (brushing your teeth is a super easy way to exfoliate, otherwise you can try a sugar scrub) and watch that youthful pout return to it’s kissable state!
Alright, so I think we’ve got you well on your way to tackling your make-up fears or worries! But, if wearing make-up still feels overwhelming and you’re just wanting that natural, make-up free look, I must suggest trying out one of the skin care regimens by Rodan + Fields to help you in getting the face you’ve always dreamed of having. Whether it’s wrinkles, fine lines, dark spots, dullness, acne, or redness from rosacea or psoriasis, there is a skin care line for you! Feel free to check them out online HERE to learn more about how they can help you transform your skin!
So what tips work for you? Any suggestions on your favorite foundations, primers, mascaras, or lipsticks? Let’s hear them!