Okay, here’s the deal. It’s hard to be fabulous all of the time. Sometimes it just feels like work and no matter what you do, you don’t feel like you’re quite hitting the mark. Or maybe you don’t like putting on makeup because it takes too long. Or maybe youhappen to be effortlessly flawless all the time, and I’m just the one who has those days when I don’t feel like making the effort.
Whatever the case may be, I have decided to create this handy list of 5 easy ways to step up your makeup game so that we can all feel great about ourselves while doing the bare minimum. Who wouldn’t love that?
(We’re going to jump right in with the makeup, assuming you’ve already done your skincare and applied your pre-makeup primers)
Think of your face as a blank canvas and foundation as the base paint.
You are gorgeous without anything (You are. Just accept the compliment.), but if you want to step up your makeup game for the day to wow yourself, using foundation to lay the groundwork for your look is a great way to do it.
Finding your correct shade is as simple as dabbing a little onto the skin at your wrist. If you can’t tell you did it because it blends so well into your color, you’ve found a match. But the question of what brandis right for you is an entirely different ball game. You will have to discover that for yourself because it is an intense journey. I recommend steering clear of drugstore makeup. I personally use Urban Decay’s naked skin line—the shade varies depending on the season and how much I am outside.
Once you’ve found your preferred foundation, take a wet beauty blender sponge and apply your desired amount of product to said sponge.
With my foundation, I only need to use one pump to cover my whole face but, depending on what produce you’re using, you may need more.
Take the foundation sponge and apply the product evenly across your face (try doing this to both cheeks and your forehead first to map your face out), dabbing to blend it in with your skin for a natural look. Make sure to blend with your neck as well. We don’t want any harsh lines.
Once your foundation is evenly applied and blended, it’s time to move on to step two.
A light contour can do wonders, and it’s worth your time to learn how to use contour to frame your face. Once you do it only takes a minute to really define your features, which is perfect for the lazy girl who wants to look like she did a lot when she didn’t. (I’m the lazy girl)
Just take a contour palette (I recommend anything by Morphe) and a fluffy angled brush. Look at yourself in the mirror. Locate your cheekbones. Then, grab some makeup and make a shadow right below those bad boys. Don’t worry about making it perfect, just apply some product.
Do the same thing for your jawline and your hairline. Then BLEND. Blend like you’re the Olympic athlete of makeup.
After you’re blended and beautifully shadowed, go back to your cheekbones and add some blush right over the top of your contour. This little pop of pink really brightens up the face.
This little piece of makeup magic can really brighten up your face if you do it correctly.
Some people like a lot of highlight, some people like a little, and some people don’t use it at all. Any and all of these options are fine, because using a highlight is not really necessary to completing a look.
But, it will step a makeup look up about 20 notches.
So, here’s what you do. Take a fluffy brush, and grab your favorite highlight powder. Again, I recommend staying away from drugstore brands for this. Tarte has a great line of highlighters, and so does Morphe. And Morphe costs about the same as the drugstore brands, but with Morphe you get a million times more impact for our money.
Anyway.
Put your highlighter right above your blush. A little or a lot, it’s up to you. But make sure to blend, blend, blend that into your skin. We are not about harsh makeup lines in this article.
Step three!
I haven’t been doing my brows for very long because for ages I didn’t think it was important. But boy, was I wrong.
When it comes to impact, filling in the eyebrows is a HUGE game changer. It is part of framing your face babes, which is what we’re here to do.
There are tons of products out there that are great, I’m sure. But I happen to be a huge fan of Maybelline’s eyebrow tattoo pencil.
Yes, you heard me. A drugstore product has made it into my makeup bag. That’s because it’s affordable, it’s quick, and it lasts.
It does take a minute to get the hang of how to use it, so beware. But once you do, you’re golden. But, as always, make sure to blend. Grab a small flat angled brush and blur any harsh lines you may have created, or until your brows look how you like them to.
Viola, time for step four.
You can do as much or as little as you want with this step. Honestly for me, it always comes down to a matter of time. If I’m in a big rush I only use one color, if I’m not then I go crazy with it and really do the most.
For this article, I’m going to assume you don’t have much time. And in that case, one and done is the best option.
I’m a huge fan of that old Hollywood vibe, and my favorite way to get it fast is by using Maybelline’s color tattoo eyeshadow pots. (Do you sense the pattern here?)
I use the neutral/metallic brown shade because I have hazel eyes and it looks nice, but they have a whole range of colors to choose from. Go nuts. I’m thinking of buying the emerald shade, just for funsies.
How you apply this is up to you. It’s very smooth and goes on easily, so I like to use my middle finger to dab it onto my lid instead of a brush because I can blend it a little better that way. But if you would rather use a brush that’s fine too.
So, you just dab, dab, dab until you feel fine and foxy about your eye makeup. Add your mascara, then you move on to step five, the final step.
Big, small, thin, fat—we don’t discriminate. All lips deserve some color.
I recommend (you guessed it) Maybelline’s super stay lipstick. They are not lying when they call it super stay. It lasts forever. And it looks great.
There is a whole range of colors to choose from, so don’t be shy about picking something bold or something more nude. You do you. I bought four colors, two nude and two bright because you never know what kind of day you’re going to have.
It’s applied like a lip gloss, using a wand, so you have a lot of control putting it on. I like to go back over it and blend the edges (of course, because I am me) but you don’t have to. It’s super smooth, so it’s easy to blend, but it dries quickly so make sure you catch any mess-ups before it sets because after it’s dry it does not move.
And after you’ve got your lips nice and red (my go-to), you are DONE.
Congrats babe, you have officially framed your face. In total, once you get this makeup routine down, it should only take about five minutes.
As with everything in life. Practice makes perfect, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a little while to get the hang of this. You’re doing great.
And that’s all I have for you today babes!
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