Are you sick of the same old makeup day in and day out and want to spice things up? Are you ready to accentuate the look of your eyes, cheekbones, or lips, but don’t know how? You’ve come to the right place. Here are some tips and pointers.
What Stays the Same?
It’s super fun to mix up your eye makeup, try a new lip color, or dip your toe in the contouring pond. As exciting as new makeup techniques can be, some things need to stay the same and prep-work is one of those.
Prep Your Face
First, make sure your face is completely clean before applying makeup. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser and use eye makeup remover or micellar water to remove any leftover makeup. Anything left on your face will make new makeup bumpy and uneven
Once your face is clean, remember to moisturize. Dry skin can result in dry patches or cracks, allowing makeup to cling in these areas which prevents a seamless makeup application. No thanks! A small amount of moisturizer applied each day will help hydrate your skin and create a smooth surface for makeup.
Don’t forget the primer! Primer applied to your face will help disguise the appearance of any large pores. It will create a surface that makeup can adhere to so you can worry less about any running off or any blemishes popping through later in the day.
As you try more adventurous looks on your eyes and lips, it’s especially important to use eye and lip primer. There is no point in spending all afternoon perfecting a smokey eye, just to have it rub off all over your clothes!
Apply the Base
Whatever fun new technique you decide to try, you’ll want to make sure the base of your makeup remains the same. This base is, of course, foundation and concealer.
Always remember to apply foundation with a sponge or foundation brush before you apply concealer. Powder or liquid foundation evens out your skin tone, so you’ll be able to see what areas of your skin might still appear red or have blemishes. Concealer will come to the rescue to give those spots some TLC and make sure your face looks A-OK with medium-to-full coverage!
Your Eyes Are Poppin’
A wise person once said that eyes are the window to the soul, so it makes sense that this is one part you’ll want to draw attention to! Here are a few fun techniques to make sure your eyes look on-trend and on fleek!
Multi-Colored Eyeshadow
Fun, rainbow eyes are an excellent way to express your personality and draw attention to your eyes—especially if you’re wearing a face mask! To begin, you’ll need a few supplies: a multi-colored eyeshadow palette, white eyeliner, an eyeshadow brush, glitter or shimmer eyeshadow, and the mascara of your choice.
First of all, remember that primer! You’re going to have a lot of color and product on your eyes so don’t let it drip or streak.
Use the white eyeliner to loosely trace the design you want on your eye. You can pick a darker color on the lid and create an ombre effect going up towards the brow, or perhaps you want vertical stripes of color to create a full rainbow. Pick something fun and bold to show off your personality!
Apply the light shadows to your eyelids first, as those are OK to blend into the next space. Once this is done, pick your dark color and use just a little bit to fill in the dark spaces. Once this is done, put a sheer shimmer powder on top, or lightly dust a glitter eyeshadow for even more fun!
Winged Eyeliner
Winged eyeliner, or a gentle cat-eye look, is a classic makeup look. If you haven’t tried this look, it’s an easy way to spice up your makeup routine and draw attention to your eyes.
To create this look, lightly line your upper lids, specifically the lash line, with black eyeliner. Liquid eyeliner tends to make this easier, but you can use whatever eyeliner you are comfortable with, such as a gel or pencil eyeliner. Once you reach the outer edge, continue past your eye just a little bit. Make sure the line is pointing up so your eyes don’t look droopy.
Take a look and see if you want the line or wing to extend any further. Remember that it’s easier to make it longer than shorter, so start on the small side. Once you reach your ideal length, go back and thicken the line connecting to your eye to create the wing or cat-eye shape.
If this sounds complicated, even for your expert skills, we have the ultimate makeup hack for you. Grab an eyeliner stamp, like Kaja’s Wink Stamp, and let it do the work for you. All you have to do is press the stamp at the outer corner of your eye and use the provided eyeliner to connect the line. Easy peasy!
Don’t Neglect Your Brows
When it comes to eyebrows, the results are in—bigger is better! Bushy, full eyebrows are on trend and that trend doesn’t seem to be going away. This is good news for us as this involves fewer visits to the waxer!
If you want to draw attention to your eyes, but love your current eyeshadow and eyeliner, consider filling in your brows. Even if you think you already have great brows (and you probably do!), you’d be amazed at how amazing they can look filled in.
Pick a brow pencil or a brow filler pen in as close of a shade to your brows as possible. If you can’t get an exact match, go a little bit darker. Starting at the inner edge of your brows lightly brush the pen or pencil along your inner brow. Go with the direction of your hair to keep things looking natural.
Notice that the little pieces of skin showing through your brows are suddenly covered up creating full, dark brows! You can apply as many coats as possible until you achieve the look you want. These defined brows will help draw attention to your eyes!
Pucker Up, Kutie!
If bold eyes aren’t really your thing, new lip color or technique might be the way to go. You can branch out into new formulas, or use your favorite lip product in a fun, new color.
Burgundy Lips
Deep, burgundy lips are very on-trend right now. Start by picking a burgundy that works for your skin tone. We recommend lighter-skin tones to try a pink-based burgundy or cranberry so it doesn’t wash out your face. If you have tan or dark skin tones, pick a burgundy with more hints of brown.
Once you have the right color, grab a lip brush because this dark color will need a little help going on! Gently swipe the brush along the upper lip from the center to the corner, and repeat with your lower lip. Once this is done, use the lip brush to fill in the gaps. Remember to blot and double-check those teeth for any stray lipstick!
You can apply a burgundy lip liner at the end to help keep the color from smearing. Another trick is to gently put concealer around the edges of your lips. This will create a barrier for the lipstick without adding a dark lip liner to an already dark lip. What a genius trick!
Gloss, Gloss, and More Gloss
If a bold lip is too vampy for you, or you want amore natural look to go with your bold eye, consider a glossy lip. This fun, simple look does require a few extra applications throughout the day because of the oil-base of lip gloss. Make sure to toss your gloss in your purse!
To create the perfect glossy look, pick a lightly tinted color. This will help your lips look naturally glossy, and will help you from looking too washed out and shiny. You can use a nude or natural-colored lip liner to help extend your lip line or create a barrier for the gloss.
Consider applying lip gloss on top of your favorite lipstick for another fun look! I know matte lipsticks have been popular lately, but a glossy look will always look light and fun.
So Many Looks, So Little Time
You can pick a colorful eye or a simple yet dramatic eye. You can pick a bold, sultry lip, or a fabulous gloss! Whatever you choose, there are so many ways to spice up your normal makeup routine.
Remember to prep your skin well regardless of the technique you choose, but most importantly, have fun! Makeup is meant to be an expression of yourself so go express yourself.
Sources:
How To Get The Rainbow Eyeshadow Look | Allure