A dream of many is to become a professional makeup artist – it would be amazing to be an expert at makeup. It isn’t easy to learn all of difficult parts to makeup routines and how to use certain products. Perfecting makeup requires a lot of hard work and dedication. There are also many ways to make the process of learning much easier, such as taking certain makeup courses and training programs. In order to become a professional, it takes a lot of work, practice and dedication.
Every expert needs to start somewhere – this is why it’s essential to know the basics.
Makeup types
- Primer – this will help your makeup last longer and creates an even base that will help your foundation go on smoother. Primers fill in the lines and pores on your face, smoothen out uneven textures and create the perfect base for other makeup products.
- Foundation – foundation covers blemishes and flaws on the face. It creates a smooth canvas and base for the rest of your makeup products. Foundation comes in different finishes, from matte to more illuminating formulas. They come in either more light coverage or heavy coverage depending on your preferences. Some prefer to dab a sponge over their foundation to help ensure it gets into those lines and creases, which can create a smoother texture. Certain types of makeup brushes are also great for buffing foundation into the skin.
- Concealer – concealer hides imperfections, blemishes, red spots, dark spots or under eye bags. It usually comes in a liquid formula, which tends to be lighter, or a thicker, creamy formula for more coverage.
- Powder – it’s typically applied after foundation and concealer to set them in place. Powder comes in a loose or pressed form and helps give the skin a blurred effect. It also keeps the skin matte.
- Bronzer – this product warms up the complexion and gives the skin a nice tanned look. It is mostly used during the warmer months, but of course, can be used all year round. It also gives the face more dimension and gives the skin a healthy look.
- Blush – blush makes the skin look more youthful and healthy by giving the cheeks some colour. It comes in different formulas, but typically the colours are more pink and peach.
- Contour Powder – this product models and defines the face and it’s applied to the hollows of cheeks, tops of the forehead, and the nose. It makes the face look slimmer and gives the appearance of more defined cheekbones.
- Highlighter – this literally highlights the face and gives it an illuminated look. Highlighter comes in cream, powder, loose and liquid forms. It’s applied to the high points of the face: the tops of cheekbones, cupid’s bow, bridge of the nose, and sides of the forehead.
- Eyeshadow base – this is applied under eyeshadow to help blend the colours better and keep the eyeshadow in place. This step is especially useful for those with oily skin since eyeshadow tends to fade throughout the day.
- Eyeshadow – there are practically thousands of different eyeshadow colours, formulas and finishes. Eyeshadow brings out your eye shape and colour and allows you to play around with colours on your lids.
- Mascara – mascara elongates the eyelashes by applying tiny fibres onto them with the brush. It opens up the eyes and makes them appear bigger. It mostly comes in dark colours like black and dark brown.
- Eyeliner – this product shapes the eyes and can be used to create different eye looks such as the well known smokey eye or cat eye. It’s typically black, but comes in all types of colours. Some people use a lighter eyeliner to line the bottom lashline to make the eyes appear bigger.
- Eyebrow – pencils, pomades and shadows are some products used to fill in eyebrows. You can go for a more natural look by lightly filling them in with a pencil while a pomade give you more intense, carved brows.
- Setting eyebrow/eyelash gel – this product sets and keeps your hair in place all day long.
- Lipstick – a classic product that comes in many colours – reds, pinks, corals, etc. It makes your lips stand out and gives them a unique tone.
- Lip gloss – lip gloss helps make your lips appear bigger and fuller. It also gives them colour and shape while giving them a layer of shine.
- Lip liner – lip liners define the shape of your lips and also enhance the size of them. It can be used to overline them a bit.
Now that you know the different types of makeup products and how they’re typically used, you should also know what types of techniques are used to apply them. Everyone uses brushes differently and has different ways of applying products.
Makeup brushes
If you want to perfect your makeup techniques, you have to invest in good quality brushes and products.
- Foundation brush
- Concealer brush
- Fluffy powder brush
- Blush brush
- Small blending brush
- Flat eyeshadow brush
- Precision angle brush
- Lip brush
Brushes give you the opportunity to apply products with precision and help you blend like a pro. They also help you control the amount of product you’d like to apply. The way you hold a brush is also extremely important – the closer your fingers are to the barrel, the more pressure you put on the brush head. If you want to apply color evenly, place your fingers on the center of the brush handle. Another tip is how you can easily turn a fluffy brush into a flat, angled brush by wrapping your hand around the bristles and flattening them. Many brushes can be used for multiple purposes.
Foundation application
Which type of foundation is best for your skin type? There are many factors that determine this. Every skin type can use cream foundation, but those with oily skin can use a sponge or brush to apply it. Most foundations have oil in its formula to give the coverage more pigment. Using the sponge will pick up the pigment, but not the oil in the foundation. You’ll still get great coverage, but without being greasy. This is good advice for anyone since sponges are a great tool to try out. Mixing primer with foundation is also a good tip for long lasting coverage.
Contour
Round face: apply bronzer (which should be a shade or two darker than your skin tone) in the shape of a 3 alongside your face: on your temples – sides of your face, the hollow of your cheeks, and your chin.
Forehead: contouring the forehead is pretty simple – just shade and fill around the outer edge of your forehead along your hairline to minimize the area with bronzer or contour powder.
Flat or wide nose: if you want to make your nose appear smaller – shade alongside your bridge starting from your inner brows. Add highlighter on the center of your nose.
Droopy cheeks: apply highlighter just above your cheekbones all the way down to your temple. It brings out the features you highlight. Use a blush directly on the cheekbone, then use a bronzer in the hollow of the cheek. Use a sparkly highlighter on top of high points of your face.
Tips & tricks
Droopy or heavy eyelids – apply highlighter above your crease, from the inner to outer lid. Then blend a shadow to the area that you want to push back, which would be the fold where there’s more skin. Make sure to blend the edges from the shadow to the highlight.
Smaller eyes – beige-colored eyeliner on your lower lash line which will make eyes look bigger and more awake. Use a darker pencil liner along your entire upper and lower lash line, connecting the lines at the outer corner. The key is to blend the liner with shadow, going outwards. Always remember to smudge the lines so that they aren’t too harsh – this makes the eyes appear much bigger than they actually are.
Defined look – use some light bronzer and apply it onto the crease of the eye, which is halfway between the lash line and eyebrows. This technique is great for every type of skin, especially mature skin, to give the face more definition. An orange toned bronzer in your crease will make blue eyes stand out more.
Narrow-set eyes – to help make your eyes appear bigger, apply a black liner to the outer half of both your upper and lower lash lines, connecting at the outer corner.
Becoming a professional
When it comes down to perfecting techniques, you can teach yourself by watching plenty of YouTube videos or practicing in front of the mirror. Another thing many people choose are makeup courses.
Professional makeup course: the training will help you master many important makeup techniques that will enhance beautiful features, disguise minor imperfections and can help you express your creativity.
This training typically consists of eight various topics and different video tutorials, and is designed so that you can master all the techniques at your own individual pace. The training will teach you how to:
- use color theory principles when choosing colors in makeup when working with different skin tones
- define eye shapes and master a lot of eye makeup techniques that will draw attention to them
- enhance highlights and shadows to create the illusion of depth and a sculpted face
- work with different textures of lip products to make them either stand out or moisturized and plump
- choose your tools, clean them and use them for best results
- make skin look smooth and flawless using different types of foundations
- shape eyebrows and enhance their natural shape
Having a professional range of make-up skills means practicing as much as possible. For best results it’s recommended to go through these steps many times and repeat them as much as possible. Practicing can take you dozens of hours. These steps and techniques will help you become amazing at makeup – you’ll be a professional in no time.
