Beginner's Guide, make-up basics

 Above is everything I will discuss in this post. There's also a few little bonus items and tips thrown in. :)

     Importance of Moisturizing!! - Before applying anything to your face, you should always use a moisturizer!! Even if you're not going to be wearing make-up that day. If your face is oily, be sure to use an oil-free moisturizer as to not add excess oil through the day. Use one that is meant to be used on your face, not your body because the skin on your face is different than the skin on the rest of your body. Body moisturizers just hydrate. Facial moisturizers can be meant for the acne prone, preventing wrinkles and fine lines, or concealing and repairing wrinkles and fine lines. Moisturizers keep your face from drying out during the day, actually help to keep the make-up on your face, and if it says so, can help protect your face from sun damage.  I currently use Cetaphil facial moisturizer, but I do not recommend it because it makes my face feel heavy and caked on and it takes forever to soak in (dry). I will be getting a new one for Christmas that smells absolutely divine, works like it should, and doesn't take forever to dry. The new one is from the Sephora Collection and is called Instant Moisturizer, and believe me, it is so true to its name. I am in love with it. This moisturizer is $20, and sooo worth it!! Personally, one tube lasts about 6 months which is a long time considering how much I use to conceal my super dark circles. Ha ha.

After you apply the moisturizer of your choice, use a concealer. A concealer covers up your imperfections (blemishes, dark circles, any redness or blotchiness) and makes your skin look almost flawless. It is my lifesaver because every week night I get about 6-7 hours of sleep, so because of my lack of sleep, I get massive dark circles. This concealer saves my life. I apply 2 pea-sized dots of MAC's Select Moisturecover in NW15 (because I am superrrr pale with a peachy cream complexion) under my eyes and blend it in with my ring finger (which is what you should use for blending, it is the most gentile finger). This particular one costs $17, worth every penny. I also use this to hide blemishes, and since winter is here, I have been getting quite a few lately, but my skin will get used to the coldness as soon as the temperature stops drastically changing. Concealer and foundation should be set with a powder. I use MAC's Studio Fix pressed powder to do so.
                                                     

Up next is your foundation. This step is totally optional, you can just skip this step and go right on to powder if you're pressed for time or just don't need it. The one pictured is MAC's Face And Body Foundation. This one is superrr expensive at $32.50, but I own it because I was super outdoorsy this past summer and my face was so blotchy and red this past summer. I have this in C1, for whatever reason these have different color names, but this is the palest you can get, ha ha.  Foundation helps if you have acne or a face that tends to get really red. It is a great alternative to powder when it's melting temperature outside, ha ha. This one is great because it's water resistant (note that I did say water resistant, not waterproof). So it won't drip off your face or melt outside with sweat or rain, but I have no idea what would happen if you went in the pool, I'm pretty sure it would drip off then, ha. However, this particular one is pretty sheer, but is buildable so you can make it more covering. I don't use this very often, but instead use an asian BB Cream. It works wonders, it helps clear blemishes faster and works as a foundation (one that's not sheer). This should be set with any kind of powder (loose/pressed).

     Set your make-up!!! - When I say "set" I mean like "lock in". Setting your make-up is like...paint on cracked glass, it will slip and slide across the glass (concealer/foundation on your face) and will seep into the creases throughout the day, which is never a good thing. Putting a powder over the concealer/foundation makes sure that it won't slip and slide and crease throughout the day, and it becomes very obvious that you have make-up on if it's creasing and sliding. So I recommend using a powder of some sort to set anything wet (other than moisturizer) that you put on your face.

Now for the powder. I use MAC's Studio Fix pressed powder, I know it as this, but they may have changed the name because I can't find it on their website, but it is for sure available in the stores, the lid and label on the bottom both just read Studio Fix. I know it's in the $20 range, but I'm not sure of the exact cost becuase it has been a while since I have needed to purchase one, they last a long time. I tend to use pressed powder rather than a loose powder because I find that pressed powder is much easier to control in the container, on the make-up table, and on your face. The powder also helps to conceal any redness, blotchiness, and blemishes. I also use it to set my foundation and my concealer. And again, because of my paleness, I use this in NW15. I loveeee this one! I get sooo many compliments whenever I use it about how flawless and doll-like my skin is. I actually had a hugee blemish in the middle of my cheek during the summer and went in a doctor's office and the lady behind the desk couldn't stop talking about how flawless my face looked, she continued by saying that my skin reminded her of a "southern belle" because it looked perfect. I was and still am completely flattered by her compliments and I owe it all to this wonderful baby. :)

 For those eyebrows, here is some MAC Brow Set. It is of course clear and comes in four different shades: Girl Boy (the lightest brown), Beguile (a medium brown), Show-off (the darkest brown), and my clear one. It clocks in at $15, but lasts for a longggg time. I've had the same one for 6 months and it's only halfway gone (the one pictured is a newer one). They get to be a kind of dingy color from other facial make-up but it does not change the quality of the product.  And you should of course match your color choice to your natural brow color, or at least close to it so that it looks natural. And you can fill your eyebrows in with a pencil, but because mine are fairly thick, I don't because they would be rediculous and bushy, haha! But I find that it definitely helps when my brows decide to stick out or just won't chill out and look normal, ha.
      Curl Your Lashes Already!! - Obviously, it's not necessary to go and curl your eyelashes, I just prefer to curl mine. The purpose of an eyelash curler is to curl your lashes, obviously, and to make sure they're not sticking straight out like little twigs, curling them makes your lashes stand out and look like you actually have them and it also helps make volume and length apparent. I find that it helps to look in my make-up mirror, on the zoomed side with its light on, and stare at my lashes. I can't help you curl your lashes, it's mainly instinct and practice. You do get used to it fairly quickly, after a few times of pinching your eyelid, you learn pretty quickly, ha, and when you get better at it all, you don't pinch your lids anymore! Always curl your lashes before applying mascara. You curl before because if you curl after you apply mascara, it pulls the mascara off of your eyelashes, which, obviously, wouldn't look right. Ha, remember, curl before, not after. :)

Up now is the dreaded eyelash curler and mascara. It actually isn't dreaded at all when you get used to a foreign object being right up against your lashes. My lashes are pretty long already, but they rediculous when they're not curled, so I curl mine. I recommend getting one from Forever21 for when you first start out, mainly because the ones from walgreens or wherever can be super crappy and not last long at all. Forever21's aren't great, but they definitely do the job and they do it well. I use a MAC Full Lash Curler ($16) and the curling cushions on the MAC curlers last a longgg time, the one on there now has lasted me about a year and a half and is hardly creased and they curl my lashes greatly!
  -For a MAC brand mascara, (the solid black tube pictured above) False Lashes in False Black is by far the best one I have ever had from anywhere. The cost of this one is $19 It gives  my lashes wonderful volume (texture), and great length. This mascara is not meant for false lashes at all, it is so named because it gives your eyelashes the appearance of having false lashes on.  It is so great. I haven't had any flaking throughout the day like I get with a lot of mascaras and it makes me so mad when I get one that does. So it is just all around amazing. :D
  -A second option is MAC's Haute & Naughty Lash (the one with the pink and purple caps pictured above) and there are no color options in this one, it just comes in black, which is totally fine with me. This costs $19 also. The pink cap is for a more natural yet somewhat defined lash look. The brush system is so neat. There is only one brush in the whole tube. When you unscrew the pink cap and pull it out, it pulls the mascara wand out through a thinner tube that's attached to the caps and it wipes off excess mascara so there is less on the wand, making for a more natural looking application. The purple speckled cap is for a more defined and lengthened lash giving more of an impression and it's just the wand itself, nothing too fancy, but it is fancy when applied to your lashes. :)

Now, the one I have been using for quite a while is not a MAC mascara, the brand is Fairydrops in Scandal Queen Mascara and it was invented by a japanese woman and is waterproof and sweat proof. However, I find that it flakes a bit during the day. It does provide fantastic volume and length though so I just grin & bear it. :) I don't have too much to say about it other than I love it and currently use it every day. It does cost quite a bit more at $24, but it is worth it. I just bit my tongue and purchased it because I had heard nothing but positive things about this and they were completely sold out of the Tarina Tarantino mascara which I believe is no longer being produced and sold. So I "settled" for this one, but to my surprise, it's actually pretty great. :)
 Eye Primer - Before applying eyeshadow or eyeliner, you want to be sure and use a primer. Primers help your eyeshadows and eye liners stay where you put them on your eyes. Primers are like using glue before you dump glitter on your paper, without the glue, only a few pieces of glitter stick, but it's going to fall off at some point. If you don't use a primer, your eyeshadow will stick, but it will come off and crease through the day, if not within a few hours. Primers are probably one of the greatest inventions ever. No creasing, no disappearing eyeshadow, no super smeared eye liner, just wonderful make-up that looks like you just applied it. Primers also help intensify light and dark, and really all colors. The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (the one that comes in the purple container) evens out your skintone sooo well. I am super pale, as I have stated, and I have friends that are super tan, I can use it on them and myself (the same amount) and it blends into our skintones perfectly, as if it was made in our tone. I love it, so please don't think that just because I'm really light, and you may be tan or whatever then you can't use that primer, you honestly can. Just be sure and go to a store like Sephora and test it out on your hand to make sure that it does match your skin tone and looks right, or you could get another one by them with shimmer in it.

Unfortunately, I don't like any of MAC's eyeshadow primers, their paint pots are pretty and neat though. They come in at $17.50 each. They work a lot like a primer, but I personally can't use them as a primer, I just have to use a primer underneath, which is really no big deal, (I prefer Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion). But for quick cuteness and shimmer if I dont have time to fuss over eyeshadow, I use the pictured paint pot called Let Me Pop, which was a limited edition color. It looks like a bronzy-gold in the pot and before you blend it. I just use my finger and plop it right into the pot and not much of the product is needed to get color, I use just a little bit to get a golden shimmer across my eyes. There are of course new limited edition colors with each collection and then there are permanent colors to MAC. So a guy named Kyle who worked at MAC in a local mall sold me on this one. At first I was like 'I don't think I like it" then I gave it a minute and was like 'I'LL TAKE IT!!' hahah. And I trust his opinion completely because he did my sophomore homecoming make-up and did exactly what I was hoping for and more, I was sooooo pleased. Unfortunately for me, he was moved to another store, but on the plus side, he was promoted!! Yay!! Cuz he absolutely deserves every promotion possible. And I aslo have him to thank for introducing me to the band Metric, they're still my favorite. :)

Here is what Let Me Pop looks like swatched. The top is not blended, just kind of thrown on, the bottom is the shimmer and color that I get from blending it with my finger. I love it so much and I find myself using it more and more often. Let Me Pop is from their Cham-Pale collection, which was released around December 26th, 2010, so not quite a year ago. So if you want it, the only way you'd be able to get it now and in the future is through ebay or just the internet, unless they decide to bring this one back, which will more than likely never happen, ha.
 Eye Liner - The use of an eye liner tends to "open" up your eyes (meaning you look more awake), and can totally transform your look from, say innocent to sexy in just one simple step. Your waterline is somewhat above the roots of your lower eyelashes, and on the top lashes it is below your roots, on both the lower and bottom lids, the waterline is the pink part right next to your eyeball. Your lashline is where your eyelash roots are. When you line your upper lashline (not your tightline) you can wing it out slightly at the end, which gives a more playful and cute look. Tightlining your lower eyelid brings out your eye color, no matter what color it is, even brown, and adds depth. Tightlining on the upper eyelid, makes your lashes look more naturally thicker; however I have never been able to do so, my lashes are too close together so I get spots that don't have eye liner there and I just can't pull my lid back to tightline. This goes for top and bottom eyeliner: try not to apply your liner too thick and heavy, doing so tends to make girls and women look trashy, and don't think that's a good thing at all, cuz it's not, ha. Try to keep in mind that liquid eye liner, pencil eyeliner, and gel eye liners all give different kinds of looks and different textures and will apply differently. Test them out on a day where you're not going anywhere and see how each look. If you want to know how to tightline, there are plenty of videos on that subject so you can see how to do it and if it's for you. I tightline my lower lashes, but not super often, when I do, my eyes still water. My eyes water whenever I get my mascara or liner done by anyone other than myself. I will refer to lining my eyes and please not that this is not tightlining, it is just lining my lashes.

And on to eyeliners!! The one to the left is  just a MAC Eye Kohl named Smolder and is a plain and pure black.Each pencil liner is $15, but the liquids and fluidlines have a different price from this.I feel that black eye liner is a must have for everyone. Whether it is a pencil like this one, a gel, or a liquid liner. I tend to prefer the gel ones for my upper lash line, but these are really worth mentioning and can be worn on the upper lash line for an obvious color, or the lower lash line or lower waterline, I do not suggest using anything but pencil liners on your lower lashes, the liquid ones tend to want to drift to your eyeball and blur your vision for the rest of the day, which is obviously not good, so keep those to the top, ha.

This is a Pearlglide Eye Liner by MAC. For a brighter, sparkly and purple eye pencil, go for Miss Fortune, which is no longer available. I do not recall as to whether this was part of a limited edition collection or if they just discontinued it or when I even purchased it. But I loveee it. I wouldn't give it away for the world. It just brings the right amount of feminity to your eyes and I get quite a few compliments wearing this.

Then here is Rave, which was a limited edition Pearlglide Eye Liner from the Love That Look collection that was released some time in 2010 and obviously, no longer being sold.

  So this concludes this weeks blog and I hope that I was able to inform you on products, what they do, and how you should use them. Please check in next weekend for some more, though I will probably review more tomorrow. Thank you for reading this extremely long guide. :) Please leave a comment of your opinion about this post! :)

Keeping you informed and stylish, Annie