clueless..

[danielaaa]

im a teen and i dont know how to do my eye makeup, or anything really

[mia135]

It seems that I am still a bit clueless about makeup application myself. My question is about eyeliner. I am seeing a lot of ladies on here saying not to only apply eyeliner on the bottom lid, why is that? Doesn't it look more natural to only apply eyeliner to the bottom lid during the day?

[nikki]

If you apply liner to the top lid, it makes eye lashes look fuller and thicker. Also, as women age, the undereye area looks dark due to thinning skin, etc, so only drawing liner on the bottom lid draws attention to it and brings the eye down. Lining the top lid perfects the eye shape and makes eyes look perkier. 

Imo, it's not a huge deal, especially for younger women, but that's the reasoning behind lining the top lid from what I learned as a MUA.

[mia135]

Thank you Nikki. I still have so much to learn. 🙂

[nikki]

No problem, happy to help. I'm still learning new things every day! It's much more fun learning experience than tax law or 18th century poetry 😉

[mia135]

That is very true.

[punctuationgeek]

I'd suggest YouTube tutorials, which helped me immensely. My favorites are Pixiwoo (good variety of videos), Tanya Burr, Kandee Johnson, and MissMai27 (great if you have hooded eyes). Just pick a look you like, and they'll walk you through how to do it. They also tell you what products they use. If you know a makeup style you like (Sophia Loren, Taylor Swift, Mary-Kate Olsen, etc.), you can just do a search on YouTube for that. Have fun with it!

[BrieElizabeth]

I would say start light and work your way up. The biggest mistake you could make would be over applying. Not so attractive.. haha but I mean I learned by watching youtube. There are some great beauty gurus on there who show you how to do anything you want plus you get advice on some of the better products to use. So you don't waste money. 

[IttyxBittyxMe]

This year was the year I really got into makeup for the first time and I'm 21, so I completely understand where you're coming from. Makeup can be super over whelming, but also super exciting once you get it right and know what you like. 

Here are somet of the things that helped me the most:

- Youtube

This website is a God send. There are so many different makeup artists with so many different styles, techniquies, of so many different ethnicities and skin colors it's crazy and wonderful. I have well over 15 lovely ladies that I'm subscribed to for different reasons. For example, I love thebeautybox1411 because she always has a flawless face, meanwhile I love beautybyjj and thatigbochick because they to are also flawless and much closer to my skin tone so I can take their blush and lipstick recommendations better, then there are artist like namaisa, biohazardousbeauty, and ahitsrosa that aren't afraid to use and experiment with color and I love it.

It's just a matter of finding people that you like, styles you like, and techniques you like so you can watch, try for yourself, and learn. 

Oh, I also recommend looking up Robert Jones makeup color wheel on youtube. It is incrediably helpful for a makeup new comer when it comes to thinkgs like blushes, eyeshadow colors, and lipsticks for your skin tone. 

- Books

If you don't like reading, this may not be for you, but I founnd that makeup books can be extremelty helpful. My favorite to this day is Bobbi Brown's Makeup Manual because it goes over everything. From tools, to product types, what works best for your skin type, different tips depending on your ethnicity and skin color, it's a great guide to have. I know most of my local book sellers were out after the holiday, but Amazon probably still has a few copies. 

- Invest in good brushes
I only say this because you want something that is going on your face and on your eyes to be nice quality and not scratchy or anything. Plus, you'll spend less money because you won't have to replace them.. I really like my Coastal Scents brushes for budget brushes but I've also heard really good things about Real Techniques. As far as higher end brushes go I love, love, love my MAC, Sigma, and Tarte [well only their foundation brush so far], brushes.

- Do NOT be afraid to experiment and do what YOU want

I'm on another beauty forum called Beautylish and a lot of people recomend neutral colors, neautral palettes, and the what not to makeup newbies. Are neutrals good to have? Yes. Should they be the only thing you have, to me , no. Do not be afraid to experiment with colors! May it be on your face, eyes, or your lips. Makeup is an art form, and as such you shouldn't be afraid to try out new things and see what you createu. For example, I use blushes for eyeshadow and lip liners for eyeshadow bases. I want a green lipstick and a nice blue just for the heck of trying one out. After all, it's my face, I can do what I want. There are supposed to be a lot of 'do's' and 'don'ts' but I've seen quite a few people rock some don'ts and make them work.

Don't be afraid to play with your makeup either. I just got into the habit of trying out different looks with my palettes at night before bed. At first I didn't because I was afraid I was going to hit the pan to quicliky but then I realized I have to much stuff for me to hit the pan quick on anything. 

If you want to try drugstore makeup, try it. If you wnat to try high end makeup, try it. I will say that I personally like Sephora's return policy [anything can be returned or exchanged without or with a reciept which made the process of finding a foundation easier] which is why I choose to shop at Sephora over Walmart or Ulta, but nothing is wrong with either place.  

Now for some pictorals. Now these are just for guides, nothing absolute [as nothing in makeup is]. Like for example, in the eye shadow chart, each eye color can do more then those colors. Brown eyes for example can make any color work or pop because they don't have colors to compete with unlike blue or green eyes [the Robert Jones video I talked about above will make more sense of this].

[calamityjane85]

Hi!

Whatever you are interested in say brows, winged eyeliner... hit up youtube and watch for awhile, that's how I learned. There is a thread somewhere on here where we listed our favorite youtube gurus.  

PS. you may soon become addicted...

[missey1973]

I am 40 and still don't.

[marydiva]

Hey! 🙂 

As a fellow teen, I feel the a pain. A few years ago I had NO clue what I was doing. Wiping the mineral makeup out of my eyebrows was actually a huge stepping stone freshman year. I started noticing the little things, I realized that blush made me go from having a deathly pallor to a warm and healthy glow. 

Makeup is a learning process! Last year I wouldn't have gone near the lipstick section. Now, I own probably 25+ lippies. I've gradually branched out and mastered various areas. It's important not to overwhelm yourself! Take things one at a time. 

In terms of eye makeup - you'll need a couple of things - eyeliner (I reccomend a liquid pen - easy to control and clean crisp lines), eye primer (UD has a great one), a shadow palette (great for beginners, singles can be difficult to pair together without experience), a set of good brushes (the Sephora Smokey Eye set is GREAT value for your money), a good eyelash curler (go Tweezerman!) and a trusty mascara (Buxom is great!). 

Start by applying eye primer. (A tiny bit will do the trick! I've been using the same tube of Primer Potion for a year and I still have plenty.)

Using your makeup brushes, apply your eyeshadow - forevergrace gave great directions below, youtube is also a great place to learn the basics.

Line your upper lash line, curl your lashes and put on your mascara. Some people use an eyelash primer - I personally don't find them uber  necessary, but they're great for creating a fuller look. 

When I was first learning eye makeup, I kept baby wipes handy to wipe away shadow fallout, shadow that I blended past by eyelid and onto the side of my face (LOL, it happens to all beginners!) and eyeliner gone rogue. They were (and still are!) an important part of my beauty arsenal. 

Blush, I think, can be a game changer. One little swipe of color adds a LOT to a face. I think Blush is a great place for beginners to start because it's so simple and you can't really mess that up. I recommend Tarte and NARS, especially. 

[forevergrace]

I would take time to learn the basics of make-up.

Such as your skin tone. Do you know if you are a pink undertone, or a yellow undertone, a neutral undertone?

Research what eye shadow and other make up is often chosen for your eye color & even hair color. Combine this with research of how different shades pop or blend with your skin tone in making a finale decision. Google image search examples of celebrities, models, ect. with similar features to help get an idea on which colors will look most complimentary.

Secondarily, you must learn where make up is suppose to be positioned.

The standard for eyeshadow is...

(however there are many different types of styles, this is one basic style):

1.Base color goes over the entire upper eye which will be your third lightest shade used.

2. Highlight hue on brow bone (lightest color framing your eyebrow directly underneath your brow)

3. Second lightest color on eyelid (if you were doing a smokey eye, this would not be the case)

4. Darkest shade on the exterior outer corners of the eyes swept inwards into the eye lid creases.. and slightly tracing inward on the bottom of the eye.

5. (Optional) Highlight hue in the inner corners of eyes. On the top of your eyes and a little bit on the bottom of the inner corner of the eye.. such as white or light beige.

6. Use a large brush, sweeping in a circular motion to blend the colors together.

7. (Optional) Use white eyeliner and trace your water line (the pink line inside your bottom eye lid is typically referred to as your "water line" in the make up world) You will probably have to pull down on your cheek with your fingers to expose your waterline in order not to poke yourself in the eye) This is to make your eyes look bigger, by creating the illusion the whites of your eyes are larger.

My verbal instructions may have been very confusing. Luckily there are many youtube makeup tutorial and online eyeshadow & facemake up templates that may be more clear you should definitely check out.

Thirdly you will want to learn where highlighters, bronze, and blush all properly go on your face to bring out your bone structure. This will require learning what your face shape is considered: heart, round, oval, etc:

Again there are templates on the internet that will help assist you with this.

For example, using your highlighter if you sweep it around your temple of your eyes: from the top of your eyes brows, to the side of your eyes, down to your cheeks underneath your eyes in a "C" Shape this can assist in bring out your cheekbones. You also always want to have the area directly under your eyes to be slightly lighter than the rest of your foundation to help make your eyes look more "awake"

Also what helped me was Photoshop actually. I got it in my late teen years and learned enough that I could alter my photos however I wanted. Spending time analyzing my photos with the eye of a graphic artist, adding highlight & lowlights to different areas of my face to improve upon my pictures with the software made me realize what I needed to do differently with my make up. Like when I added more dark/bright pigment directly above my eyelid creases to enhance my eyes w/ photoshop. Just as long as the "power of the computer" doesn't give you unrealistic expectations that lead to frustration, it can also be a useful tool to try on make up looks.

Remember that make-up is a form of art, much like painting and drawing. There are many, many different types of techniques that you have the option of learning and it takes a long time to master and perfect.

I started at 13 and now I am 23. And I still mess up my eyeliner at least 40% of the time. What helps is spending a lot of time learning the basics and the dos and don'ts.

I definitely did some "don'ts" in the beginning. Such as wearing dark lip liner with light pink lipstick! (You don't want to do that). And wearing black eyeshadow despite the fact that is just did not go well with my porcelain skin tone, along with other eyeshadows & lipsticks that were just way too dark.

Good luck. And since you are still a teen, remember to respect whatever your parents wishes are about wearing make-up. Make up isn't ever worth ugly family strife.

[IttyxBittyxMe]

Great advice! My only thing is sometimes wearing a dark lip liner with a light pink lipstick can make said lipstick more wearable and tone it down. The only reason I can wear the pinks, or the pinks I have so far anyway, I have is because of darker lip liners [purple, plum, darker browns] as I'm to dark to pull them off alone. MAC Pink Plaid looked like a hot mess on me until I applied a darker liner and I can only wear Candy Yum Yum with either the Magenta liner or Nightmoth liner. So it's less of a 'don't' more of a situational type of thing.