Wear Makeup And Look Natural

By Author: Mel Joelle
Total Articles: 4328
Comment this article

For many women, using beauty products presents the challenge of striking a balance between having more enhanced facial features while still maintaining a natural look. Some feel they need to paint it on in order to cover up blemishes and make skin look more youthful, but they end up squirming in consequence when their friends can barely recognize them. In truth, most makeup, when matched well with its user's skin and properly applied, can achieve all cosmetic goals simultaneously: Improving color, minimizing flaws, creating a subtle glow while appearing natural so that one's face cannot be confused with anyone else's but their own. This article is meant to provide cosmetic advice to women who strive to find better makeup techniques to cover up on a daily basis in a way that blends well with their own skin.

Here are some tips:

Before getting on the makeup side of things, it's important to begin with a clean canvas. Remove any dirt, old makeup, or other types of residue that will clog pores under a new layer of foundation. Once it is clean and moisturized, you can use concealer and foundation to cover blemishes ...
... and even out your skin tone.

There are several types of concealer- liquid, stick, and powders. Regardless of its physical form, it will prevent you from having to go heavy on foundation. Still, it is best to use the lightest in weight that will work for you. It should then only be applied where needed, such as under the eyes and on red spots, and then blended in so that it's even with the skin- not too intensely, though, or you'll just need more and end up with tidemarks.

Foundation is then used to create an even backdrop to the face. It's important that you find a foundation that is as close as possible to your skin tone- while it may be tempting to go a shade darker for bronzing purposes, leave that for later via a bronzing powder and go with a shade of foundation that matches your face and, in turn, your neck, chest, and the rest of your body. Foundation comes in several forms including liquid, a stick, cream, and powder. Although a solid base tends to be better for coverage, liquids are lighter (less caked) and appear more natural. If your skin is oily, dry compact powder and oil-free liquids are both good options. For dry skin, you may be better off with a cream base that will moisturize your skin. Be sure to even it out throughout your face, around your hairline, nose, jaw line, and into your neck to achieve a balanced tone that harmonizes with the skin below. You can then follow that off with a loose powder to keep foundation in place and absorb oil.

Beyond foundation and concealer, the degree in which you want to pursue makeup for your eyes, lips, and cheeks can depend on the occasion and your attire. Generally, if you're looking to go on the natural side, less is more.

To enhance your glow, you can use a bronzer or blush, chosen according to which best complements your natural skin tone. Women with lighter/pale tones tend to appear more natural in blush. If your skin is tanned or an olive, however, you may find that you're most compatible with a bronzer, although you could also mix the two in some variation that most naturally flushes your cheekbones. Be sure to apply it in light strokes to avoid going overboard.

As far as eye makeup, make mascara a priority. You may decide to go no further than it during the daytime, but it should be the one item you don't leave off your face when trying to scale down your look to appear less made-up. However, if the occasion calls for you to take it up a notch, you may find that using a muted eye shadow will suit the occasion and bring out your eyes more subtly than loud or glitzy shades. Keep in mind that light colors emphasize your eyes whereas dark colors make them appear smaller. Also, if you use more than one color, be sure to blend in between the lines.

For natural lips, your goal is to add further definition without looking clownish. You're best off using a lip color with low pigmentation, varying in a soft form from brown to pink according to the tone of your skin. If lips are dry, apply moisturizer or balm before adding any color.

Hopefully these tips will help you to use cosmetic products while continuing to appear as yourself, albeit a more vibrant version. Remember at the end of each day to use a makeup remover and exfoliating wash so that your face stays clean through the night and eases the makeup application process for the next morning.
Click here to read the rest of Wear Makeup and Look Natural. If you enjoyed this article, you also might like our other stories about Makeup for Ethnic Women.