Getting It Right With Make-Up

In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned make-up in passing. Today, I’d like to really focus on it. 

Make-up can do a lot for you. And it can make you look nightmarish. There are, of course, certain social trends that embrace “nightmarish,” but I’m not writing about them. I’m writing about women like you.

So, how do I see “you”? I see you as a woman who approaches her life as an on-going effort to find emotional, intellectual and professional fulfillment. You’re seeking personal success on a broad front and you want your style to convey that.

You probably already know that how people see you has a lot to do with how the feel about you.

You may admire the success of women like the Kardashians, but if you encountered a woman with that kind of make-up, would you find her appealing or approachable? I don’t think I would.

As much as I know about the effects that can be achieved with the skillful use of make-up, I have looked at images of Kim Kardashian and tried to imagine what she actually looks like and I cannot. Her make-up is a complete mask.

That’s fine for show-business types, models and others whose faces appear in print or on some type of screen. Their entire careers are, in one way or another, about The Fantasy.

But for everyone else, the make-up mask is off-putting because it conceals just as completely as any N-95 mask. People want to see your face, not a paint-job, no matter how skillfully the paint-job is applied.

So, if celebrity make-up isn’t appropriate for everyday life, where else can you go to find inspiration or learn about what style of make-up is trending, what’s current and what’s out?

Many woman get hints about make-up trends from the slick, expensive advertising that manufacturers publish in print and on-line fashion magazines and social media. They also sponsor editorial advice in these same publications.

If anything, they are a worse example than celebrity make-up. These people sell make-up! They want you to buy it - lots and lots and lots of it!

Make-up, at it’s best, should enhance your best features and subtly re-contour or de-emphasize your not-so-good features. So, think light-handed, light as a feather, light as a spring breeze on your cheek. You’re not going for Malificent or Cruella De Ville!

Let’s take it from the beginning - Foundation.

You probably buy it at a drugstore or department store. Both have “beauty consultants” but that’s just a courtesy title for sales people and in most cases, they probably have little or no training. 

So, you can ask them for advice, but it’s really little better than asking a friend. They’ll know their product lines, however, and you can ask them what this or that product does.

What you’re probably looking for is a foundation that closely matches your own skin-tone. There are also foundations that are intended to neutralize certain under-tones such as yellow, red, gray, etc. 

Sales people usually have samples you can try - and not on the back of your hand, please! And remember, even if you do try it on your face, you need to put a little bit on your cheek, forehead and chin, because your face isn’t just one shade. You need to see how the foundation reacts with all of these areas of your skin. Of course you’ll use a wet-wipe between samples.

There are also neutralizing under-foundations. They’ll appear in the bottle as green or lavender or yellow or some other color that addresses your issue. 

They’re meant to be applied under your foundation. I’ve never used them that way because if you use double foundations, you’re well on your way to a mask, no matter what else you do. 

Instead, mix a drop or two of the under-foundation with your regular foundation in the cup of your hand and then apply it. You’ll have to experiment to find out how many drops you need for the best effect.

You’ll also want to ask what type of skin any particular foundation is meant for - dry, oily or combination. Most of us have combination skin - dry cheeks and temples, slightly oily forehead and chin, very oily nose (frequently called the “T-zone.”)  If the differences on your face are very significant, you may have to buy two types, one for the oily areas and one for the dry areas. Choose them from the same product line so you can get the same color in the two different formulations.

If you have been blessed with a porcelain complexion, you don’t need foundation, just a little dusting of powder. And don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. You have the greatest of all gifts of beauty. Don’t smother it!

So, you’ve got your foundation and you’re ready to apply it. You can use a sponge or your fingertips, but you’re probably going to use your fingertips because they’re handy and they give you the greatest control.

Apply it lightly over your entire face up to within about 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) of your hairline, ears and jawline. Before it sets, take a cotton-ball and gently brush it upward and outward toward (but not in) your hairline, ears and neck so that you don’t get a harsh line. 

Now, using the same cotton-ball, buff it lightly over your entire face to smooth out uneven make-up, smudges and smears. After a little practice, this whole procedure should take no more than three or four minutes. 

If you have a very oily nose, a light brush of powder will help, but don’t, don’t, don’t “set” your whole foundation with powder, it’s the fast-track to a mask.

Now you’re ready for blusher. If you don’t have a good set of make-up brushes, you should buy some. In general, use a blusher that’s consistent with the tone of your foundation. 

Matte blusher is rare and I don’t recommend it. Find a medium shade with a little bit of “luminescence” to gather highlights on your cheekbones. Smile to create an “apple” cheek and apply it lightly, sweeping upward, taking care not to get it into your hairline. Without “re-dipping” your brush, give a single light stroke to your chin. Once again, use your trusty cotton-ball to lightly blend all of the edges.

If you’re looking to create or accent cheekbones, use your fingertips to locate the depression where your jaws hinge and add a modest stroke of darker blusher there and, once again, blend. 

Eyeshadow should come next. I prefer a light luminescence unless you’re applying a light color to your inner lid to make your eyes appear further apart. Use matte for that type of work. 

Eyeshadow is one of the three places where your make-up can go all to hell. Try to remember that the purpose of eye make-up is to enhance your eyes, not bury them in a coat of many colors.

Blue-eyed women seem to love bright blue eyeshadow. They apparently think it will make their eyes look bluer. It doesn’t. It kills the blue in your eyes because even bright blue eyes aren’t that bright compared to the pigments in blue eyeshadow. 

If you want to bring out the blue in your eyes, use a drab color like medium gray or soft brown. That’s what will bring your blue eyes to life. The same goes for green eyes.

Hazel and brown eyes can wear blue eyeshadow, but keep it on the blue-gray side. You can also go for the drab plummy shades.

Iridescent purple is not good for anyone. Please don’t use bright, metallic or heavily color-saturated shadows. Leave the “peacock eyes” to the peacocks.

From time to time, deep pinks and reds come into the eyeshadow palette. Large sigh. I’m assuming that you aren't appearing in Kabuki Theater, so don’t do this to yourself. These colors make your eyes look injured and/or diseased. Pure iridescent white will also make you look sick.

In general, use a light creamy color under your brows and on your lids. Apply a darker shade to the crease of your lids, beginning with a narrow band near your nose and widening toward the outer lid. It is important to feather the area near the temple. 

Many woman only look at themselves full face-on in the mirror and never see the mottled mess that can appear on the far sides of their eyes at the end of the brow. Pick up a hand mirror and scrutinize the outer eyelids when you think you’re finished with your eyeshadow.

Next, eyeliner and, maybe false eyelashes. 

Liquid liners are fine for upper lids, although they tend to flake and migrate into the inner corner of the eye and sit there in a dark blob. I’d advise you not to use it for your lower eyeliner—it’s too harsh.

I’ve always preferred a semi-soft eyeliner pencil for all eye-lining applications. It doesn’t flake and the worst it can do is transfer into the crease of your upper lid, slightly darkening your eyeshadow. The easiest way to apply lower eyeliner is to dab little dots along your lower lashes and then blend them together with a Q-tip.

This is a matter of personal taste, but I believe that, unless you have naturally blue-black hair, you’re always better off with brown eyeliner. Medium brown for light-haired women and dark or “black-brown” for dark haired women. Black eyeliner is awfully hard looking.

False eyelashes are great if they’re remotely believable. Don’t use something that looks like a brown toothbrush. 

Also, if you’re a busy woman, they can take a lot of time to apply correctly. Practice cuts down on the time, but you’d still need to budget an extra 10 - 15 minutes. 

You should check false eyelashes several times a day. Carry a tube of glue in your bag and a toothpick to apply it. Need I say that loose ends are undesirable?

Mascara is essential and so is proper application. You can buy clean mascara applicator-type spiral brushes at any drugstore and they’re cheap. They’ll help you get great results.

Apply your mascara - again, I prefer brown or black-brown for most women - and then take your clean spiral brush and twirl it through your lashes to curl, separate and break up clumps. Add a second application if you like, then repeat the twirling process.

Eyebrows are second only to the mouth in creating facial expression. Eyebrows are important! Heavy brows are currently in vogue. This gets a mixed review from me.

In general, women’s eyes appear much larger than men’s. The main reason for this is heavy brows. So keep that in mind when you’re preening over your ability to grow eyebrows like a pirate.

Heavy brows are usually an over-reaction to a previous fad for super skinny brows. But skinny brows aren’t particularly flattering either because they tend to give the eyes a bird-like appearance.

Your best bet is to consult a professional and tell her (him) that you want your brows cleaned up and shaped in a non-trending, moderate arch. Only tweeze the under-brow, never the upper part of the arch unless you have a rogue hair or two.

Very few of us have perfect brows and that’s where eyebrow pencil comes in. Apply it in feathery strokes to strengthen the arch or lengthen the brow, then take your clean spiral brush and soften the line.

And now, we come to Lipstick. Ah, Lipstick. This is where I’m most likely to make friends and enemies.

Let’s start with fire-engine red lipstick. It currently trending, as it does every ten years or so when the powers that be in the make-up industry declare it “Fabulous!” (That would be between one and two years before they, once again, declare it a “Disaster!”)

But, it really isn’t “fabulous” on very many women. If you don’t believe me, just dig out some old pictures of your older relatives. You’ll see what I mean. You’re not going to look like that luscious-lipped model in the ads. She’s been photo-shopped to the moon and back. You’re going to look like your Great-Aunt Gladys.

You should play around with lipstick colors, but, once again, I’ll advise against extremes. White and ultra-pale, metallic lipsticks haven’t been around in a while and in this woman’s opinion, they should never be again. But that only means that a reappearance is probably just around the corner.

If you’re white woman or a light Latina, your best shade is close to the color of the inside of your lip - or a little lighter or a little darker - but that is your best tone. And there’s a bonus. When you’ve nibbled off the middle of your lipstick, it won’t be quite so obvious. 

Black women and dark Latinas, you look beautiful in the darker reds.

You should have several lip-pencils in the colors of the lipsticks you’re currently using. Please don’t use a dark lip-pencil and then fill in with a lighter lipstick. It looks terrible.

In general, use your lip-pencil to give your lip a clean outline, then fill in with lipstick.  Stay close to your natural lip-line. You can fudge it a little, one way or the other, but for heaven’s sake, don’t try to recreate your favorite celebrity’s mouth on your face. It’s just a bad, bad idea.

You can also use liquid lipsticks. They tend to last longer than tube lipsticks and the wand applicator allows you to be so precise that you won’t need lip-pencils.

Some woman say that liquid lipsticks dry their lips. I haven’t had that problem with them, but if you have, stay with tube lipstick.

And that’s it. Once you’ve gotten proficient with your make-up routine, all of the above (without false eyelashes) shouldn’t take more than about 20 minutes. That’s a small investment for big rewards.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Healthy, Prosperous New Year to you all.

- Gabrielle