More Makeup Tips for Foundation Shadow

Foundation Rules:
First posted on this site in 2008 and 1998 on my old Aol blog. Since it's closing of its doors I finally have added this post on to our site. I added my review of newer mascara types I have used and purchased in the past three years. I hope you enjoy.

Foundations - Most critical decisions based upon your skin type, coverage necessary, how to apply and skin color. Available in creams roll on or cream to powder form, minerals, liquid, lotions and compact, you need to know the purpose of foundation is to even out skin tone.

Foundation should disappear on your skin, the shade should always exactly match your natural coloring. If you can not match exactly then try a shade lighter. Most companies offer skin matching shade foundation. The key to a perfect finish is simple: blend, blend, blend, then blend.

Apply lightly with clean fingers, brush or sponge (dry or damp). Have noticeable facial hair? Facial hair is not just limited to men this is a common occurrence with aging women and if you have course dark hair. It's just peach fuzz or thicker hair.

How to cover? Facial hair coverage works best with either separate products such as Dermablend or tricks such as lipstick, etc. Lipstick trick for small areas of facial hair is pink or red lipstick depending on your skin coloring. A blog post about that issue later address by Angela/Engela. Matte and heavier coverage will yield the greatest coverage, lotions the least (light weight formula).

To help reduce shine, blot oil with an oil blotting tissue before touching up with powder. You can buy this easily at your local drugstore since they have been around for years.

Shadows:

Available wet or dry, both, powder, gel or cream. Achieve a harmonious look by choosing shades within the same color family.

1. For day wear, choose natural shades depending on your eye color. You want to keep the look natural but bring out the color you have. Apply a little foundation or concealer on your eyelids followed by a pale, light shade over entire lid and brow bone.

2. Then accent with a darker shadow along the lid. Example: For blue eyes, choose shades of brown, taupe or subdue orange for contras.

3. The lightest is the highlighter. This may seem old fashion to some but I find if you use it lightly and correctly it will be effective. Ex: If you want to give to appearance to raise your eye brows due to lack of sleep of hide to sign of aging.

You are not limited to using white unless your uniquely usually pale. For daytime if you are wearing a powder you may consider using a matte formula and in the evening using a shimmer. The highlighter show be suited for your skin type such as oily or dry as well as based on color and shade.

Perhaps you would prefer to use it under you eyes like a powder eye liner for older women. When using an eye highlighter remember it goes on first and usually along the natural brow line. You can use a cream or powder form depending on your skin type e.i dry, normal, combination or oily but I digress.

4. Next apply the medium shade on the lid itself and just beyond the crease, keeping most of the darker shades now to the outer corner of the eye. The darkest shade can be used in the crease itself very judiciously or just at the lash line, wet being the best for longer wear.

Just dip an angled brush into a small pot of water, shake off excess and then dig into a side area of your shadow, again shaking off excess and apply as closely to the lash line as possible, starting from the inside of the eye, working outward. Repeat for other eye. As to doing the bottom lash line, that may be taking it too far, particularly for a day look.

Remember, less is more. Make up should enhance what you already have not draw attention to itself. Too much and you're a caricature of a woman or a Drag Queen. For night-time, pretty much anything goes, the darker the better for a "glamor" look.

To apply cream eye shadow, use a sponge to smooth on a very thin, very light layer of loose powder on the entire eyelid before putting on the shadow. Lightly apply cream eye shadow using your fingers. Follow with another light application of loose powder.

Eye Liners: Pencils, "Art liners", liquid marker liner, creams, combination pencils or shadows? Pencils can drag, liners smudge, creams disappear or "roll." Shadows are my first choice to use as a liner because if it's longevity (staying power). Liquid markers are my second choose because it's fast and mistake proof.

Shadows are easy to put on, they stay, build-able (built upon) and easily blended. One way to balance out your face is to focus on your eyes. Don't put a big black line around your eyes unless you want a closed-in look. Keep the eye area open one way to carry out this task is to use light shadow around the eye area.

Finally the most common modern place to apply a highlight is around the eyes tear ducks. Of course you can use a simpler effect. The classic white eye pencil is has a similar effect as the shadow and is a classic makeup practice of opening your eyes. Making your eyes them appearance brighter. Keep eye shadow flowing in an outward motion off the eye. Lift your brows by tweezing the arch a little higher than normal. This will visually alter the proportions of the face and draw the eye up and away from your mouth.

Mascara: Waterproof mascara is great to use either when perspiring during physical active such as sports or otherwise be getting wet. regular is easier to take off without hurting your skin and therefore much more recommended. Maybelline XXL Extension Microfiber Mascara and the similar Loreal version are two of my current favorites. Both mascaras are made by the same company yes Maybelline and Loreal.

I also enjoyed Avon's Astonishing Lengths Mascara in brun/noir (brown black) believe it or not. I have not used a Avon product in years and I bought it on sale for my local representative. I found Avon's Mascara goes on without clumping and make for wonderful looking lashes. XXL Extension Mascara I have tried this mascara and have found it works very well. Beautifully tamed lashes with length beyond belief I agree XXL Mascara tams and lengthens but I don't' know where they get thickens. Perhaps if you have thicker lashes but not much noticeable effect on thickening my lashes occurred while in use.

It doesn't thicken but it defiantly lengths my lashes. XXL clumped if more than two applications were applied. I don't usually wear a lot of mascara, but I needed to know how much I could apply on my blond almost non-existing lashes. I have never used a product that has length my lashes as much as this both these mascaras. The only way I can imagine you could have longer ones is if you use false lashes which I find old fashion and a drag to apply (pardon the pun).

You don't have to curl your lashes because the first white color stuff in the mascara tube will tame and curl your lashes. Next, the color I applied was the black brown for a more than natural look but not too much drama for day. I have very light-colored eyes and lashes. If you use an eyelash curler (recommended with regular mascara), do so before apply mascara, otherwise you will have them sticking and breaking off!

Curling lashes opens up the eyes. Putting a little extra powder under the eyes to catch fallen flakes is also recommended. One coat of brown for day wear, two coats of soft black for night or one if using the blackest black (very black) mascara. Use a metal fine-tooth lash comb immediately after applying to separate lashes and a Q-tip, available in flat/pointed sides as well, for blending away flakes on and around the eye.

Brows:

Pencil or shadow work well to fill in a light brow. Brows are important as they frame your face, always tweeze from below the brow. Working with shadow and a flat angled brush, start in the darkest area and work out, tapering to the outside of the eye in a fine line. If pencil is used, apply in short strokes out and into a tapered point. Color should match your natural head hair. If you can not find you hair color in an eye pencil than you can use a half to a shade darker.

I follow this with either an old toothbrush or a brow brush brushing to smudge and diffuse the color, blending it in. Over the counter makeup tend to come with an application smudge tip with your eyeliner or eye brow pencil. If you apply too much color, soften by applying a bit of loose face powder in your correct shade with a powder puff.

I have used a mascara brush with a shade closest to my hair color and have found it just as easy as a brow pencil or eye liner. It tends to look more natural and is less time-consuming. No blending necessary but do use an eye lash comb if it's too thick. To avoid this problem just make sure you don't have too much mascara on the comb when you apply it to your eye brows.

Some women may use highlighters on other areas of face. Most common place is on the top of the cheek bones. I would consider using a modern form as I said before in a color that suits your skin coloring. Many other places to apply highlighter such as when contouring your breast to appear larger. Common practice for many years in Hollywood movie sets and plays. Believe it or not at one time a whole makeup team and not just a makeup artist were dedicated to applying makeup effects just as shadowing. An example is Juila or Julia Roberts for her performance in Erin Brockovich. Makeup shading is used to make her breast seem large besides the push up bra. For more information about this time of shadow please refer to earlier post.

- Kel