3 makeup looks to strut your stuff in

Wearing makeup can be a chore. You have to wake up and immediately sit down to put it on. You have to put on a million things just to make it look good and the stress of accidentally smudging it is a nightmare makeup users know too well, but with a few simple tips tricks and hacks anyone can make makeup a breeze. 

The first few tricks are for the base coat. This is your foundation, concealer and contour. 

Remember to always get makeup that matches your skin tone. Never use one darker than your actual skin tone as this will make you look like your face and neck are from two separate bodies. In fact, most gurus say to go a shade lighter if you can’t find yours. 

For a good base, I suggest using a liquid foundation and then a powder to keep it solid. This avoids your face becoming cakey. And remember, black/brown face is disgusting.

Contour is a different story. You want to use a darker shade to make realistic shadows. This is used to make a sharper jawline or to make the face skinnier. Remember to use a beauty blender to make the fade believable. 

Next you will need to apply highlight and blush. Highlight is used to contrast the contours. Apply this to the bridge of the nose and right above the contour line on your jaw to make it pop. Then apply blush. The best way is to start by your eye and move following the cheekbones. End with some on the nose for a brighter complexion, and your base is done.

A good idea is filling in your eyebrows. Use a color that matches your hair line. For blondes, use a lighter brown to avoid it fading into your face. This will give your look some more maturity and depth. Now the part everyone loves, eyeshadow. 

How to find your season, what to wear with your season and how to match looks can be tricky. With eyeshadow there is a lot that goes into making a look work. Your skintone,your hair and eye color and, of course, your “season.” 

Your season incorporates all of these things. There are four makeup seasons which match the traditional seasons: fall, winter, spring and summer. Finding your season is very important because if you don’t you risk washing yourself out. A good way to find your season is to go to a makeup store and get a beautician’s opinion, but there are things online that can help as well.

In makeup sometimes you just need to have fun and do a look that is neither functional nor one that follows your season. The following looks were done to show you the more expressive side of makeup.

1. Called the rainbow love, I started doing this look for pride, but, honestly, you can wear it anywhere. It’s a look for equality and love. 

To start this look, build up your face with concealer, foundation, etc. Then apply primer to the eyelids. 

Starting by the end of the eye where it turns up, apply the shadow following the rainbow order with blue in the spot by the nose. When the upper lid is finished, apply primer under your water line and place pink, purple and violet. 

Once you’re happy with your colors, apply eyeliner and mascara. For an extra touch, apply primer and white eyeshadow on your cheeks to mimic clouds. Add a lip color and you’re ready to strut.

1. Referred to as the sleepy siren, this next look is more for goth, metal or punk fans. 

Start with building your base up. Once that’s out of the way, grab your eyeliner. Do a normal wing liner and then add two to three triangles on your lower lid connecting them with thick lines on your waterline. 

Next, take a thin brush and do a smokey eye, leaving the inner part of the eyelid untouched. Finally apply a blue liquid eyeshadow to the empty space and on your cheeks to appear as tear drops. 

Match with a black or blue lip look, and you’re ready to rock.

1. The final look for today is called honeybee. 

To start, apply your base and primer. Use a simple yellow eyeshadow on your eyes and some gold on the edges. Apply mascara and eyeliner and the easy part is done. 

For the fun part, take your eyeliner and draw a dotted line coming from your wing down to about the center of the cheek. 

At the end of this apply a dot of primer and cover the dot with yellow or gold eyeshadow. Outline the circle and give it a few stripes. 

Now using the liquid eyeshadow, give it two little wings, and you have an adorable little bee. Remember there is no limit to the amount of bees, so have fun with it. 

Add a lipcolor, and you’re ready to bee yourself.