Great Eye Makeup Is Essential To A Good Look

Great eye makeup is essential to a good look. While the use of pretty colors is fun, a flawless application is paramount! So to help you achieve the best application possible, I have put together a list of my top eye makeup tips to get you looking amazing.

Brighten up your eyes before application of foundation by using a little dab of skin brightening cream or light reflecting concealer in the inside corners of the eyes. These have very subtle light reflecting qualities that help to counter any dark circles.
In order to get your eye makeup looking flawless and well blended, always prepare your canvas properly before applying your eye makeup. Tips for creating a good base for eye shadow include; evening out the eyelid color with a concealer, applying the concealer from the eyebrow to the lash line, removing any creases in your concealer prior to applying powder; powder well. Make sure your application of concealer and powder is not too heavy, too much base on the eyelid will result in caking and cracking.

Use a no-color powder or a translucent powder to set the concealer or foundation around your eyes. Anything with too much color will grab and destroy the true color of any eye shadow you choose.

Make your eyes POP by choosing an eye shadow that compliments your eye color. A complimentary color is one that is opposite on the color wheel. For instance, red is opposite to green, orange is opposite to blue and purple is opposite to yellow. So choose something within the color family.

Only use a liquid eyeliner if you are extremely confident you can get a straight line and get both sides even. If not, it is best to use a dark eye shadow with a slightly wet brush; it's much easier to clean up if you make a mistake. And NEVER use liquid liner on the bottom lashes; this will look harsh and aging.

Curl your eye lashes- this is the best eye makeup tip of all time! It will open up your eyes and make them look bigger and more wide-awake. Always curl your lashes before application of mascara otherwise you risk snapping your lashes.

If you are using lots of dark eye shadow, try putting excess translucent powder under the eyes to catch any fallen specks that are bound to fall during application. Then you can just dust it off when you are finished instead of being forced to do a patch up job of your foundation!

These Face Makeup Tips Will Help You Avoid Cakey Face

You know we've all at one time or another applied too much foundation or concealer and ended up with what I like to call "Cakey Face". This is a common dilemma when it comes to face makeup, so here's my easy steps in how to get more natural looking skin!

1. Apply a face primer

This step helps prime your skin just as paint primer preps your walls before applying paint: it smooths out the surface filling in pores and making the surface smoother for the foundation. Primers have just recently become standard in makeup products- one of the first ones was the Smashbox Photofinish. This works well if you have dry skin, but I find it too oily looking on combination to oily skin.

2. Don't apply too much foundation

Now I realize that if you want full coverage or have many blemishes you’d like to cover, the first thing you think is to apply a fair amount of foundation. This will cover the blemishes BUT will also risk the chance of piling up and looking very mask like. The better option is to apply a thin layer just to even out your overall skin, then go over with concealer on just the blemished areas. On my clients I really like using the Beauty Blender because it applies a thin layer and makes it easier to melt the foundation into the skin. It is best used damp as the wet sponge thins the foundation slightly.

3. Apply powder only to oily areas

This is the key step! ONLY apply powder to the areas on your face that tend to get oily- usually the "T zone". If you have dry skin, you may even be able to skip powder altogether. The trick is to also apply powder in a thin layer- I find the best way to do this is to use a thin, flat sponge.

4. Mist setting spray

This step is optional- I just do this step if my skin looks a bit dry after applying powder. My absolutely favorite product of all time is MAC's Fix Plus spray- simply mist it all over your face after your makeup is done. It will give a subtle glow to the skin and help "melt" the powder into your foundation.

Always remember to apply makeup in thin layers at a time- you can always add more, but it's very difficult to take away. I really hope this helps you all in your quest of getting flawless looking skin!