makeup hack – Page 4

How to Fix Cakey Makeup Like a Pro

Published on April 19, 2020May 1, 2024 by Lee4 Comments

Your makeup can start out looking as flawless as can be, and suddenly, some time around lunch, your makeup starts settling into lines you didn’t know you had and appears thick and cakey. Sound familiar? It’s happened to the best of us. Thankfully achieving that coveted second skin look and making it last isn’t an impossible feat. Here, I will be walking everyone through my tips for avoiding and fixing cakey makeup.

Step #1: Prep Your Skin and Products

Cakey makeup is most often caused by one or both of the following: not prepping the skin properly and using dirty brushes or sponges. This is why the prep you do before applying your makeup is so important. Start by cleansing your skin. Every few days, follow with an exfoliator to remove any dead skin cells or surface debris, and then finish with a moisturizer and lightweight sunscreen. A solid skincare routine will give you a fresh, smooth canvas to work with.

Also recommend cleansing your makeup brushes or sponges at least once every two weeks. Clean brushes and sponges apply makeup much better.

Step #2: Apply

A third common cause of cakey makeup? Applying too much product. Try applying foundation and lip products in thin layers so that it all sets properly without looking cakey. Another tip for a flawless application is to use liquid foundation and concealer that contain hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid. If using a cream formula, I’ll let it melt down a bit to a more liquid consistency before applying.

Step #3: Refresh

If you follow the steps above and your makeup still turns cakey mid-day, a quick refresh is all you need. My suggestion is spraying a beauty sponge with a hydrating face mist or setting spray (try the Urban Decay Quick Fix Hydra-Charged Complexion Prep Priming Spray) and gently dabbing it over any cakey areas. This will absorb any excess product and re-blend your makeup. If the cakey-ness is primarily in the under-eye area, try removing the makeup in that area, re-hydrating, then reapplying under-eye concealer.

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6 Places You Never Thought to Apply Concealer

Published on March 29, 2020May 1, 2024 by Lee1 Comment

Here at Makeup.com, we have a very special bond with our concealer stash. It’s one of our most trusted makeup products that’s always there for us, even when it seems like our skin isn’t. Whether that means dark under-eye circles or a spontaneous blemish, concealer can help make our skin woes disappear with each swipe from its magical wand. That’s not all it does, though. In fact, your concealer can do so much more than simply camouflage imperfections, depending on where it’s placed. Find out six places to apply concealer, ahead.

Above and Below the Brow

Blend a thin line of concealer on top of and underneath the brows to make eyebrows pop and open up the eyes. This also helps with reshaping your brows or defining your arches. Be sure to use a full-coverage formula like the Maybelline New York Superstay Concealer to really clean up those edges and give you precise-looking brows.

The Inner Corners and Under the Eyes

To get rid of dark circles, conceal only the blue or purple tint beneath your eyes. To brighten up the eyes even more, tap a little concealer in the inner corners of your eye to really disguise any late nights with no sleep. We love using the Maybelline New York Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser for this area. The sponge tip applicator makes it extremely easy to tap on just the right amount of product you need.

Across the Bridge and Down the Center of the Nose

Apply concealer on the bridge and down the center of your nose to bring light to the center of your face and help make the nose appear slender. This is also a great contouring trick, making your face catch more light on the high points.

Around Each Nostril

This area is commonly plagued by redness and broken capillaries. Brightening around the nose will help skin tone appear more even all over — and we love the Urban Decay Full Coverage All Nighter Concealer because it’s incredible at canceling out that excess discoloration.

Corners of the Mouth

Unfortunately, as we age, the more our skin begins to lose elasticity, which results in loose skin. Conceal the outer corners of the mouth to lift up downturned lips and show off your smile.

Center of the Chin

Combat redness or darkness by blending a small semicircle of concealer right at the crease in the chin. This is also a great spot to place concealer because not only will it catch light to bring more attention to the center of your face, but it’ll also help to further accentuate a great lip color — thank us later.

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10 EYESHADOW TIPS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Published on March 4, 2020May 1, 2024 by Lee3 Comments

Your eyes are arguably one of your strongest assets. They are the so-called windows to your soul after all, which is all the more reason to brush up on your eyeshadow skills. But applying eyeshadow like a pro can be tricky. What are all those different sections of a palette for? What type of brush should you use? Let’s go back to the basics. Ahead, find our ten golden rules for applying eyeshadow and you’ll be golden, too.

STEP #1: Always Use Primer

An eyeshadow primer creates a clean canvas for you to work with, and it acts as a barrier between your eyeshadow and the natural oils in your skin. That way, your makeup stays put so you can keep touch-ups to a minimum. Try a formula like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion Primer.

STEP #2: Enhance Your Natural Eye Color

You want to choose an eyeshadow shade that accentuates your natural eye color. Finding colors that best complement your eyes takes some experimenting, but here’s a good place to start:

Blue Eyes: Shadows with bronze or peachy tones help blue eyes pop. Slate gray is another great option.

Green Eyes:A plum-colored shadow looks very flattering if you have green or hazel eyes. Rusty shades are also gorgeous.

Brown Eyes:If you’re a brown-eyed girl like me, we’re lucky because most shades look great on us. But gold or purple hues are especially flattering

STEP #3: Know Your Eye Shape

Do you have deep-set eyes? Close-set? Hooded? Determining the shape of your eye helps you decide which shading technique is right for your specific features and plays up your natural beauty.

STEP #4: Decode Your Palette

You might be tempted to open an eyeshadow palette and just have at it, but it’s important to know which sections correspond to each part of your eye. Trust us, there’s a method to all this palette madness! There’s a variety of palettes out there, but here’s a general breakdown of your basic eyeshadow quad palette (the NYX Professional Makeup Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette in Warm Neutrals is a great one to start with).

Lightest color: This is your base color. Apply this shade from your upper lash line all the way up to right beneath your brow. You can also use this color in the inner corner of your eye to add a bit of brightness.

Second lightest: This is your lid color, as it’s slightly darker than the base. Brush this over your lid from your upper lash line to your crease.

Second darkest: This is applied to the crease for a contouring effect. This should go over the area where your brow bone meets your lid to create definition.

Darkest color: Finally, the liner. Using an angled brush, apply it to your upper lash line (and lower lash line if you want a bold boost), making sure to brush where the root of your lashes meets your lid so there’s no visible gap.

STEP #5: Blend, Blend, Blend

We can’t stress this one enough! Blending your edges can be the difference between your eyeshadow looking flawless and looking like … well, a hot mess. Don’t smear. Use a light touch and gently sweep your brush along your lid, blending harsh lines. To blend like a pro, you need the right brushes, which brings us to step #6.

STEP #6: Invest in the Right Brushes

There are so many eyeshadow brushes out there in every shape and size, it can get confusing. Here are the three most important ones you should own:

Basic eyeshadow brush:The bristles are flat and stiff, and you use this for all-over color.

Blending brush:The bristles are soft and fluffier for seamless blending.

Angled eyeshadow brush:This is a precision brush that is perfect for lining your eyes.

STEP #7: Take Care of Your Tools

Cleaning your eyeshadow brushes is probably at the bottom of your to-do list, but it’s really important. We’re talking about your eyes here, so cleanliness is key. Run your brush under lukewarm water and then pour a nickel-sized amount of baby shampoo into your hand. Swirl the brush in the shampoo, rinse well and pat dry with a clean cloth.

STEP #8: Choose Your Formula Wisely

Pressed eyeshadows are your basic, most common formula. They’re a great, mess-free option. Cream shadows are perfect if you want a dewy sheen, but they can crease easily — especially if you have oily lids. Loose shadows usually come in a small pot, and while you’ll feel like a professional makeup artist using them, they are definitely the messiest of the three.

STEP # 9: Let a Bold Eye Shine

A smoky eyeshadow looks gorgeous on its own, but once you add a dramatic lip into the mix, the two can overwhelm each other. Don’t be afraid to go bold, but just make sure your overall look has balance.

STEP 10: Keep it All in Place With a Setting Spray

Get the most mileage out of your makeup by using a setting spray as your final step. Hold the bottle at arm’s length from your face and spritz away. We love the Urban Decay All Nighter Ultra Matte Setting Spray.

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Yoga skin: new glowing makeup trend everyone is crazy about

Published on February 14, 2020May 1, 2024 by LeeLeave a comment

We all know true beauty comes from within, but when we want to enhance it from outside there is no better way than with beautiful healthy skin. As a matter of fact, a good (and consistent!) skincare routine is a key for radiant and youthful looking skin, not only to boost your confidence but to keep you healthy too. After all, skin is the human body’s largest organ.

I’ve heard people sing the praises of mixing face oil with their foundation for the ultimate dewy, radiant complexion, over and over again. Thankfully, the power of makeup is so strong and amazing, even when our skin isn’t, so you can get this instant glow right away. How? Keep reading, you will love this one.

WHAT IS YOGA SKIN?

Women across social media have been spotted wearing beautiful natural looks enhanced by a very cool highlighting technique. It’s all about luminous and youthful radiance that looks natural, flawless and healthy. Basically, your “no makeup look” with an extra glow.

When skin is at its healthiest, it has a sort of glow that radiates through a room. However, it’s not always realistic to have perfectly healthy skin all the time—between work, travel, and having a social life, sometimes our skin just doesn’t glow from the inside out as much as we’d like it to. Whenever this happens, there’s always makeup to save the day! And that’s exactly why yoga skin has taken off as a trend. All about getting a glowing, dewy complexion with makeup, yoga skin is reminiscent of the recent glass skin trend. The main difference being, yoga skin focuses on achieving a more natural look. Whereas the goal of glass skin is to get a picture-perfect, flawless-looking complexion, yoga skin is inspired by the pretty flush and glisten skin has after a particularly good yoga class.

So what is yoga skin? The glowing makeup trend started with Sara Hill, UK makeup artist who created Instagram hashtag #yogaskin as it reminded her of a fresh and gorgeous radiant skin women have when stepping out of the yoga studio; juicy, dewy and super-hydrated. It’s not about hiding imperfections but creating a hyper-real version of your natural skin, pinchable and just irresistible!”

How to get yoga skin

Don’t worry you don’t actually have to do yoga (unless you want to).

To get the look, start by applying your regular skincare as normal, and leave it for at least five minutes to settle into your skin.

Apply a layer of primer, and then it’s time to get to mixing! Number one rule: hydration. Hydrated skin is what essentially makes glowing makeup trend so, well, glowing. What I love about this look is that it’s completely customizable to your needs, preferences and skin type.

The Best Way to Mix Your Foundation With Face Oil

There are two ways to go about mixing your foundation and facial oil. You can either add a couple of drops into your foundation, or you can apply the oil directly onto your skin as a foundation primer.

For the latter method, you may not want to cover your entire face with oil before foundation application. “If I’m applying directly onto the skin as a primer, I stick to the high points of the face like on the tops of the cheeks, not on the areas of the face that produce oil on their own, like in the T-zone.” This will keep the makeup looking more lit-from-within and less greasy.

Even those with oily skin shouldn’t be discouraged from giving this makeup hack a try. If you are prone to oiliness and shine, you can use a small amount of powder to set your foundation in place. I like to apply powder very sparingly with a damp sponge instead of a brush because powder can build up very quickly on top of oil and end up looking cakey.” The damp sponge helps keep the powder looking smooth and gives your complexion an overall more hydrated appearance.

Sara Hills Primp Tip: mix liquid foundations with a drop of facial oil and few drops of liquid highlighter. You can also add glow drops. Finally, massage into the skin. Optional, if needed, add a small amount of concealer to cover up any spots or puffiness under the eyes. Use an alcohol-free setting spray to add extra hydration.

Choose Your Tool to Apply Your Face Oil and Foundation Combination

It’s all about personal preference when it comes to your application tool for face oil and foundation. I prefer a combination of a brush and a makeup sponge to get the job done. “Because oil thins out your foundation, I prefer to apply first with fingers or a brush and then use a damp sponge to tap it into place and soften any streaks.”

Why Mix Face Oil With Your Foundation?

Aside from helping you achieve a dewy-looking complexion (and who doesn’t want that?!), blending together a face oil and foundation can help you customize your coverage. “Mixing oil into your foundation can thin out full coverage, make a matte foundation look a little more luminous and can make your application glide and buff more easily. Plus it can add needed hydration to skin that’s dry.

Foundation Recommendations:

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Foundation, Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation and YSL Beauty All Hours Longwear Natural Matte Foundation