Face Makeup Basics: a thorough introduction from definitions to products and application
Hello and welcome to any budding makeup enthusiasts, people desperate to get a grasp on the world of makeup, or sticky beaks who want to know what I think these 'basics' are.
This is the first part of a three part series which will cover the essential knowledge you need before attempting more complex makeup.
I won't insult your intelligence: you can still apply makeup without learning a thing about it and just giving it a shot. However if you feel confused or you want more information in an attempt to do it 'right' then I'd love to help.
I will introduce products in order of application but know that this isn't set in stone and depends on you, your look and your products.
First a note on skin types, skin shades/colours, skin tones and face shapes
All of these factors will effect the choices you will make with both skincare and makeup so they're important to understand if you don't already.
Skin type describes the condition of your skin as either: oily, dry, normal, combination and also the much less discussed, dehydrated. Oily skin produces excessive oil as compared to normal skin, dry the opposite. Combination skin is (as the name suggests), a combination of oily, and/or dry, and/or normal skin. Generally combination types will have oily T-zones (a region spanning the forehead, between the brows, the nose and the chin) with normal or dry cheeks. Any skin type can be dehydrated, meaning insufficient water, NOT insufficient oil as in dry types.
Skin shade/colour is the most basic of these concepts, you guessed it, it means the colour of your skin. This is often divided into simply Light, Medium and Deep however in recent years the limitations and discrimination of such categories is being realised. Your shade can vary through the year as your sun exposure changes or artificially if you fake tan. Please note all skin shades are beautiful, even if they fall outside of those shades most available in foundations, from pale porcelain to deep ebony.
Skin tone refers to the undertone of the skin, regardless of colour. This can either be cool, neutral or warm. Cool tones have pink and/or blue tones to the skin. Warm tones have yellow and/or olive tones to the skin. Neutral tones have no discernible undertone, being balanced between cool and warm.
Face shapes are categorical descriptions of the general shape your face's outline makes. This can effect the choices you make about the placement of your cheek products, particularly contour (if you don't know what that is read on). In my personal opinion face shapes don't matter overly much as you can't change them (short of surgery) and they effect only a minimal amount of makeup. If you're particularly keen on face shapes, this may not be the post for you.
PRODUCTS, APPLICATION AND OPTIONS
Primer
Primers are the potential first step to your makeup. I say potential because not everyone uses a primer, and not everyone starts with face makeup.
Primers are meant to have an effect on the skin as distinct from foundation e.g. smoothing texture, controlling oil, hydrating, mattifying, brightening, correction, some even boast acne-fighting benefits. The type of primer you choose depends on your skin and how you want it to look. Some examples:
Those with dry skin often prefer brightening or hydrating primers as their skin feels tight and dry, potentially flaky and won't produce the natural glow of oily skin.
Those with oily skin often prefer mattifying or oil controlling primers as these combat the excessive oil produced and aid in keeping makeup intact for longer.
Those with textured or rough skin often prefer smoothing or mattifying primers as they go some way to evening the texture of the skin, making bumps less obvious at later stages.
Those with discolouration (redness, sallowness, dark patches) often prefer corrective primers to counteract the prominent colour in their skin. Red skin benefits from green primer; sallow skin benefits from lavender primer; dark patches benefit from yellow primer.
All primers that I know of are liquid and should be applied with fingers though brushes or sponges are also acceptable.
Corrector
As mentioned with primers, if you have severe discolouration that can't be covered solely with foundation and concealer, you may want to try a corrector. Correctors work by neutralising the tone of the area applied to (check out a colour wheel to know what goes with what).
Corrective primers can be used for larger areas but smaller areas should use a specific corrector which appears similar to a concealer. The texture goes from firm creams set in pots to looser liquids which come in tubes.
Pat product onto the affected area and blend this in using the techniques listed below for foundation and concealer.
Foundation (or BB cream, CC cream, tinted moisturiser) aka Base
Likely the best known form of makeup, foundation and its contemporaries are applied all over the face to even out the skin colour.
Finishes are the texture and appearance you end up with e.g. dewy (glowing, even wet looking), matte (powdery, flat, even dry) or natural (similar to bare skin, somewhere between dewy and matte).
Coverage describes the amount of colour pigmentation in the foundation. It ranges from sheer (barely there, only minor discolouration covered), to light (moderate and strong discolouration will still show through), to medium (skin is predominantly one colour, strong discolouration will still show through), to full or heavy (skin is all one colour, only extreme skin discolouration will show through such as a dark birthmark on light skin).
Weight or feel of a foundation is how light or heavy it feels on your skin. Some heavy foundation is very visible to the eye and is constantly felt by the wearer. Lightweight foundations are preferred as the wearer will barely notice it on the skin throughout their day. Note the overlap in terminology between coverage and weight. These do not necessarily describe the same products so be aware of what a reviewer means when using the terms.
Foundation comes in cream, liquid and powder forms and vary from very dense compacts to light mousse textures to runny liquids to loose powders. Each form has benefits and drawbacks and may require different application tools and techniques.
Cream foundation is less popular these days, it is generally drier than liquid and certainly denser. A good cream foundation will provide moderate to heavy coverage, lighter coverage tends to exist in other forms. Finishes can range across the spectrum. Creams can be applied with fingers, sponges or brushes. Application might be helped by warming up the product between your fingers.
Liquid foundation is by far the most popular form currently. Textures range from mousses to runny serums. Coverage and finishes can range across the spectrum. Liquids can be applied with fingers, sponges or brushes.
Pressed powder foundation is a pigmented powder set into a pan. Coverage ranges across the spectrum. Finishes are generally matte but can range into more natural, even luminous finishes but not dewy. Pressed powder can be applied with sponges or brushes.
Loose powder foundation (often called mineral foundation) is a pigmented powder which is unset, loose in a jar. Coverage ranges across the spectrum, Finishes mirror that of pressed powders (see above). Loose powders can be applied with sponges but I strongly recommend brushes. Try tipping a small portion into the lid of your container and tapping your brush into the product.
When applying your foundation you can use swiping, buffing or stippling motions. Swiping involves stokes across the face in straight lines which is acceptable for placing product onto the face but not ideal for blending (taking freshly deposited product and spreading it across a wider area until its edge is less visible and a smooth layer on the skin) the product out. Buffing uses a circular motion across the skin, generally using a flat-faced brush. Stippling uses up and down motions against the skin, lifting and replacing the brush head against the face. Stippling can also be called patting, bouncing, pouncing (for some unknown reason) or, less delicately, pounding.
A note on BB creams, CC creams and tinted moisturisers: these tend to be dewy and tend to have less coverage. They do however come with the benefit of built in moisturisation and SPF oftentimes. BB and CC creams originated in Germany for post-laser treatment patients to wear which was gentle and were made highly popular in South Korea.
Concealer
Some people prefer to put on concealer before foundation so don't take this order as set in stone. I put concealer on afterward so that I can see if any areas need more coverage than my foundation gives and so foundation won't move around that concealer.
Concealer is the same as foundation in that it is skin coloured and used to even out the skin shade. It also comes in a variety of forms from cream to liquid and rarely, powder.
Concealer is different because it is sold in smaller quantities and should be used in smaller quantities. Concealer should only be applied where stronger discolouration lies because it is heavily pigmented and generally not worth using across the whole face.
A modern trend is to take a concealer lighter in colour than the foundation and use this to highlight the face. This light concealer is taken under the eyes, onto the cheekbones, and down the center of the face. I don't recommend this technique as it is not the purpose of concealer but if you try and enjoy the effect, feel free.
Most people conceal under their eyes because frequently we have 'dark circles' which are a deepening of the skin colour in the semi-circle area directly beneath the eye. The cause can be a lack of water, vitamins, sleep or genetic predisposition. Often this area should first be corrected.
Use the same techniques as above for applying and blending but use smaller brushes.
Powder (Setting)
As mentioned in the foundation section some foundations come in powder form. The powders in this section are not the same as those. Setting powders come pressed or loose and follow foundation and concealer to 'lock them in'. This is particularly important for those with oily skin or base products (what we call foundation and concealer) which do not set on their own. Setting means they dry and are no longer tacky as when they are first applied.
Setting powders can either have a small amount of pigment which is particularly relevant for deeper skin as the other option: translucent may leave a white cast.
Like powder foundation setting powders are generally matte though some tout a more luminous finish without approaching dewiness.
Powder can be applied with a puff or sponge for a heavier coat or with a brush for a moderate to light coat depending on the density. The best method is pressing into the skin but for those wanting a lighter application you may sweep across the face with a light hand.
Bronzer
Bronzer is used to 'warm up' the face. It mimics the appearance of sun exposure and essentially darkens the area of skin to which it is applied. All bronzers are warm toned but come in variations from yellow to orange to red undertones and depths from medium to deep. Some will be described as light such as Too Faced's Milk Chocolate Solieil Bronzer which describes the skin shade it is intended for.
Some apply bronzer to most of their face. I do not use bronzer at all. The generally agreed upon shape of application is a '3' or 'E' beginning at the hairline and sweeping onto the cheeks and continuing down to the jaw.
Bronzer can be cream or liquid but is generally powder. For cream or liquid application product should be placed onto the area with a small, dense brush or fingertips and blended out using a medium sized brush or sponge (fingers may also be used). For powder application begin with a small amount of product on a medium sized loose brush and brush onto the desired area. If there is a noticeable line change the direction of blending and pay attention to the edges until the transition is seamless.
Contour
Contour is similar to bronzer in that it is a powder deeper than the skin tone and used in a similar area. Contour has a cool tone and is intended for sculpting or shaping the face in more specific areas however.
Key regions for contour are the temples, under the cheekbones and along the jawline. Make sure not to apply contour as widely as bronzer, particularly making sure to stop cheek lines beneath the pupil.
Contour also comes in cream, liquid or powder form. Refer to bronzer for application but keep areas more confined.
Blush
Blush is used to bring colour back to the face after it has been diminished by the application of base products. It can come in cream, liquid or powder form.
Blush is applied to the cheek area, some arguing that the placement should be altered depending on one's face shape. In my opinion placement on the outer apple (the central circle of the cheek) brushed upward is the most flattering.
Ideally blush should be a subtle flush of colour and as such should be applied with a light hand. If you feel you look better with highly visible blush feel free! There are no rules.
Blush can be applied with angled, tapered or bulbous brushes of an appropriate cheek size dependent on one's face. To put it simply again, a medium sized brush. Stippling brushes or fingers should be used if applying cream or liquid blush as they tend to have stronger pigmentation and cannot be applied with natural fiber bristles..
Highlight
One of the most popular makeup items in the past year is highlighter. The purpose of a highlighter is to brighten areas of the face. Some liquid highlighters can be mixed with foundation or primer to give a diffused glow.
Generally speaking highlighters are shimmery (containing small particles reflecting light) or glowy (containing visually indiscernable particles which reflect light) products meant to reflect light, thereby giving an appearance of the area being raised and youthful. Glitter (large particles) tends to be frowned upon.
Again, highlighters can be cream, liquid or powder, the former two being applied with fingers or synthetic bristled brushes and the latter with smaller tapered or fan brushes.
A light sweeping motion should be used, buffing if the product leaves a visible line. Popular areas to highlight include the cheekbones, the bridge and/or tip of the nose, above the arch of the brow and the cupid's bow (above the lip) and chin. Those preferring a more subtle highlight can skin the forehead, chin and nose.
Final notes: cream/liquid should always be applied before powder. This doesn't mean you have to do both but it does mean that e.g. you use a liquid foundation and cream highlight and the rest of your products are powder you would go 1. foundation, 2. highlight, 3. setting, 4 etc. further powder products. You would avoid putting setting powder over the area as this will dull the colour.
I hope this can help someone or just entertain someone. If you have any questions or advice of your own please leave that in the comments to help others out.
Up next will be Eyes and Lips and rounding out the series Brushes.
I hope your day goes well,
Cassy
This is the first part of a three part series which will cover the essential knowledge you need before attempting more complex makeup.
I won't insult your intelligence: you can still apply makeup without learning a thing about it and just giving it a shot. However if you feel confused or you want more information in an attempt to do it 'right' then I'd love to help.
I will introduce products in order of application but know that this isn't set in stone and depends on you, your look and your products.
First a note on skin types, skin shades/colours, skin tones and face shapes
All of these factors will effect the choices you will make with both skincare and makeup so they're important to understand if you don't already.
Skin type describes the condition of your skin as either: oily, dry, normal, combination and also the much less discussed, dehydrated. Oily skin produces excessive oil as compared to normal skin, dry the opposite. Combination skin is (as the name suggests), a combination of oily, and/or dry, and/or normal skin. Generally combination types will have oily T-zones (a region spanning the forehead, between the brows, the nose and the chin) with normal or dry cheeks. Any skin type can be dehydrated, meaning insufficient water, NOT insufficient oil as in dry types.
Skin shade/colour is the most basic of these concepts, you guessed it, it means the colour of your skin. This is often divided into simply Light, Medium and Deep however in recent years the limitations and discrimination of such categories is being realised. Your shade can vary through the year as your sun exposure changes or artificially if you fake tan. Please note all skin shades are beautiful, even if they fall outside of those shades most available in foundations, from pale porcelain to deep ebony.
Skin tone refers to the undertone of the skin, regardless of colour. This can either be cool, neutral or warm. Cool tones have pink and/or blue tones to the skin. Warm tones have yellow and/or olive tones to the skin. Neutral tones have no discernible undertone, being balanced between cool and warm.
Face shapes are categorical descriptions of the general shape your face's outline makes. This can effect the choices you make about the placement of your cheek products, particularly contour (if you don't know what that is read on). In my personal opinion face shapes don't matter overly much as you can't change them (short of surgery) and they effect only a minimal amount of makeup. If you're particularly keen on face shapes, this may not be the post for you.
PRODUCTS, APPLICATION AND OPTIONS
Primer
Primers are the potential first step to your makeup. I say potential because not everyone uses a primer, and not everyone starts with face makeup.
Primers are meant to have an effect on the skin as distinct from foundation e.g. smoothing texture, controlling oil, hydrating, mattifying, brightening, correction, some even boast acne-fighting benefits. The type of primer you choose depends on your skin and how you want it to look. Some examples:
Those with dry skin often prefer brightening or hydrating primers as their skin feels tight and dry, potentially flaky and won't produce the natural glow of oily skin.
Those with oily skin often prefer mattifying or oil controlling primers as these combat the excessive oil produced and aid in keeping makeup intact for longer.
Those with textured or rough skin often prefer smoothing or mattifying primers as they go some way to evening the texture of the skin, making bumps less obvious at later stages.
Those with discolouration (redness, sallowness, dark patches) often prefer corrective primers to counteract the prominent colour in their skin. Red skin benefits from green primer; sallow skin benefits from lavender primer; dark patches benefit from yellow primer.
All primers that I know of are liquid and should be applied with fingers though brushes or sponges are also acceptable.
Corrector
As mentioned with primers, if you have severe discolouration that can't be covered solely with foundation and concealer, you may want to try a corrector. Correctors work by neutralising the tone of the area applied to (check out a colour wheel to know what goes with what).
Corrective primers can be used for larger areas but smaller areas should use a specific corrector which appears similar to a concealer. The texture goes from firm creams set in pots to looser liquids which come in tubes.
Pat product onto the affected area and blend this in using the techniques listed below for foundation and concealer.
Foundation (or BB cream, CC cream, tinted moisturiser) aka Base
Likely the best known form of makeup, foundation and its contemporaries are applied all over the face to even out the skin colour.
Finishes are the texture and appearance you end up with e.g. dewy (glowing, even wet looking), matte (powdery, flat, even dry) or natural (similar to bare skin, somewhere between dewy and matte).
Coverage describes the amount of colour pigmentation in the foundation. It ranges from sheer (barely there, only minor discolouration covered), to light (moderate and strong discolouration will still show through), to medium (skin is predominantly one colour, strong discolouration will still show through), to full or heavy (skin is all one colour, only extreme skin discolouration will show through such as a dark birthmark on light skin).
Weight or feel of a foundation is how light or heavy it feels on your skin. Some heavy foundation is very visible to the eye and is constantly felt by the wearer. Lightweight foundations are preferred as the wearer will barely notice it on the skin throughout their day. Note the overlap in terminology between coverage and weight. These do not necessarily describe the same products so be aware of what a reviewer means when using the terms.
Foundation comes in cream, liquid and powder forms and vary from very dense compacts to light mousse textures to runny liquids to loose powders. Each form has benefits and drawbacks and may require different application tools and techniques.
Cream foundation is less popular these days, it is generally drier than liquid and certainly denser. A good cream foundation will provide moderate to heavy coverage, lighter coverage tends to exist in other forms. Finishes can range across the spectrum. Creams can be applied with fingers, sponges or brushes. Application might be helped by warming up the product between your fingers.
Liquid foundation is by far the most popular form currently. Textures range from mousses to runny serums. Coverage and finishes can range across the spectrum. Liquids can be applied with fingers, sponges or brushes.
Pressed powder foundation is a pigmented powder set into a pan. Coverage ranges across the spectrum. Finishes are generally matte but can range into more natural, even luminous finishes but not dewy. Pressed powder can be applied with sponges or brushes.
Loose powder foundation (often called mineral foundation) is a pigmented powder which is unset, loose in a jar. Coverage ranges across the spectrum, Finishes mirror that of pressed powders (see above). Loose powders can be applied with sponges but I strongly recommend brushes. Try tipping a small portion into the lid of your container and tapping your brush into the product.
When applying your foundation you can use swiping, buffing or stippling motions. Swiping involves stokes across the face in straight lines which is acceptable for placing product onto the face but not ideal for blending (taking freshly deposited product and spreading it across a wider area until its edge is less visible and a smooth layer on the skin) the product out. Buffing uses a circular motion across the skin, generally using a flat-faced brush. Stippling uses up and down motions against the skin, lifting and replacing the brush head against the face. Stippling can also be called patting, bouncing, pouncing (for some unknown reason) or, less delicately, pounding.
A note on BB creams, CC creams and tinted moisturisers: these tend to be dewy and tend to have less coverage. They do however come with the benefit of built in moisturisation and SPF oftentimes. BB and CC creams originated in Germany for post-laser treatment patients to wear which was gentle and were made highly popular in South Korea.
Concealer
Some people prefer to put on concealer before foundation so don't take this order as set in stone. I put concealer on afterward so that I can see if any areas need more coverage than my foundation gives and so foundation won't move around that concealer.
Concealer is the same as foundation in that it is skin coloured and used to even out the skin shade. It also comes in a variety of forms from cream to liquid and rarely, powder.
Concealer is different because it is sold in smaller quantities and should be used in smaller quantities. Concealer should only be applied where stronger discolouration lies because it is heavily pigmented and generally not worth using across the whole face.
A modern trend is to take a concealer lighter in colour than the foundation and use this to highlight the face. This light concealer is taken under the eyes, onto the cheekbones, and down the center of the face. I don't recommend this technique as it is not the purpose of concealer but if you try and enjoy the effect, feel free.
Most people conceal under their eyes because frequently we have 'dark circles' which are a deepening of the skin colour in the semi-circle area directly beneath the eye. The cause can be a lack of water, vitamins, sleep or genetic predisposition. Often this area should first be corrected.
Use the same techniques as above for applying and blending but use smaller brushes.
Powder (Setting)
As mentioned in the foundation section some foundations come in powder form. The powders in this section are not the same as those. Setting powders come pressed or loose and follow foundation and concealer to 'lock them in'. This is particularly important for those with oily skin or base products (what we call foundation and concealer) which do not set on their own. Setting means they dry and are no longer tacky as when they are first applied.
Setting powders can either have a small amount of pigment which is particularly relevant for deeper skin as the other option: translucent may leave a white cast.
Like powder foundation setting powders are generally matte though some tout a more luminous finish without approaching dewiness.
Powder can be applied with a puff or sponge for a heavier coat or with a brush for a moderate to light coat depending on the density. The best method is pressing into the skin but for those wanting a lighter application you may sweep across the face with a light hand.
Bronzer
Bronzer is used to 'warm up' the face. It mimics the appearance of sun exposure and essentially darkens the area of skin to which it is applied. All bronzers are warm toned but come in variations from yellow to orange to red undertones and depths from medium to deep. Some will be described as light such as Too Faced's Milk Chocolate Solieil Bronzer which describes the skin shade it is intended for.
Some apply bronzer to most of their face. I do not use bronzer at all. The generally agreed upon shape of application is a '3' or 'E' beginning at the hairline and sweeping onto the cheeks and continuing down to the jaw.
Bronzer can be cream or liquid but is generally powder. For cream or liquid application product should be placed onto the area with a small, dense brush or fingertips and blended out using a medium sized brush or sponge (fingers may also be used). For powder application begin with a small amount of product on a medium sized loose brush and brush onto the desired area. If there is a noticeable line change the direction of blending and pay attention to the edges until the transition is seamless.
Contour
Contour is similar to bronzer in that it is a powder deeper than the skin tone and used in a similar area. Contour has a cool tone and is intended for sculpting or shaping the face in more specific areas however.
Key regions for contour are the temples, under the cheekbones and along the jawline. Make sure not to apply contour as widely as bronzer, particularly making sure to stop cheek lines beneath the pupil.
Contour also comes in cream, liquid or powder form. Refer to bronzer for application but keep areas more confined.
Blush
Blush is used to bring colour back to the face after it has been diminished by the application of base products. It can come in cream, liquid or powder form.
Blush is applied to the cheek area, some arguing that the placement should be altered depending on one's face shape. In my opinion placement on the outer apple (the central circle of the cheek) brushed upward is the most flattering.
Ideally blush should be a subtle flush of colour and as such should be applied with a light hand. If you feel you look better with highly visible blush feel free! There are no rules.
Blush can be applied with angled, tapered or bulbous brushes of an appropriate cheek size dependent on one's face. To put it simply again, a medium sized brush. Stippling brushes or fingers should be used if applying cream or liquid blush as they tend to have stronger pigmentation and cannot be applied with natural fiber bristles..
Highlight
One of the most popular makeup items in the past year is highlighter. The purpose of a highlighter is to brighten areas of the face. Some liquid highlighters can be mixed with foundation or primer to give a diffused glow.
Generally speaking highlighters are shimmery (containing small particles reflecting light) or glowy (containing visually indiscernable particles which reflect light) products meant to reflect light, thereby giving an appearance of the area being raised and youthful. Glitter (large particles) tends to be frowned upon.
Again, highlighters can be cream, liquid or powder, the former two being applied with fingers or synthetic bristled brushes and the latter with smaller tapered or fan brushes.
A light sweeping motion should be used, buffing if the product leaves a visible line. Popular areas to highlight include the cheekbones, the bridge and/or tip of the nose, above the arch of the brow and the cupid's bow (above the lip) and chin. Those preferring a more subtle highlight can skin the forehead, chin and nose.
Final notes: cream/liquid should always be applied before powder. This doesn't mean you have to do both but it does mean that e.g. you use a liquid foundation and cream highlight and the rest of your products are powder you would go 1. foundation, 2. highlight, 3. setting, 4 etc. further powder products. You would avoid putting setting powder over the area as this will dull the colour.
I hope this can help someone or just entertain someone. If you have any questions or advice of your own please leave that in the comments to help others out.
Up next will be Eyes and Lips and rounding out the series Brushes.
I hope your day goes well,
Cassy
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