Ready to level up your makeup game?

Makeup Manual

Ready to level up your makeup game? Whether you’re a beauty pro or just figuring out which end of the eyeliner goes where, these simple tips will have you looking flawless in no time. Grab your brushes — we’ve got you covered!

Lip Liner

The overlined look isn’t for everyone, but if you’re looking to make your lips look fuller, try this tip: Overline your lips with a color that’s a slightly darker shade than the lipstick you plan to use. For the most natural results, first slightly overline just your Cupid’s bow (the indentation on your top lip), then follow your natural lip to the corners.

For the bottom, slightly overline just the middle of your lip and then again follow your natural lip line to the corners. Make sure you stop at the corners — don’t line the actual corners, that will drag your lips down and we don’t want that. Once you’ve lined your lips, fill in the rest with lipstick.

Eye Liner

Do you feel that no matter what you do, your eyeliner always comes out messy and uneven?

Try the stamping trick. Take your felt-tip liner and instead of dragging it across your eye in one swift motion, turn it sideways and stamp it onto your lid in a few motions. This will give you more control and thus a smoother look.

A great felt-tip liner is the One/Size Point Made Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen from Sephora, or for a more affordable drugstore option, the L’Oréal Infallible Grip Precision Felt Eyeliner. It might take you a few tries to perfect this method, but remember that practice makes perfect!

Blush Placement

Did you know that where you place your blush can change the shape of your face?

If you have a rounder face, apply your blush higher on your cheekbones and blend up toward your temples. This will give the illusion of a slimmer face.

If you have a narrower face and want to round it out, apply the blush to the apples of your cheeks. This will help soften your face shape.

If you want a cute, youthful look, apply the blush in a “w” shape from one apple of your cheek, across your nose, to the other apple of your cheek. It makes you look like you just sat out in the sun, so it’s a super fun look for summer.

Applying Cream and Liquid Products

Applying cream and liquid products can be challenging. Often, they don’t blend out well or they move around the makeup that you’ve already put on underneath.

Here is a great technique to prevent this from happening. If you’re using a cream product in stick form, instead of applying the product straight to your face, take a brush or beauty sponge and swipe it onto the product. Then apply the product from the brush or sponge onto your face in a soft tapping motion. This will give a much smoother finish and is a lot easier to work with.

For liquid products, take some of the product onto the back of your hand or a makeup palette and work your brush or sponge into the product. Then, apply the product to your face using that same tapping motion. This will help you blend it out a lot more smoothly and will give a really nice finish.

Use this technique for cream and liquid blush, contour, bronzer, and highlighter.

Hand Placement for Brushes

Where you place your hand on your brush while applying your makeup can make a big difference in your application. If you want the placement of the makeup to be precise, then place your hand lower down the handle, closer to the brush. This will apply more pressure to the brush, which will give a more precise and pigmented effect. If you’re going for that smooth, blended-out look, hold the brush lower down, closer to the end. This will give a more feathered-out and natural look. Holding in the middle will give you somewhere in between.

Blend, blend, blend! One of the worst makeup crimes anyone can commit is not properly blending your makeup down your neck! Once you finish applying your makeup, before you set with your setting spray, make sure that your face and neck are the same color. If you notice that your neck is looking lighter than your face, take some of your bronzer on a big fluffy brush and blend down your neck until the neckline of your shirt. If your ears are showing, make sure to blend some on your ears, too. If you’re wearing your hair up, make sure to blend into the back of your neck as well. Try to ensure that you’re not overdoing the bronzer either. Again, blend, blend, blend! Better to be over-blended than under-blended….

Raizy Bodek is a self-taught makeup artist who shares her expertise and passion for makeup on her WhatsApp status, Status Glow.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 930)