MAKEUP BASICS 101 ON HOW TO CONTOUR AND HIGHLIGHT YOUR FACE: PART 1 CONTOUR

Hello everyone.
I love makeup is no secret as I am a beauty blogger and most of my posts are makeup related. But for today's post I am going to share why I love makeup so much. It sometimes works magic on the face. Contour and highlight are two such tools of makeup which literally transform your face. I shall demonstrate to the best of my capability how I contour and highlight my face.
CONTOUR: What is contouring? To those who are relatively new to makeup or arent much into it let me begin by explaining what is contouring.
Contouring is basically sculpting your face in the areas where the lights dont hit the face directly and create a shadow like effect and hence brings out the contoured features more sharply and angled thereby slimming the face or the contoured area. Contouring the face allows you to add shadow and depth, not all of us are blessed with the perfect nose or the perfect cheek bones. Well no one is and you dont need to be. Contouring allows you to create the illusion. Here is how I do it. For this demonstration I am  using cream based product although one may choose powder based product too.

Taking my SONIA KASHUK FOUNDATION BRUSH I take some of the cream foundation in the 3 shades darker to my skin tone and make a fish face and apply it below me cheek bones along the length of my cheek bone.

Next I apply it along the jaw line and below my chin.

Next I apply it along the edges of the face running it all the way through the temple to the jaw-line.

Next I take the left over product on the brush and run it along the sides of the bridge of the nose like so.

 Next begins the blending. taking the same brush I start to blend in the foundation slowly with soft hands not using too much pressure on the hands else it makes the face looks muddy. You may use a sponge wedge as well, just make sure to damp it with water and squeeze out any excess water. Blend blend blend. And you are done.

From personal experience I can say few things.
1. You are not going to get it perfect when you try it first time around. So just practice you will get it right .
2. It might look odd at first since you are trying something new for the first time, but take pictures and you will see the difference.
3. When you begin contouring always take less product and build it up as required, dont load up too much product and make it messy. You can always add more product as required.
This has become a lengthy post. I shall continue with high-lighting in part two.
Hopefully the collage below will give a better idea of the before and after.
Left side pictures in the collages are BEFORE CONTOUR and Right side are AFTER CONTOUR.

 Here is another one, hopefully you can tell the difference.

After taking the pictures I realized I could have contoured the face a bit more, then the difference would have been more noticeable , but I am overall satisfied you can always add more if you want sharper features or if you are going to be photographed in flash. This much contouring is appropriate ( according to me) for regular basis.
I have also highlighted my face in the "after shots" but will do another detailed post on that, as this post was getting too lengthy.
I hope it was useful.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...

MAKEUP 101 BACK TO BASICS :BLUSH

Hello friends, 

This is yet another post on the series of back to basics. This one is dedicated to blush. Blush is the perfect way to perk up those cheeky cheeks. One needs to choose the blush depending on their skin type, complexion and overall face makeup.If you are going for a smokey eye look you need to keep the blush sheer or light toned or if you going for a daytime look or just light eye makeup you can go for a more brighter blush to perk up the face.
Now lets go through the different kinds of blushes. There are powder, mineral and cream blushes. How to go about choosing and applying blushes will be discussed now...

1. TYPE: While powder blushes are good for oily skin as they absorb the extra oil cream blushes are good for dry skin as they give a dewy feel to the skin. If you want your blush to be long lasting then you can add some powder blush on top of your cream blush and your blush is good for the day.

2. LIGHTING: This is a general advise. Always apply  makeup in a well lit place so you know if you overdoing something, especially with blush as too much on your cheeks will give you clown like cheeks.

3. BRUSHES: If you are using a powder blush use a blush brush like so in the picture below.

If you going for a cream blush use either your finger or a stippling brush like so in the picture. It hepls blend the blush flawlessly in to the skin.

4. APPLICATION: Okay this is important. You might have often heard that you should apply blush on the "apple of your cheeks". Well you shouldn't. First rule never smile and apply blush; instead make a fish face( suck your face in) and then apply blush to the center of the apple of your cheeks. Or in simpler terms when you make a fish face apply the blush on the area that is on your cheekbone.

5. COLOR: If you are fair skinned then you should go for more softer and lighter shades as anything too bright will clash against your skin tone. Go for light pinks peaches and even corals that are sheer remember a little goes a long way.

If you are medium skinned you should opt for more pink and peach shades that are on warmer side like rosy pinks and peach shades that are more darker. Deeper corals bright pinks will add instant brightness to your face.

If you are dark skinned you should go for more darker pinks more mauve and rosy pinks ( not brighter) and deep orange shades as they will bring out your natural skin color. You shouldnt shy away from deep reds and oranges just go with a sheer formula and rock it.

Hope it was helpful.
Until next time...

MAKEUP 101 BACK TO BASICS : POWDER

Hello friends,
So yet another back to basics post. As you know I have already done two prior posts on foundation and concealer. Here are the links to them
FOUNDATION
CONCEALER

This post is going to be about powder. Powders come in two kinds loose powder and pressed powder.
The purpose of powder is to set the foundation and it gives the face a finished look and helps the makeup stay in place.  Lets quickly go through the different kinds of powder.

1. Pressed powder: Its best used for touch ups during the day and also to set the foundation. Pressed powders dont give you full coverage but they do provide sheer coverage so if you dont have much skin trouble you can just apply some concealer and use a powder brush to pat down the powder on the face to even out your skin tone. This is appropriate for day time when you are in a rush or dont want to use foundation on a daily basis. The main use though is to set your foundation and later for touch ups during the day. For setting the foundation you can use these brushes over the compact that comes with the compact.

PRESSED POWDER

KABUKI BRUSH

This is a kabuki brush used to powder the face. You can use this or the standard powder brush like so

POWDER BRUSH

2. Loose powder/mineral powder: Loose powder is a great alternative to pressed powder as its easy to blend and also being in loose form it really gets into the lines and covers well. The only downside is its not convenient for touch ups during the day as it can get messy. Loose powder also come as hd powders or high definition powder. Loose powders are best applied with a powder brush or kabuki brush, as you can control the product you pick up and also brushes help blend the powder well.

Hope this post was helpful.
Until next time...

MAKEUP 101 BACK TO BASICS SERIES: CONCEALER

HELLO FRIENDS,
AS PROMISED I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER POST IN THE BACK TO BASICS SERIES AND THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO THE MAGIC WAND OR THE CONCEALER. MANY OF US OFTEN IGNORE THIS LITTLE MAGIC PRODUCT, BUT I WOULD SAY I CAN DO WITHOUT FOUNDATION FOR ONCE BUT NOT WITHOUT MY CONCEALER. ITS THAT IMPORTANT A PRODUCT IN YOUR VANITY.

WHAT IS A CONCEALER?
CONCEALER IS A MAKEUP PRODUCT USED TO COVER YOUR DARK CIRCLES AND BLEMISHES AND OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE SKIN. SOME SPOTS ON THE FACE NEED MORE CONCEALING THAN WHAT JUST FOUNDATION CAN PROVIDE. HERE A CONCEALER COMES IN HANDY.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONCEALERS:
AS WITH FOUNDATIONS YOU CAN FIND ALL KINDS OF CONCEALERS FROM LIQUID TO CREAM TO POWDER. A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER THOUGH IS TO NOT MIX THE TEXTURES OF THE CONCEALER AND FOUNDATION. MEANING IF YOU HAVE USED A POWDER FOUNDATION DONT APPLY A LIQUID CONCEALER AND VICE VERSE.

LIQUID CONCEALERS: LIQUID CONCEALERS ARE MOSTLY PACKAGED IN A TUBE OR BOTTLE AND COME WITH A WAND OR BRUSH APPLICATOR . THESE CONCEALERS DONT PROVIDE THE FULLEST COVERAGE SO THEY ARE GOOD FOR ANY MILD COVERINGS OR BRIGHTENING THE UNDER EYE AREA IF YOU DONT HAVE HEAVY DARK CIRCLES.

CREAM/STICK CONCEALERS: THESE CONCEALERS ARE BEST FOR HIDING DARK UNDER EYE CIRCLES OR MAJOR REDNESS FROM BLEMISHES OR ZITS ON YOUR FACE. JUST BE SURE TO PICK A CREAMY ONE, THE ONES WIT DRIER FORMULA DONT BLEND WELL .

POWDER/ MINERAL CONCEALERS: I PERSONALLY AM NOT A BIG FAN OF POWDER CONCEALERS AS THEY DONT GIVE MUCH COVERAGE AT ALL. BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESNT REQUIRE MUCH COVERAGE IT MIGHT WORK . ITS GOOD FOR OILY SKIN AS IT HELPS ABSORB EXTRA OIL FROM THE SKIN.

HOW TO APPLY CONCEALER: ONE MISTAKE I MADE WHEN I STARTED USING CONCEALER WAS I USED TO TRY AND BLEND IT AS I WOULD MY FOUNDATION AND THEN LATER WONDER WHY ISNT THE CONCEALER WORKING. SO MORAL OF THE STORY IS THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE A SMALL AMOUNT OF CONCEALER AND PAT IT UNDER THE EYES OR ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE SKIN AND JUST PAT IT INTO THE SKIN USING YOUR FINGER. TAKE LITTLE AT A TIME AND ADD MORE IF REQUIRED. YOU CAN ALWAYS USE CONCEALER BRUSH TO APPLY YOUR CONCEALER BUT I FIND THAT THE HEAT FROM THE FINGER HELPS THE CONCEALER TO BETTER APPLY ON THE SKIN.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT COLOR FOR CONCEALER: YOU NEED TWO DIFFERENT COLORS OF CONCEALERS. YES YOU READ IT RIGHT. LET ME EXPLAIN. THE CONCEALER FOR YOUR UNDER EYE AREA NEEDS TO BE A SHADE LIGHTER THAN YOUR FOUNDATION , AS YOUR  DARK CIRCLES ARE DARKER THAN THE REST OF YOUR FACE SO IN ORDER TO BRIGHTEN UP YOUR UNDER EYE AREA YOU NEED A CONCEALER THAT NOT ONLY CONCEALS BUT ALSO BRIGHTENS YOUR UNDER EYE AREA. AND THE SECOND CONCEALER IS FOR COVERING THE BLEMISHES OR RED SPOTS ON THE FACE, SO THIS CONCEALER SHOULD MATCH YOUR FOUNDATION PERFECTLY, IF ITS LIGHTER THAN YOUR FOUNDATION IT WILL ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM AREA MORE. BUT IF YOU DONT HAVE DARK DARK CIRCLES OR PROBLEM SKIN ONE CONCEALER SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH.

WHEN TO APPLY CONCEALER: THIS ANSWER IS SUBJECTIVE. THE MAKEUP WORLD STANDS DIVIDED. SOME PREFER TO APPLY FOUNDATION AFTER APPLYING CONCEALER AND SOME PREFER IT THE OTHER WAY. I AM ON THE SECOND BOAT I.E... I APPLY CONCEALER AFTER APPLYING FOUNDATION. I FIND THAT I NEED TO APPLY LESS CONCEALER IF I HAVE ALREADY APPLIED FOUNDATION AS FOUNDATION DOES EVEN OUT MY SKIN TONE AND PROVIDES SUFFICIENT COVERAGE. YOU CAN TRY IT BOTH WAYS AND SEE WHICH WORKS BETTER FOR YOU.

PHEW!!! I GUESS THAT DOES IT ALL...IN CASE I MISSED ANYTHING PLEASE LEAVE IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
UNTIL NEXT TIME.....

MAKEUP 101: BACK TO BASICS SERIES : FOUNDATION

Hello my lovelies...
This post is going to be a first in a series of blog posts to follow about the basics of makeup. This post is dedicated to FOUNDATION and all you need to know about it. Hope you like it and also do let me know what should the next post be about in this series.

WHY FOUNDATION?
Many of us have often wondered I dont need to look like a makeup doll or end up having a caked up face its better to avoid foundation and go for the eyes or lips. Right? Wrong. A finished makeup look cant be achieved without a proper base. All you need to know is what color to use and what coverage to use.
Lets talk about coverage first:

COVERAGE :

LIGHT COVERAGE:  This type of foundation is good for the blessed ladies with good skin. Tinted moisturizer or light coverage liquid foundation with sheer coverage is ideal for light coverage.budget buy  splurge buy .
MEDIUM COVERAGE: This is most vastly used foundation as it is neither too light nor to too heavy. But a personal suggestion would be opt for a foundation that has medium to full coverage , i.e... the coverage is build-able.
FULL COVERAGE: One should be very careful while using a full coverage foundation as it can easily make your face cook cakey.  it is generally more used for coverage under bright lights

Now lets talk about kind of foundations:

TYPE:

LIQUID FOUNDATION: This is most common of all kinds of foundations and most commonly used due to its ease of application. Liquid foundations give the skin a healthy glow and dewy finish. This type of foundation is generally suited for dry skin and oil free ones are good for oily skin types. Liquid foundations have build-able coverage too. budget buy and splurge buy
PRESSED POWDER FOUNDATION: Pressed powder foundations also known as compacts are used more as setting powder and touch up makeup. It comes in handy for oily skin budget buy   splurge buy
CREAM FOUNDATION: These foundations generally have full coverage and are heavier than liquid and powder foundations. Cream foundations are most apt for mature skin. Full coverage foundations also come in handy for covering blemishes, dark spots, pigmentation etc. compared to other foundations. splurge buy
MINERAL FOUNDATION: Mineral makeup comes in the form of loose powder. Its not so much of a preferred foundation for dry skin as its powder based. But nonetheless there is a wide variety out there.
budget buy  splurge buy

Now lets talk about how to choose the perfect color.

COLOR:

How to choose the perfect color of your foundation is the most common dilemma faced. Here are few tips.

1. Please never try and match the color for your foundation on your wrist, instead you should try and match the shade on your jawline. The color that blends the most and is invisible after blending is your perfect shade.

2. Please try to match the color of your foundation to the color of your skin not to the color you want your skin to be. The purpose of foundation is to even out your skin tone not to make you look fairer or tanner.

3. You can opt for two kinds of foundations light to medium coverage for day time wear and one medium to full coverage for night time and special occasions.

Now lets just go through some quick tips and tricks for a flawless application.
1. Always and I mean always moisturize your skin before applying foundation and let it rest on your skin for a good 5 minutes, let the skin soak up the moisture. Even if you have oily skin dont skip this step use an oil free moisturizer.
2. If using fingers to apply foundation make sure your hands are sanitized and clean.
3. If you are using sponge to apply foundation make sure to dampen it with water before applying.
4.Always set your foundation with powder to keep it in place.
So I guess that covers all the basic questions. But in case I didnt cover something or you have any questions please let me know in the comments below.
P.S. All the links provided are for the respective products and have been linked to their sites.
Until next time...

STARTER KIT: MUST HAVE MAKEUP BRUSHES

I have often been asked by friends "what brushes and tools do I absolutely need to have to start my makeup collection?" well friends this post is the answer to your questions, but first off let me say that there are innumerable brushes out there and you might as well go and get one of each kind but the point is what do you really really when you are trying your hands at makeup or are beginning to explore this makeup world. I will go ahead and categorically describe the brushes that I think are basic must haves in your collection.

FACE:

1.FOUNDATION: There are a lot of ways to apply foundation. You can always use your fingers but for a more flawless application its better to use a brush or beauty sponge. There is a huge variety of brushes out there and it does get confusing to select but to start out with use a stippling brush or a sponge for that airbrushed look.

2.CONCEALER: In order to complete your flawless face routine you need to hide those dark circles or  redness or blemishes etc on your face. concealer comes in handy at that point. I generally prefer to use my fingers for dabbing on the concealer on my face but for concealers with a more liquid base you need to have a concealer brush.

3. BLUSH: For those perfect looking rosy cheeks you need to have a blush brush. You can go for a regular blush brush, but since its a starter kit of must have brushes if you go for an angled blush brush the same brush can double as your contour brush.

4.CONTOUR/:  As i mentioned earlier an angled blush brush will do just fine to double up as a contour brush. An angled contouring brush will help get an sharp angle for sculpting under the cheek bones and forehead and jaw line.( I will do a separate blog post on highlight and contour. )

5. POWDER BRUSH: This brush helps to powder your face  to set your foundation and concealer.

EYES: There are literally tons of brushes available for eye makeup. Do you really need so many ? Well yeah, maybe,...actually no. If you are just starting out with makeup you dont need to overwhelm yourself with so many brushes, while they do they help but for starters below listed brushes would do just fine.
1. FLAT EYE SHADOW BRUSH. This is a must have brush. It helps to pack the color on your lids, no other way to describe it you have to have it.

2. BLENDING BRUSH: There is a wide variety of blending brush available, but for starters you just need two. yes two not one but two. one has to be smaller in size and the second one has to be bigger and fluffier. Having two brushes does help in creating a better look as you can blend with the smaller brush and smoke out with the larger brush. The smaller and stiff blending brush will help smoke out eye shadow on the lower lids as well.

LARGE BLENDING BRUSH

SMALL BLENDING BRUSH.

3.ANGLED LINER BRUSH: This brush comes in handy to apply gel eyeliner and it can also double up as your brow brush ( it helps if you have two of them separately). The second brush is for more precise application of liner using gel eyeliner.

All said I would like to add that the more brushes you have the easier its for you as you dont have to clean it up after each makeup application. You can get the job done with these brushes just fine. And as you feel more confident about your makeup skills and further dive into it you will know which brushes work for you , what more you want to add to your collection. As far as where to purchase them is concerned you can always try your hand at online shopping. If you are in USA your choices are endless, but to name a few you can try

cherryculture (they do ship in india)

coastalscents (they do ship in india)

sigmabrushes (they do ship in india)

elf

If you are in India you can shop here

medplusbeauty

urbantouch

These are just few options.If any of you have any queries or suggestions please feel free to post them in the comments below.