Beauty Beginner Series: The Face

This post will be slightly different to the usual, but please bare with me, there is a point to this post.

It occurred to me the other day, that I've been posting all of these posts about face makeup etc, and saying where to apply certain things, but I haven't actually included a labelled picture of the face, explaining where everything is (e.g. apples of cheeks, hollows of cheeks etc).

This image will be something that should help you with the past posts, and will also help you with future posts, for example, when I go onto explaining how to apply eyeshadow, contouring and highlighting etc.

Oh, I just wanted to say, now that it's the run up to Christmas, things are going to be hectic for me, especially at uni, as we have an important assessment two weeks after Christmas, so I wanted to say that I am going to post a new Beauty Beginner Series post every two weeks, instead of every week. I'm sorry to do this, but I hope you understand.

Beauty Beginner Series: What is Blusher?

First off, let me please apologise for missing last week's post of this series. Things have been a bit hectic at uni, so I didn't have time to write up a detailed post.

Secondly, I thought this week, to continue on from the previous two posts in this series, as they were both about face products, I would try to answer the question 'What is Blusher?' So, let's get into it.

For a lot of people, blush is one of those love or hate products. When used correctly, it can give your face a healthy, natural colour and glow, but when used wrongly, the phrase 'clown face' comes to mind!

Like, foundation and concealer, blusher comes in many forms. Powder blush are probably the most well known and most used type of blush, but there are many more.

• Powder Blush is good any type of skin, but is slightly better for oily and combination skin, as it helps to absorb some of the oil.
• Cream Blush gives more intense colour than powder, so only a little is needed. It also needs to be blended thoroughly, to avoid any harsh, obvious lines. Fingers are the best way to apply cream blushers, working from the apples of the cheeks outwards. As cream blush contains more moisturising ingredients, it is usually considered best for dry skin.
• Gel or Liquid (or Tint) Blush is good for adding a slight glow to the cheeks. They are not usually as pigmented as powder and cream blushers. They can work well for anyone who has oily to normal skin, as they last long, and tend to be oil-free. These are very fast-drying though, so you have to really blend them quickly. 

Whichever type of blush you choose, make sure you choose one that matches your natural skin tone and colour. You can tell what colour blush you should get when your cheeks have their natural rosy glow to them, after you have been out in the cold, or have just been doing exercise. The easiest way of choosing your perfect shade, is to give yourselves a good smack on the cheeks (sounds cruel, but it's true!). Don't go smacking yourselves so hard that your cheeks will just go red though! That won't work. Lightly pinch your cheeks, and this should give you the colour blush that you should be buying. It may be best to do this bit at home, though, just avoid any strange looks off other shoppers!

Blush should be applied after foundation and concealer, and then blended out with a brush and a little of the powder you have used to set your face with. If you can, it would be better if you apply blush with a proper brush, rather than the poxy thing that comes with it, but if you can't, then just use the brush that came with it. (E.L.F. do some reasonable quality blush brushes for £1.50 that you beginners can't go wrong with, plus Christmas is coming up!)

To apply blush:

• Dap your brush into the blush, and tap off any excess; it's always best to start lightly, then build it up if needed
• Look in the mirror and SMILE! This will help you to determine where the apples of your cheeks are
• Apply the blush onto the apples of your cheeks, blending well.
• If you've put too much on, then go over it with a bit of translucent powder, and this should sort it out
• This video will show what I mean more.

I hope this helped you, and if you have any questions, please let me know, and I will try my best to answer them!

Beauty Beginner series: What is Concealer?

This week, I thought I'd look at the question 'what is concealer?' We touched on this slightly in the 'what is foundation?' post, but I thought I would go into a bit more detail.

Concealer is more concentrated form of foundation. It has a lot more coverage than your typical foundation, and is used to cover any blemishes, dark circles, hyperpigmentation or any else you may want covering (although, if you have serious skin problems, such as birthmarks, scars and vitiligo, a heavy camouflage makeup may be required). The difference between foundation and concealer is, foundation is mainly used all over the face and neck, to create a even skin tone, whereas concealer is used only on small areas where extra coverage is needed (e.g acne and dark circles).

Although a lot of people do use it with foundation, concealer can be worn by itself if that is all that is needed.

Generally, concealers do not come in as great a colour range as foundation, usually having only 3-4 shades (light to darkest). It is best that you choose the shade that is 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone, but don't go too light, as you'll look like a raccoon! The general rule for choosing colours, is to pick a yellow based concealer, as this will counteract any dark marks, and redness.

Just like foundations, concealers come in 3 main forms. The most well known is the liquid concealer and the stick concealer.

• A stick concealer looks very similar to a lipstick. This type of concealer is good for covering scars and blemishes, but they tend not to blend very well. This is not recommended for under the eye and sensitive skin, due to the blending restrictions.
• A liquid foundation is good for covering large areas of the skin. It works well for covering acne, dark circles and blemishes. They cover well, but not as well as a stick concealer, but blend a lot easier.
• The last form of concealer is a powder concealer. This is probably the easiest to blend, using a brush, but offers the least amount of coverage. This is best used for small blemishes and under eye circles.

Another way of using concealer is using colour corrective concealer. This takes the idea of a colour wheel, using opposite colours to counteract any skin problems. For example, if have any redness in your skin, you would use a green colour corrector, to neutralise the redness, making it less noticeable.

A basic guideline to follow is:

• Beige - this will conceal flaws and shadows, while also brightening the under eye area
• Green - neutralises any redness caused by acne, rosacea, or just red skin tones. If you have a significant problem with this, it may be worth investing in a green based primer, that is designed to go all over the face, rather than pinpoint application
• Yellow - conceals bluish bruises, under eye circles and dark spots
• Purple - neutralises yellow coloured imperfections such as sallow complexions and yellow bruises. It can also help to conceal very dark under eye circles on darker skin tones.

When applying colour corrector, you should first apply the colour corrector that you need where you need it, and then apply a concealer the same shade as your skin over the top of it. You should then apply your foundation as normal.

I hope that this helps, and has answered some questions you might have had. Feel free to leave me a question you have that you want me to answer at beautybeginner13@gmail.com

Beauty Beginner Series: What is Foundation?

To start off this new series, I thought I would answer a question that I know a lot of beginner's struggle with; what is foundation?

I will split this up into several mini-quesitons such as:
What is it?
What does it do?
Types of Foundation
How to find my shade?
How to apply it.

First off, What is Foundation?

Foundation can come in many forms, i.e. liquid, powder, mousse, loose powder etc, but they all do the same thing. Foundation is basically flesh coloured, and is applied to the face. It is used to even out your complexion and to cover flaws. It gives you the look of flawless skin. There are mainly four types of coverage you can get in a foundation:

• Sheer - this is the lightest foundation you can get. It contains the least amount of pigment, so it is very transparent. It wont hide discolourations, but can minimise the contrast between the discolouration and the skin tone.
• Light - this contains slightly more pigment than sheer, so it covers unevenness and slight blotchiness, but wont cover freckles.
• Medium - this is usually the coverage that most people who have problem-skin go for. It covers freckles, discolourations, blotchiness and red marks left by blemishes and acne.
• Full - this type of foundation is very opaque, and is used to cover birthmarks, vitiligo, hyperpigmentation and scars. It also known as corrective or camouflage makeup.

Types of Foundation:

Nowadays, there are so many types of foundations, from thick, heavy, full coverage creams, to light and moisturising tinted moisturisers.

• Tinted Moisturiser - this is a great product to use if you just want to even out your skin tone and relieve dry skin. They contain a hint of colour, just enough to even out the skin tone. Concealer may be needed to cover problem-areas.
• Mousse or Whipped Foundation - this is easier to apply in thin layers than liquid foundation, meaning you have more control. Mousse foundation is liquid foundation with air whipped in, making it lighter and smoother, so it wont feel as heavy on the skin as a medium to full coverage liquid foundation. It is designed for all skin types, but can be especially nice to dry or ageing skin, as it goes on smoothly, and doesn't look cakey in fine lines, and dry patches.
• Liquid Foundation - this is probably the most used and most popular foundation out there. It is readily available in all high street stores, and applies so smoothly. It is also good for around the eyes, where you may want a bit more coverage, using a small lip brush for best control. People with sensitive skin should be careful when using waterproof or 24 hour versions of liquid foundation, as these contain oils and waxy ingredients, so may create a slight skin irritation. If any problems do occur, then switch to a non-waterprrof type and see if that helps, or try using a natural one, made with organic ingredients and essential oils.
• Cream-to-Powder Foundation - this foundation is also quite popular. It goes on as a liquid,but dries to a powder finish that minimises oil and lasts all day. These can be quite confusing, as they are not packaged like a traditional liquid foundation, rather in a compact that looks like powder. The main advantage of this foundation is its easy application, and you don't have to apply a powder for full coverage.
• Minerals - these are the latest thing in the makeup world. They are very popular at the moment, due to the foundations having very few ingredients, and the ingredients they do contain, tend to be mainly minerals, making it perfect for people with allergies or sensitive skin. 

How to Find Your Shade:

Instead of writing a short essay on this, I will link you to a great article HERE, which explains all that you need to know about finding your shade of foundation.

How to Apply Foundation:

Foundation can be applied in many ways. It can be applied using a foundation brush, using a cosmetic sponge, and the good old favourite, your fingers.

Start in the centre of your face, and work outwards, and downwards. Make sure you blend it in really well, as you don't want any obvious orange lines, especially around your chin and hairline, as this looks really bad, and you can really tell you've got make-up on. You don't need to use foundation all over the face if you don't need it. After you have applied foundation, if you need to, you may want to apply concealer (a corrective cosmetic, used to cover up dark circles and blemishes), to achieve a flawless appearance, and a full coverage.

THIS video explains how to apply foundation in a bit more detail.

Well, that is the first of my new series completed! I hope this has helped at least one person, and you have enjoyed. I also hope it hasn't been too lengthy or boring.

As I am nowhere near an expert, I would strongly advise anyone who is really struggling to visit a makeup stand, either in a department store or a high street store, such as Boots, and ask them for a skin-consultation, as they really know what they're talking about, and will be able to suggest things that are perfect for your skin and needs. The No7 brand at Boots, have recently brought out a brand new invention which tells you your perfect shade of foundation. So, no more guessing in the bad artificial light of the stores. After it has chosen your shade, you then have a skin consultation with a member of the No7 team, deciding which is the right foundation for your skin and the coverage you are after. Although I haven't actually got round to trying this service out yet, I think that this is a must for everyone, especially you Beauty Beginners, even if it's just to get your right shade.

A New Series?!

The other day I was thinking, as this blog is called 'Beauty Beginnner', I haven't really been explaining things from a complete beginner's point of view. So I thought that I would start a new series of posts, where I try to answer the basics, for example, 'what is foundation?' 'what is concealer?' 'where do you put blusher?' 'where do you put eyeshadow?' and so on.

So I'll try to make this a weekly thing, answering a new question every week. I'll also try to make it as simple, but interesting and knowledgable as possible, and if you have any questions you want answering, then feel free to email me at beautybeginner13@gmail.com

The first of this series will be up in the next couple of days.

Beginner Basics...

While I was recently searching YouTube for some new beauty guru's (a favourite past time of mine), I came across a series of videos by the celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge. These videos are great for those Beauty Beginner's, as Lisa explains the basics about each product (foundation, concealer, primer, contouring powder and highlighter). For those who are just starting out in makeup, and don't really know what each product does, or how to use them, these videos really answer these questions. I really recommend checking them out.

Makeup Basics: Foundation

Makeup Basics: Primer

Makeup Basics: Concealer

The Powder Contouring video is here, and the Liquid and Cream Blusher is here. Lisa also does a video on Liquid Blush which may be worth checking out.

Hope this helped.