How to Apply Makeup

Professional Make-up artist doing glamour model makeup at work

Whether you prefer a natural look or have a more dramatic style, a little make-up can enhance your beauty any time of day. Makeup should make you look better, but it's not a disguise. It highlights your best features and plays down your flaws. So get a mirror, a natural light source and your makeup bag and get ready to look your best in less than fifteen minutes.

Got that mirror? Good. Take a nice long look at that pretty face and find your best feature. Everyone has one. Found it yet? Fantastic! Whether it's your eyes, your lips or your world-famous mole, we'll be coming back to it in just a few minutes, but first things first.

Skin

A woman's skin says a lot about her. If she's tired or stressed, it shows. If she's radiant and healthy, she's got a glow. Look in your mirror and asses your skin. Don't freak out, everyone has flaws, but take note of where you've got redness, enlarged pores, blemishes or sun damage.

Take your concealer and dot it where you need coverage. Under the eyes, around the nostrils and on the chin are common spots for redness or dark circles.

Blend well, and then take your favorite blush and swirl it on the apples of your cheeks. Blend. Use a highlighter on the tops of you cheekbones and under your eyebrows. Comb and fill in your eyebrows with pencil. Put on a little mascara if that's your thing. You'll note that you have no foundation on your face, but your skin is fresh, natural and likely glowing.

Focus

Remember that best feature you identified a few minutes ago? This is the only other part that gets makeup today. By finding your best feature and making it stand out, you celebrate the unique beauty of your face. No bland catalogue model here. Raawwr!!

If you love your lips, stain them, gloss them or rouge them as much as you feel comfortable. Maybe even sneak outside your comfort zone a bit. Got unforgettable eyes? Try a dramatic dark shadow with a pop of light color on the inside corner and a smudgy line on the top lid. Make your breathtaking cheekbones pop with more highlighter and some contouring powder under the cheekbone. Whatever your best feature is - find it, perfect it and go about your day; uniquely gorgeous.

Makeup should make you look better, but it's not a disguise