Even the smallest tweaks in our makeup application can make a major difference! So today I’ll share some mini makeup artist tips that make a maxi difference!
If – like many of us – you’re dealing with sparse brows and/or white and grey brow hairs and would like some help, this video will be a great resource and answer many of your questions. But today we’re going to specifically talk about eyebrow color. To find the right eyebrow color, it’s important to consider your hair color, skin tone and eye color and choose a shade that complements your natural features rather than perfectly matches your hair.
The Importance of Brow Color
Probably the most important consideration is finding a color that goes with the undertone of your skin. If you have a warm skin undertone, look for brow colors that contain warm undertones, such as blond or light or dark browns with golden or reddish hues. If you have a cool undertone like I do, opt for brow colors that have ashy or taupe undertones and avoid anything too warm that might clash with your natural coloring.
If you have a neutral skin tone you can experiment with both warm and cool brow colors. And if you’re not sure of the undertone of your skin, be sure to check out this video as well:
If you have quite a bit of grey or white in your brows, you can either go with grey shades or taupe shades. And by the way, if you’d like to find brow pencils and powders in a variety of grey shades, be sure to check out the products from Eye Embrace. It’s one of the few companies that specializes in brow products that work for those of us with white and grey brows.
Tips for Eyelashes
There are two tips that can really make a big difference in how our eyelashes look. First, it’s always important to start at the base of our lashes when we apply mascara, but it’s a little challenging to actually get down to that base or root of our eyelashes. So, lifting the skin of our eyelid with our finger or a brush so we can actually coat the bottom or root of our lashes helps our lashes look thicker, fuller, and more voluminous.
Second, it’s important to prevent mascara from clumping, so here are some tips. Swirl the wand inside the tube instead of pumping it to avoid introducing air, which can dry out the mascara and lead to clumping. Introducing air by pumping mascara can also increase the risk of bacteria growth which we definitely want to avoid.
This next step is hard to do since most of us want to apply our makeup quickly, but we can also keep mascara from clumping by building up the mascara gradually in thin layers and allowing each coat of mascara to dry before applying the next coat.
And this next step is also extremely important to prevent clumping: use a clean spoolie to comb through the lashes after applying each coat of mascara to separate them.
If you have sensitive eyes, you might want to check out this article: Best 10 Mascaras for Sensitive Eyes.
Help for Our Eyes
The next makeup tip is to apply an inner corner highlight to the inner corner of the eye. By doing this, we can make our eyes appear larger, more awake, and add a touch of glamour to our overall makeup look. The key is to use a small, precise brush to apply the eyeshadow and to blend it seamlessly in with the rest of our eye makeup.
I especially love this next tip for two reasons. First, it helps speed up our makeup application, and second, it helps fulfill the cardinal makeup rule of applying makeup in thin layers. This application technique is crucial for achieving a natural, flawless finish and to prevent a cakey or heavy appearance.
It also allows for better blending, prevents makeup from settling into fine lines, and enables precise coverage control. Here’s the tip: apply moisturizer – but mix a little highlighter into the moisturizer rather than applying the highlighter as a separate step.
Face Primer Hack
The next tip applies to face primer. If we want to ensure that our makeup stays in place longer, a good face primer can definitely make a difference. But you don’t necessarily have to apply it over the entire face. Instead, you can apply it to the areas of the face where makeup is most likely to move around such as around the mouth and nose. This is especially important for those of us with dry skin since dryness can cause makeup to separate in these areas.
Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!
Crucial Blush Tips
Next up is blush. This is another tip that can actually speed up your makeup application because it involves combining two products. And the look I’m able to create by doing this is especially important for those of us with mature skin since we lose some of that beautiful natural glow we had when we were younger.
So, adding some glow is a wonderful way to brighten our complexion so it looks healthier, softer and more supple and helps diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles. In an earlier tip we combined moisturizer with a highlighter to create some glow. We can also add glow by combining a little highlighter with cream or liquid blush.
The most important tip for blush is how we apply the blush. Rather than rubbing it across our cheeks, we need to tap it into our skin. Tapping blush onto the skin minimizes potential irritation and is gentler on sensitive skin. It also allows for more precise application and blending which creates a more natural, subtle look and allows better absorption of the product into the skin. And most important is that the tapping motion doesn’t disturb any makeup underneath.
Tips for Luscious Lips
Although we most likely don’t want to go back to the dark, bold strong lip liner look of the 80s that was popularized by Madonna, defining the outer edges of the lips with a slightly darker color than our lipstick can help our lips stand out and look bigger. But to create a softer looking gradient, it can look really beautiful to fill in a larger area of the lips with a soft wash of lip liner and then apply a slightly lighter color over it.
But before I do that, I’ll enhance the look of my bottom lip by helping it look slightly larger. To do this, I’ll take a small amount of contour on a small brush and apply it just under the bottom center lip line. This creates the look of a shadow which expands the footprint of our lower lip so it looks larger. This can be an especially helpful tip as we get older since our lips do get smaller.
Next, I’ll outline my lips on the outer edge of my lip line with my L’Oreal lip liner and then fill in the lips softly with the lip liner. Over this I’ll apply a new product from Coloupop which is a shade extension of their Plumping Finish Gloss Bomb. These six new colors have a pearl glow and today I’ll use the color “Cyberstar” which is a pinky lavender.
Tips for a Polished, Perfected Finished Look
Today’s final two tips are all about creating a perfected, polished finished look. Gently tapping a very slightly dampened sponge all around the face picks up any excess product, adds a slight bit of moisture to the skin for some additional glow and helps blend all the makeup colors together.
And the final finishing touch is applying this one-of-a-kind nothing else out there like it finishing powder from Hourglass. It’s their Ambient light finishing powder which comes in a regular or a mini size. What makes this product so unique is that it creates a soft-focus finish by reflecting and diffusing light and creating a luminous, airbrushed appearance. It’s designed to blur imperfections, pores, and wrinkles, and it works well for all skin tones. It does a subtle but truly amazing job.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What are the things you do in your makeup routine that make the biggest difference? Which of the tips mentioned in this article might work best for you?
