7 Insider Makeup Tips to Get the Perfect Look

Just like any fine artist working on a masterpiece, the technique that you apply to your canvas speaks more to the overall outcome. This concept holds true even if your brush is a makeup brush and your canvas is your face; learning the proper techniques and tricks to get your makeup to work for you (instead of the other way around) is easier than most women think.

Get the Proper Tools
Like any artist, if you aren’t working with the proper tools, no matter how good you are, you won’t get good results.  Unfortunately, not every woman has the right makeup brushes and applicators in their bag, so be sure you’re working with these and only these brushes (you don’t need more):

Foundation
Concealer
Fluffy powder
Blush
Small blending
Flat eyeshadow
Precision angle
Lip

Now that you have your tools, the next step is learning how to hold them correctly, something that affects your control.  Keep your fingers close to the silver barrel on the brush and apply finger pressure for tight corners and lines, keep them further back towards the end of the brush with a light grip for airy application.  For even applications, keep your fingers towards the center of the brush.

Mixing Your Primer with Your Foundation
I know, it sounds odd.  But you can wear cream foundation just the way it is for full coverage, or you can break it down to be more translucent by mixing it with some primer.  This keeps the foundation’s coverage without looking like it’s caked on while retaining the added benefit of longevity that creams have over liquids.

Eliminating Unwanted Colors
We all deal with redness around the nose, a blemish  or a flaw we want to cover. A great way to do it is this–learn your color wheel.  Remember learning about that in art class back in elementary school?  Well, it will finally come in handy.  Opposite colors on the color wheel cover each other up, in essence canceling each other out.  So, green covers up red pimples and blue covers up orange tint, etc.  But the red also cancels out the green so you won’t have green on your face!  Perfect.

Making Wanted Colors Pop
While we’re here on the color wheel, it makes sense that while placing opposite colors on top of each other cancels them out, placing them right next to each other makes them pop.  This is perfect for choosing the right eye shadow for your eye color:

Blue: Anything with orange makes blue eyes stand out more. Think  gold, apricot or peach.
Green: Green eyes pop when you use colors that have red undertones, like deep plums and wine.
Brown: Brown is a neutral so any color will work well, but blue and purple are perfect at making them pop.

You’re Putting Eyeliner on Incorrectly
Well, maybe not you, but most of you.  You aren’t supposed to go in one motion as most of us were taught.  This is because the pencil catches on the little bumps on your skin.  Instead, start from the inner corner of your eye and go to the center of your eyelid, then start from the outside corner until you meet the first liner in the middle.

Layer Your Lips
Single lipstick application is far too lazy; you’ve got to prime your lips to build them up.  Apply foundation to your lips first, then outline your lips with a white eyeliner pencil, then a colored lip pencil of your choice.  Then, apply lipstick in a downward motion from the corners to the middle (just like with the eyeliner), finally finishing it all off with a light base foundation, blending it into the lip line.  Apply a dab of gloss to the top of your lip and to the bottom, but only in the centers.

The Hollywood V
Getting rid of bags under the eyes is a fight against Mother Nature that you’ll eventually lose, but why make it easy for her?  Using a concealer brush, swipe the proper concealer for your skin tone under your eye in a downward “V” shape, starting at the outer corner and working to the inner corner. Then, buff the concealer into your skin until you reach the center of your lower lid.  At the lower lid, start to feather the concealer for a lighter application.

Ash Moore, the author of this article works for Trend N Stylez, one of the best fashion portals bringing you the latest in fashion, celebrity gossip, fashion shows etc. For some latest tips on makeup, do check out TrendnStylez favourite make up tips or if you’re on the lookout for popular eye shadow shades in 2013, check out trendnstylez.com today.

Image Credit: Free Digital Photos