I am a pariah… I am a (almost) 20 year old female that does not wear makeup (or at least not much at all). And I have no idea how to put it on or what does what.
What should I do to learn? I don’t have money to spend on a whole bunch of cosmetics “just to experiment with.” And I want natural looking makeup.
So what should I do, Dopers?
Wear a very light coloured cream foundation on your skin to make it appear smooth and blemish-free. Perhaps a little eyeshadow under your lower lashes. I use brown, which I apply with a damp cotton bud - just a very soft and thin line. Mascara on your eyelashes and then on the inner lower eyelid a black Kohl pencil which makes your eyes appear bigger and brighter.
Lipstick, should be either a bold blood red colour, or else a soft and feminine glossy pink.
The trick with makeup is that it’s meant to merely enhance your natural features, not take them over. Less is more!
(I hope you understand the things I’m referring to! Different terminology for things for people from different sides of the world!)
Good luck! Oh, and BTW, if you apply mascara DON’T sneeze until it’s dried!! 
If you want to look natural, there ain’t nothing wrong with natural - just do skin care, tweeze or wax your eyebrows into a good shape you can maintain, and let your own beauty shine.
If you want to glam up a little bit, a little blusher, some mascara and natural lipgloss can do that for you and still look natural. Select colors that are not too far off your own coloring - if you’re a pale blond, you don’t want to be buying magenta blush, if you’re a redhead you want to stay away from too-dark mascara. If you’re African-American (or olive-skinned Caucasian) you need to be careful with eyeshadows - too light and you look chalked, too dark and you look like someone belted you in the eye.
If foundation is necessary to correct any skin flaws, go to an expensive cosmetic counter and have the attendants there show you how to use it and how to select the correct tone. If you “need” it, it’s worth buying a good one.
Blusher is applied to the apple of the cheeks - smile naturally, and brush the blusher on in a sweeping motion from the roundest part back toward your ears. Apply mascara lightly (brown-black is a good color for most - I’d only use black black if you’re dark) from the base to the tips of the lashes, and never do more than two coats. I always recommend waterproof. Lip gloss or lipstick should be fairly easy to apply - blot it if necessary by putting a piece of tissue between your lips and patting your lips together.
Whatever you do, WASH YOUR FACE before bed. Nothing craps up your skin like slept-in makeup.
I’d buy a book on make-up tips to give you an idea of coloring and ways to apply. Bobbie Brown has a book out that will be quite helpful but I can’t remember the title off hand. I’m sure there are make-up tips you can find off the Internet, too. You need to see what colors and styles will look like first before trying them out on yourself. Bobbie brown is a good choice because she’s into the natural look, not overdone. Good luck!
A great, easy to apply eyeshadow is Naturalistics Chrome line. The colors are pearly and go on very easy. Each color comes with its own applicator brush and they are relatively cheap.
I didn’t start wearing makeup until I was 16. Mostly I use the Jane brand because they make a good range of colors and I’ve never had a problem with any of their products irritating my skin.
My advice : pick up a couple colors of eyeshadow, a couple of lipsticks or lipglosses, a color of blush, a mascara, and an eyeliner. That won’t cost too much and will get you used to using the makeup - then you can try other colors or brands.
Flip through a magazine like Jane. They have a monthly feature called “the makeunder” where they demonstrate how to use makeup to look natural on women who previously spent hours plastering it on.
I would also recommend the books from the late Kevin Aucoin. He knew how to transform women.
Any reason for makeup now? Did it put you off before? Just wondering.
I have a question, too. How the heck do you put eyeliner on your lower lid? And how do people make their eyeliner completely encircle the eye without making themselves look like raccoons? I can put the liner on my upper lid, but not all the way to the edge or it gets on my nose, and I have a heck of a time with the lower lid and can’t even imagine how you circle the outside of the eye as the lids don’t really meet in a good way there.
By the lower lid I mean that smooth line of skin just ABOVE your lower lashes. I use a black eyeliner pencil. You just sort of pull down the skin under your eye and run the pencil along the skin. Gawd! This is so hard to try and explain :smack: …
Eyeliner on the top lid is easy - that goes on just above your eyelashes, so, too for the bottom of your eye, it goes once again above the eyelashes. Hope I’m making some kind of sense? :dubious:
Start with a clean face. Add a moisturizer and then a concealer to cover blemishes or circles under the eyes. Then you are ready for your foundation. Choose a color that matches your neck! That way there will be no color line between your face and your neck. Apply lightly and blend. You might like the compacts that have creamy foundations that turn a little powdery on your skin.
If your skin is oily, choose a product that is water based. If your skin is dry, it is okay to use something with oil in it, but try to avoid alcohol.
I like neutral eye shadows for just about everyone. BLEND! Save the smokey or sparkley look for nighttime.
Some of the very best cosmetics are those you find in drugstores and supermarkets. L’Oreal is made by the same people who make Lancome, I think. That’s just an example. You might want to research to find out which ones don’t use animals in testing.
The best moisturizer that I have ever found was recommended by a dermotologist and is super inexpensive at the drugstore – Moisturelle. The cream is better than the lotion. For a night cream, it is hard to beat Eucerin – also from the drugstore and inexpensive.
Don’t tell anyone, but my lipstick often doubles as my blusher. That way I know that they match. Just be sure that you use a light hand when applying and blend, blend, blend!
One thing about tweezing. No one told me when I was younger that brows can stop growing back.
Go on Ebay and buy the book that goes along with that Informercial Movie makeup artist’s products (on whose name I’m drawing a blank this moment).
My daughter is a makeup artist/hairstylist part time model. She swears by the better “How to” books. And this lady has some great techniques…
Darn it, I’ll be back after I webferret out her name.
Also- if there is a Sephora near or in your town- you can try on ALL the make up before you buy. They put out stuff like disposable mascara wands, eyeshadow sponges, wedges, makeup remover, kleenex, cotton balls and mirrors at every makeup row to help with the applications. They sell some of the better brands of makeup with a greater variety of colors and formats.
Good luck!!!
Bobbi Brown’s “Teenage Beauty” (I’m pretty sure that is the title) is a good read for all ages, especially if you like natural-looking makeup.
I started by buying one or two things that didn’t scare me–some tinted lip gloss (that stuff in tubes), or a compact of different eyeshadows–stuff that if I put it on, and didn’t like it, or messed it up, it would be hard to tell.
I also found that if I just played with some cheap (dollar or two) products, I could try lots of different things without stressing about price, and become a lot more comfortable. I would suggest a make-up party (to which only you HAVE to be invited) and just play until you find the effects that you like. If you still feel nervous about your “look,” you can always invite a mom or sister or friend to help.
Second the book suggestions–and those types of books are often available at the library so you can get a bunch of them and find the ones you feel comfortable with.
You have to have lessons and tips in person: not seeing you (your complexion, the shape of your face, how deeply your eyes are set, etc.) there is no way anyone can offer you advice that will be useful.
But remember, “less is more.”
Don’t wear any. Why do you want to? I’m 26, female, don’t wear makeup, and cute anyways. It’s just one more thing that the beauty industry makes us think we need more than we do.
I’ll second whoever recommended books by Kevyn Aucoin. He was amazing. I’ve learned a lot from his books.
Ba-nanner oil. Some women look better and feel better with a bit of powder or lipstick or mascara. All I wear is a swipe of pale lipstick and some mascara, but it brightens up my face and pulls my look together.
If you don’t want to wear makeup, fine, but don’t pull that superior act with the rest of us, toots.
Screw the beauty industry. I ignore them completely in favor of wearing stuff that I like, not whatever the current trend is. You can pry my sparkly purple eyeshadow from my cold, dead hands.
If you have clear skin, try tinted moisturizer instead of foundation: it’s lighter and easier to blend so you don’t get the dreaded “mask look”. I like this stuff. Whatever product you use, make sure it is the right color for your skin tone. Foundation should kind of disappear when you put it on.
Other than that, all you really need is a natural looking blusher (this means some shade of pink. No one blushes brown. No one.), a decent waterproof mascara, and a sheer tinted lipgloss. All are easy to apply and can really “wake up” your face. Once you’ve mastered these basics, you can add things like eyeshadow and eyeliner to your beauty routine. This site has some pretty good basic information.
Whoever suggested having your brows shaped was spot on. Instant polish. (But if you’ve never tweezed, go to a professional at least the first time)
Oh, and racinchikki? I’d recommend putting the eyeliner beneath your lower lashes. It’s much easier to apply, it makes your eyes look wider (which is the point) and it reduces the risk that you’ll either poke yourself in the eye or get some kind of infection.
I wear makeup everyday, but most people don’t realize, so I think that I must manage the natural look pretty well. The primary reason why I even bother is because I have terrible skin, and I am allergic to the skin products that actually work on me (like benzoyl peroxide).
When I met my husband in college, I wore concealer, pressed powder, eyeliner, and lipstick everyday; and if it was a special occasion I added eyeshadow, mascara, and foundation. It took him three years to get me down to just the concealer and powder for everyday, and he’d love it if I’d drop those too.
I’m surprised that no one has actually mentioned powder yet - as long as I use that on top of concealer, there’s little reason for foundation. Admittedly I have more than average sensitive skin, but I couldn’t possibly wear that everyday without turning into one giant pimple that covers my entire face. (And yes, I’m including the oil-free, fragrence-free, hypoallergenic ones in that statement - you can’t wear a foundation without blocking pores in your skin, it’s as simple as that.) It also takes an expert to apply in such a way that it looks natural in direct sunlight.
Make sure your skin is clean and not oily. I like Purpose soap - it’s very mild. If your skin is at all dry, even just in parts or just today, use a moisterizer next. I like Biore’s water based facial moisturizer, as it helps without ever feeling like it’s even on your face, even considering my very oily skin. Use a matte concealer that matches your skin tone very well, and blend well. Then use a high quality loose powder with a smooth finish, applied with a large standard brush, blending down the neck a little. (It took me many years to figure out that despite the inconvenience, loose powder does a better job and stays far longer than pressed powder. Though pressed powder is still fine if you need a touchup during the day.)
For special occasions, I use mascara (as already mentioned, use brown-black unless they’re naturally black already; I’d also avoid the ones that add length or fullness unless you want to look like a clown). For eyeshadow, shades of brown, non-sparkly, will define without being very noticable on most people. If you want to use eyeliner as well, stick again with a dark brown, and very carefully smudge it so that it’s not a harsh, obvious line. (I’d recommend practicing beforehand, because smudgeing well is a lot harder than it looks.)
There are thousands of lipsticks available of varying degrees of sublety, and it should be fairly obvious from the packaging how bright and shiny it’s going to be. Pick whichever color matches your outfit as long as it’s going to look good with your skin tone. Just don’t pick something shockingly bright red and glossy and with sparkles and stuff if the rest of your makeup is fairly subtle. You really need to know what you’re doing for that to work. The alternative, which is what I use unless it’s a really special situation, is a colored lip gloss. The effect is muted but still adds a bit of color to the overall effect, and they’re now readily available in a number of shades.
Hmmm… what else? Despite my earlier rant, foundation is acceptable for special occasions and going out at night - just be sure to pick out a very good skin color match and blend well, all the way down the neck. Concealer goes underneath, and powder on top. Also practice this one beforehand. You may have to try several brands to find one that matches your skin’s texture.
I’ve never quite seen the point of blush or lip liner, but I guess YMMV. I used to feel like a clown with them on, even in the days of my very heaviest makeup.
Keep your eyebrows plucked - into a natural shape is perfectly acceptable.
And always, always, no matter what, wash everything off before you go to bed at night.