I think it is safe to say that all of us use makeup or atleast some of it to hide certain scars, blemishes or just to perfect our skin tone. But how do you achieve that level of satisfaction when applying it to look beautiful? That’s where these makeup commandments or rules come into play. Not many of us completely follow these rules in order to do makeup.
Have you wished for a filtered skin? Or you just want to hide those blemishes or pigmentation but no matter what you do, it doesn’t turn out neat. Here are 10 commandments to follow when doing your makeup:-
- Thou shalt cleanse and moisturize
The first and foremost commandment or rule, one must wash your face with a face wash according to your skin type before any application of products. This will enable to remove any dirt before hand and lay a clean base for your moisturizer to go in. If you skip moisturizer your foundation base can’t be applied smoothly. I have seen people with oily skin skip this step as they feel they end being more oilier, however this isn’t true, even if you are of oily category you must moisturize and you can use water based gel creams which are light weight and won’t make you look greasy.
- Apply thy sunscreen
If during the day you apply your makeup for work purpose or any social gathering, make sure to go in with a sunscreen. Reason? If you don’t use it, you are going to end up with hyperpigmentation on your face irrespective even if you don’t apply makeup during the day. Most of us ignore this product and I was one of them. And I had slight pigmentation around my mouth and forehead but once I started applying a SPF of 50, my skin felt protected and my pigmentation faded. Now some women ignore the sunscreen but go in with a foundation that has SPF, this will not provide any UVA protection as it’s not enough to care for the skin. Hence always apply your sunscreen even if you don’t apply your makeup.
- Thou shalt invest for right makeup brushes
By this I don’t mean you should buy expensive brushes but buy the right ones with an affordable budget. You have many drugstore options like bhcosmetics (which I use and I personally recommend their brushes, they are not expensive), wet n wild brushes etc. if you have the right tools you can achieve a flawless application and a filtered finish. Especially eye brushes to get that blended eyeshadow look. For foundation brushes you have the flat kabuki brush which I prefer as I use liquid sheer foundations to get buffed movements and good coverage finish. Then you have stippling brushes where you stipple the product onto your skin, this brush is good for dry skin as it doesn’t disturb the dry patches much, however you need practice when using this brush. So research and buy the right ones.
- Thy shalt use the right foundation and blend well
This is the rule where everyone goes wrong, because not all of use use the right shade sometimes we apply the wrong ones. Don’t worry it’s human nature. Swatch three shades of foundation closest to your skin tone on your jawline as this gives you an idea of what colour you are and pick one. Now remember the foundation formula has to match your skin type as well. If you are a dry person get a hydrating foundation and so on. If you are confused regarding your shade you can buy two colors as in, one darker to your skin tone which can be applied on the outer perimeters of your face and get a lighter shade for the center of the face so when blending both it will look balanced.
- Thy shalt blend the foundation towards your neck
One thing I must stress is that make sure you blend your foundation towards your neck area, just applying on your face won’t do as it will make you look crazy since your face and neck (ears as well) are different colors. Some people just push off by applying the foundation only on the face and that makes it not right. For most of us neck area is more darker that your face, hence drag the foundation towards your neck to get an even finish.
- Mascara
Thou shall use a mascara only for three to four months at max and then discard it.
Let’s face it most of the women do not know this but mascaras expire within three to four months use. I know! Then why buy expensive ones, technically it dries fast the more you use it and the formula starts to get dry and thicker. Never double pump the mascara into the tube, as when applying your first coat you already have enough on the wand for both eyes I feel, when you pump in again all the way you are just pushing air into it making the formula more dry. If pumping the mascara into the tube twice make sure you don’t go till the end of it.
- Thou Shan’t match your eyes to lips
Whenever you do your eye makeup be it soft gold Smokey eyes, or purple eye look, please don’t wear the exact lip shade as to those eye looks. Imagine wearing purple lipstick to match your purple eye look, obviously it will look heavy and crazy. Use nude shades when you go in with heavy eye makeup looks but with similar color tones for the lips. If doing pink Smokey eye makeup then use a pink nude or coral pink nude as such, something that blends the overall color tone of the look.
- Thou shalt throw away old or expired products
I know everyone is cringing when reading this commandment. You buy expensive products of makeup and end up using only a little and when time by goes by it is expired but you still keep using them. Actually it’s not healthy or good for skin as the ingredients in time becomes dried out or they develop fungi. Have you seen when two or three years pass by the surface of a product like your eyeshadow or blush develop that whitish green fungus on top? That itself indicates the product is spoilt. So make sure you throw your old or expired makeup.
- Wash thy brushes
This is a rule and a step where we all are lazy to do it. After one application or use of brushes itself make sure you wash them as bacteria can easily form on the tools and if not washing them, it can then transfer to your skin. If you do not have the time to wash them for second use then at least spot clean them with makeup brush cleaning liquids that are available in store or online.
- Thou shalt remove your makeup before bedtime
Isn’t this the most obvious step of all! You must remove your makeup at any cost before you go to bed and perform your nighttime skincare routine. I know working women find it hard to make time for themselves but if you just go to bed without removing your makeup, your skin takes the hit and next day you might end up breaking out. So make time to do this and follow a nighttime skincare routine apt for your skin type.