Get a Better Make-Up Application Series: Part One

Spending a few years in cosmetics, I've picked up a few handy tips from instructional classes, clients, co-workers, and print material. One thing I know for sure is that women get very set in their application techniques, so trying a new way of doing things can take some getting used to. This article details a handful of useful techniques, of varying degrees of difficulty, but if you're brave and you try them, I'm confident that you'll get a better make-up application. Practice, practice, practice!

Build the Foundation

Applying foundation correctly is perhaps the most important step. Remember that teacher you had in high school with the orange line along her chin? Don't be her now that you're grown up.

Always start in the middle of the forehead and blend out and down, making sure to get as close to the hairline as possible without getting it in your hair. Blend across the eyes, down the nose, over the cheeks and downward toward the chin and neck. Be sure to blend the line outward, going just beyond your chin to the top of your neck.

Of course, if you're using the wrong color foundation, you're going to get a line no matter how I tell you to do this. If you suspect you're using the wrong color, visit a make-up counter and ask for a quick consultation just to be sure.

Pro Tip: For the best application, don't use your fingers or a latex wedge. Invest in an anti-bacterial foundation brush, which won't absorb and waste and foundation (making your product last longer!) and will give you the most even blend and best coverage. Make sure to rinse the brush after every use, wring out the excess water, and let it air-dry. A good brush can last you many years if properly cared for.

Brush Basics

Speaking of brushes, owning a nice, quality set is a good idea for everyone. Look for synthetic, anti-bacterial brushes that are well-constructed for lots of mileage. These will prevent bacterial contamination of your product, ensure excellent application every time, and plus, you'll feel like a pro every time you use them.

Pro Tip: When applying powders, use the side of the bristles. Using the tip of the brush only breaks up the compact powder and spreads it around, usually all over your clothes and the bathroom. Swiping across the powder with the side of the brush allows the bristles to pick up the product and hold it, transferring as much of it as possible where it belongs-your face.

If you've picked up too much powder, DO NOT BLOW ON YOUR BRUSH. You might as well sneeze and cough and lick your brush, because you're transferring germs and bacteria from your mouth right onto that brush. (Kinda makes you not want a piece of that post-candle birthday cake, huh?) Anyway, if you must shake off some extra powder, tap the side of the handle on your wrist instead. If you do that right over the sink, you won't even have to clean blush off your bathroom floor!

Eyeliner Magic

Ever tried to apply your eyeliner and ended up with a squiggly line instead of that dark, smoky one you imagined? Yeah, we've all been there. Try rethinking how you're slapping it on there to get better results.

First of all, if you're using a pencil, SHARPEN IT please. I used to be the biggest offender of this crime, ignoring that little piece of plastic in the bottom of my make-up case and working the tip of the pencil down to a flat nub. When the point goes down, so does the quality, ladies. Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen.

If you're applying a cream or liquid liner, use the very tip of the brush and place it as close to the lash line as possible. You can always thicken from there, but it's harder to make that black line skinnier if need be. For a cream liner, try wetting the brush before picking up the liner. This turns the cream into a firm, liquid liner that will last all day. You can do the same thing with an eye shadow to turn it into a liner. No sweat, right?

Pro Tip: To get the best line possible, stop stretching your eyelid out to the side and drawing straight across your lid. (You know who you are.) Doing that can actually loosen the collagen in your sensitive eye area, which equals crow's feet in five to ten years. Not to mention, once you let go, that perfectly straight line looks more like a line graph of the stock market.

Instead of driving yourself insane with this outdated technique, try this instead: Using one hand, lift your eyebrow straight up to turn your eyelid into a nice flat canvas (up and down, instead of side to side). With your other hand, place the tip of the pencil right in your last line and draw smaller lines between each of your lashes, all the way across. This connect-the-dots technique will give you a nice, thin, straight line across the lid. Doing it this way, you can also control the thickness of the line.

And just in case you're wondering, lining underneath the eye is totally over. Let the 80s keep that one and just stick to the top lid, okay?

Stay tuned for Part II!