How to get your make up so it can suit you

By: Alma Mendez

A lot of girls don’t have an older sister who could teach them or their moms never thought their daughters needed makeup because every girl is beautiful in their own way. In my case, I never wanted to learn to do my make up but as I got older I wish I could have learned so then I could teach my little sister when she's at the age appropriate to start wearing it. 

While it’s easy to watch a Youtube video, it could be hard for your makeup to come out exactly like the Youtuber you might be watching. Rather than comparing your makeup to theirs, or God forbid your beauty to theirs, it might be better to follow a step-by-step guide without the visuals--in the name of sanity and self-worth.  

No girl needs make up, but if she wants or has a make up routine to follow to look natural and beautiful, adhere to the following steps.   

Skin prep

The first step is to wash and cleanse your face. It’s good to wash your face so your face can be nice and ready before you apply any make up step. You’d want to start with a good cleanser and facial wash to clean your face and to rinse it all by using cold water to feel your skin hydrated. Once you have done that, if you put any serums on your face before moisturizing, this is when you put all your skin care products, then you’d want to apply a good moisturizer that is not too oily so your makeup doesn't get oily fast. 

Primer

The second step is primer. Primer is used to make your foundation stay longer and make your skin smooth for the foundation. I highly recommend using the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base, Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer, or Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer, One/Size by Patrick Starr Oil Sucker, or Maybelline FaceStudio Master Prime Blur + Pore Minimize. After you have your primer put a few dots on your face and rub in the primer like if it was moisturizer. 

Foundation

The third step is  foundation. The purpose of foundation is to create an even tone in your face and make your skin look smooth. I recommend the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation, L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Foundation, Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Magic Cream Foundation, or the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation. For oily skin the Tarte Face Tape Full Coverage Foundation, Born This Way Foundation Too Faced or the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation. To apply it you’d want to put a few dots on your face, get a beauty blender and wet it with water and squeeze out the water. Dab onto your face until you cover it and blend it all over your face. 

Concealer

The fourth step is concealer. Concealer is for your under eyes to cover up eye bags and a dark area. Good Concealer recommendations are NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, and Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer. To apply, apply small dots to areas needing coverage, like under the eyes or on blemishes, then blend gently using tapping motions with a damp sponge, brush, or your fingers to avoid dragging the product.

Setting Powder

The fifth step is setting powder. Setting powder is used to help the makeup last longer, control shine, and prevent creasing and smudging. Some of the best setting powders are Huda Beauty Easy Bake Powder, Laura Mercier Pink Translucent Loose Setting Powder,  Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder. To apply all you have to do is  use a fluffy brush or a powder puff to press a light layer of powder onto specific areas, especially the T-zone ( forehead, nose, and chin) and under-eyes. Gently tap off any excess to avoid a cakey finish and to ensure the powder is smoothly blended into the skin. 

Contour

The sixth step is contour. Contour is used for sculpting and defining your facial features. The best contours are Milk Makeup Sculpt Cream Contour Stick. Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Contour Stick. Too Faced Soleil Melting Bronzer & Sculpting Stick. and the Tarte Sculpt Tape Contour. To apply contour you have to put contour onto the hollows of your cheeks, temples, jawline, and the sides of your nose.

Bronzer

The seventh step is bronzer. Bronzer is used to add that sun kiss glow to your skin and to give you a natural tan look. The best bronzer recommendations are the Saie Sun Melt Natural Cream Bronzer,  Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer, and the NARS Laguna. Bronzer is applied by using a fluffy brush to lightly sweep it on areas where the sun naturally hits, such as the forehead, cheekbones, and jawline, blending well to avoid harsh lines.

Blush

The eighth step is blush. Blush is for you to have that pop of color in your cheeks some highly recommended blushes are Kosas Blush is Life, Nars Powder Blush, Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush and the Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo. To apply blush you use a small, fluffy brush or your fingers to pat and blend the product onto the upper part of your cheeks and temples, blending upwards and outwards. 

Highlighter

The ninth step is highlighter. Highlighter is your choice if you want to have your skin looking reflecting and radiant. Some highly recommended products are liquid Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer, the powder Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Highlighter, and the stick Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Wand. To apply your highlighter, focus on the high points of your face where light naturally hits, like the top of your cheekbones, brow bones, inner corners of the eyes, and the cupid's bow (The double curve of the upper lip). Use a small brush or your fingers to apply a small amount of product and blend it out for a diffused, natural glow.

Eyeshadow

The 10th step is eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is also your choice. If you want a little color on your eyelids or just natural shade in your eyelids that is totally up to you. I suggest if you're not the type of girl to have a lot of color on your face to get a neutral shade that has less color. If you're the type of girl that loves lots of color on your face to get a colorful palette. 

Brows

The 11th step is brows. This step is your choice if you want to do your brows or not. You could use brow gel or just fill them in with a brow pencil. To do these step you get a spoolie to brush them up. Then if you're using a pencil lightly outline the top and bottom edges of your brows, following their natural shape and make strokes upward to fill in sparse areas. Finally, blend the product with the spoolie and set them in place with a clear brow gel or wax. 

Mascara/lashes

The 12th step is mascara/ lashes. This step is my favorite. I love a good mascara and some good mascaras recommended are Maybelline Sky High, ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara, YSL Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara and Benefit Cosmetics Fan Fest. Now if you're a lash girl then you could get some lashes at any store that has makeup in there like Sophra, ulta, walmart, marshall, Tjmax or any store of your perhaps. To apply mascara first curl your lashes, then apply a thin coat by wiggling the wand from the base to the tip, focusing on separating and coating each lash for a natural lift. To apply lashes you’d want to be very careful with these steps so you don’t glue your eyes together or get glue in your eye. You’d want to apply a thin layer of lash glue onto your false lash band and wait for it to be slightly sticky then place the center of the false lash on your lash line and gently press the ends into place, using tweezers or your fingers to secure them and blend them with your natural lashes. 

Lip color

The 13th step is lip color. For lip color it is very easy there are so many different shades you could use. You could also use lip liner, lip stick or lip gloss. If you want bigger lips you should use a lipliner and overline your lips or if you just want to line your lips then that's what lip liner is for. If you just want some color on your lips then use a lip stick to add that beautiful lip tone to your lips there's so many colors like neutral and colorful that you could choose from. After you decide if you want just lip liner or just lip stick or both of them then that's when you add that beautiful lip gloss onto your lips to make them look glossy and shiny. 

Setting spray

The last step is setting spray. Setting spray is used to lock in your make up onto your face making it last longer and preventing smudging, fading, and creasing. Some good Setting sprays that will make your makeup last longer are Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, and the One/Size On \'Til Dawn Mattifying Setting Spray. To apply it, it's an easy step to shake the bottle and hold it 6-8 inches from your face, closing your eyes and spray it in an X or T motion to cover the entire face. Let your face dry without touching your face to lock in your makeup and ensure it lasts all day.

These steps are a guide to add or turn these into your daily make up routine. I've asked one of my friend student at airport highs chool to give me a quote on how can make up suit you and she said 

Zendaya, a famous celebrity, had this to say about makeup: "I'm very proud of my skin and face, and I have no problem not wearing makeup. I don't wear makeup because I feel like I need to cover myself up or because I don't feel confident. I wear makeup because it's fun; it's like painting on my face." 

Now that you have gotten these steps to get dolled up don’t forget your natural face will always be more beautiful than yourself with make up. No girl should tell herself she looks better with makeup because makeup is just like an accessory you don’t always need it with you because sometimes it doesn't go with you. When doing your makeup, have fun perennially just coloring on a beautiful canvas and make sure you follow these steps to get you a new routine. Make sure to follow and read each step carefully so you can learn more an