Top 8 Tips for Basic Makeup Every Girl Should Have

Monday, April 13th, 2009
by jritz

If there’s a  point to women buying and using makeup, it’s enhancing what they already have. It seems, however, that lately women don’t realize that putting on too much makeup or putting it on the wrong way can have the opposite effect! Here are 8 beauty products that every girl should have, and how to use them to look your best.

1. Concealer

Let’s face it- not everybody can get the amount of sleep they need. So when you wake up after a long night of cramming for a test, writing a memo for your boss, or crafting an essay, and happen to catch a glance of your unsightly eye bags in the mirror- don’t freak out! If you’ve got a good concealer, you have nothing to worry about. The key to a good concealer is to make sure that it’s the exact right shade for your skin tone. If it’s too light you’ll look washed out, and if it’s too dark it will give you something I like to call the “panda effect” because of the darker area around your eyes. I use Clinique Quick Corrector, $14 in shade 01 light.

2. Mascara

Most women tend to use mascara for three reasons: they have short, light, or sparse eyelashes. For me, this has never been a problem because my eyelashes are long, dark, and thick, but occasionally my bottom lashes can look very light coProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ared to the top, so I give them a quick swipe of a black mascara to even them out. Some women also like to use different colored mascaras like blue or purple to play up an outfit wProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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n they go out. The main thing you want is mascara that DOESN’T clump; otherwise it might look like a 5 year old drew them onto you. I recommend $19 Bourjois’ “Oui Au Volume, Non Aux Paquets” or, “Yes to Volume, No to Clumps”, which has a great consistency that will stay clump free and maximize thickness and length.

3. Eye shadow Base

If you’re one of those people that have a problem with your eye shadow slowly rubbing off throughout the day, I would recommend an eye shadow base, which goes on before the actual eye shadow. It goes over your whole lid from eyelash line to eyebrow, and will make your whole eye and makeup look a lot smoother and cleaner. It will also add a brightening effect to your eye to make you look slightly more awake and ready for your day. Try Stila’s Refillable Compact, $2 for the pan, $18 for the pressed shadow.

4. Eye shadow

What you want is an eye shadow that doesn’t crease. If it does, the color will separate and look like it has been applied heavier in some spots than others. I tend to stay neutral and pick eye shadows in the pink and purple areas, but a lot of people like to pick bright colors to do a bolder look. The thing you want to avoid is putting too much on, because bright green or blue all over your eye is not attractive, and huge areas of dark purple or blue might make it look like you got a whopping punch right in the eye. I like the texture and wear of most Mac eye shadows because they don’t crease and stay vibrant throughout the day. Try M.A.C’s duo Pink Split $19, or Pink Venus $14.50.

5. Lip gloss

Every girl should have three lip glosses: a nude/neutral color, a soft/light color, and a bright/darker color. For nude I use Smashbox’s POP Lip Enhancing Gloss $18, because it gives my lips a glossy look without being sticky, and doesn’t change the pink color. For a soft/light color I use Bourjois 3D Effect Rose Idyllic $20, because the frosty pink color adds a soft baby pink tone and stays on. For the bright/darker color I use DiorKiss in Berry Smoothie, because it’s bright, NOT light, and there is a difference. It adds a hot pink vibrance that’s darker than my natural lips but isn’t actually a dark shade.

6. Foundation

One BAD thing a lot of women who use foundation do is cake it on. Ladies, no, no, NO! I can’t stand walking by a woman on the street that looks like her face might melt off if it starts to rain. If you’re trying to cover up acne, chances are the makeup being so heavy is what’s causing it. Let your skin breathe and eventually with proper care it will go away. The only thing even close to foundation that I will consider putting on my face is Lorac’s Oil-Free Neutralizer, $30. It works for all shades of skin and is used to reduce redness, so it’s especially good for winter time. The texture is lighter and runnier than foundation so it feels like you aren’t wearing anything at all, and it won’t clog pores.

7. Blush/Bronzer

One thing about blush is the same as foundation- don’t overdo it! You don’t want to look like a tomato. The key is applying enough to give you a look that looks natural, like you’re slightly flushed. You should always sweep blush from the apple of your cheek up the bone toward your hairline to give you the most natural effect. Especially with bronzer, since it can tend to be a bit sparkly, you don’t want to put on too much. Try Physicians Formula (they have over 40 bronzers on the market), or Neutrogena (they have a section for teens cosmetics, and for women a bit older) blushes. These two brands really capture the natural look when applied right, and can be bought at local drug stores!

8. Eyeliner

Eyeliner is a great staple makeup product for any girl. You can use classic black to enhance your lash line, or use a colored one for a cool effect- some people even use more than one color to be dramatic. Black liner is great to have because it makes your eyes appear bigger, but if you use too much you might be asked if you are trying to imitate a raccoon. Try Benefit’s BadGal Waterproof liner, $20.

Basically, the key to every makeup item you own is NEVER, EVER to apply too much. You can always start off by doing a little and adding more, but can’t quite go back once it’s all on or you have to take it all off.

To purchase most of the things I mentioned here visit Sephora, and their AWESOME blog to keep yourself upadted on makeup and tips!

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