How to put on makeup

Q. I am never sure what the best way to put on my makeup is. Should I do the concealer first or after the base? Do I do the mascara last or the liner last?

A. There are many many ways to use makeup. Different looks will require different techniques but there is a very basic recipe for putting on the classic daytime look. Start with you concealer. Dot it on with the pad of your ring finger, not your pointer finger. The ring finger uses less pressure. Concentrate the concealer on the darkest areas of your face. These are usually the corners of your eyes, under your eyes and over any blemishes. If you are a woman beginning to show your age you may be getting deeper lines from the corners of your nose to the corners of your lips, and in the crook of your chin or between your eyes. You can use the concealer in these areas to lighten them as well. Lighter will make these areas seems less recessed or deep. Follow up with your foundation putting it only where your need it. Blend it out and over your face with a sponge makeup wedge, or a foundation brush. Follow with a very light dusting of powder. Next, apply your blush to the apples of your cheeks. Blend upward toward your cheekbones. Apply where you’d naturally blush. Your eyes will be next. Define your brows. Tweeze away stray hairs and define your brows with a few strokes of a brow pencil. Use feathery strokes and be sure your pencil is sharp. You can blend this out with a brow brush as well. Apply eye shadow over your entire eye area from the lash line to the brow bone. You can apply a shade darker to the hollow of your eye below the brow bone and right before the lid area. For nighttime you can bump up your eye color. If you use a lash curler you should use it at this point. Never use the curler after you have on your mascara that can cause your eyelashes to break off. If you use liner on your eyes this is the time to put it on. Apply a smooth even line at the base of your lid and into your lash line. Start at the outside of your eye and blend inward toward the inner corner. Apply one or two coats of mascara. Your lips will finish your face. If you use a lip liner apply it now and I always cover the entire lip area if I use a liner, that way when your lipstick wears off you are not left with lined naked lips. After the liner you can finish with a great lipstick or lip gloss. Don’t forget to bring some touch up items with you during the day. I suggest a concealer and a lip color at the minimum. Hope this helps.