How to Apply Mineral and Non Mineral Make Up Properly
An essential make up guide including bare Minerals
Having a short hair means more exposure to face and its essential to have a flawless coverage that looks and feels like you’re not wearing any makeup at all. Not all women have the flair for make up and putting it on correctly.
It is a skill that some have mastered and others just ‘wing’ it in the morning.
While the trends of make up tend to change from normal make up solutions to mineral make up, there are still basic lessons to be learned when putting on make up in each solution.
We will use my favorite makeup solution “bare Mineral” from “bare Escentuals” to compare applications in some cases like foundations.
Why mineral makeup?
Mineral makeup is a new makeup trend that being promoted the same way as organic food and huge increase in demand for Natural-based personal care products. Its all about being green, healthy and using natural and Organic ingredients.
According to Dr. Lorrie Klein, a certified dermatologist mineral makeup are more natural and reduced risk of allergic reactions or acne breakouts.
True mineral makeup has little to no chemical ingredients and mostly consist of actual minerals. Mineral makeup is light and allows skin to breath naturallyand free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other potential skin irritants.
The minerals that mostly used in mineral makeup contain micronized titanium dioxide or zinc oxide (which acts as a natural sunscreen with protection of SPF 15-20 and soothes skin), iron oxide (which gives color to the makeup) and oxychloride (which is anti-inflammatory).
One of the hottest cosmetics brands in mineral makeup is Bare Escentuals, which became a hot item in the prestige market and there are others that joining this new trend in makeup like Maybelline, Revlon, Milani, Jane, L’Oréal, Cover Girl and Mirage.
Why it’s important to put make up on correctly
If you don’t apply your make up properly, you could end up not looking the way you intended, therefore projecting the wrong image. You’ve all seen women with too much make up, blush on the cheeks that’s too bright, big blue eye-shadow that’s not blended, and an orange lipstick that has nothing to so with their outfit. You see them at the mall or at the office and you wonder to yourself: “Do they know they look silly?” Actually, they probably don’t…they probably think they look fabulous, they just don’t know any better.
If you don’t apply make up correctly, you could also end up with tell-tale make up lines on your face that show the make up you are wearing. This is not only tacky, but it is unprofessional and gaudy.
Make up that is applied correctly gives you a flawless finish that doesn’t look like make up at all, but looks as though you have beautiful skin that has been slightly accentuated and that’s an important fact when wearing a short hair or an updo where there are no hair to cover your face.
The make up you wear should include foundation (base), concealer (if needed), powder to lightly set the makeup (a translucent powder will be best), blush, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lipstick.
Before you start applying make up, your face should be clean and free of excess oils. You should use a facial cream designed for your skin type, and a primer before you start your make up. Using a foundation brush will ensure you don’t apply too much. Read on to find out how to properly apply all the types of make up you need.
How to properly apply non-mineral foundation
The first step to properly applying foundation is to choose a foundation that is close to your skin color—as close as you can possible match it. You don’t want to go too light or too dark, or it will be very difficult to blend the make up into your skin and you will have those demarcation make up lines.
It is important to remember that you will likely need a different shade of foundation for summer and for winter, as your skin darkens with the sun and lightens in the winter.
You will need to choose your tool: a foundation brush, a clean make up sponge, or clean hands to apply your foundation. Using your brush, sponge, or fingers; dot a bit of foundation only where you need it and blend from there. Blend foundation outwards towards your hair line. Smooth foundation over your nose and blend it into your cheeks and up towards your forehead. You shouldn’t be able to tell where the make up ends and your natural skin begins. If you are using a sponge make sure you wash your sponge out with hot soapy water and rinse it well for your next application, your brush should be cleansed with a brush cleanser containing an antimicrobial agent. You should wash your hands with hot soapy water as well after you are finished applying your foundation.
How to apply Mineral Foundation
Now with bare Mineral foundations you need to swirl a small amount of mineral foundation into the lid with the special face brush until mineral foundations are tucked into the bristles.
Then tap off excess and make sure the mineral foundations are not visible on the outside of the brush.
Finally just buff bare minerals onto skin in a swirling, circular motion, starting on the outside of your face near your cheekbones. Then buff around your face, working your way to the cheeks, forehead, and nose and continue until you satisfied with the coverage.
With Mineral Make Up … Less is more.
How to properly apply concealer
Concealer helps to diminish blemishes on your skin, whether these are actual blemishes, dark spots, under eye circles, or age spots.
Choosing the right concealer for your skin is imperative—you should choose a concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation color, and for under your eyes a concealer that actually lifts the darkness…sometimes this means that your concealer will be warmer than your natural skin tone. However, when applied to the area that needs correction it will actually make it all look even. A concealer that’ too light for you will give you white marks under your eyes, and this is not desired.
Apply concealer after you have applied your foundation to keep from wearing the concealer off while applying foundation, and always use a brush.Use a fine tipped make up brush or special coverage concealer brush to apply your concealer on your blemishes and use a larger one for your under eye, this way the concealer under your eyes will look very natural. Dip your brush in the concealer and apply it to your blemish in small, circular motions. This will help to blend the make up into your foundation. As with applying foundation, blending is the key. Use your make up brush to blend the concealer into your skin so that it covers the blemish but doesn’t appear to be lighter or darker than the rest of your face.
If you have age spots, choose a concealer that cancels out the color of the spot. This means that sometimes you’ll use a warm color (red based) and then a yellow concealer over it to bring it back to match your skin tone. If the spots or dark circles are reddish or pink/purple in nature, then you’ll use a yellow/ green concealer. Cover the inside of the bridge of your nose and the outer corners of your eyes with concealer and blend it in well—this is a hot spot for dark areas. Don’t apply too much concealer to your blemishes or it will look caked on. Getting professional help is the key in choosing the right concealer to fit your needs.
The mineral concealers from bare mineral are perfect choice for covering dark circles and skin imperfections such as brown and red spots, blemishes, broken capillaries and even small scars. They also come with added sun protection of SPF 15 and SPF 20 for best sun protection for face.
How to properly apply powder
You should choose a light, sheer, translucent foundation powder to put the finishing touches on your foundation and concealer. The powder will set your foundation and concealer, help to keep the concealer from cracking and will smooth out your complexion with an overall sheen.
Whether you are using compressed or loose powder, it’s best to apply powder foundation with a large make up brush. Get some powder onto your brush and lightly dust your face.
How to properly apply blush
If you are using powder or mineral blush, you will need a blush (large) make up brush to apply your blush. Add a little blush to your brush and starting at your cheekbone, brush the blush from your hair line (on cheek bone) downwards to the apple of the cheek.
If you have a hard time to find the best location for cheek color, then all you have to do is smile. Do not go back and forth because you could end up with a line across the cheeks like we applied makeup back in the 80’s.
If you are using cream or gel blush, add a small dot of blush to the apple of your cheek and using a make up sponge, blend the blush upwards and outwards, using small circles, again blending all the way into your hair line. You are going for a slightly colored glow on the apples of your cheeks and along your cheekbone into your hair line. Always start with less blush—it’s easier to apply more than it is to remove some.
How to properly apply eye shadow
Eye shadow comes in both cream, gel and powder or mineral, and which ever type you decide to use, the application process is basically the same.
Eye shadow comes in single, double or trios of colors, and even more. Choose three colors that are coordinated (it’s best to use a trio of colors, that way you will know for sure that they go together). A makeup professional will assist you in choosing the right colors for you and the look you are trying to achieve. Some makeup brands have eye shadow primers which are great in keeping your shadow fresh all day long.
Using a make up brush, sweep the lightest shade of eye shadow over the lid up to the middle of the eye. This is the base color for your eyes and is basically the ‘foundation’ to the rest of your eye make up.
If you purchase an eye shadow primer, you’ll apply it all over the eye instead then the eye shadow. Apply the medium shade of eye shadow just on your eye crease. Blend the medium color into the base shadow. You can stop with just the second color, if you wish, or use a third, darker color. Using the darkest shade, you can create depth to your eyes. Apply the darkest color along your lash line and just at the outer corners of your eyes. Blend this accent shade in well to create a defined eye. You can play with the application of the darkest shade of shadow to create a look that makes your eyes look wider set, smaller, bigger, or closer together. The lightest shadow color can be used to highlight under the brow bone.
Mineral eye shadows from bare minerals have a creamy consistency and once applied it blends evenly very easy and they last much longer than other type of eye shadows.
How to properly apply eye liner
Eyeliner comes in different options, primarily pencil, liquid, felt tip and cake eyeliners.
Bare Mineral liner shadows are made with crushed mineral pigments from the earth and are very different from some of those waxy and hard pencils we use to. Since there are no waxes or oils then there is no melting, smudging or fading.
Whichever type of eyeliner you choose to use, ensure that it will go on easily—the skin near your eyes is very delicate. Applying eyeliner properly takes practice, so you may want to do a few runs at it before applying other make up to get the hang of it.
Pencil eyeliners are the most popular because they are the easiest to control and use. Liquid eyeliners are popular for their precision lines, but they require more practice and a very steady hand.
If you have wide set eyes, put eyeliner on the inner corners of the eyes for emphasis. For close set eyes, put eyeliner on the outer corners of the eyes to highlight the inner corners. If your eyes droop, turn the outer edge of the eyeliner line upward.
Draw a steady line just under your lashes, using one of the methods described above. If you make a mistake or want to clean up the line a bit, use a cotton tip stick to wipe away the errors. A little bit of foundation or concealer can help you remove extra makeup. Remember that makeup removes makeup…don’t wipe off with a makeup cleanser or you’ll have to start all over again.
How to properly apply mascara
Mascara has come a long way and the key to not getting caked-on eyelashes is to only use a bit of mascara on your lashes. You don’t need to pump the brush in the tube, just unscrew the lid and pull the brush out of the mascara tube. Pumping the brush will just result in too much mascara being on the brush and you having clumpy eyelashes. Pumping your mascara will allow oxygen to enter the tube therefore drying out the product in the tube quickly.
Pull the wand out of the tube and starting at the base of your upper eyelashes on the underside of the lashes, pull the brush through your lashes to coat them. Do your top eye lashes, and then do the other eye. If you want to add some mascara on the bottom lashes, lightly brush them with the wand, making sure you don’t have too much mascara on the wand.
How to choose and apply the right lipstick
Choosing the color to apply to your lips is the most important aspect of applying lipstick properly. There are many types of lip color available, and no matter what you choose, there is, once again, a basis for application. As additional bonus to your selection, make sure your lipsticks come with proper moisturizers.
You should start by lining your lips with a neutral colored pencil. You can follow your natural lip line or go slightly outside of your lip line if you have thin lips. Use a lip brush to fill your lips in with the color and type of lipstick you choose. Use the brush to blend the lipstick and the liner so that you don’t have harsh edges to your lips. You can blot your lips on a piece of tissue to remove excess lipstick.
Finishing touches
Now that you are done applying all of your make up, look into the mirror and observe any problems with your make up. You can use a cotton tip stick to correct any issues with your eye make up or blot any shine from your face with a blotting powder.