There are a few skills every girl needs to stay classy, fabulous and confident! These include certain makeup looks – whether it’s faking dewy skin or simply making our eyes look more awake, they’re simple tricks every girl should master in her 20s. These will ensure you look nothing short of ah-mazing, no matter what the occasion. ‘Coz when you look good, you feel good. Right, ladies?
1. Give Yourself A Glow Job
Dewy skin will always be in, so give yourself a faux glow within a few minutes.
Step 1: Apply a luminizing cream all over your face.
Step 2: Give yourself a glowing finish by swiping highlighter on the top of your cheekbones, along your brow bone, down the bridge of your nose, on your cupid’s bow and in the center of your chin.
Step 3: Add shimmery white eyeshadow to the inner corners of your eyes to brighten up your entire face.
2. Cover Up A Zit Successfully
Whether it’s a customary PMS pimple or an annoying case of adult acne, covering up a zit with concealer is a trick every girl NEEDS to know!
Step 1: Get your hands on a concealer that is made of acne-fighting ingredients, to help treat your zit while covering it up. This one from clinique is just what you need, it also has a green tinge to neutralize redness.
Step 2: Make a small cross on the zit with the concealer. Then gently blend it with a clean finger or a brush, making sure it gets in around the nooks and crannies of the zit.
Step 3: Gently tap the concealer from the edges of the blemish into the surrounding skin. Do this all around the spot, to blend the edges of the zit.
Step 4: Apply your foundation as you usually do, making sure to blend it well around the pimple, so your skin is in one uniform shade.
Step 5: Use a clean finger to lightly tap on the concealer with loose powder that matches your skin tone exactly.
3. Channel Fuller Brows
Maybe you’re recovering from a threading disaster or just want to make your brows more defined, in any case, a girl always needs brows that are on fleek for a perfect look. We think Benefit’s Ka-Brown is perfect for giving you better-defined, natural-looking brows with a soft cream-gel formula.
Step 1: After you’ve applied all your makeup, measure where you want to fill in at both sides. It’s important to make sure your arch is natural-looking and symmetrical on both sides.
Step 2: Brush your brows upwards using a brow brush or a clean mascara wand.
Step 3: Fill in the sparse areas with your brow filler. If nothing else, you can use a dark brown or grey shade eyeshadow to do the same. Make sure it’s blending well for a natural look. Don’t use black as that will look too dark, harsh and unnatural.
4. Cover Under Eye Bags
A hectic schedule, a night of one too many cocktails or simply not getting those 8 hours of sleep, any one of these reasons are enough to intensify our dark circles. Under eye bags have got to be the most annoying beauty problem we all face.
Step 1: First apply your foundation and then pick up your concealer. Make sure your concealer is one shade lighter than your natural skin tone, this will help brighten the area.
Step 2: Using a small brush, dab the concealer starting from the inner corner of your eye, next to the bridge of your nose, and going across to the outer corner.
Step 3: Using your ring finger, gently press the concealer in to blend it well. Make sure not to pull your skin around the eyes. Be sure to soften any edges at the corners and blend upwards and outwards.
Step 4: Finish off with a thin coat of setting powder if you’re prone to oily skin.
5. Fake Flawless Skin
Because who doesn’t want that?
Step 1: After you have cleansed and moisturized, prep your skin with a good primer as it will help create a smooth, even canvas for your makeup. It can also help minimize the appearance of pores and ensure that your makeup lasts all day.
Step 2: Use your fingers to apply a full-coverage foundation across your entire face. Then, use your fingers or a damp sponge to blend, doing so up and away from the centre. It’s important to spend a few minutes to blend the foundation well and into every nook and cranny of your face, to ensure it looks natural.
Step 3: Apply a concealer that is 1 shade lighter to your under eye skin with a small brush. Blend it well into your foundation so that there are no harsh lines. Blend in concealer anywhere else you may need to.
Step 4: Finish with sheer powder. A good setting spray is also ideal for ensuring your makeup stays in place for long hours as well as giving you a dewy finish.
6. Flaunt Gorgeous Bold Lips
A girl can never have enough lipsticks. Whether you’re going bold with a dark shade or sticking to a classic red, a flawless pout can be all the makeup you need for a fabulously sassy look.
Step 1: Exfoliate your lips with a toothbrush dipped in warm water for a soft, smooth pout.
Step 2: If you’re wearing a bold colour like red, it’s important to line your lips first to prevent messy bleeding or smearing. Use a lip liner that is as close to your lipstick shade as possible and line your lips carefully.
Step 3: Colour in your lips with the liner and then follow that up with your lipstick.
Step 4: A bit of highlighter on your cupid’s bow and a dab of clear gloss in the center of your lips will really help your pout stand out and look fuller.
7. Smokey Eyes
Even if you don’t go super bold, there’s just something so sultry and glam about smokey eyes. No wonder it’s every girl’s favourite eye makeup look.
Step 1: First use primer on your eyelids. You can also use a concealer, if you don’t have a primer, as that will really help the colours to stand out.
Step 2: Apply your lightest shade with shimmer, across your eyelids, up to your brow bone. We think a shimmery beige works well.
Step 3: Now sweep on your medium shade into the crease of your lids. A medium brown shadow is a good choice.
Step 4: Sweep on a dark grey shadow on your lids and lightly blend it upwards towards your crease and brow bone.
Step 5: Finish off with a touch of kajal and a generous coat of mascara.
8. Simple Contouring
Don’t let it intimidate you, it isn’t as complicated as you think it is. Here is a simple way to contour subtly for better definition without going overboard with it.
Step 1: Apply your foundation/BB cream on a clean face.
Step 2: Using your fingers, swipe bronzer above your eyebrows on your forehead, right next to your hairline and on your cheeks, starting from the top of your ears down to the corners of your mouth. You can use a cream or powder bronzer, make sure it is a shade or 2 darker than your skintone, but not more than that.
Step 3: Use a powder brush to blend the bronzer towards your hairline, using upward strokes.
Step 4: Apply sheer powder to prevent your contour from smudging.
9. Winged Liner
The art of creating the perfect cat eye isn’t easy, we know, but it’s nothing you can’t master with a little bit of practice. Here’s the easiest technique to perfecting your eyeliner.
Step 1: Using a skinny brush, with some cream or gel liner on it, pretend like you’re lining your lash line and extend the line towards the outer corner of your eyebrow. You can extend it as little or as much as you like. Remember, the longer the wing the more dramatic the look, so it’s totally upto you.
Step 2: Draw a line connecting the end of this line (your wing) to the middle of your eyelid. It will look like a small triangle.
Step 3: Fill in the triangle with your liner.
Step 4: Line the rest of your eyelid (from the middle of your eyelid to the inner corner).
10. Drama Mama Lashes
Thick, dramatic lashes not only help open up your eyes but are key to glamming up your look. You can go makeup free and just let your flirty lashes grab attention.
Step 1: Once you’ve finished all your eye makeup, use an eyelash curler to gently curl your lashes. You can heat it with a blowdryer for a few seconds before using, to seriously set your lashes.
Step 2: Grab a volumizing mascara, press it against the base of your lashes before wiggling it upwards in a zig-zag motion to the ends. Apply 2-3 coats like this for seriously long, thick lashes.
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