Makeup can be a fabulous way to express your creativity and polish your look, and can even be therapeutic! Beginner makeup is as simple as can be and doesn’t require any special skills or previous knowledge to turn out great. In this article, we’ll teach you all about what products to use and when and how to apply them, so you’ll be rocking a fresh and glowy makeup look in no time. Read on for a fabulous full-face!
Things You Should Know
- Start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser or micellar water and follow up with a dab of moisturizer. Makeup sits best on clean, hydrated skin.
- Apply a small amount of tinted moisturizer or foundation with your fingers. Pop on some concealer under your eyes or any blemishes, and gently bend with a concealer brush.
- Use an eyeshadow brush to blend a neutral shade like taupe across your lids in windshield-wiper motions. Then, swipe on a layer of mascara to make your eyes pop.
- Finish the look with a swipe of blush on the cheeks, blending it out with your fingers or a brush. Apply a swipe of lip gloss, and you’re ready to hit the town
Put on Primer
Once your face is cleansed and moisturized, the first step is to apply primer. Be sure to use a formula that works for your skin type — for example, try the Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer if you have dry skin, or the Maybelline New York Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Mattifying Face Primer if you have oily or combination skin. The former gives your skin a stunning lit-from-within glow while blurring skin imperfections. Applying primer will help prep your face for the following steps while helping your makeup last throughout the day.
Apply Foundation
Using a makeup sponge, dab foundation all over the skin and blend it outwards. Be sure to extend it down onto your neck, too. For a full-coverage pick that feels lightweight, we love the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear 24H Long Wear Foundation. Choose between 50 warm, cool and neutral shades to find the one that best matches your skin tone.
Conceal
Next, apply concealer below your eyes to brighten up your face and draw attention to your eyes. We recommend the Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Under-Eye Concealer for its power to mask dark circles while also keeping the delicate eye area hydrated.
Dab on Blush
Cream blush is extremely popular right now because it is easily buildable and creates a pretty, totally natural-looking flush. Dab the Maybelline New York Cheek Heat onto the apples of your cheeks and extend up toward the temples using a rounded brush for a youthful glow.
Highlight and Contour
Add a bit of a liquid highlighter, like the NYX Professional Makeup California Beamin’ Face and Body Highlighter, along the top of your cheekbones, on the cupid’s bow, the center of the chin and on the bridge of your nose to brighten up the areas of your face where the sun naturally hits. Then, swipe a contour powder along the sides of your nose, along the forehead (near your hairline) and hollows of your cheekbones to add some shape and dimension to your complexion.
Use Eyeshadow
With your fingers or a fluffy eyeshadow brush, apply a shadow of your choice to your eyelids to give them a simple but chic wash of color. If you’re a beginner, try using an eyeshadow stick, like the IT Cosmetics Superhero No-Tug Waterproof Eyeshadow Sticks, for creamy, saturated color in just a few swipes.
Finish the Eyes
Fill in your brows using a brow pencil or gel — use a pencil if you have thin, sparse brows that need a bit of a boost and a gel if you have thicker brows to lock your hairs in place. Then, swipe on a volumizing mascara, like the YSL Beauty Lash Clash Extreme Volume Mascara, for an eye-opening effect.
Smooth on Lipstick
Finally, apply your favorite lipstick — we’re obsessed with the L’Oréal Paris Glow Paradise Balm-in-Lipstick with Pomegranate Extract because it feels like a nourishing balm while still providing vivid color payoff.