Beginners Makeup Tips
 

My ever so dear friends, I 've a question.

I am in college and I know how to dress, but makeup is one area I have no experiance with. My mother never wore makeup and being new at this school I really have no one to ask. So....

Could someone, I beg, explain to me the basics of makeup?

Some questions I have include:
Can one wear white foundation as an everyday thing without it being too extreme?
Would one recommend full makeup (foundation (even natural) and everything) or just eyemakeup for everyday?
Would one recommend lipstick everyday?
How in the world do you get the lipstick from coming off when you eat etc and not look like a mess?
For that matter, how do you put lipstick on without looking like a mess?

Also could anyone recommend a book or website that covers that sort of thing with out wasting my time with what colours go together etc. ? I have already been well educated in colours.

Thank you-
-Sark

Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin is one of the best books for that sort of thing.

I generally wear minimal foundation and regular eyemakeup every day.
To keep lipstick from coming off when eating, break up your food into small bits. If that's not possible, just wipe it off and put it back on after your meal. For drinks, use a straw, and drink out of the corner of your mouth where there shouldn't be much lipstick anyway.

Can't remember where I got the lipstick thing from, but it was some gothic makeup website. Google gothic makeup, and it'll come up with a bunch of sites you can choose from.

Liquid eyeliner seems to work for me, but it takes more hand-eye co-ordination than a pencil liner. You could also hunt and hunt to find a non-waterproof eyeliner, as they won't smudge in face-oil (but that's only a problem if you're going to be wearing it for a REALLY long time). An other thing I've used on occasion is watercolour pencil crayon, but that's probably not good for one's eyes, so I wouldn't recommend it.
I find that the Body Shop makes good eyeshadow, but beyond that, I don't know.

Well i use liquid eye liner and depending on how much time i have i will put on eye shadow. But like it wont stay on. Like when i leave in the morning to the time when I walk up my drive way. I mean i see girls with it on all day and like i know they dont reapply.

I recommend the stargazer eyeliner, liquid of pencil. It stays on really well though it does smudge a bit. And as for eyeshadow, MAC is the best one to use.

My Routine
 

I am very pale and averse to daily wearing of a 'mask', so here's what works for me. I put on sunblock on all exposed skin after washing, moisturizing, and paling (I use paling stuff too). Then I use baby powder on my skin using a big poofy brush. Your skin will be able to breathe throughout the day, and baby powder will make your skin softly, subtly, naturally paler. I shadow in my brows, and put a soft gray on my eyelids and black mascara. I put a pale gloss on my lips for that Ophelia dark eyes, pale lips look. That way, you're not spending hours a day on makeup, your skin can breathe, and you have a daily gothy vibe about you. It works for me, but then I like to be a little understated in the makeup department.

As far as p[utting lipstick on without it looking bad, you always want to color just your lips. Lip liner is a girls' best friend. Keeps the makeup sharp, too. Hard to get off, but that's the point. It's also dry, so don't do your whole lip in it, or you'll keep licing your lips or some such.

Most important advice is to play arounda nd figure out your own way of doing things, hoenstly. I love make up, but I don't bother with it 90% of the time. However, if you want tog o full out everyday, then that's fine too.

Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin! I ::heart:: that book so much. Sad thing that he is no longer alive. Course Kevyn Aucoin style ranges from everyday make-up to movie star but not so much for the darker aspect of make-up. Still you may want to check it out, it's a fun read. Hell, if he can make Courtney Love look beautiful............then the man must have known what he was doing.

I'm quite pale (can't tell as much by my profile picture/avatar, which makes me look kind of purple for some reason) so I just go with a foundation that matches my skin tone... which isn't easy when you're pale, so I'll sometimes get the lightest I can find and add a bit of white if it isn't quite light enough. I wear eyeliner every day (usually black or purple) and fairly normal eye makeup (right now I'm into purple eyeshadows for some reason), and lipstick or gloss. I like to play up my eyes more than I like to play up my lips, so I probably keep my lips a bit lighter than most people here.

Sometimes, though, I like to go all-out and do really heavy eye makeup with accents on the liner (my favourite being a Cleopatra-style eye) and vampy lipstick. But since right now I'm usually either at home or at work (where they wouldn't really appreciate it), I don't have much of a chance to do it.

Thanks, I will have to look into Making Faces. The Library might have it and if not, I will look to see if finaces can be arranged for another book ;)
Perhaps I wll try starting with lipgloss to get use to something on my lips. The sunscreen idea is also very helpful. I never wear it becuase I hate sunscreen (everything: how it feel, how it looks...), but I need to becuase the sun never stops shining on this balmy isle, even in the pouring rain....

White foundation probably best avoided. A foundation a shade paler than your skin would probably be fine. Try translucent powder, and brush it up your face first to get good coverage, then down to get rid of excess. Black lipstick looks ok if you're about 15, but a deep dark purple or red also looks gorgeous. It helps if you dab sme foundation on your lips beforehand, then apply the lipstick, blot it, dust with powder, then apply/blot again. Sunscreen a wonderful idea - especially a good old-fashioned one which works by being a physical barrier rather than getting all chemically on you. Jasons is a good one - leaves you with a lovely pale sheen! It also prelongs those preternaturally youthful good looks! As for eyes - jsut remember you may accidentally rub them! eyeliner - make as though you're drawing onto the roots of your upper eylashes and you'll get a much more even line. A bit of dark powder brushed into the eye socket always highlights fab bone structure. It's all a bit pick-and-mix. Choose between eyes and lips for the 'attention-of-the-day'. Play up one or the other. Both can be scary and hell to take off when you're shattered!

Liquid or stick
 

what kind of eyeliner does everyone use and why?

I use liquid for that "model" look

I like the look of liquid, but find the pencil liners a lot easier to use.

I sweat. A lot.

So stick, always.

though I might wear liquid during hte winter, or if I'm going to be in really good AC

Well....In my opinion, you should only use stick if you're going to go for a smudgy smoky look, and use liquid ones if you're going for intricate designs because they look somewhat more *professional* Although it does take practice to draw the liquid ones properly and not to draw on your eyeball (And I talk from experience) They are the better, so that's why I use liquid...then again, it's just my opinion

None. My mom used to put liquid eyeliner on me and it seems harder to use then a stick although a stick might hurt since you might have to push harder. Wow, long sentence.

I use stick,it's the only kind I have

I don't like liquid, i find it really hard to apply. Stargazer stick is the best one to use

HHHMMM, I think I alternate. I like doing the wet, smeary look, but not a lot of pencils can hack it.

Alternate, though I tend to use pencils more.

Pencil, all the way.

If it takes me more than 2 minutes to put on in the morning on youre average weekday while I am eating breakfast from a can, I am not going to wear it.

I usally used pencil eyeliners that I keep very sharp to create a cat's-eye look. I am fond of liquid eyeliner but since moneys been tight here as of late I can't bring myself to spend the extra four dollars on it. Damn.

Liquid eyeliner. It's better for that pin-up eye make-up look which i love. I only use pencil to line the rim of my bottom lid.