makeup for dummies (makeup 101) eyes

Eye Primer: Yes there are different primers, eye primer, like a face primer allows eyeshadows to stick on to the lid better. If your like me and have oily lids and you notice some of your eyeshadow has gone this will definitely help. Eye primers also help in terms of deepening the colour so if you have an eyeshadow which doesn't really show up and eye primer is the best bet. However if you want one for this function higher end primers are your best bet.

Cream Eyeshadow: these can be used as an eye primer except cream eyeshadows usually have colour to it but this can help neutralise the lid colour if you get a skin tone colour. Bright colours can add to a look, in general colour coordination is best. However, bright iridescent whites etc. under deep eyeshadows can really make your eye look 'pop' same with dark colours. In general cream eyeshadows don't stay on the lid too well so if you have oily skin watch out but it depends on the quality some are great for oily eyes to act as a base (I would suggest you put an eyeshadow on top it really helps it stay like when you put powder on top of foundation to make it stay, same concept), some are great as an everyday sheeny eye look (high end brand work better for this purpose).

Eyeshadow: well I hope you guys know what this is, it's pretty self explanatory so I'm going to suggest you buy neutrals like a dark brown and a skin tone colour and then slowly build to get brighter colours. If you have these neutrals you can create many eyes looks and not have to buy may products because if you buy a bright blue and pink you won't really be able to wear them but you can pair the two with the neutrals and create tons of different looks. One thing that baffled me when I first started buying eyeshadows was the different finishes. There are so many it would be hard to count, in general matte shades are good basics to have but if your only planning to wear makeup once and want those sparkly looks that you see in the prom magazines go for a shimmer or pearl finish. They also show up more and matte shades in the high street are hard to come by.

Lash primer: this product 'primes' your eyelashes for mascara. It usually comes clear or white and coats your lashes so that your lashes look thicker and your mascara adheres better. Many mascaras are double ended with a white side which is usually the eyelash primer. If you use it and your lashes turn white there's no need to worry because you can coat it with black and you won't be able to notice the different. Unless your buying those double ended mascara I think purchasing lash primer separately is a waste; however, if your eyelids are really oily or you love the way a mascara looks on you but it doesn't stay this product may be right up your alley.

Mascara: defines your eyelashes. You can get different types like volumising or lengthening. It's really hard with mascaras because some clump and some formulations just don't work on certain people. If you find that your mascara smudges or you have oily lids I would suggest waterproof also if you're only going to wear it once to a party. If you're only going to use it a few times I would suggest you buy it from the high street because they're just as good as the high end ones. However, some waterproof versions are so difficult to take off and if you don't have makeup remover an absolute nightmare I would suggest you get non-waterproof but just make sure you know it doesn't smudge on you. I have oily eyelids but my mascara doesn't smudge another reason for that is because I allow it to dry without touching my eyes and I don't let it dry up because when it starts to dry that's when it starts to flake all over your face. I'll post up some of my popular ones but it really depends on you, also they come in a variety of colours so you might want to get one which makes your eye colour 'pop'.

Eyeliner: I like to use kohl but make sure you get one which stays on the lash line and is creamy so that you don't have to tug on your eye. You can use this to line your water line, lash line, tight line or upper lash line. It helps to define and you can use fun colours to make your eye colour pop or bring life to a boring neutral look. Brown looks softer whereas black looks piercing. You could also use a white or for my skin tone a light nude colour in the water line to make your eyes bigger but more tips in an upcoming post. They an also act as bases or you smudge them to get a cool effect.

Liquid liner: ONLY USE THIS FOR YOUR UPPER LASH LINE... NEVER use it for your waterline!! I don't get the fuss with liquid liners because you have to get a pencil and gel with it if you want to do the whole eye makeup lining and many people find it difficult to use ( I thought it was ok, you just need practice the first time I ever tried to line my upper lash line it was an absolute nightmare so don't worry). However, apparently it looks more striking in photos but I think it looks the same as gel liner but doesn't last as long on the lids. It's not bad, but it's not necessary.

Gel eyeliner: This is my favourite for upper lash lining because it lasts for literally forever and you can also use it on you water line and it WONT BUDGE. You can get gel eyeliner in pencil form if you prefer but I like the pot version just the same. Its amazing, there are so many colours and it defines and looks great in photos! get it.

Brow liner/shadow/felt tip: used to fill in the gaps of you brow. If you have dark almost black hair I would suggest use a greyish brown colour. If you have a warm brown use your average dark brown (also good for almost black hair). If you have lighter brown use a lighter brown (warmer is better) and if you have reddish hair get a brow liner or shadow which is brown but has a reddish tone to it. If your hair is blonde same as with light brown just use a light taupey brown because it depends what type of blonde you are honey blondes go with a warm light brown and bleach blonde or if you have those really dark brown natural highlights go with a cool greyish taupey brown. Liners and felt tips give more definition whereas shadow looks a lot more natural (apply with an angles brush) you can use both to get different textures for a naturally defined brow but eyeshadow can be used as well just with a more controlled brush to give a defined look. If you don't have brushes I would suggest the liner version or the felt tip. Make sure you get a matte eyeshadow if you want to use shadow because it'll look unnatural if you have glitter in your eyebrows.

Brow gel: sets the brows and stops them from moving so if you have unruly eyebrows it can help. You can get clear or tinted brow gels so if you want more colour make sure you get the colour suited to you. You can use clear mascara if you can't find a brow gel.

makeup for dummies (makeup 101) face

Don't worry I don't think you're a dummy :) when you first look at makeup in the counters and drugstores (high street), it can be really overwhelming if you don't know anything about it and you're not someone who can be bothered to research each type and read reviews and watch videos. On top of that some reviews are outright confusing and unless you try it you'll never actually know whether you like it or not (but reviews definitely help!). If your like my mum or sister and you go into the shops and say ooh I need an eyeliner and you don't check out other stores then I would suggest you try it out on the back of your hand (try at least 2) because a lot of things just aren't worth the price tag. For example, my mum went into MAC with me and she saw a liquid eyeliner and just brought it, personally, I think the basics like eyeliner etc. are a lot better to buy at the high street (drugstore) because most of the time it's the same quality but a fraction of the price. One thing I definitely think is worth buying in higher end stores is: eyeshadow, foundation, primer, concealer and all that jazz especially if you have a darker/indian/olive skin tone because most of the time the drugstore will not cater for that skin tone (in central asia at least). Also you can get the exact match as a makeup artist will help you. I'm going to break it up in sections of the face per post to make it easier.

Anyways going back to makeup basics, these are basic functions of some of the most baffling makeup products.

Face primer: acts as a base, depends on type but usually you use it after cleansing your face and moisturising.   It covers your pores and makes your foundation adhere and last longer on your face. In general they have a matte or satin finish and is great if you have oily skin because your face will stay oil free! You can usually wear it by itself but the stickier the primer the better the foundation will stick to it and last. If you want it just to control the oils on your face I would suggest you get a less sticky one.

Foundation: Helps even out the skin tone, depending on the amount of coverage can help to cover spots and even tatoos. You can get body foundation so if you have back acne or you want you legs to be one tone body foundations are great for that but they have less coverage/pigmentation. The higher end brands sell them and they're more reliable because it means the foundation wont stick to your clothes. These body foundations can usually be used on the face (like face and body from makeup forever and MAC) as a really light foundation. Matte or satin finish in general is better for oily skins same as powder and gel consistencies if you have very oily skin but these finishes can be found in liquid and cream. Dewier foundations or glowy types are better for dry skin but can be used on oily skin with a good primer and everything. Make sure to blend down the neck so you don't get those odd looking lines and on youre ears and in to your hair line if your hair is up. If your getting photographed for weddings or prom stay away from the SPF because it makes you look like a ghost unless you get a low spf from a high end brand and they tell you it's flash friendly ( if you cover it with powder foundation it can rectify the mistake but  make sure you test it out with a flash).

Tinted moisturiser: A really light version of a foundation which is more like a moisturiser with a slight tint to help even out your skin. Great if you want a natural everyday look but you still want a bit of evening out. However, if you want to save money get a foundation and mix some with your lotion.

BB cream: basically a tinted moisturiser but with added benefits and is usually better for your skin. They usually have SPF so make sure you don't use it if you want to take photos. A lot of people like it for everyday use but if you're my skintone it'll be really difficult to find a colour match as they are usually made for paler skin tones. In general, they have really low coverage but are really great for the skin as it was made to help scarring from plastic surgery (that's a good thing) and the patients wanted something that would help the scarring but also cover it. In my opinion, the asian BB creams are better than the high street ones but they are slowly improving too.

Mineral powder/ foundation: good for your skin and the foundation acts as a foundation but make sure you look at the label because it may not be the foundation. Great if you want to set your foundation and get more coverage (same can be done with normal coloured powder or powder foundation) you can also get mineral blush and eyeshadows so it's good for your skin but be warned apparantly it's not camera friendly.

Concealer: basically more pigmented foundation. Covers spots and anything you want to erase. Make sure you match your skin tone! for those of you living in central asia I would suggest going to higher end brands for foundation and concealer because the high street ones may look allright in the tube but they usually have too much white in them so save your money and time and just go to MAC or something. Also concealer with pinky tones are great for taking out the bags under your eyes and concealers with a slight green tone or a green concealer mixed with a normal yelowish concealer are great for getting the redness from pimples and acnes to disappear. You can get stick or palettes or tubs but it's up to you the creamier ones are better for under the eyes and the slightly less for spots. Also light reflective pens like the touche eclat are great for highlighting under the eye or the dream lumi for brightening and concealing under the eye (Kim Kardashian uses a light concealer or these pens NOT powder shimmery highlighter).


Highlighter: used to give a glowier face and can make your cheekbones look higher. Usual places to put it is on the cheekbone, browbone (little area under your brow before it reaches the lid), down the nose, centre if your forehead, cupids bow and on the chin. Now don't go putting it on in all those area especially if you have oily skin it's best to steer away from the centre of your face and just put it on the brow bone and cheek bones. However if you have oily skin dont be frightened to place it on the other place it can look great depending on the way you do it. I would suggest you watch a makeup tutorial and have an extremely light hand when applying it and perhaps google 'highlighting face' kim kardashian in particular odes it but you'll notice it points to under her eyes... DON'T HIGHLIGHT THERE WITH AVERAGE HIGHLIGHTER or you'll look like a crazy person. Highlighters usually come in powder form (you can use eyeshadows and unpigmented eyeshadows are great for this) and in neutral colours. For pale skin tones they're usually an off white and as the skin tone gets deeper the same with the colour of the highlighter. Make sure you get it to your skin tone so if you're my skin tone (indian skintone) get a light brown or a darkish pink. Remember that highlighters are meant to look natural on the face you shouldn't notice a ton of shimmer on your face. A lot of makeup artists like using satin finish powders in a few shades lighter then your skintone to make it look natural, another thing they enjoy is using cream highlighters as the texture make it look more natural on the skin.

Blusher: used to create a flush on the skin and warm up the complexion. I personally don't use too much blush like paler people do because I don't really flush on a general occasion so if I pack it on it looks really unnatural, just a touch is enough and for darker skin tones I would suggest darker or brighter colours which are really pigmented. Most people place it on the apples of their cheek (when you smile its the part of your cheek that bulges out). Personally, I like to place it quite high and onto the temples as it gives a warmer look. You can also get cream blush which looks more natural on the skin and is great if your going for a fresh and youthful look just check to see whether its cream to powder or just cream.

Bronzer: most people use this to get 'bronzed' or tanned you can also use it to sculpt your face and make it look slimmer. If you have a darker complexion its useful for bringing colour back to your face after using foundation. I'm going to explain it more in detail in another post if you want to read more just remember always pick a shade that is slightly darker than your skin tone/ foundation. shades are usually brown and occasionally greyish brown.

Finishing powder: sets the foundation and makes it last longer, controls the oils on your face and gets rid of unwanted shine. Make sure the powders really fine so that you can barely see it on the face. I like satin or velvet finish because it look natural whereas matte can look a bit odd sometimes If your not sure about which colour to get, get the powder in translucent and if you have an indian skin tone get one which has a slight undertone of yellow or pink depending on your skintone and not bone white (if it's white it won't look white when it goes on) because the bone white can look a bit ashy unless its from a high end makeup brand usually they don't appear ashey.