This is a simple, starting from scratch guide on how to use makeup to fix colouring and fraud better shaping to give you a more even playing field with makeupcels. This only works if you are dimorphic, if you are not you will look like a femboy.
Contents:
Concealer
-Shade and Skin Matching
-Application
-Placement
Contour/Bronzer
Eye Makeup
Concealer:
Contents:
Concealer
-Shade and Skin Matching
-Application
-Placement
Contour/Bronzer
Eye Makeup
Concealer:
Most importantly: shade and skin matching.
If the shade is wrong, or the concealer you wear clashes with your skin type, everything else fails
When wearing concealer, you usually want two shades:
-one that matches your skin tone to cover any skin discoloration or dark circles
-one thats slightly lighter to place on certain areas to brighten
If needed, you can only start with one that matches your skin color however for better results I'd recommend a lighter shade too.
To shade match in store, pick a shade that seems close to your skintone and dab a dot of it onto your jawline and blend. If it blends into your skin, you have a good match. For a lighter concealer, dab a dot of a slightly lighter shade to match the inside of your wrist, keeping in mind that it's not too yellow or too grey for your undertone.
Keep in mind that both your skin matched shade and brightening shade need to have the same undertones or you'll look uncanny.
Brands I recommend: I use dior as it looks quite natural but for cheaper alternatives (found in most drugstores) I recommend essence and maybelline. For online shade matching keep in match most are labelled with numbers and letters. The lower the number the brighter the shade, and often letters like N stand for neutral undertone and R rosy undertone and G golden undertone. These branch off the main three: warm, cool and neutral undertone.
To find your undertone follow this picture below:
I highly recommend shade matching in store and not online as lighting makes an immense difference and slight differences in model’s undertones can result in the concealer looking completely wrong on your skin.
Another point: some concealer formulas work for certain skin types. If you have dry skin, opt for a concealer that has ‘serum’ or ‘hydrating’ in its name such as the e.l.f hydrating camo concealer. If you have oily skin, look for concealers with ‘matte-finish’ or ‘long wear’ in the name such as the maybelline fit me concealer. If you have relatively normal skin, most concealers would work for you but I prefer concealers from loreal as they give a natural finish.
When wearing concealer, you usually want two shades:
-one that matches your skin tone to cover any skin discoloration or dark circles
-one thats slightly lighter to place on certain areas to brighten
If needed, you can only start with one that matches your skin color however for better results I'd recommend a lighter shade too.
To shade match in store, pick a shade that seems close to your skintone and dab a dot of it onto your jawline and blend. If it blends into your skin, you have a good match. For a lighter concealer, dab a dot of a slightly lighter shade to match the inside of your wrist, keeping in mind that it's not too yellow or too grey for your undertone.
Keep in mind that both your skin matched shade and brightening shade need to have the same undertones or you'll look uncanny.
Brands I recommend: I use dior as it looks quite natural but for cheaper alternatives (found in most drugstores) I recommend essence and maybelline. For online shade matching keep in match most are labelled with numbers and letters. The lower the number the brighter the shade, and often letters like N stand for neutral undertone and R rosy undertone and G golden undertone. These branch off the main three: warm, cool and neutral undertone.
To find your undertone follow this picture below:
I highly recommend shade matching in store and not online as lighting makes an immense difference and slight differences in model’s undertones can result in the concealer looking completely wrong on your skin.
Another point: some concealer formulas work for certain skin types. If you have dry skin, opt for a concealer that has ‘serum’ or ‘hydrating’ in its name such as the e.l.f hydrating camo concealer. If you have oily skin, look for concealers with ‘matte-finish’ or ‘long wear’ in the name such as the maybelline fit me concealer. If you have relatively normal skin, most concealers would work for you but I prefer concealers from loreal as they give a natural finish.
How to apply:
Once you've acquired your concealer, you need to focus on application to ensure it looks as natural and seamless as possible. For application on the face excluding the undereyes, rub a pea sized amount of moisturizer on each large area such as each cheek and wait 2-4 mins for it to absorb.
If you have any dry patches, rub more moisturizer into those areas. Concealer applicators can come in many different forms, most commonly either:
Doe foot
or a brush/sponge applicator
These dispense different amounts so you want to be careful.
The skin on your face is relatively thicker than your undereye skin so it can withstand heavier amounts, however too much will make you look unnatural. A brush or sponge applicator should not be directly used to apply concealer onto the face as they have bad product control. They will not provide even layers so a better option is to swipe some using your finger from the concealer onto your face and dab repeatedly until it is blended. (see below for placements).
Doe foot applicators can be applied directly to the face as they have good product control.
For undereye concealer, rub a more decently sized amount of moisturizer onto each undereye and wait 4-6 mins before wiping it off with a cotton pad. This works infinitely well if you have dry skin. Follow the same steps above, however ensure you don't just glob some concealer into the corner of your eye and blend, this will result in an extremely overdone look. Apply a very thin layer spanning the length of the undereye instead of heaping the same amount of product onto one space, and dab using middle finger until it appears blended.
If you want to go the extra mile and make it appear more natural, buy a low cost setting spray (not a fixing spray) and hold at an arms length away from your face and spray until your face is covered. Wait until it dries and you're set.
Keep in mind that concealer under the eyes specifically can only change coloration and cannot fix any lines such as itachi lines. Additionally, if you have any lines such as nasolabial folds and you place concealer on top of those, it will only accentuate them. Oftentimes dark circles that cannot be fixed by concealer are a result of sunken eye bags and not discoloration.
If you have any dry patches, rub more moisturizer into those areas. Concealer applicators can come in many different forms, most commonly either:
Doe foot
These dispense different amounts so you want to be careful.
The skin on your face is relatively thicker than your undereye skin so it can withstand heavier amounts, however too much will make you look unnatural. A brush or sponge applicator should not be directly used to apply concealer onto the face as they have bad product control. They will not provide even layers so a better option is to swipe some using your finger from the concealer onto your face and dab repeatedly until it is blended. (see below for placements).
Doe foot applicators can be applied directly to the face as they have good product control.
For undereye concealer, rub a more decently sized amount of moisturizer onto each undereye and wait 4-6 mins before wiping it off with a cotton pad. This works infinitely well if you have dry skin. Follow the same steps above, however ensure you don't just glob some concealer into the corner of your eye and blend, this will result in an extremely overdone look. Apply a very thin layer spanning the length of the undereye instead of heaping the same amount of product onto one space, and dab using middle finger until it appears blended.
If you want to go the extra mile and make it appear more natural, buy a low cost setting spray (not a fixing spray) and hold at an arms length away from your face and spray until your face is covered. Wait until it dries and you're set.
Keep in mind that concealer under the eyes specifically can only change coloration and cannot fix any lines such as itachi lines. Additionally, if you have any lines such as nasolabial folds and you place concealer on top of those, it will only accentuate them. Oftentimes dark circles that cannot be fixed by concealer are a result of sunken eye bags and not discoloration.
Placement:
Placement is one of the most, if not the most, important aspect of using concealer. Applying your concealer randomly over any dark circles and discoloration will result in your face looking extremely flat and uncanny. This is where the lighter, brightening shade of concealer comes into play, refer to face shapes below to see proper placements.
Oblong face: You want the face to appear more balanced and shorter, so applying a brightening concealer under the eyes and and on the cheeks (horizontally, not vertically) will do that for you. Avoid highlighting the chin and forehead as it can only make your face look longer. Keep in mind that if you have dark undereye bags placing a brighter shade on them will only accentuate, so focus on getting rid of that first.
Oval face: This face shape is already quite balanced and doesn't require much. Use a brightening shade under the eyes and slightly in the centre of your face (cheeks, forehead, chin), and only use your shade match for any red spots or hyperpigmentation.
Square face: You want to soften strong angles, predominantly your jaw and forehead. To do this, apply a brightening concealer under the eyes and in the centre of your face such as the apples of cheeks and above your upper lip and chin, as well as middle of the forehead. Use a skin matched shade on the outer forehead and jawline to appear more natural.
Round face: You want to bring focus to the centre of your face in order for it to appear less round. Therefore, place a brightening shade of concealer on your forehead, chin, and apples of your cheeks next to the nose. For the concealer shade that matches your skin, place under the eyes.
Triangle face: You want to balance a wider jaw and narrow your forehead vertically. To do this, place a brightening shade of concealer under the eyes and on the forehead to bring focus to your upper third, and a skin matched shade around the jawline and chin to avoid attention being drawn there. Keep in mind that if you have dark undereye bags placing a brighter shade on them will only accentuate, so focus on getting rid of that first or place a skin matched shade before to even it out (this however will make it look less natural).
Diamond face: You want to slightly soften the cheekbones and bring balance to the forehead and skin in order to provide a more harmonious look. To do this, use a brightening concealer on the forehead and chin. Keep the cheek area more natural using a skin matched shade.
Contour/Bronzer:
The difference between contour and bronzer is commonly misunderstood. Contour is only used to add shadows or shape to your face and is cool toned. Bronzer adds warmth, being warm toned, and appears almost like natural sunlight.
If you want to add definition to your face structure, make certain features look sharper such as your cheekbones, jawline and nose, and reduce the roundness in your face you need contour. This is best for round faces (adds angles), square faces (softens strong edges) and sometimes diamond faces (balances cheekbones).
If your face already has natural structure, contour will make you look overdone. You do not need it.
If you want to look less pale/flat, add warmth to your face or appear to have better health indicators, opt for bronzer. Bronzer is for almost everyone, despite everybody recommending contour commonly. It is best for oval, round and oblong faces as they appear one dimensional. You do not really need to contour if this is your case.
If you decide you need both, follow the rule that bronzer is always placed above contour on the face, never below.
Shade matching bronzer and contour online is slightly easier than concealer as often brands will only have 3-4 shades to choose from. I highly recommend e.l.f for both as they blend well and are quite cheap too. For bronzer, choose 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone, or you will look like you have dirt on your face. Contour should be slightly darker than your skin tone and more grey toned.
Oblong face: You want the face to appear more balanced and shorter, so applying a brightening concealer under the eyes and and on the cheeks (horizontally, not vertically) will do that for you. Avoid highlighting the chin and forehead as it can only make your face look longer. Keep in mind that if you have dark undereye bags placing a brighter shade on them will only accentuate, so focus on getting rid of that first.
Oval face: This face shape is already quite balanced and doesn't require much. Use a brightening shade under the eyes and slightly in the centre of your face (cheeks, forehead, chin), and only use your shade match for any red spots or hyperpigmentation.
Square face: You want to soften strong angles, predominantly your jaw and forehead. To do this, apply a brightening concealer under the eyes and in the centre of your face such as the apples of cheeks and above your upper lip and chin, as well as middle of the forehead. Use a skin matched shade on the outer forehead and jawline to appear more natural.
Round face: You want to bring focus to the centre of your face in order for it to appear less round. Therefore, place a brightening shade of concealer on your forehead, chin, and apples of your cheeks next to the nose. For the concealer shade that matches your skin, place under the eyes.
Triangle face: You want to balance a wider jaw and narrow your forehead vertically. To do this, place a brightening shade of concealer under the eyes and on the forehead to bring focus to your upper third, and a skin matched shade around the jawline and chin to avoid attention being drawn there. Keep in mind that if you have dark undereye bags placing a brighter shade on them will only accentuate, so focus on getting rid of that first or place a skin matched shade before to even it out (this however will make it look less natural).
Diamond face: You want to slightly soften the cheekbones and bring balance to the forehead and skin in order to provide a more harmonious look. To do this, use a brightening concealer on the forehead and chin. Keep the cheek area more natural using a skin matched shade.
Contour/Bronzer:
The difference between contour and bronzer is commonly misunderstood. Contour is only used to add shadows or shape to your face and is cool toned. Bronzer adds warmth, being warm toned, and appears almost like natural sunlight.
If you want to add definition to your face structure, make certain features look sharper such as your cheekbones, jawline and nose, and reduce the roundness in your face you need contour. This is best for round faces (adds angles), square faces (softens strong edges) and sometimes diamond faces (balances cheekbones).
If your face already has natural structure, contour will make you look overdone. You do not need it.
If you want to look less pale/flat, add warmth to your face or appear to have better health indicators, opt for bronzer. Bronzer is for almost everyone, despite everybody recommending contour commonly. It is best for oval, round and oblong faces as they appear one dimensional. You do not really need to contour if this is your case.
If you decide you need both, follow the rule that bronzer is always placed above contour on the face, never below.
Shade matching bronzer and contour online is slightly easier than concealer as often brands will only have 3-4 shades to choose from. I highly recommend e.l.f for both as they blend well and are quite cheap too. For bronzer, choose 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone, or you will look like you have dirt on your face. Contour should be slightly darker than your skin tone and more grey toned.
To apply bronzer:
Think of where the sun naturally hits your face. Place a few dots around the perimeter of your forehead and sweep some on the top of your cheekbones. Do not go too low. Blend this using a thick, dense brush in sweeping motions. Bronzer should not have harsh edges and provides a very minimal but natural look.
To apply contour:
Think of where natural shadows fall. Suck in your cheeks and swipe following the line under your cheekbones, as well as very lightly along the jawline. To fraud a rhino, swipe some on the sides of your nose very lightly. Unlike bronzer, this must be blended with a more precise brush and you must be very careful with this. Blend upwards, not downwards, and if you see a stripe after blending you've used too much product.
Eye makeup:
This is the easiest to do but can provide an extreme difference.
Firstly, use a black waterline pen on only your upper eyelid to tightline.
(Do not do your lower eyelid’s waterline as it is exposed and it will be obvious)
To do this, place your finger in the middle of your upper eyelid and pull upwards while looking down in the mirror, using your other hand to tightline.
Buy an eyelash curler (any cheap one will do) and hold it to your eyes while squinting, trying to get the base of your lashes into the clamp. Avoid holding it in place for a while and instead clamp and unclamp rapidly for a more curled appearance.
Do this one eye at a time then apply mascara to avoid the other eyelashes getting droopy while focusing on one eye. In terms of mascara, use a black colored one if you have darker hair and a brown shade if you're blonde or have light eyebrows.
I highly recommend essence for both versions (cheap and found in the drugstore).
Once your eyelashes are curled, take out the wand and hold it parallel to your eye, ensuring you only apply some to the tips. Look downwards in a mirror and swipe the brush upwards on the tips of your lashes for a natural effect. For a more volumizing effect, lightly use a tweezer to clamp some together to fraud thickness.
Keep in mind that if you are asian this will be quite hard to achieve as the eyelash pheno has a tendency to not hold the curl.
I hope this helps
Guide by @BunnyLover33 and @Hashishmaxxing
Eye makeup:
This is the easiest to do but can provide an extreme difference.
Firstly, use a black waterline pen on only your upper eyelid to tightline.
(Do not do your lower eyelid’s waterline as it is exposed and it will be obvious)
To do this, place your finger in the middle of your upper eyelid and pull upwards while looking down in the mirror, using your other hand to tightline.
Buy an eyelash curler (any cheap one will do) and hold it to your eyes while squinting, trying to get the base of your lashes into the clamp. Avoid holding it in place for a while and instead clamp and unclamp rapidly for a more curled appearance.
Do this one eye at a time then apply mascara to avoid the other eyelashes getting droopy while focusing on one eye. In terms of mascara, use a black colored one if you have darker hair and a brown shade if you're blonde or have light eyebrows.
I highly recommend essence for both versions (cheap and found in the drugstore).
Once your eyelashes are curled, take out the wand and hold it parallel to your eye, ensuring you only apply some to the tips. Look downwards in a mirror and swipe the brush upwards on the tips of your lashes for a natural effect. For a more volumizing effect, lightly use a tweezer to clamp some together to fraud thickness.
Keep in mind that if you are asian this will be quite hard to achieve as the eyelash pheno has a tendency to not hold the curl.
I hope this helps
Guide by @BunnyLover33 and @Hashishmaxxing
