Friday, August 20, 2010

Your mirrior is your friend.

Wash your hands, pull your hair back, and get ready to poke and prod at your face!!

In this post I want to talk about getting to know your facial structure. Knowing how your bone structure works will help you to better apply your makeup.

I think the thing that most women have the biggest problem with is blush placement. For a very long time I was an adamant blush-hater. I never really had a reason for it, either. But now, after learning how to use blush properly, I'm what they call a "blush-whore".
To figure out the perfect placement on your cheeks for blush you'll need to get up close and personal with your mirror. Grab a makeup brush, or a pencil (Please don't poke your eye out ;)) and get ready to make some funny faces.

First, make sure that you have good lighting. Ok. Look at your face. Notice where the light naturally falls on the highest points of your facial features. Then take another look and notice where you have shadows on your face. Knowing these points will become useful later on.

Now, to the blush part of this activity. With your (clean) fingers find your cheek bones. Some people have very prominent cheek bones, and generally they are considered lucky. Other people need to bring this area out. This is where blush comes in handy if used correctly. Run your fingertips all along your cheek bones, and get to know that area. Smile. When you smile you get the "apples of your cheeks" to become more pronounced. This is where you start applying blush, and you sweep it back up along your cheek bone towards your hairline.

Underneath that bone you may notice an indent, or a fleshy pocket, if you will. This is where you make a fishy face, c'mon, you remember how! Besides, no one's looking, right? Anyway, while making this face, remember how we discussed the importance of noticing where the shadows fall on your face? Well, in the hollows below your cheek bones there is typically a shadow. Place your pencil or makeup brush handle in that shadow. This shadow is where you would apply a contour color, and you'd want to follow the natural angle of your face. Contouring is typically done with a matte product that is one to two shades darker than your skin tone. Contouring is used to make your face more shapely. If you don't have very defined cheeks, or jawline, or if you have a very round shape, adding a slightly darker matte shade to this area gives you that slightly "gaunt" look that a lot of folks find attractive.

Now in general, anywhere you have the light falling on the high points of your face is where you would apply a highlighter shade, and no I'm not talking neon yellow :)  A highlighter is a specific product that is becoming more popular. It's placed on the tops of your cheek bones, bridge of your nose, chin, and brow bone (under your eyebrow).

Obviously I will do looks later on with pictures so these techniques can be demonstrated and expanded upon.

Leave a comment and tell me what you noticed about your face, or try out some of these techniques and tell me about it!

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