How to do pretty makeup for any skin tone.

Ever wondered how you can look pretty for any occasion in a flash, no matter what your skin tone? Well, here's the guide you'll need. It doesn't matter what your ethenticity is, just that you have a few key products and just a few minutes of time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Eyeshadow
• Mascara
• Blush
• Lipstick/Gloss
• Eyeliner
• Lipliner (opt.)
• Set of makeup brushes
• Foundation/Mineral powder

1. It's important to start off with the right tools and products. Make a trip to the drug store or the nearest makeup counter and start by investing in a set of good quality brushes. They beat the flimsy applicators that come with makeup products, apply them better and more smoothly, and last for years with proper care. Also, take this time to apply any special zit creams to the skin.
2. Go home and wash your face using a face wash specially designed for your skin type. 1-2 times a week, use a gentle facial scrub to remove dead skin and really get a deep clean without overdrying. Pat dry, then aply a light moisturizer to the face while still damp to lock in moisture. Skip the moisturizer if you have very oily skin. If you're young, use a lightly tinted moisturizer and skip steps 3 and 4 for the most natural finish.
3. Start by evening out your skin tone. Take a small makeup sponge and spritz it with an airy spray foundation. Lightly feather the sponge all over, then take the clean side and swipe over wrinkles and lines to prevent foundation from sticking there. Another option is to take a loose mineral powder and lightly dust your face with a large brush for an even finish.
4. Combat problem areas with a bit of stick concealer. Swipe some out of the tube with your fingers and rub them together; the heat will melt the foundation and make application smoother. Lightly dab over any zits, redness, or discoloration. Dust over the areas with a loose powder for staying power!
5. Time to focus on the eyes. In this look, your eyes will make the overall statement. Take a freshly sharpened black eyeliner pencil and place at about an 80-90 degree angle at the bottom outer corner of the eye. Begin to feather the liner in and out, having a light press just slightly in the rim. Go in towards the inner corner of you eye a little further each time, and make the liner near the inner corner practicaly non-existent to avoid racoon eyes. Make the outter corner dark and thicker.
6. Make a strong, thin, stable line from the top corner of your eye to about 3/5 of the way in, drawing as close to the lash line as possible. Meet it with the bottom line at the outside corner, forming a small, dar, rounded 'V' in the corner that just extends out past the lids slightly for a smokey look.
7. Take an angeled brush and dip it in a pale beige/cream eyeshadow with just a hint of sparkle and shine. Sweep it on just under your eyebrows, on the brow bone, to highlight your eyes. Next dip the same brush in a gold shadow. The deeper your skin color, the deeper and more vibrant a gold you should go. If you have lighter skin, stick to creamier, paler golds. Sweep the shadow all over lids, just up into the crease, deeper at the lashline and gradually lighter as the shadow moves upwards. Finish with a coat or two of black to black/brown mascara on your upper lshes only, and comb them out with an eyebrow/eyelash come to seperate and define lashes.
8. Now it's time to focus on the cheeks. Take a big brush and swirl it in either a loose or cream blush (yes, even cream blushes require brush application for the best finish,) starting with just a small amount and blend it slowly and surely on the apples of cheeks. Again, the deeper the skin tone, the deeper, bolder, and richer the color you could go. Go more natural if you're younger. For fool-proof, fun color, try a 'smart-blush'- a liquid/gel blush that you apply with your fingers and uses your skin's composition to give you a healthy flush.
9. Now it's time for lips. Lips, to start, should be well maintained. Use lip balm containing SPF all year round; it protects against burning in the summer and chaping in the winter. A few times a week, take an old tooth-brush, squeeze a little vaseline on it, and gently massage lips to exfoliate away dead skin cells and leave lips soft and supple.
10. There are a few ways to go about your lips. Since your eyes are dramatic and shoul be making the most statement, your lips should be no more dramatic than something close to you skin color and a little glossing. Start by lining lips with a neutral-colored lip pencil and fill in lips to provide a base. next, apply lip-balm. Finally, grab a neutral gloss- clear, beige, pale pink, or rose- and smooth it all over lips.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're pale and always wanted to be tanner, or deep and always wanted to be lighter, or otherwise unhappy with you skin color, don't buy porducts that resemble the tone you wish you had, buy for the tone you do. You'll look better and more natural in a foundation that matches your tone.
• Not sure what lip color is best for you? Pick one close to your natural lip color but a tiny bit deeper and more vibrant and test out before purshase. A good rule of thumb; if the color looks like lipstick or otherwise unnatural on your lips, it's not the shade for you.
• Want your look to stay all day? Use waterproof products (if using any semi-permanent products, make sure the label says 'waterproof' on it,) and then dust over your complexion with a light layer of translucent powder.
• If you still feel shaky, hit the nearest makeup counter for a makeup tutorial, which can cost as little as nothing and is tailored to you.
• Always make sure to test out products in the store before purchace, especially expensive ones.
• Shop at stores with good return policies so that you don't feel too bummed when the product you bought isn't what you hoped.
• Make sure to test any skin products for irritation before adding to your routine- apply liberally to the inside of your wrist and leave for 24 hours. If the area is left red, itchy, swollen, or otherwise irritated, the product contains something that isn't good for you skin.