Beauty

How To Apply Makeup: An Easy Beginner’s Guide

Not all girlies are makeup girlies, and that’s totally okay…

• written by Joy Onu
• 5 min read
• 25 Aug, 2023

If you’re here, it means you’re ready to begin your journey into the world of makeup and all it has to offer. Applying makeup may seem like a lot, especially when you’re going from one makeup tutorial to another, it’s easy to get lost in the maze of it all.

When it comes to applying makeup, there’s no wrong or right way set in stone, but there are steps that people have used and keep using that totally work all round. This general order of applying makeup will make things easier, especially for beginners. 

The best thing about this makeup routine is that it has been broken down by beginners, for beginners. So we’re all in this together, this step-by-step guide will help you learn how to do your own makeup, we’re going to break it all down for you, from how to apply foundation, concealer, and all other makeup items

First Off, It’s All About That Base

Before you apply makeup, it is very important to get through your skincare routine. From cleansing your skin, to moisturizing and even putting on sunscreen, get all of the skincare prep out of the way, this will make sure your skin is fully ready before you work your magic.

When all of that is done, you could go in with a primer of your choice, keep in mind that primers aren’t compulsory, but it does help you create a perfectly even base for your makeup, meaning it will extend how long your makeup lasts. 

Should You Do Your Eyebrows Before Foundation

The simple answer would be no, mostly because you don’t want to get stressed out trying to blend your foundation while avoiding your neatly drawn brows, but to each their own. So once you’re done with the base of your makeup, you could dive into applying your foundation. 

Applying foundation can be tricky, you don’t want to put on more than you can blend in, your foundation can make or break your entire look, the goal is to make sure it looks like your skin. In order to do this, you have to pick the right shade for your skin tone, the right brand, and the right type of foundation.

To break it all down, if you have dry skin, you could go for a liquid foundation, if you have oily skin, you could try out a matte foundation. It also helps to make use of a slightly damp beauty blender while applying your foundation.

Apply Your Powder

This could come up at different stages, some people like to go in with a setting powder at the beginning, and some people like to make use of their powder right after applying foundation. All in all, you’ll have to go for a method that works best for you. Powder will help you manage your look more and make it last longer, so it’s best to use it after your foundation.

Applying Concealer

Concealer is all about taking care of the little details, putting on concealer helps to cover areas that foundation couldn’t fully cover, think of concealer as that extra coverage you need. Your concealer will brighten dark circles, conceal blemishes, and help you target any dark spots.

When it comes to concealers, you could target your under-eye circles, and other specific areas like your forehead and chin. There’s no rule when it comes to applying your makeup, but it’s best to stick to these easy steps when applying your makeup as a beginner. 

Apply Your Bronzer, Blush, Highlighter

If you’re still not sure what comes after what, you’re in the right place. As a beginner, you could easily go for your bronzer next, bronzing gives your look a whole new dimension, when contouring your skin or using your bronzer, the trick is to target your cheekbones and nose with a large, fluffy makeup brush. The rule of thumb is to go for a bronzer that is two to three shades deeper than your skin tone.

Next up is your blush, then your highlighter, all you have to do is apply your blush with a fluffy brush from your cheek, up to your temples, for an elevated and bright look. Your highlighter should be applied just as easily, apply your highlighter gently across your cheek, the bridge of your nose, and any area you’d love to apply it on.

Next Up, Apply Your Eye Makeup

Eye makeup can be tricky for a beginner, but you can do it! For starters, you need to brush up your eyebrows, and make use of brow gels to help you put your brows in place, if you can, you could also make use of brow pencils to create natural strokes between your hair.

To make things easier while doing your eye makeup, apply eyeliner after your eyeshadow but before your mascara. Putting on your eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara doesn’t take a lot, and you could always try on some fake eyelashes if you can.

Apply Lipstick and Setting Spray 

You know you’ve reached the end when you get to applying your lipstick, there’s so many options when it comes to your lippie, whether that’s glossy or matte, applying your lipstick gives your entire look that magic touch. You could go for a bright red color, or a nude color, or you could mix and match matte lipsticks.

After all is said and done, you need your makeup to stay in place, that’s why you’ll have to make use of a good setting spray, shake your setting spray, and then hold it about eight inches away from your face and spray across your face.

At the end of the day, makeup is a means of enhancing your beauty, but it's best to not heavily rely on it in a way that is destructive to your self esteem, remember that you are beautiful, with or without makeup on. Also, remember to take off your makeup properly in order to avoid clogging your pores, treat your skin with care and always ensure that your skin is properly cleansed.