Makeup FAQ Primers, Eyebrows and lips and more!

I don't know if what I am about to say would make a very exciting video, but hopefully we can make it a fun and interesting blog post, here are the most Frequently Asked Questions about makeup that I get messaged to me, or in the comments of videos, or that I just see all over the interwebs. We are about to go into the nitty gritty of eyebrows, contouring, skin care and top tips!

1. What is the difference between an eyeshadow base or an eyeshadow primer?
This is the old classic question. An eyeshadow base is usually coloured, you can get skin coloured bases, blues, greens, purples, golds - in fact any colour! They can come in a pot to apply with a brush ro your figner or in a chunky eye pencil. The ultimate goal of them is to create a great base for the rest of your eyeshadows, to make the colours truer and to last longer. A Primer is usually of a lotion consistency and dried to a clear finish, sometimes they might have a little shimmer to them or a little something else but they are designed to be a universal underlayer for any colour makeup look. You do not need to put a primer under an eyeshadow base.

  
2.Does Priming my face make a difference/ what is it?
Priming your face does make a difference, and it's not until you prime that you will notice. Priming your face before you apply your foundation creates a much smoother canvas to work with, it covers over pores, blemishes and fine lines to give an airbrushed finish once you've applied your foundation, and it makes it last longer! You shouldn't use eye primer as a face primer and vice versa!

  
3.How do I contour my face without looking silly!?
Don't load up your brush with bronzer, just put a tiny bit on the brush, suck in your cheeks if you need to so that you can see clearly under the cheekbones and begin just by contouring under there gradually building up product and blending it out. If you want to go more advanced you can contour the whole face. You can watch my video on that here

 
4.How do I fill in my eyebrows?
I always think it's easier to use a brow pencil than powder, although now I think I prefer using powder. Anyway, remember to keep in mind a very light hand, so that when you're initially drawing, it's almost like you're gently sketching the individual hairs on a horses main. Do little, gentle strokes with the pencil to get the feel of it and use your natural brow as a guide and follow it, just fill in where the hairs are a bit more sparse.Even if you have perfect natural brows, I think everyone benefits from a little brow filling

  
5.What is the point in a lip liner?
A lip liner works as a great base for lipsticks on top as it helps them to stay on longer. You can also get a lot more precision when outlining the lips with a pencil than a chunky lipstick. Remember lip liners should not just line the lips but colour in the entire lips with it too! I often just wear lip liner by itself.

  
6.Am I really supposed to wear sun cream on my face every single day?
If you want to help your skin to look as youthful as possible then yes. But it's not got to be like slathering oily thick factor 50 on your face. Lots of foundations, primers and daily moisturisers contain SPF so that you won't even realise that you are wearing sun protection. So look out for them. 

  
7. I have oily skin what is the best makeup for me?
Oil free makeup! Revlon Colorstay foundation has a special formulation for oily skin which I love. Laura Mercier create oil free tinted moisturisers for a lighter coverage but a bit heavier on your bank balance. BareMinerals is good too if you can't even stand the feeling of a liquid foundation. If you are going to use cream blushers, highlighters, bronzers etc you must either use a powder version of that product (similar shade) over the top, or a transluscent finishing powder to lock the products in place and stop them sliding on your skin.

 
8. I have dry skin what is the best makeup for me?
A good primer will help to ensure that your makeup doesn't look flaky. Laura Mercier Silk cream foundation works well with dry skin and is a full coverage. MAC Face and body foundation has moisturising emollients and is a much lighter coverage or the L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Foundatio. Also, cream blushers and bronzers.

9. I'm scared to wear bold lips, where do I start?
Start with a lip tint, I like the Lip and Cheek stain from the Body Shop in Rose Pink, onr Benetint from Benefit or Revlon Lip Butters. They have a bright colour but are easy to apply, don't require lots of touch ups and still look somewhat natural

10.What is your number 1 makeup tip/advice?
Take your makeup off every single night, and not just with a face wipe. I have very problematic skin and taking my makeup off is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love cleansing my face thoroughly and it is absolutely key because if your skin isn't in good, healthy shape then applying flawless makeup becomes much harder work!

If you enjoyed this post, I'll do a part 2 because there are so many more questions that are common misconceptions or just not understood or explained very well!
Take Care and enjoy!