Makeup for dummies:
A how-to guide for applying cosmetics so you look your best

By Alisha Bentley
Sherman High School

In its November issue, FlipSide ran an article spoofing the tendency of some females to wear excessive amounts of makeup. Still, makeup is an important part of a teenage girl's appearance, and there are ways to wear it well -- highlighting your features without looking like a circus clown.

The key to this is choosing the right makeup. The most important things to consider when selecting makeup are skin type, skin color and eye color. The least important thing to consider is your outfit -- it's not necessary for your makeup to compliment your outfit.

"Makeup should definitely be used as an accessory," said Sherman sophomore Kellie Overton. "Girls should only use makeup to enhance what's already there, not to cover up everything and look completely fake."

Concealer helps cover pimples, under-eye bags and other blemishes.

Face makeup

The first type of makeup to consider is face makeup, which is designed to make your skin look flawless. There are three categories of facial makeup: concealer, foundation and powder.

Concealer should be put on first. It is used as a spot treatment to cover up things like baggy eyes and pimples. You can get concealer as a liquid, which is good for dry skin, or a stick, which should be used for dry skin. When choosing concealer, pick a shade slightly lighter than your actual skin color.

Overton said "Most of the time, concealer comes in many different shades because most people come in different shades. But if you can't find the one that blends perfectly with your skin tone, go a tad lighter because we all lose our tans in the winter, anyway. This way, you'll have time to get it to blend in just right."

Foundation is used to give skin a smooth look. The type of foundation you choose depends on your skin type. If your skin is dry or normal, you should get a liquid or cream foundation. If it's oily, be sure to use an oil-free liquid or a powder.

Then, finish it off with powder, which keeps your face looking fresh all day.

Though black and brown are most common, mascara is available in other colors.

Eye makeup

"Your eye makeup should compliment the color of your eyes," explained Overton. "You really want your eyes to be the most prominent thing about your face, so make them pop."

If you have brown eyes, try shades of gray, blue and purple. For green eyes, use colors like pink, light purple and brownish-pink. Shades of brown and caramel are good for blue eyes.

Other things that help your eyes stand out are eye liner and mascara. Eye liner should be put on the bottom on your eyelids to enhance the size and shape of your eyes. Mascara is used to emphasize your eyelashes and can be found in a variety of colors with black and brown being the most common.

Lipstick

Gloss is the best way to enhance your lips because it is compact and convenient to carry with you.

Your eyes are not the only important feature on your face, though. Don't neglect your lips.

The easiest way to highlight your lips is gloss, which can be colored or clear. Some glosses also give a hint of sparkle. Lip gloss is good because it's convenient to carry with you, so you can touch it up throughout the day. Lipstick is thicker than gloss. You can buy it in matte, or, if your lips are dry, try something creamier. Be sure to consider your skin color -- if you have fair skin, avoid dark, bold colors.

Finally, you can use lip liner to define your lips. Overton said, "You want your lip liner to be just a little bit lighter than the actual lipstick because, let's face it, who really wants to look like The Joker?"

Blush

Blush is not a necessity, but if you use it, try to think of what color your cheeks would be if you ran for 15 minutes, and then find a color slightly lighter than that.

Where to shop

Most of the popular makeup brands like Almay, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Cover Girl and Revlon can be found in any retail store. Overton suggests Target.

Blush is optional.

"I would suggest [Target] because it has a better selection than almost anywhere else," she said. “There's about three or four aisles just for makeup products. Plus, it's cheap, and you can't beat that."

Some stores like CVS and Rite-Aid offer a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the makeup you buy, so that's worth considering when you're shopping for something new.

If you go the route of Mary Kay or Avon, you have the advantage of a sales consultant helping you choose your products, but you're at a disadvantage because these brands can't be found in stores.

Applying your makeup

Now that you know what to buy and where to get it, you're ready to learn how to properly apply your makeup. Remember, this is a time-consuming process, so don't rush it.

"It tends to look sloppy if you just throw it all together at the last second," Overton said.

To begin, clean and moisturize your face. Then, apply your face makeup: concealer first, then foundation and powder.

"The concealer helps hide zits or other marks, foundation is there to even out the skin tone and the powder pulls it all together and makes it look real," Overton said.

First, use the concealer to cover pimples or other marks like under-eye bags. Just dab it on and blend it in.

Then, apply foundation. If you're using a liquid foundation, apply it with cosmetic sponges or cotton balls. Remember to taper it off below the jaw and blend it in, so that you're not left with a very visible, ridiculous-looking makeup line at your jaw.

Finally, for the powder, use a makeup brush or the compact's sponge to lightly apply it all over your face.

Next comes eye makeup. "In my opinion, you should put on shadow, liner and then mascara," said Overton. "If the liner goes on first, then you end up covering it in shadow, and if mascara goes first, the dust from the shadow drops on it and you'd look like you didn't have any eyelashes."

For your eye shadow, use the brush that came with it or purchase another suitable-sized makeup brush. Simply take the brush and apply color to your eye lids. If you want, you can also apply the same shade or a lighter version of that color to the space between your eyelids and brows.

Next, you should apply your eyeliner, which comes in liquid, pencil or tube form. All you have to do is apply a thin line at the base of your lower eyelid. Finally, apply your mascara using the brush that will come in the tube.

Now that you’ve made your skin look flawless and your eyes pop, it’s time to focus on your lips. If you choose to use lip liner with your lipstick, use the liner first.

Your finished look should be an enhanced version of your natural self.

"Apply your lip liner then lipstick because you want the lipstick to cover the liner so you don't look like you've drawn your lips on,” said Overton.

You're almost done. The final product to apply is blush, which is optional. If you use it, just apply it to your cheeks with the brush that it comes with.

“[Blush] should be applied to the apples of your cheeks,” said Overton. “If you don't know what that is it’s the part that looks a bit fatter under your eyes when you smile."

One thing you can do to avoid from having to touch up your makeup throughout the day is lightly spray a small amount of hairspray on your face. This will keep everything in place except for your lipstick, which you will still have to retouch.

Finally, just as important as putting your makeup on in the mornings is removing it at night.

"It's super important to clean your face at the end of the day not only because it leaves ugly stains on your pillowcase, but because the dead skin and old makeup start to clog your pores and irritate your skin,” Overton said.

“When you sleep, your face is healing itself of the damage done that day and if you don't get the makeup off, you really start to do some damage to your face."