Don’t deceive that brother with make-up!

BACK in varsity was a girl who wouldn’t step out of hostel without the right amount of make-up on. She would turn a lot of heads with her ever flawless face. We were jealous of her beauty and popularity and felt she didn’t deserve it – you know how quickly anything can become a competition in varsity. Most people had actually never seen her without make-up but she couldn’t fool us all. The haters were always lurking. We knew exactly what the “real her” looked like but we let her flourish.  I was reminded of this girl a few days ago when I saw a meme with a before and after of some woman who had had her make-up done to the nines. 

I could relate to the transformation – it was as though they were two different people. She had gone from zero to 100, it was unbelievable! But that really shouldn’t be the case. We’re all beautiful in unique ways and should embrace our individuality. Make-up is meant to enhance your facial features not deceive people by making yourself look like a completely different person. You wash your face and bam – there’s a whole new you – how mean is that? Of course your face and how you decide to “dress” it are an important aspect of your everyday life because it’s the first port of call when you come into contact with people. But when you decide to wear make-up, understand why you’re wearing it. It better not be to win over that brother because when the lights go on and your face is all washed up, things won’t be so cute when he discovers how you really look.

The goal should always be to look as natural as possible. We all have different skin tones and textures so our make-up needs are different. Before you start applying anything – ask yourself if you’re trying to cover up some acne, you’ve uneven skin tone or darkness around the eye – whatever the scenario, know your reasons for wearing make-up. They’re some people who don’t need foundation; just some concealer under the eye, around the nasal fold and a little bit of powder, lip gloss and mascara to lift the eye and it’s done. Concealer is used to brighten up the face and “conceal” certain dark patches which drag down the face.

Foundation should be applied only on the areas it’s needed. If you’re not wearing foundation to cover something, you’re wearing it to highlight. Your concealer and foundation should be the same pigment as your skin so that it blends well. Always be honest with yourself and get the right shade – nothing looks as hideous as a yellow bone looking face and charcoal hands and feet! The brow is a big one when it comes to doing the face. That’s when women’s different “drawing” abilities come out. Not everybody was born with a perfect brow so to enhance their features, a significant number of women try to mix it up a little but it doesn’t quite come out right between the tweezing and “drawing” them in. You need to see a professional who’ll understand your eyes and the shape of your brow in order to trim them well enough for you to be able to fill them in yourself.

 

Do tutorials if you have to. It’s actually not that difficult – I’m proud to say I’ve learnt to fill in my own brows and it takes me a few minutes to do my face. Make sure your brows don’t turn out blue-black. They should appear as natural as possible and you can achieve this by using an angling brush to fill in the brows as opposed to using the liner directly onto the brow. Mascara is important because it makes the eyes pop. Most of us have curly lashes, making it difficult to put in the mascara but instead of using the whole brush, just use the tip of the brush, from the inside going out.

If your eyes are really small, don’t wear liner under the eye because you’ll end up with dark circles. I’d just stay away from fake lashes if I were you – they’re hideous. Lip stains are a convenient way of keeping the lips plush. You apply the lip stain, lipstick over it and it’ll last the whole day. You could even wear the lip stain on its own and have your lips matified – if you don’t already have matte lipstick. There’s no prescribing what lip colour to wear – it’s a personality thing. Whether you go for a bright red or a nude lip is entirely up to you.