How To: Do Simple Makeup, Everyday!

People get intimidated by makeup very easily; it seems like they have to apply a lot to wind up looking not all that different from how they normally do. And for me, this is the point of makeup - highlight the good things and downplay the bad, while still looking like you. Makeup can be fun too, but for day to day, full contouring and primer-base-powder are a bit much. You don't need to apply war paint to go to work, the grocery store, or out for lunch. You need enough to make yourself feel good about you.

Step 1 - Wash your f'ing face! Always!Every morning and evening! If you have oily skin that you can do pretty much anything to, get a gentle everyday scrub, or if your skin is dry but not prone to breaking out, try some Pond's cold cream as a rinse off cleanser. This is a highly individual thing, so what works for one person may not work for you. So...I can't help you too much with this one. You need to play around with different kinds until you find a standby. Always use a new product for 2 weeks, beause sometimes it makes you temporarily break out, but then you get better, and sometimes you get better for a while, and then MUCH worse. And sometimes your eyes swell up and your face gets blotchy, and in this case you should not use this product at all and should probably get some Benadryl stat.

Step 2 - Apply morning treatments - like AHA's for acne, wrinkle creams, etc - and a moisturizer with at least SPF 20 right after washing to lock in moisture. This is the best way to get your skin looking dewy and fresh and keep it looking that way. Trust me, sun damage doesn't help you look dewy (and if you already have damage, getting more is not the answer!). Protect your skin so that you don't end up looking like that leathery tanned old lady...you know who I'm talking about. A word of warning - AHA's and retinoids will make your skin sensitive and a bit red for the first few uses, but as that gets better, so does your skin. These products super exfoliate, and that's the tingling and redness you feel. It's even more important that you use sunscreen if you use these treatments, since you're exposing all that new baby smooth skin that is extra prone to burning.

Step 3 - Take just a bit of foundation and dot it in the darkest corners under your eyes, under your nostrils, on your chin, and on your cheek bones. Blend this in. Don't put foundation anywhere you don't have discolouration, you just end up wearing a mask that way. Dot just a tiny bit of foundation over blemishes and 'blot' the excess off with your fnger until you get enough coverage.

Step 4 - Smile. See where your cheeks lift and get rounded? That's where you need to put blush. Swirl a big fluffy brush over the powder, blow on the tips to get extra powder off, and apply the blush over the rounded areas (the 'apples' of your cheeks). Then, sweep the brush very lightly over your apple and up the curve of your cheekbones. This blends the blush out a bit so you don't end up with doll cheeks, but you also don't end up with 80's dance cheeks. Blush makes everyone look more awake and alive, and is especially imporatant for women 40 and up. You start to lose pigment in your skin at this point, so avoid looking sallow by swiping on blush in the morning. And avoid shimmery blush, you are not a Twilight vampire. Get a matte blush that matches your flush from exercising (which means do 40 jumping jacks in the makeup aisle at the drugstore... No, not seriously...Just find a neutral pink or peach. Jeeze.).

Step 5 - Curl your eyelashes (optional, but gives you eye-opening flutterable lashes!)and swipe on a coat of mascara on your top lashes. I like to use brown mascara because I'm fair of skin and hair, but black works pretty universally. Brown just creates a bit of a softer, less 'made-up' look, so give it a try if you find black to be a bit harsh. Do your bottom lashes if you feel comfortable, but this is not necessary for ordinary makeup.

Step 6 - Wipe off any smudgies with your ring finger and dust on some powder or use some blotting sheets if you're a little too dewy looking. The blotting sheets are my favorite to avoid makeup buildup. Swipe on some lipstick (Black Honey, anyone?) or some balm (Burt's Bees) and you are good to go!

Listening to: Konichiwa Bitches - Robyn