Beauty Basics: Learning Your Face and Makeup Terms

I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I received my first mascara in sixth grade. From then on my love for makeup took off. Between myself and some makeup gurus on YouTube I learned everything I needed to know about makeup. Although, I also learned that like everything, practice makes perfect. I get asked quite often about my makeup. Some have been applying makeup to their face for years but always stuck to the basics and some couldn’t say the difference between a concealer and a foundation. Today I am starting a new series called “Beauty Basics” to provide you with the knowledge I wish I was once given. Today, the first post of “Beauty Basics”, I am going to be teaching you all about your face. I know everybody here has the common sense to identify their face’s physical features but in the world of makeup an eye is much more than an eye. I will be posting makeup tutorials on the blog in the near future and I want all my viewers to be able to follow along with the terminology I’m using. So without further ado, let’s get started.

I’m going to start with the eyes because they are the most defined and intricate part of our faces. With this being said if you don’t know anything about makeup than you are in for a treat and lots of learning.

#1: The eyebrow- Everybody knows what their eyebrows are and if yours are anything like mine you might find their over all appearance to look better if you fill them in with an eye shadow similar to their natural color (I use “Faint” from Urban Decay). Eyebrows make or break a makeup look so you should take this into consideration next time you find yourself looking in the mirror while doing your makeup.

#2: The Brow bone- The brow bone is exactly as it sounds, the part of your face right beneath your eyebrow that is often times highlighted with a light eye shadow to show a distinct difference between your eye shadow itself and the eyebrow.

#3: The inner corner- Some peoples eyes get irritated very easily by adding shadow into their inner corner but if yours doesn’t than adding a light eye shadow is an easy way to extenuate your eye and make it pop.

#4: The Lid- Everybody knows what their eye lid is but sometimes specific shadows only get used on the inner third or the outer third so be aware that your eye lid can easily be split into more than one part.

#5: The Outer V- By putting a dark shadow in your outer V you can easily add lots of definition to your look. If you can’t find where yours is, go to the outer third of your crease and wipe your brush horizontally in a V shape.

#6: The Crease- Your crease is another super self-explanatory one, it’s simply the fold in you eye. It’s important to always apply a matte shadow in your crease to act as a transition shade before drifting into sparkly shadows in the crease and outer V. Stay away from  dragging crease colors into your inner third. Some people have a greater distance from their lash line to their eyebrow, like me, and have lots of room to apply eye shadow, if not don’t worry it just means that your crease isn’t as defined! And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

#7: The lower lash line- Your lower lash line is simply the skin under your bottom lashes, dragging a dark shadow under this area will create the illusion of a darker look. Don’t get this confused with your water line which is where you would apply eyeliner near your lower lash line. (Water lines can be found if you pull your under eye down a little and find the line right above where your lower lashes grow.)

That is all for the eye portion if you have any other specific questions, leave them below and I will be happy to answer them, now onto the face.

#1: The cheekbones- Your cheek bones or hollows of your cheeks can be found simply by making a fishy face. Certain makeup such as bronzer or contouring powder is applied here to make your face appear thinner and more defined than they are naturally.

#2: The apples of your cheeks- If you smile and notice the round part of your cheek that appears rather chubby compared to the rest of your face than you have found the apples of your cheeks, this is the correct spot to apply blush. ( no picture for this one, sorry guys!!)

#3: High points of your face – The high points of your face are right above your cheekbones and can generally be highlighted with a specific powder to make them stand out when the lights hit them.

#4: Cupids Bow- Your cupids bow is the little heart shape that is formed right above your lip, this is another area that can be highlighted with powder to make your lips appear plumper and fuller.

#5: Your Nose- Obviously everyone knows what their nose is but the sides of your nose can often be contoured just like your cheekbones in order to appear thinner. So don’t worry there are several ways to make your nose look thinner if you’re not happy with your nose size. Sometimes makeup is all it takes. (-:

That is it for my first post in “Beauty Basics.” I hope you guys enjoy this new series and if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please leave them below, I love hearing your feedback. Thank you so much for reading I hope you have an amazing Monday. Don’t forget to talk to Jesus, with love, McKenz.