Makeup essentials for beginners

Calling all makeup newbies!

If you’ve been gazing at your beautified bestie and favourite celebrities just wishing someone would teach you their glam ways, this one’s for you.

We’re taking the fanciness and complexity out of makeup and starting from the foundations (literally, the foundations!) to give you the most basic break-down on your face makeup must-haves.

Primer

If you’ve tried your hand at foundation and it just isn’t looking right, it may be because you haven’t yet discovered the magic that is primer.

Primer gets your skin in optimal condition for your best foundation application.

It can come in various forms from gels to sprays, serving a main purpose of filling in pores and fine lines for a smooth, even application.

Some primers are also designed to multi-task. For example, a hydrating primer that gives you a dewy finish when applying foundation, a mattifying primer that keeps excess shine at bay, a green-tinted primer that rids your skin of red tones, etc. Always read the label!

Foundation

Foundation comes in many different forms with one main objective – evening out the skin tone.

Foundations come with various undertones and shades to match your skin tone and cancel out any imperfections, blemishes and unwanted tones.

They can provide various levels of coverage from sheer to full depending on your needs and can leave a matte or dewy finish on the skin depending on which formula you choose.

Concealer

Concealer is what takes your foundation game up to flawless heights.

Foundations lay the base of a clear canvas for concealer to then go in and touch up any remaining flaws. If you’ve ever dealt with a raging red breakout that won’t disappear, concealer will probably do a better job of covering it than multiple layers of foundation.

Concealer can also be used to brighten up the undereye area or colour-correct any disruptive hues (e.g. a green colour correcting concealer to neutralise redness).

Powder

Powder can come in loose or pressed form and is used to blot excess shine and set cream and liquid face products.

Without a dusting of powder, you may notice that your foundation and concealer will slip, slide and transfer as the day progresses (especially if you’re prone to oily skin or sweating).

Contour

Contouring is the next best thing if you’re not keen on cosmetic surgery.

If you have a nose you want to slip down, cheeks that you’d like to sculpt or a jaw line you wished was more defined, contouring products help to taper in these areas for a chiselled appearance.

Blush and Bronzer

After applying your foundation, concealer and powder, you can tend to lose that natural flush of colour that gives you a healthy look.

Blush and bronzer go hand in hand to bring colour back to the face.

Highlight

The world went nuts when highlight came to be.

Whether liquid or powder in form, highlight is used to accentuate the high points of the face such as the cheeks, nose bridge and cupids bow.

Highlight works hand-in-hand with contour to enhance your sculpted look. 

Setting Spray

Setting spray is like a hairspray for your face. It locks in all your hard work, keeping your makeup in place all day long.

Setting sprays can have a mattifying, natural or dewy finish depending on your formula of choice.

For more on makeup products, techniques and terms, you can check out of Makeup FAQ page here