A Cosmetologist's Makeup Tips: A Professional's Guide to Beauty

I have been in the cosmetology field for more than three years, and the main question I'm asked is, "How can I get professional makeup at home?" I often do makeup for wedding parties and for proms. I also do makeup on those who just want to learn how to make themselves look beautiful and natural without a lot of work. Here are eight professional tips I teach my clients when they come in for a how-to session.

1. Clean your palette- Your face is your canvas and makeup is your medium. A clean face will create a smooth, workable surface for your makeup application. Start with a gentle exfoliating face wash. Work it in circular motions around your face and neck. The exfoliant will take away dead skin and polish your face to a smooth, clean slate. Next apply an astringent or toner. This will balance the oils in your face as well as pick up any residue your wash did not. Finally, apply a moisturizer that doesn't clog pores. A good moisturizer will let your skin breathe and also should contain at least 15 SPF. This will keep your face safe from sun rays, as well as help ensure your foundation will not crack.

2. Apply only what you need- Often people will cover their entire face with concealer and foundation, when you should only use what you need. Apply a small portion of concealer to your under-eye area. While you are doing this, make sure you are looking up, and use your ring finger and apply the concealer in a rolling motion. Foundation should be applied with a foundation brush. This will ensure even application. Start in the center of your face and blend out. Do not cake it on, only use a little bit. You can finish your base with a translucent powder. Apply lightly all over with a large fluffy powder brush.

3. Don't Use the Applicator!- I cannot stress this enough to my clients. Do not use the applicator that comes with eye shadows and blushes. Eye shadow applicators are not only hard to use, but create hard and unwanted lines, and will easily crack and crease. Instead, use a variety of different bristled brushes. Brushes we use in the cosmetology field are shading brushes, blending brushes, angled brushes, definer brushes and fluff brushes.

4. Liner Isn't Outdated- Everyone always thinks that lip liner is tacky or outdated. Wrong. Lip liner is your best friend. Be sure to pick a color closest to your own lip color. This way, it will not be prominent and look tacky. Lip liner will keep your lipstick from feathering outwards. Another lip tip, matte lipsticks, although they last long, can often be dry. Invest in a moisturizing top coat.

5. Contrast- If you love your eye color, pick shadow colors that will help them stand out. Contrasting the colors will help your eyes pop and be more noticeable and gorgeous. If you have green eyes, purples, greens and golds will be best. With blue eyes, your best color would be taupes, grays, and black. Brown eyes will sparkle with coppers, khaki-greens, browns and baby pinks. All eyes benefit from navy and charcoal colors blended with a powder blue as well as a metallic silver.

6. Curl Your Lashes- That little contraption is not a torture device but is actually an amazing little tool. Curl your lashes before you even apply your mascara. Start at the base of the lash, and while opening and closing the curler, go up to the tip of your lashes. Apply your first coat of mascara. Be sure they are dry! Now, again starting at the base of the lash, curl your lashes to the tips. Apply a second coat and let them dry. Voila! Gorgeous curled lashes. And for extra oomph, get a mascara that helps curl and add length to your lashes. And for sparse lashes, invest in single false lash pieces to fill in empty spots.

7. Don't Have a Makeup Overload- To accentuate your face, pick a focal point. If you love your eyes, play up the eyes. If you love your shapely lips, apply a red lipstick. However, you can not do both of these at the same time. Keep everything else on your face neutral. If you have a red lip, use a skin colored or a light brown shadow, nothing too dark. And if you're accentuating your eyes, use a simple gloss for your lips or a nude matte stain.

8. Water Proof It- When buying new makeup, be sure to grab waterproof. Often for weddings, I will use waterproof makeup because of its unique properties that keep makeup from rubbing off or dulling. This makeup does not run or smudge when in contact with sweat, water or just long wear. Waterproof makeup is made with dimethicone copolyol which is the waterproof version of the same oil that is made by your body to stick to skin and hair. It can be used for more than just weddings, but also for prom, parties, or just everyday wear.

Hopefully these professional makeup tips have helped you in achieving a greater makeup look. I have been using these tips personally for many years, and I've been using them in my professional services for a little over three years. These professional makeup tips are tried and true and easy to do at home. Remember, makeup application should be fun, experimental and exciting!