Preparation Of The Face For Makeup

For the best final result, you must meticulously prepare your face for the actual application of the makeup.

Identify The Structure Of Your Face:

This is very important, so that you can understand the high points and the drawbacks of your face. Then you will be able to emphasize the excellent features of your face and camouflage your handicaps. Faces are of 2 basic shapes:

1. Angular Faces are well delineated, with a strong bone structure and musculature. Angular faces could be trapezoidal, rectangular, square or triangular. 

2. Round Faces, on the other hand, have curved, continuous, gently sloping lines, without any bony projections. Round faces can be oval or the true round form.

The ideal shape of a face is oval, so with the clever use of make-up, you must attempt to make your face appear oval. This can be done by using foundations of different tones-The dark shades (brown or bister) and the pale shades (white or clear). Dark make-up tends to reduce, deepen, darken and conceal and is suitable for contouring prominent cheeks, large noses, chubby faces, and for the bags under the eyes. Pale makeup, on the other hand, enlarges lengthens, brightens, fills out, and covers the dark circles under the eyes.

Getting Ready:
 

Before applying makeup, especially if you are dressing for a rather important occasion, you must prepare yourself in a special way. Massage your face with a nourishing cream, follow it up with a suitable mask. See that there are no dark hair visible on the face-bleach them or pluck them, if necessary. You might need to remove unwanted hair from your arms, legs and underarms.

Shaping Your Eyebrows:

The single most important point to remember when shaping your eyebrows is balance. Your facial shape would to a large extent determine the shape of your eyebrows. Here are some tips to help you decide on the shape of your eyebrows.

1. For A Trapezoidal Face:  Slightly thick eyebrows drawn gently towards the temple.

2. For A Rectangular Face:  Keep the eyebrows as natural as possible.

3. For A Square Face:  Give a slightly rounded curve.

4. For A Triangular Face:  Brows should not be too thick. Curve the brows slightly upwards, to emphasize the triangular shape of the face.

5. For An Oval Face:  Keep the brows parallel to the lid and drawn towards the temple.

6. For A Round Face:  Brows should be slightly arched, in an oblique curve directed towards the temple.

Where To Begin And Where To End: 
Take a pencil and hold it vertically alongside the outer corner of the nostril; the point where the pencil touches the eyebrow is the starting point. Then slant the pencil from the outer corner of the nostril to the outer corner of the eye, to show you where the arch should end. Then look straight ahead-the highest point for the eyebrows should be directly above the iris. Ideally, the distance between the two eyebrows should be equal to the width of one eye.

Getting The Shape Right: 
Before you start plucking, check your tweezers-buy the sort that have slanted or squared off ends and a good grip. Begin by brushing the eyebrows upward with a clean mascara brush. When shaping the brows, always pluck from beneath and never from above. Hold the skin taut with your first and second fingers. Hold each hair as close as possible to the roots and pluck in the direction of the hair growth. Plucking against the direction of the hair growth can cause the hair to break off at the skin surface and then it reappears very soon. Plucking in the wrong direction can also distort the follicle or the root-this results in the hair growing out at different angles. First tidy the stragglers in between the brows; Then tidy the general outline. Absolutely avoid the use of scissors. Finally, brush the eyebrows again, wipe them with a mild toner and finish off with a moisturizer to soothe the skin. Avoid applying makeup immediately.

Cleansing Of The Face:

For a glowing end result, it is necessary to use the makeup on a really clean skin. The cleansing operation frees the skin of the stale makeup, dirt, dead cells and skin secretions.

What To Use For Cleansing? 

This depends on your skin type and also on whether you want to use ready made cleansers or you want to use home made cleansers. From the market you can purchase a cleanser suited to your skin type; for instance if your have a dry skin, you must choose an oil-based cleansing lotion. For those of you, who favour natural products, fresh milk is a very effective skin cleanser.

How To Cleanse Your Face? 

Pour a small quantity of cleansing agent onto a cotton ball. Cleanse the lips and then the area around the eyes; begin gently with the eyelashes and then clean the lids, starting on the upper lid near the nose, work outwards with a circular movement and come back towards the nose under the eye. Using another cotton ball, dipped in the cleanser, clean the neck and the face. Finally rinse thoroughly with warm water.