*Actually* Learn How to Contour
“I know a lot of people have trouble with contouring because they ask me about it all the time. My favorite way to contour is a technique called underpainting. Underpainting is where you add contour and highlight to the face under your foundation. You can do it in a natural way or full glam, and it can be beautifully transformative, if done correctly.
You begin with a cream contour that does not have too much slip, my current favorite is the I recommend using a brush with a flat edge to contour your cheeks, jawline and forehead. You can even push the contour into the hairline so everything is seamless. After you apply your contour, take a lighter shade of concealer to highlight the high points of the face (under eye, nose, labial folds, between the eyebrows and chin). You then take your liquid foundation—I generally like to thin it out with a little beauty oil—and a stippling foundation brush. In a circular stippling motion starting under the jawline, blend the areas where you contoured towards the center of the face. Underpainting takes a lot of practice to perfect, however give yourself 20-30 minutes to start and play and have fun. Don’t forget makeup washes off, so have fun with it and don’t worry about mistakes !
Play With Color
“One of my favorite eyeshadow techniques is color washing – it’s where you take a color from the lid all the way up through the brow in a wash of color. It’s super easy; you can do it with almost any fluffy blending brush and the result will be beautiful. Take a fluffy eyeshadow brush or even a small highlighting brush and in a windshield wiper and circular motion take the eyeshadow color from the lid up through the brow/ brow bone. It only takes 5 minutes, try it on a bare lid or on top of any look and have fun with it!
Learn to Paint Your Non-Dominant Hand
“I have found that learning to paint your non-dominant hand is all about muscle memory. It takes time to train your hand. You don’t need 10,000 hours but a good few months of painting practice and you will get the hang of it. Be patient with yourself. I’m a professional manicurist, but every single time I do my own nails I get nail polish on my skin. So here’s how to correct that: You can use a paint brush or an old eyeliner or eyeshadow brush dipped in remover and just use that to clean up the edges. It’s better than a q-tip because not only does it not leave cotton fuzzies, but it’s easier to get in between the skin and the nail. That’s a tip I learned in beauty school. You can also clean up a manicure in the shower. Nail polish’s natural born enemy is water. If you just sort of rub your skin, it will roll off the skin but stay on the nails.
