Make Up Games: Five Eyeliner Tips

Off all the kinds of make up, eyeliner is by far the trickiest. A thin little pencil can do so much to make your eyes dramatic. Or that same pencil can make sure you closely resemble an oddly marked raccoon. If you’re using eyeliner – here are some tips.

Go easy – The first rule of thumb is to go easy on the liner. In fact you most likely shouldn’t be wearing it during the day at all. Keep it to nights or special occasions and apply it very lightly indeed.

Stay with the lash line - Eyeliner should blend with your lashline to make your lashes look dark and sultry. If the liner is above the lashes, you’ll look like you’ve painted a bulls eye on each eye since the lighter lid will show up under the liner.
Use short strokes - Use light, short strokes to apply the liner. This keeps your hand under control and lets you make the line perfect. If you try to make one sweeping motion, you might just line your eyelid rather than your list line.
Don’t line the whole eye – If you line the entire eye, you’ll create a ring around your eye that resembles a raccoon. Line along the lashes on top and then just the outer third of the eye on the bottom.
Use pencil eyeliner – Liquid eyeliner is still sold, but unless you’re Picasso you’d be better off with a pencil liner. You can control it about 100 times better than the liquid variety.

The Difference Make Up Can Make

Thinking of wearing make-up out and about? It can make a big difference. If you haven’t ever tried make-up, ask your mom or grab an experienced friend or older sister and head to the mall. This is a favorite make up game to try – get a makeover from an experienced professional.

You’ll never know how you’ll look in a face of make-up until you try it out. So get busy experimenting. Let the pros work first to show you how to apply each kind of make-up and most will let you try a few strokes if you’d like to be sure you have the motion down.

Then, check yourself out in the mirror. Look different? I thought so. Make up is designed to bring your best features forward and play down some of the ones you might not be so thrilled with – such as acne or uneven skin tones.

If you like your new look, gather up your new make up and head home to experiment a bit more. You might hold off on experimenting for today as you have your make up already on your face. You don’t want to wash off the professional job just to try your own hand. Wait until tomorrow when you’re already working with a fresh face and practice as much as you need to in order to get the look that’s perfect for the new you.

Summer Lips

If you’re trying to play it smart this summer, you need to protect your lips. Of course, no fan of makeup games would want to throw sunscreen on her lips. It would smell funny and taste bad, but you can look great while protecting your lips from the sun and the heat.

Lip Damage
You might not think about it that much, but all of your skin suffers from too much sun and the hot, dry weather. Your lips may start to feel chapped and blistered if you spend too much time without protection, so always be sure you keep good lip protection handy.

Lip Basics
If you’re a basic kind of girl, you can go with the most standard of lip protection – Chapstick. There is a great Chapstick with sunscreen built right in. Spread that on your lips and you’ll be in business. Of course, the Chapstick does a great job of protecting your lips, but not such a hot one of making them look pink and kissable.

Lip Gloss
Research at your local drug store to find make up that does more than add color. There is a huge amount of lip gloss and lipstick out there that have built in sunscreen and extra moisture. Grab a new tube in a light, fresh summer color and you’ll be in business for the rest of the summer.

Mall Makeup Makeovers

If you’re serious about buying beauty products from one for one of the vendors in the mall such as Clinque or Estee Lauder, you can take advantage of a terrific freebie. You can ask, or the clerk may simply offer to do a full makeup makeover for you.

The catch is, you’re supposed to buy the products used in the makeover, but you don’t have to buy every one. Plan on buying at least two, however, to make it worth the sales rep’s time.

Of course, you can also have your makeup done by a professional for a fee. Everyone should have their makeup done at least once – just for fun. If you have a special occasion coming up, such as a dance or cousin’s wedding, that might be a great time to try out a new look. Of course you can also just save your makeup makeover for a time you need a little pick-me-up.

Everyone gets grumpy sometimes, especially when it’s too hot to go outside and you’re getting a bit bored with online makeup games. This is the perfect time to take yourself to the mall for a serious girl power hour.

10 Tips for Summer Make Up

1. Skip foundation. Opt for tinted moisturizer instead. It’s lighter and more youthful anyway.

2. Absolutely apply a moisturizer with sunscreen every morning. The sun and hot air will dry out your skin and give you skin damage unless you protect yourself.

3. If you’re outside more than just walking too and from the car, apply a heavier sunscreen to any and all exposed skin. Sunspots aren’t a girl’s best friend.

4. Keep power handy to dab at the shiny spots that appear on your face. A healthy glow is different from an oily one.
5. Keep colors light and bright. Dark tones are best in the cooler months. Summer is about brightness, so think light!
6. Throw away eyeliner. It’s much too heavy for the light and airy summertime months.

7. Invest in a good waterproof mascara. Apply it every morning and it won’t matter if you’re running through the rain or getting tossed into a pool unexpectedly. Your eyes will look great either way.
8. Find a good lip gloss with sunscreen. Hey! Lips get burned, too. Protect them with a good lip moisturizer that has some serious sun blocking power.
9. Wear a hat. Hats are cute and stylish. They also help to keep the sun off your face and hair. The sun is terrific – except when it’s causing major damage.

10. Skip the tan. Unless it’s something you spray on, any kind of tan is dangerous. You might look bronzed now, but someday you’ll just look wrinkled and spotty. Ew!

Ease into Make up

It’s fun to play make up games where you give your friends completely new looks thanks to your secret stash of makeup. But when you’re thinking about wearing makeup outside for the first time, i.e. to church or school, you’ll want to take it slow. Easing into make up is the best way to be sure you’re not making the worst make up mistake – wearing too much.

Start with a single item. Your first make up item should be something that makes you feel good without worrying if you’ve applied it correctly. Lip gloss or mascara are the two top items. Pick one for now to test out how it feels. Remember you’ll likely have to reapply your lipliner throughout the day, so bring it with you.

Bump it up. When you’re comfortable with one item, move ahead to two. If you started with lip liner, try a bit of mascara or maybe blush to bring some color to your cheeks. Try out the two items for a week or so before introducing a third – if you want it. Many women, even actresses and models wear only mascara and lip gloss on a given day.

A good third item to consider is a bit of power on the T zone. That’s your forehead, nose and chin – the area where oil can make your skin look shiny. Avoid too much or you’ll look powdery. You’ll also want to be sure you get the right shade to match your skin. Powder, and someday foundation, should blend seamlessly into your skin.

Pool Party Make up

It would be hard to let the hours of practice and knowledge you’ve gained in your make up games go to waste simply because you’re going to get wet. Pool parties, the beach and other fun water activities are no reason to skip looking your best. For a pool party, you just need special make up.

Start with a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen. Most skin care lines now have moisturizer with tint. You can use this as foundation as well as sunscreen on your face. If you can find a truly waterproof lotion, use that one – otherwise, reapply frequently.

Use waterproof mascara to give your eyes a bit of pop. Skip eye shadow and eye liner, but waterproof mascara will make your eyes stand out a bit giving you a more polished look.

You can skip the blush since the warmth and sun will be giving you a healthy glow on your cheeks, but be sure you’re still applying your moisturizer sunscreen!

Finally, use a waterproof, or kissing proof, lipstick or gloss to go on your lips. Failing this, you can also use a tinted chapstick. Look for a gloss or chapstick that has sun protection as well and you’re in business.