Lets start with the basics.

Lipstick
When thinking of makeup for the lips, this is probably the item that springs to mind first. It it also my favourite, from sheer to full coverage, creamy to matte – they are all great, and can finish off a look to perfection. Most lipsticks have a beeswax base which lends them their firmness (vegan brands tend to use Japan wax, which is a vegetable derived beeswax alternative), this is then mixed with various oils (commonly caster oil) to soften and add shine. The more beeswax in the ratio, the more matte and solid the lipstick is, the more oils, the softer and shinier it is. So, how do you get a soft matte lipstick? Usually by adding various butters into the mix. This can be purchased both within the traditional bullet shape, or in pots which require easy messing up your fingers, or using a lipbrush.

Ones to try: Chanel Hydrabase (for creamy and pigmented), Chanel Rouge Allure, NARS, Paul and Joe (very soft and creamy, not super pigmented, but great for natural colours), Rimmel Lasting Finish (soft and shiney), Besame (for a more retro matte finish).

Lipgloss
I’m not the biggest fan of lipgloss, but I’ll try and do it justice as I know it is probably more popular than lipstick now (this thought really depresses me). Lipgloss can be thought of as lipstick that is 90% oils and very little wax. Pigment wise they tend to be a lot sheerer than lipsticks, though their are some fabulous full coverage ones out there; they can also be in either liquid or solid form (liquid tending to be within either solid long tubes (like the famous Chanel Glossimers, or the squeeze variety (like Lancome’s Juicy Tubes) while solid is more often within pots (an example is Cargo’s lipglosses. Unlike lipstick, the role of lipgloss is not to merely add colour to the lips, but also to add shine. It is also notoriously short lived, wearing away very quickly and requires constant reapplications.

Ones to try: Chanel Glossimers (the creme de la creme of glosses), MAC lipglass (super sticky, but very long lasting), NYX mega shine (great range of colour, non sticky and super cheap).

Lip liner
Some what veux chapeau these days, but still has a very important place within our makeup bags. Lip liner is usually found within pencil form (though I believe Model’s Prefer has a liquid version) and has many many applications. It can be used to recontour the lip line (only to be attempted in public after much much practice), prevent lipstick from bleeding, adjust the colour of your lipstick, and make your lipstick (or gloss) last longer. There are two distinct forms of liner – one (the more usual) is made for lipstick, these tend to be heavily pigmented, matte and quiet firm. The other is a much softer and sheerer version more suited for use with gloss (e.g. MAC’s Lipglass pencils or Estee Lauder’s Lip Shaping Gloss Pencil). There was a time in the 90s when it was popular (if a little ill advised) to apply liner darker than the lipcolour being used, and some (even more ill advised) seem to be continuing this trend into the present day. While I will admit, 1 in 100 people who attempt this manage to do it well, I suspect it is because of their superior application and colour theory knowledge. As you are reading a ‘makeup for dummies’ post, I doubt you’ll be that one, so please…just don’t, at least not without a lot of practice and some honest feedback from people you trust.

Ones to try: Wet n Wild (ultra cheap, but very soft and long lasting), Barry M (firmer and great for matte lipsticks), Chanel Precision Lip Definer, Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof.

Lip Primer
Depending on which one you purchase they can do a variety of different things: moisterise the lip, make the colour last longer, prevent ‘feathering’ into lines around the lip and smooth out the lip area. Like lip liner, it is not a must for everyone. If you don’t have lines around your lip you probably can leave this one alone.

Lip Sealant
Now, unlike primer, these really do make your lipstick last longer. Lipcote is the original, and I believe the best (it’s also, I think, the cheapest), but Makeup For Ever also do their own reasonable version. It is a clear liquid that is painted on top of the lipstick and basically seals in the colour – through eating, drinking and errr…other things too :oP. It will tingle for a moment after application (lit: sting) but the result is hours and hours of not having to worry about reapplication. You must make sure when you apply this that your lips are dry, and keep your mouth slightly open while it drys to make sure you don’t ruin it.

Application

Prep

To make the most of your lips, make sure that your lips are prepped and ready for the colour application – red lipstick never looked good on dry cracked lips. If your lips are dry apply a little waxy balm (rather than a petroleum based balm like vaseline or the famous chicken poop) before you begin the rest of your makeup to give it a chance to sink in before starting on the lips. Using a waxy balm (like L’Occitane’s Shea butter balm (in the blue tube), or Nivea (Labello) Lip Care) will moisterise without adding a greasy shiny film to the lips, and will serve as an excellent base for lipstick.

If however they are cracked or chapped, lipbalm may not cut it – after applying the balm exfoliate the flakes off using a flannel soaked in hot water (or a toothbrush, or sugar granules if you prefer). Don’t be tempted by the various lip scrubs flooding the market, they can’t do anything a muslin cloth cannot do. If they are very very cracked, leave off the lip products are long as possible, and apply one of those waxes supposed to aid with congestion to the lips (e.g. Vick’s Vapour Rub), leave for as long as possible before very very gently exfoliating with a warm muslin cloth.

Prime

Most people, on most occasions will not need to consider priming, but if you are *cough* of a certian age, or wearing a bright/red/dark lipstick it may be worth considering. Smudge the primer over the lips and allow to settle (with your lips kept apart) for a few seconds.

You can also prime the lip with liner, either try to match your lipstick as well as possible to the liner colour, or find one which matches your own lip colour. Apply it in short feathery strokes around the lip first, and then fill in. When outlining the lips you can ‘dot’ the colour at strategic point to ensure a clean line as you join them up – one over each side of the cupid’s bow (the peaks of the upper lip), two on the bottom lip below these points to indicate how deep the lip goes, and one in the middle of the cupid’s bow (the valley area).

When applying liner to the upper lip, turn the pencil so that you are applying the liner from below (try resting your hand on your chin), this will ensure that the pencil forms a smooth arc going outwards from the lip, rather than collapsing into the lip area. While this look can look good in its own right, unless you are going for the Clara Bow look, you probably don’t want it.

Another alternative is using a lip tint as a base (my favourites are B Never’s and Urban Decay’s), these are liquids that dry down onto the lip leaving a tint (some sheer, some give full coverage) that lasts for hours and hours. These are wonderful under lipstick, as when it has worn away you are left with the tint underneath. They can also help change the colour of a lipstick/gloss (e.g. adding a cool toned colour under a warm colour will make it more neutral, or a pink under a red to make it more fushia etc).

Colour
There are many many ways to apply lipstick, and each of them can give very different affects – so when ever trying out a new colour, play around with it for a while. I personally prefer nudes to be smudged on, bright pinks to have harsh precise lines, and reds to be semi-precise, but you may have your own ideas.

To smudge a lipstick on, apply straight from the tube onto the centre of the lips (avoid the outline), then smudge it out with your fingers to cover the entire lip area. This gives a soft focus to the lips and make them look larger and softer. It may either be full coverage (gorgeous with nudes), or sheerer (unbelievably luscious with berries). To sheer out a full coverage lipstick, apply using the smudge method (just use a very little dab of colour) to stain the lips with the pigment (or try applying over a layer of balm so not so much pigment adheres to the lips – but the stain method willl last longer, the balm method will wear off quickly).

For a semi precise line, use a lipbrush and carefully create the liners around the lip before filling in. Work with a little lipstick at a time, and go back to the bullet often for more colour. Layer the colour to get the desired coverage, don’t try for full coverage all at once. Once you have finished painting the lips, blot then reapply avoiding the edges of the lip.

For a very precise line, do the same as above, but take a clean angle brush (e.g. a brow brush) to clean up the line around the lip. Some people recommend using concealer on the brush to do this clean up, however, concealer + red lipstick = pink skin around the lip (something that is clearly visible even in the poor quality of youtube videos – also look out for the tell tale pale outlines to lips of unblended concealer). A clean brush will give just as sharp a line, but without the hassle of having to blend out the new product/worry about smudging the colour further.

Finish

At this point you can decide the look you are going for with your lips – retro matte (great with super bright reds you may be worried about pulling off), semi gloss or gloss. If you want matte, blot the colour and apply a thin layer of translucent powder (e.g. silk or silica powder) over the lips with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Dab on the powder so as not to smudge the masterpiece. For semi-gloss or creamy do not do a final blot, but apply a little balm as the final layer (waxy balm for creamy, petroleum for semi-gloss), for a gloss finish obviously you need to apply gloss – clear will not interfere with your lip colour, a matching colour will add depth to the look – try experimenting with different colour combinations (try black gloss over red or berry for this seasons dark lips trend – takes practice, but worth it).

Sealing

A sealant can then be painted over the finished mouth – keep your lips slightly apart, and paint in soft short strokes. Try not the smile, talk or wet the lips in anyway for at least five minutes after application. This works best over lipstick, but can be used with gloss too (although it can make the lipgloss into a rubbery layer, so experiment first before leaving the house with this).

Hurrah! 2000 words later we have achieved the perfect lips. As ever, am willing to cover any areas I may have missed out – just let me know :o)

There are many factors that have to be considered when picking out a foundation, and they are all non-negotiable if you want a flawless face.

• Formulation – Choosing the correct formulation of foundation is a tricky business, you need to consider both the qualities of your skin, and also the environment within which you will be wearing it.
  Most foundations are either targeted towards ‘dry’ or ‘oily’ or ‘normal’ skin, so I won’t really go into that, it is pretty self explanatory. However, a lot of oily people prefer powder foundations, so if that is your issue, it may be something to consider.
  If you are going to be in a hot environment (especially a muggy and humid one) take into account that your skin may be more oily that usual.

  If you are going to have your picture taken, you will want to avoid that awful ‘white face’ that occurs in photographs using a flash. This is caused by the ingredient Titanium Dioxide, used within foundations both as a SPF (it reflects light, hence the white face) but also as a colour pigment. This bascially exludes all mineral foundations. Check the ingredients list, and if unsure don’t use any foundation that claims to have sun protection (NB *most* foundations contain this ingredient. Small levels present no problem, just look out for SPF levels over 8. If you need SPF try looking for a chemical rather than physical one if you are going to get photographed.) Other ingredients that need to be avoided for photos are mica – again commonly found in mineral based foundations and again reflects light, and bismuth oxychoride – the ingedient that gives that glow in mineral foundations (I think we now know what type of foundation is best avoided in photos :oP) which will look greasy and sweaty once under the influence of a flash.

• Coverage – foundation coverage can run from very sheer tinted moisterisers to full tattoo coverage. Though you may want to look as flawless as a doll, try to choose the least amount of coverage you can get away with. A lot of teenagers just grab full coverage in order to cover problematic skin, however I really wouldn’t recommend this. It will aggravate the skin, and appear very heavy and unnatural. If you want to cover something use concealer – the clue is in the name. Foundation is not made to cover any issues, merely to even out skin tone. Most people (including teenagers…infact, especially teenagers can get away with a good concealer, and either a light dusting of powder to set, or a very sheer tinted moisteriser. Only up the coverage of your foundation if your ‘issues’ are too widespread for a concealer to be dealt with (i.e. if you are starting to use a concealer as a foundation, that’s when you know you need more coverage).
  The darker it is, the heavier makeup you can go for – so during the winter, and for the evening you can ‘get away with’ a more covering foundation without it aging you badly. During the blaze of the summer – keep it as sheer as possible.
• Colour Match – Make sure that the foundation matches you perfectly. I understand that some people have issues with face colour not matching neck colour, and being unsure which to match. Although some people are adament that ‘foundation must match the face’, others are equally certain that it must match the body. There are no rules with makeup, only guidelines (despite what some commenters on youtube et al seem to think) and it is really your call if you are in that position. The benefit of matching the body is that you don’t get the ‘mask’ effect, however – put on a foundation that is too dark for the face and you’ll look caked in mud; too light and you will look ashen. I personally prefer to match the face, and work with overlaying products to ensure a match (i.e. using bronzer to darken either the face or the decollete as appropiate).
  Now that you have come to a decision on that score, you must now analysis your undertones – yellow, pink, olive or neutral. Lots of people give advice based on the colour of your veins, or what colours you suit – but frankly these are unhelpful at best. The general principle is that if the veins on your wrist appear green, your skin is yellow based, while blue indicates a pink based skin. I dislike this method as unless you are at the extreme ends, your veins looking ‘kinda turquoise-ish’ isn’t going to get you very far. Look carefully at your skin, ignore any facial redness (having red cheeks does not mean you have pink undertones), make sure you examine your skin in natural daylight – the type of bulbs you use can do all sorts of funny things to your undertones.

  While I hate to give gross generalisations, it is likely that if you are from northern european stock you will have pink undertones, those from the med are more likely to be olive, while asians tend to have more yellow undertones – also, please do not confuse a tan with ‘olive’ undertones.

  Those with neutral undertones are the lucky ones – a perfect balance between yellow and pink means that they can have any hair colour, and never look washed out by the colours that they wear.

  Once you have sussed your undertones, now you need the appropriate language to go foundation shopping – most brands will have a mixture within their range of ‘cool’ and ‘warm’ foundations, cool foundations are for those with pink based skin, warm is for those with yellow based skin (a famous exception is Bobbi Brown who only use yellow foundations, treating pink skin like a disease that needs to be covered up). Sadly, very few brands label these differences clearly, if you want an easy purchase try MAC. They have a coding system for their foundations which lets you easily select the correct undertone. N for neutral, NC for *warm* foundations (yes, confusing, but that’s the way the do it) and NW for *cool* foundations – got that? If in doubt – ask, counter girls (and guys) tend to be very well educated in their brand, and will know what undertones they cater for.

  While I would always recommend matching your foundation to your undertones, you may wish to do the Bobbi Brown thing of calming pink tones in your skin with a yellow based foundation. If that works for you then great, but it runs the risk of looking masky in real life. Try a colour corrected primer (green or yellow for pink skin, lavender or pink for yellow) or a setting powder (T. LeClerc’s or Pure Luxe’s are both magic).

  Other than undertone you have got to find the correct shade of the foundation. Most people will know what range they fall in (pale, light, fair, medium etc) so select three or so foundations within that colour range and try them out. Smooth a small dab onto your jawline of each of the colours – your correct shade should just melt into your skintone and not be visible. Do not attempt to change your skintone with your foundation – want to go darker? Use a darn bronzer, changing your foundation colour will not look natural. If you are at an extreme end of the scale (i.e. very very light, or very very dark) and are unable to find a match, consider getting your foundation custom made, or mix it up yourself. Buy the lightest or darkest colour in your favourite formula then mix with a white or black product to darken or lighten as required. Lightening is easy – just buy goth white foundation, darkening is harder and may require venturing into proffesional products – try Ben Nye or Makeup Forever flash colour pot in black.

  Application

  There are many methods of applying foundation, and again – none of them are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, whichever method works for you is the correct one.

  • Fingers – If I hear one more person say ‘ewww’ to this ‘use a darn brush, that is so unsanitary’ I am going to scream (it may seem like an extreme reaction, but I get this a lot). Fingers are about as ‘sanitary’ as you can get. Even clean brushes are left out in the open for some time (or even worse…in a case) and get covered in dust (or nastier if left in the bathroom) especially while they are drying, hands however can be freshly washed and dryed at a moments notice, with as much anti-bac as you can lay your hands on. Fingers can also give the most flawless finish if you are not used to using tools – why? Because your fingertips are smooth, brushes are not, and without careful blending using a foundation brush can lead to streaks. They also do not waste product (foundation doesn’t ‘sink in’ to fingers).
  • Brushes – Brushes are great…but only if you know how to use them properly. Foundation brushes are typically synthetic, if you are going to buy one make sure it is reasonably stiff and doesn’t have much give or movement to it. Dab a little foundation onto the back of you (clean) hand or pallete, then dip the brush into it, a little at a time. Start in the center of the face and work your way out. Move the brush in many directions to ensure that any streaks are removed.
    Another brush you can try is an air brush (otherwise known as a ‘stippling brush’ or a ‘skunk brush’) these have fine white synthetic hairs that are widely spaced, they are held upright and apart by being surrounded by black hairs that are shorter than them. Using this brush will provide a more natural coverage. Use a light touch, and a mixture of a stippling action and circular movement with the brush to get a flawless finish.

    Some counters try to sell brushes under the reasoning that they don’t waste product – please do not get motivated by this, if you have ever washed a foundation brush then you will know that a heck of a lot of foundation comes out of these (from between the bristles), and potentially a lot more than with any sponge.

  • Sponge – Sponges are great, you can stipple your foundation with them, blend it easily and are very very hard to missuse. If you are worried about wasting foundation with them, soak the sponge first in water, squeeze out the excess then put foundation on it, this will stop the foundation sinking into the sponge.

    Some people don’t like reusing sponges, but really they are no different from brushes (if brushes were 50 per £10 then the same people would be throwing them out after every use). If you want to do that, then that is fine, but really they can be washed quite easily with your brush cleaner/soap/shampoo/facial cleanser. If you wish to sanitise them, you can boil them or soak them in alcohol after you have cleaned them.

    The Chicken or the Egg

    So which comes first? Foundation or concealer? I think this depends on the foundation that you are using. If a powder foundation, I think it is better to apply concealer first, concealer (creme or liquid rather than powder in this case) applies better onto ‘moist’ skin, and may not blend properly over powder. Putting the powder second will also set the concealer. Lastly, a creme concealer over a powder base may stand out as shiny and different to the rest of the skin.

    For creme or liquid foundations I would recommend putting the concealer after. Applying a liquid foundation after the concealer may rub it off or cause it to smear. Also, foundation provides a level of coverage, therefore adding the foundation on top may be overkill. Using the foundation first allows you to gauge how much concealer is actually needed.

    Getting your Foundation to Last
    No one likes looking in the mirror three hours after they applied perfect makeup only to find that their foundation has either gone completely, oxidised (turned orange) or has gone cakey.

    At this point I cannot fail to mention primers. Primers tend to either be of the powder variety (for mineral foundations) or silicon. Either way, they sit right on the skin directly over you skincare and before your foundation. They provide a barrier between your skin and the makeup – meaning that less oils can pass through (less chance of oxidisation) and less foundation to sink into your skin (less chance of your foundation disappearing throughout the day). If you need it, there are some great ones on the market (Paul and Joe’s is very lightweight and great for summer, Smashbox’s offers colour correction and really helps create a flawless base).

    Setting powder is shunned by some because they think it’ll make the face appear dry and matte whereas they want glow. If this is your issue you can try applying loose powder all over your face to set your makeup, and then spray over it with a glycerin based spray (like MAC’s Fix + or The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Energising Facial Spritz , or alternatively make your own), water spray (evian) or something like witchhazel or rosewater. The spray with meld your makeup together and reduce powderyness. The glycerin sprays are best if you want real ‘inner glow’. Then, throughout the day, only apply powder to your t-zone (brow bone, nose and chin), the ‘glow’ with remain on your cheeks, but you will keep your skin from getting greasy throughout the day.

    Powder can either be translucent (appears white but contains no pigment and therefore looks invisible once applied – though colourless it’s really no recommended for super dark skin), colour corrective (blue for light, pink for radiance, green for redness etc etc) or can match your skintone. It is worth experimenting with them to find out what you like. As with foundation formulas vary between brands, you can even get some with antiperspirant in them (Ben Nye Neutral Set – designed for theatrical use), but I recommend looking for very fine powders as these will appear the most flawless.

    Don’t want to spend a lot of money but still want great results? Head over to TKB trading and get a big bag of one of their cosmetic powders, put them in an empty powder pot and you’ll get something better than what you can buy at most counters. Silk powder is great for oily skin, Pearl powder is supposed to give radiance and have the benefit of being good for you, Kaolin clay if you are very oily and want a matte look and Silica for ‘airbrushed’ perfection.

    Still not lasting? Head over to a theatrical shop and try out the makeup setting sprays. While not recommended for every not, once dryed you makeup will not be going anywhere. The industry favourite is Ben Nye’s Final Seal, spray in the air and let in gently fall to settle on your face (if you spray directly you’ll end up with shiny splotches). It contains alcohol and is therefore very drying, but for brides it is a must have.

    And there you have it, my treatise on foundation. If I have left anything out, or you have a question then feel free to contact me. Go to thevanity.co.uk to find my email address, or alternatively leave a comment :o)