Find the Right Makeup for You
By Jennifer Nuttall, staff writer & Lori Garcia, editor-in-chief

I love makeup but, have never really worn it until I got into Mary Kay. I did wear makeup in high school, only for band competitions, so it was dramatic makeup. I was introduced to Mary Kay brand in high school but I didn't really take it seriously. They used to have a five step process to take care of your face and I was so not into that. Now they have a new thing called "Time Wise" system. It's all that stuff combined into two bottles. This is what I use. One bottle has the cleaner and another has the moisturizer.

Find Your Shape
Enough about Mary Kay though. I want to talk about our faces. We all have many different shapes of faces. There are circle faces,heart faces,oval faces,square faces, long faces, and short faces. There are those women with high foreheads, not much of a forehead , or a covered forehead (with their hair).

Your face shape will determine which features you want to bring out in your face. For example, those with round face shapes will want to emphasize the cheek bones in their face. This will make their faces look slimmer and less round.

Learn more about face shape and what features to emphasize

Find Your Skin tone
Also we have different skin tones. There is light/fair, cool,medium, neutral, maybe some olives and yellows for women of color, and dark. We have to keep all this in mind when picking out makeup.

What I have learned is that you can look in a mirror to determine your face shape. Just study it for a while and decide which one fits you most. Then, to determine your underlying skin tones, put a piece of white paper next to your face, in front of a mirror, and see which color comes out most on your face.

Skin tone is often referred to as "warm" or "cool." Even some makeup manufacturers denote whether particular shades they carry fit into which category. An easy way to figure out is to determine which type of jewelry looks best on you. Does silver look better up against your skin? Does gold make your skin glow? If you said "yes" to silver, then you are probably considered a "cool." If you said "yes" to gold, then you are most likely a "warm." Remember, those same makeup manufacturers also make color palates in what they call "neutrals." These shades generally look good on both types of skin tones. When in doubt, buy neutral. Another way to look at this test is to see if your skin looks better in white or cream. White tends to be cool, while cream is warm.

Another way some makeup manufacturers and beauty specialists look at skin tones is to assign them a season. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm a winter," and thought to yourself, "what are they talking about?" Color Me Beautiful, a leading makeup manufacturer and consultant firm, is the authority on seasons.

Visit their website to find out your season and what colors look best on you!

Skin Care
When applying makeup, it's good to start with a daily regimen such as cleanser and moisturizer. It gives you a smooth palette to work with. Even the night before, you can use creams for crow's feet, dark circles under your eyes, or something to smooth your lips for morning. Dry skin will want a thicker moisturizer than combination or oily skin. Those with oily skin will want a light, oil-free moisturizer to help maintain moisture without adding oil.

Concealing Blemishes
After your cleansing and moisturizing, you want to start with your concealer. When you put on concealer, you want to dot it on. Just use three dots and blend it in under your eyes or on any blemishes you want to cover.

Maturing skin will want to lighten up on concealer. That's because concealer can bet cakey and thick and will actually emphasize wrinkles, instead of hide them. Special cosmetics, like Revlon's Age Defying line, help to smooth makeup on top of fine lines, instead of settling into them.

Another concealing secret is green and yellow concealer. Green concealer helps to neutralize red marks and blemishes like acne, while yellow concealer helps neutralize dark or blue marks like under-eye circles or veins.

A Sure Foundation
Then we go on to foundation. There are different types of foundation too. Some people have dry skin, oily skin, or maybe a combination. You want to choose one that works with your skin type.

There are several basic types of foundation:

Cremes: These give you the most coverage and are used often by actresses and TV personalities because they can create a truly flawless look. Cremes tend to be very heavy, though, and may seem unnatural.

Liquids: These give you medium coverage and a moisturizing effect. Most women choose this option because it covers enough for them to feel comfortable, but not too heavy to feel made up.

Sheers: These give you the lightest, sheerest coverage available. Many teens or people with great skin can get away with these lighter foundations.

Lasting: These can be cremes or liquids, but usually have some sort of chemical that allows them to stay put over many hours. One example of these is Revlon's Color Stay foundation. Some women that wear these kinds will never go back to regular foundation because they don't come off until you wash it off.

Two-in-Ones: These are typically found in compacts and are used in place of a foundation and powder. These usually turn into a powder once they are applied. Some people on the go, really love this kind of foundation.

Iridescent: Found in a stick, creme, or liquid, these kinds of foundation add a touch of glamor to the skin with a shimmer. These are usually worn for special occasions, and not for every day.

Some people like to apply foundation over the entire face in a very light coating, blending it well at the neck. Others, like makeup artist Bobbi Brown, advocate for using foundation in only the necessary spots on your face or neck. She suggests that an overall coat might be too much for some women.

Whichever method you choose, you want to choose a color that matches your skin also. You don't want your foundation to look yellow, orange, or red.

Set the Look
Powder is the next step in applying makeup. There are different shades to match your skin, neutrals, translucents, and shimmers. Powder comes in loose form or in a compact.

If you choose loose powder, you'll want to use a large brush to apply the powder. Brush this on in a downward motion. This way the hairs on your face won't stick up. Loose powder will give you a softer, more natural look.

Pressed powder, or those in a compact, usually come with a puff for application. Apply the powder by lightly pressing the puff up against the skin. Usually it's not a good idea to rub the puff across the face. This could streak the foundation and blush.

For a glowing or special look, a powder with a little shimmer would be perfect. Dust some on the bridge of your nose, your cheek bones, your chin, and your forehead for a special glowing look.

A Healthy Glow
Next apply your blush. Choose one that compliments your face. Try it on the back of your wrist and see if it's too dark or light. Sometimes if you get a color not right for you, you can use some powder over it to soften the color. It works best on the apples of the cheek. Again try and apply it in a downward motion.

Blush application varies depending upon the makeup artist you talk with. Some advocate small circles on the apples of the cheek, some say swooshes from the hairline inward to the apple, etc. You really have to try different techniques and see which is right for you.

The Eyes Have it
The eyes are next. The secret to pretty eyes is to use the right shades for you. Depending upon your skin tone, you may want warm tones or cool tones. Neutral tone makeup looks great on just about anymore, so when it doubt, stick with neutrals.

Eyeshadow is probably the most varied of any makeup application. There are just so many ways to apply it. Here are some of our favorites:

Smooth powder or cream over entire lid. This is typically one with a lighter, not-so-dramatic color.	Place the lighter shadow on the lid and brow line and place a darker contour shadow just above the crease.	Similar to the contour, but instead, placing the darker counter shadow on the outter edge of the eye above the crease.	Use a darker or smokey shadow around the eye, blending very thoroughly. This produces a dramatic look and generally looks better on more youthful eyes.

Eyeliner is best just worn on the bottom. However, sometimes if you have smaller eyes you may want to line the top to give the impression of bigger eyes. But if you have large eyes you wouldn't necessarily want to make them look bigger. I wear brown liner, myself. I have auburn hair. I think black or brown works well with any color hair. However , I did try green in high school!! Then we have mascara. I get a sensitive kind because it makes my eyes itch. Again, black or brown works for anyone. They do make clear for those people who were blessed with full,long lashes, just to enhance them.

Luscious Lips
Last we have the lipstick/gloss/cream. I like to use a lip crayon. It tends to stay on longer. When choosing a color try and match it with your blush and eyes. You don't want your lips to jump out and say "look at me!" .Darker colors are good for darker complexions, mauves,pinks,and corals are good for cool complexions,mauves,berries, and some browns are good neutral colors. Lip creams and glosses sometimes cake up on your lips so be careful to not over apply.

In summary, I think we all have inner beauty. Makeup should just enhance it. Just remember to find your colors and don't over-apply it. Who knows, it may match well enough, no one will know it's makeup!