A Man’s Guide to Doing Makeup
As a man, doing makeup is usually something I do not deal with on a regular basis. Chloe Bigwarfe, a manager at Ulta Beauty Store in Sanford, Florida helped me gain a better understanding on the topic. “Makeup is not necessarily needed for humans to survive, but makeup is something that women can use to help boost their confidence in their appearance”.
Bigwarfe broke down makeup into three main categories: eyes, lips, and face. Starting with the eyes category, eyebrows are the main place to start. Eyebrows can be filled in with products such as pencils, powder, pomade, or eyebrow gel. After the eyebrows, the next step is eyeshadow. Bigwarfe’s biggest tips were to use a primer before applying eyeshadow so “the shadows are applied smoother and will last much longer” and also to “use matte shadows on the majority of the lid”. The last step for the eyes is to use a waterproof mascara on your eyelashes to make sure it does not run due to your sweat, etc.
For lips the most important product is lipstick. Color is an important choice because certain colors can wash out your skin and make it appear to be a different color and it can also cause your teeth to look yellow. Bigwarfe said that first you should “choose a matte lipstick because these will last the longest”. And when in doubt, choose a nude/light pink color.
The last section and probably most important is the face. To start, the type of primer you use is really important and depends on your skin type. For someone with large pores and oily skin, the best option would be a pore-filling primer to limit production of oil. For dry skin, the best option would be to use a hydrating primer to avoid dry patches and flaky skin. “Your choice of primer is extremely important,” said Bigwarfe. “If you make the wrong choice this can really affect the look of your makeup and the health of your skin”. The next step would be to apply foundation which also depends on your skin type. For oily skin, matte finish foundation would be the best option while hydrating foundation would be best for dry skin. The best way to apply this product would be with a wet sponge. Next, you would need to brush on setting powder make sure your foundation does not “transfer” anywhere, for example onto someone’s clothes if you hug them. After your foundation is set, you can use contour and highlight to accentuate or minimize your natural features.
Common places to do this is on the cheekbones, forehead, and nose. Then apply blush to bring some of that color back into your cheeks followed by a setting spray that makes sure your makeup lasts all day or night.
After learning about all of this, I can’t imagine the skill it takes to apply all of this, the amount of patience and practice this routine would take is incredible.
Walker Dycus - Contributing Writer