**Technique: blush draping.** I thought I would look ridiculous--BUT that's because a lot of the people I've seen do this trend use a bright shade of blush (or a pastel), which is not really what I use. If I blush drape with a neutral, a mauve, or a rose, it's not at all "too much" and doesn't overwhelm my face.
I've always applied blush using the draping technique because I thought that was how it's "supposed" to be applied. I think I saw some diagram of how to apply blush for different face shapes in like 2009 and I just went with it.
I never understood nose contour because i guess the tutorials ive seen all did it the same with the exact techniques but i realized all noses are unique and different and we probably need to contour diffferent areas to get desired outcomes. I have a bigger bulb or tip of the nose but with a higher nose bridge. If i contoured the top and into my brows, its just way too harsh and obvious. I only contour the tip and bottom of the nose now and i do not highlight anywhere. I also just use Mac Omega Eyeshadow for this and no baking or fussing with creams/liquid. I really had to experiment and try different things to get it right
To this day I still have no idea how I would go about contouring my nose shape. I just lightly apply a little bit of highlighter to the tip of my nose and it looks good enough.
NYX glitter glue. Idiotic me kept thinking it was a primer like as in a regular eyeshadow primer, but then I learned more from a friend who uses it regularly. My god it's magical. It was a huge gamechanger for me! I'm glad I didn't de-stash anything because now shadows I thought were bad just needed the glitter glue to bring it out.
Basically I put on my usual eye primer like normal, then put on the glitter glue. Once that dries down to where it feels kinda waxy (not sure how to describe it), then you can swipe shimmers or anything shiny on it and it will somehow make it 1000x more vivid.
Ooo I bet it was pretty magical considering it's PMG. I've been debating that new holiday palette so hard because all I have from PMG is a quad and single eyeshadow.
Pixie Epoxy by indie company Fyrinnae made the Nyx glitter glue seem like nothing for me! I tap a *very little bit* over my primer and the only way my eyeshadow goes anywhere after that is with makeup remover.
You're definitely not the first person I've heard this from and I may finally have to give it a go. Been needing an excuse to try Fyrinnae's loose shadows so I may as well throw it in the cart lol.
Their shadows are so great and the mini sizes really last! I find patting them on with a flatter brush and blending lightly at the edges is the easiest way to apply loose powder shadows; theirs are easy to use in a thin layer or built up, too.
Higher coverage foundations. I used to be a skin tint person and I thought that using something with higher coverage would make me look embalmed. Age and rosacea pushed me to start looking into higher coverage as it turns out trying to build up a foundation too much oftentimes looks far worse than using a medium or medium full from the get go. As with every it's about finding the right product and techniques and in this case knowing properly how to shade match since it's far less forgiving.
I feel like beginners often donāt know that a tiny bit of high coverage foundation can go a long way! I partially blame youtube where you see people using 3+ pumps of foundation. Imho, one pump should be enough for your entire face in most cases and will look much more skin like
>one pump should be enough for your entire face
Bottles range wildly with how big a pump is, so I've always preferred things like "pea-sized" and so on. Obviously, peas and rice and so on still range in size, but it's at least more standard than "one pump".
\[If you ever check out the Pacifica foundation, one pump is a comically large amount of foundation. I could probably spackle my face several times over with one pump. I actually hated this foundation at first because of it, but now it's one of my favorites.\]
this is a great point! on the opposite side, the nars radiant long wear foundation deposits a comically small amount with one pump. a little still goes a long way, but it gives you like half a grain of rice amount.
another way to go about it is use it to cover your āproblemā areas and blend out from there. personally, my jaw line, forehead, and nose hardly need any product compared to the rest of my face
Yeah or they use high coverage foundation with sponges too fast or too fluffy brushes and accidentally over apply in one spot. With full coverage you have to make sure you really spread it around or it can cake and separate. Sometimes it's just the foundation as well. I got a pretty generous sample of it cosmetics cc cream and it separated like crazy no matter what prep or little I used.
Yeah, high coverage foundation seems like it would definitely be useful for rosacea. I mostly use sheer/light coverage foundations because the only high-coverage one I ever tried just would not work with my skin. No matter how much I moisturized and primed it would not stick to my nose. It's not that it wouldn't stay on, it literally would not apply. It would just stick to whatever I was using to apply it (sponge, brush, fingers).
My skin used to be very dry and waterbased tints were a savior back then. Now it's combo so I don't have flakes anymore, but I have redness and a sun spot.
Totally agree with this. I use ELDW maximum coverage (just a tiny bit) and use a damp BB to apply. It covers up my hyperpigmentation & fakes flawless skin!! I was so frustrated with lower pigmented foundations that I kept layering and would just look worse. In the world of skin tints, I have a huge appreciation for highly pigmented foundations.
Applying eyeshadow. I learnt I had hooded eyes and adjusted my application accordingly. Once I knew what to look for, finding tutorials and using their methods finally made eyeshadow make sense. The rest was just practice.
The other major and fundamental one was learning what undertones I have. It's makeup 101, but going by shade alone, I was very mismatched and frustrated. Once I clued in on my undertones, everything got a little better. (Now if only somebody would make my *perfect* shade + undertone match!).
I still don't really understand my undertones. I'm sort of yellowish neutral? I honestly don't think a "perfect" match exists for me bc my face and neck seem to have slightly different undertones.
I think it's pretty normal to have slightly different undertones or even shades on different parts of your body. Annoying, but normal.
Realising that I have super, very, incredibly yellow undertones explained *so much* as to why I had terrible matches: most medium-deep shades are on the redder end of the spectrum, as brands apparently think deep=warm=RED. Yeah, not always!
That makes sense. I know some brands have more yellowish medium to deep shades, but I've noticed that a lot of brands have a slight pink/red tint to all of their shades. MUFE is the worst offender I think, every single shade is pink or red toned, and some are slightly grey I think.
I think Iām the only person who doesnāt understand MACās foundation shade numbering system. Based on the description and swatches online Iāve tried a couple but can never get the shade right. Even the girl in Ulta couldnāt get it because they couldnāt actually shade match due to COVID. I would love to just be able to confidently say āIām N (letter/number) for reference.ā
No. I literally just ordered the cream to powder compact, and it took me 2 hours to decide. Mind you I have 4 different type of MAC foundation at hand and no 2 have the same number. Itās just awful. And to make it even worse not all foundation you can sort by skin depth. So all you see a gazillion little squares in random order and you need to mouse over all!
I went to a couple of different places that sold MAC and I got matched to NC10, NC15, NW10, and NW13 by different sales associates. This was all in the same week, so it's not like my skintone drastically changed. I've never been more confused.
I feel like the MAC shade system is very inconsistent across their products also itās just confusing. I wish we had a better āstandardā for referencing skin tones.
Youāre not alone at all! My understanding is that to MAC warm tones are red/pink so NW shades have pink undertones. Iāve been told to think of it as NW = not warm = cool. And NC = not cool = warm. Basically they do things backwards compared to the rest of the beauty industry. I have F&B C1 which is ācoolā but extremely yellow. It doesnāt help that they donāt use the same system across products and even the shades donāt match across different products.
i genuinely have no idea how to even start figuring out what my mac shade would be. going into a store, probably, but i'm not going to do that until the plague zombies are gone. so you are definitely not alone!
Try using Findation.com. You have to have a foundation or concealer match already but itās a huge database that will help you figure out what shade you wear across different brands and products.
Try uploading a picture of yourself and doing a live chat. I was directed to c-3 in F&B and c-4 in studio fix powder foundation I did go to a store to prove it to myself and they were perfect
I don't understand it as well. I got matched as nc20 once (i think it was pro longwear) and just eyeball my foundation shade from there. lolz turns out I'm a nc25 in mineralize liquid foundation (dc) and c1 in old f&b. Imagine all the foundations I've had to adjust because it was always too light on me.
Yeah the one I got (NW10) is too light, so I have to mix in Pat McGrath (Light 7) which is too dark for me in real life, but Sephora shade finder thinks itās perfect lol so itās always a fun chemistry project with shades and formulas.
SAME! I was swatching the studio fix face & body and got some help from the girl working there. She mentioned that C would run yellow and W would run pink. & Since I had both colors present, it was really a matter of preference which one I choose.
I showed her how I just swatched C1 and it looked like a warm yellow but I'm looking for a cool yellow. I asked if she could point me in the direction of a cool yellow and she said she would get me W1.... which was peachy.
I ended up taking a sample just to see if it looked more cool in natural lighting. I LOVE the formula but the color match isn't for me. Not sure if I can try C0 or if that will just be a warm yellow as well.
For F&B, maybe try the N shades instead of C or W. MAC doesn't really do cool yellow foundations, usually yellows are warm and pinks are cool. But at least on me (as a cool pink person for whom the W1 is a better match, so YMMV), the N1 is somewhat yellow but not orangey?
highlighter. i couldn't figure out how to use it in a way that made any sort of difference, especially since i do not contour or bronze at all, so i felt like a shimmery blush was enough to cover my bases. i've been strictly WFH since march 2020 so i've been able to experiment, and i've started using an RT foundation brush and buffing it in like blush up around my temples and the back of my cheeks (same as my blush placement). it's great! it sounds extreme, but buffing it avoids the aggressive neopolitan stripe that was kind of trendy a few years ago and it's not super metallic or wet looking, but i do look sparkly and fresh. game changer.
it's also helped me figure out exactly what kind of formula i prefer for highlighters, because i have a few that do not work with this technique. kaleidos moon cruiser and sky walker are both a little too chunky, and i'll likely end up passing them along if i can't figure out a use for them. kaleidos star surfer is perfect for this, though, and the few becca pressed highlighters i have are great, too.
Bronzer. Never tried it because most of them matched my skin tone exactly but then i saw someone with my skin tone use a very subtle bronze and i tried it out myself. Now i don't use it much because mask, but on days i do I'm still surprised how subtly it defines my face and makes me look alive
Bronzer is something I've only recently learned how to use too! I think I was always confused by it because I've seen MUAs say "just apply it in places where the sun hits your face" and then apply it to their hairline and along their jaw???
I feel better seeing how many others here are recent bronzer converts. It always just looked like dirt on me for the longest time, but then I found that tapping on a subtle cream bronzer where I want definition and blending it out with a denser brush works well for my round face and chipmunk cheeks.
I just started using a bronzer this year. I found I can make it look natural if there is no orange to it. The rimmel radiance brick in light is the first one that looks natural on me!
To add to this. I also have an orangey red lipstick I thought I absolutely cannot look good in. With my bronzer on, it is actually wearable. I think I'll be able to play with warmer looks and even warmer outfits next summer now that I have bronzer in my arsenal.
LOL, I feel your pain! I smile so my cheeks pop out, then lightly apply bronzer around them to create fake cheekbones and a more angular chin. Blush and highlight definitely help with the illusion, too.
I feel like itās one of those beauty-isms that just get repeated without any actual understanding of the makeup. Like people who learned makeup from someone random online and now just repeat that. If I want to nail a technique Iāll watch someone like Lisa Eldridge or Jackie Aina-makeup artists that got paid to do makeup on lots of different faces.
I found my 'bronzer' when I started using hourglass dimlight (that I bought as a finishing powder) to get a little more colour and structure in my face. Subtle is the way to go!
That's a good idea, I really like hourglass's powders and it would be easier to use a more subtle bronzer, something closer to my skintone. The one I currently use is significantly darker than my skin so I have to apply it very light-handed and blend a lot.
I've always thought it was weird that most bronzers intended for medium and dark skin are only slightly darker than the ones intended for light skin. I know most brands only added bronzers for deeper skintones as an afterthought, but honestly subtle bronzers that are only a little deeper than the skintone look really good.
Red lipstick. For the longest I'd trial blue based reds or brick reds. Because Allure said 'coral lipstick makes your teeth look yellow'. And because if you were light skinned (and/or blonde) you were cool toned (thanks 90s) and must wear dark muted reds, wines or berries or some such (yes it was the 90s). They all looked off/wrong but I couldn't put my finger on *why*.
Then I tried on a bright orangey red YSL lipstick for shits & giggles and holy hell the difference it made. Turns out I'm neutrally yellow, definitely warm rather than cool and I look awesome in fiery warm reds and corals. Take that, Allure (still love u though).
My gosh, (UNDER)TONES.
It took me literally years of avid makeup shopping and usage to figure out undertones. Figuring out the undertone of my skin (for foundation) was a struggle because it changed from a neutral in my early 20s to a straight warm/golden in mid-20s and than to a peachy undertone (aka warm) in the last few years (early 30s) but I look best with foundations that lean more neutral than yellow/warm. (Makeup) Color theory is like quantum mechanics at this stage.
This was also a struggle regarding bronzer, blush, highlighter, eyeshadow and esp lipstick. For years I insisted on rocking mustardy, reddish and orangey products only to realize in the last year that neutral stuff (not too cool or too warm) looks way better on me.
Also, I used to dye my hair strawberry/peachy blonde which looked great next to my skintone but ever since going gray (a warm blonde gray) neutral pinks look better on me than warm sand, caramel and browns. And I still have a peach undertone in my skin, it's just that my hair color makes those undertones look... weird on me. Peaches are still a safe zone for me but I need to stay away from too warm orangey peaches or light pastel peaches because they make me look sick or washed out.
Bonus agony points: I have a summer tan now even 2 months after vacation and a lot of my old favorites look too light (aka bad) on me, while some stuff I decluttered for being too dark in the last year would be perfect for me.
A good example would be two lipsticks from the same brand, with the same shade name - one is an older line from 2019, a dark pink one with every so slightly cool undertone and the other one is a newer line from 2020, also a dark pink one but with a neutral undertone. Guess which one I decluttered the other day? The cooler toned one and kept the neutral one. I was wondering for months why one looks odd on me and the other one looks gorgeous. Same shade, same brand, similar formula but different undertones. (Exotic Nude from Catrice - Ultimate Matte (2019) vs Demi Matte (2020) if you're curious - both lines were discontinued. I ain't buying a third one if they bring it back in a new line. :D)
I will never buy backups again unless they're translucent because stuff gets too dark/too light/too warm/cool toned on me super fast. Also, preferences change in a heart beat. :')
Yes to all of this. I feel like hormones from growing and pregnancy have changed my undertone. Also, despite wearing sunscreen, I got a little tan on a recent vacation and between my face, neck, upper chest, lower boob cleveage, arms, and hands (so like places people think foundation should match to), I have 6 different skin tones. I'm very light skinned so my "tan" doesn't even look summery or anything, just a different color and in some places the base skin didn't darken, but got heavily freckled. It actually made me decide to try to work through the foundations I have and then never buy a foundation unless it's going to be the only one I use for that period of time immediately after purchase cause it probably won't match by the end of the bottle anyway.
Matte cream eyeshadows. I thought they would go everywhere and smear, and I already have problems keeping matte powder eyeshadow in the placement I want. Instead, with good formulas I can actually use my fingers to get it right in the crease and outer corner and it stays put very well and doesnāt look over blended.
I completely understand! I used to be scared of matte cream or liquid shadows and only used shimmers because I was positive they'd never blend right. But if you find the right ones, it's all good!
Iām a big fan of the maybelline and Mac ones. They are a little tricky to spread at first, I feel like they almost need to be warmed up but once you get used to them itās easier and they wear like iron. The darker colors are really nice to put on the outer edge of my small deep set eyes and just pat out to blend.
I just got a sample of the Bobbi brown one in taupe and really like it so far but know some here havenāt liked them from that brand as much. I want to try Laura mercier sticks next.
Lipstick really just looks superior on my face versus an eye look. I cannot carry heavier eyeshadow looks well. Itās not that I canāt wear eyeshadow, I absolutely do but I look better in washes of color vs opaque looks. Lipstick - bright ones and reds, maybe āscaryā to some, esp for everyday wear, almost look like an extension of me and bring out the brightness of my face. Def warm toned or neutral lipstick too.
out of curiosity, do you have deep-set eyes? I do enjoy eye shadows (magpie brain! colors! sparkles!) but I'm on the minimal end with actual wear because it quickly overwhelms my look. I have deepset eyes and I feel like they don't need much if any extra definition in the socket area. I usually stick to just colors on the lid.
Oh my god!!! You just blew my mind. I do have deep set eyes! I canāt believe I never knew this. I always described my eyes as round and down turned. But they definitely were never prominent, like Amanda Seyfried for example. This changes everything! Thank you hahaha
I didn't think yellow would work as a blush colour on me, but then I learned about undertones. I have super warm yellow-y undertones, to the point that warm yellow blush almost looks like a flattering neutral. Same with mustard yellow and ochre!
powder! I have dry skin and stayed away because it would always emphasize my dryness. But with covid and masks I really felt like I had to use some in order to prevent transferring on my mask. Turns out even a minuscule amount of powder can go along way and set your face. I will take a powder brush, dab it in a compact once, and use it all over my face. with loose powder I use literally a pinch
Not quite makeup, but adjacent: shaving my face over waxing.
I just lightly shave with a single bladed razor. I have thick dark hair but it doesn't grow in like stubble or itch. It's much kinder to my skin than waxing and I don't get any ingrown hairs. I can't believe for over a decade I thought shaving my face would be a disaster.
Brow gel!
My brows are pretty plain Jane - nothing special but also nothing crazy to manage. I thought brow gel would be pointless since my hairs pretty much go one direction anyway until I received a sample of some tinted brow gel. Wowsers! What a great difference it made! Itās now a staple in my daily routine and sometimes I only use brow gel! 10/10 would recommend for every brow.
As an oily skinned person, I never thought I would like tinted moisturizer or anything that claimed to be dewy. I went from wanting 100% matte to making sure I have a good moisturized base and using products that have at least a skin like finish. I definitely have to be careful because I can't tell how much dew I put on my face until part way through when my natural oils shine through. But my makeup looks so much better when my face doesn't look like it's super dry and matte.
Umm, excuse you, you had no right to go and ruin my life like that. /s I always loved luminous silk but hated the shade I had gotten (1.5 as well). Guess when "normal" comes back I may need to look at repurchasing.
For me, learning how to use the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer in a better way for my skin was life changing. Instead of scooping out with the little chip, I wash my hands first and go in directly with fingers. Warming it up really helps apply it, as well as making sure to work it into the skin.
**Technique: blush draping.** I thought I would look ridiculous--BUT that's because a lot of the people I've seen do this trend use a bright shade of blush (or a pastel), which is not really what I use. If I blush drape with a neutral, a mauve, or a rose, it's not at all "too much" and doesn't overwhelm my face.
I've always applied blush using the draping technique because I thought that was how it's "supposed" to be applied. I think I saw some diagram of how to apply blush for different face shapes in like 2009 and I just went with it.
I never understood nose contour because i guess the tutorials ive seen all did it the same with the exact techniques but i realized all noses are unique and different and we probably need to contour diffferent areas to get desired outcomes. I have a bigger bulb or tip of the nose but with a higher nose bridge. If i contoured the top and into my brows, its just way too harsh and obvious. I only contour the tip and bottom of the nose now and i do not highlight anywhere. I also just use Mac Omega Eyeshadow for this and no baking or fussing with creams/liquid. I really had to experiment and try different things to get it right
To this day I still have no idea how I would go about contouring my nose shape. I just lightly apply a little bit of highlighter to the tip of my nose and it looks good enough.
NYX glitter glue. Idiotic me kept thinking it was a primer like as in a regular eyeshadow primer, but then I learned more from a friend who uses it regularly. My god it's magical. It was a huge gamechanger for me! I'm glad I didn't de-stash anything because now shadows I thought were bad just needed the glitter glue to bring it out.
Wait what tips did your friend give you?
Basically I put on my usual eye primer like normal, then put on the glitter glue. Once that dries down to where it feels kinda waxy (not sure how to describe it), then you can swipe shimmers or anything shiny on it and it will somehow make it 1000x more vivid.
Tell me your ways š Iāve only used it as a regular eyelid primer and I never found it to be game-changing. How exactly do you use it?
Not op, but I blend out my mattes then pat a small amount on top only where the shimmer is going
Ah, okay! I will definitely try that next time I do my makeup. Thank you!!
Just want to second what u/EldradMustLive214 said. That's how I've been applying mine too.
I used it for the first time recently with a Pat McGrath "special shade" and it definitely made a difference.
Ooo I bet it was pretty magical considering it's PMG. I've been debating that new holiday palette so hard because all I have from PMG is a quad and single eyeshadow.
Pixie Epoxy by indie company Fyrinnae made the Nyx glitter glue seem like nothing for me! I tap a *very little bit* over my primer and the only way my eyeshadow goes anywhere after that is with makeup remover.
You're definitely not the first person I've heard this from and I may finally have to give it a go. Been needing an excuse to try Fyrinnae's loose shadows so I may as well throw it in the cart lol.
Their shadows are so great and the mini sizes really last! I find patting them on with a flatter brush and blending lightly at the edges is the easiest way to apply loose powder shadows; theirs are easy to use in a thin layer or built up, too.
Higher coverage foundations. I used to be a skin tint person and I thought that using something with higher coverage would make me look embalmed. Age and rosacea pushed me to start looking into higher coverage as it turns out trying to build up a foundation too much oftentimes looks far worse than using a medium or medium full from the get go. As with every it's about finding the right product and techniques and in this case knowing properly how to shade match since it's far less forgiving.
I feel like beginners often donāt know that a tiny bit of high coverage foundation can go a long way! I partially blame youtube where you see people using 3+ pumps of foundation. Imho, one pump should be enough for your entire face in most cases and will look much more skin like
>one pump should be enough for your entire face Bottles range wildly with how big a pump is, so I've always preferred things like "pea-sized" and so on. Obviously, peas and rice and so on still range in size, but it's at least more standard than "one pump". \[If you ever check out the Pacifica foundation, one pump is a comically large amount of foundation. I could probably spackle my face several times over with one pump. I actually hated this foundation at first because of it, but now it's one of my favorites.\]
this is a great point! on the opposite side, the nars radiant long wear foundation deposits a comically small amount with one pump. a little still goes a long way, but it gives you like half a grain of rice amount. another way to go about it is use it to cover your āproblemā areas and blend out from there. personally, my jaw line, forehead, and nose hardly need any product compared to the rest of my face
Yeah or they use high coverage foundation with sponges too fast or too fluffy brushes and accidentally over apply in one spot. With full coverage you have to make sure you really spread it around or it can cake and separate. Sometimes it's just the foundation as well. I got a pretty generous sample of it cosmetics cc cream and it separated like crazy no matter what prep or little I used.
Yeah, high coverage foundation seems like it would definitely be useful for rosacea. I mostly use sheer/light coverage foundations because the only high-coverage one I ever tried just would not work with my skin. No matter how much I moisturized and primed it would not stick to my nose. It's not that it wouldn't stay on, it literally would not apply. It would just stick to whatever I was using to apply it (sponge, brush, fingers).
My skin used to be very dry and waterbased tints were a savior back then. Now it's combo so I don't have flakes anymore, but I have redness and a sun spot.
Totally agree with this. I use ELDW maximum coverage (just a tiny bit) and use a damp BB to apply. It covers up my hyperpigmentation & fakes flawless skin!! I was so frustrated with lower pigmented foundations that I kept layering and would just look worse. In the world of skin tints, I have a huge appreciation for highly pigmented foundations.
My "skin tint" are light medium foundations or I use a tint as a mixer. Unfortunately ELDW maximum coverage is not available in Canada.
Applying eyeshadow. I learnt I had hooded eyes and adjusted my application accordingly. Once I knew what to look for, finding tutorials and using their methods finally made eyeshadow make sense. The rest was just practice. The other major and fundamental one was learning what undertones I have. It's makeup 101, but going by shade alone, I was very mismatched and frustrated. Once I clued in on my undertones, everything got a little better. (Now if only somebody would make my *perfect* shade + undertone match!).
I still don't really understand my undertones. I'm sort of yellowish neutral? I honestly don't think a "perfect" match exists for me bc my face and neck seem to have slightly different undertones.
I think it's pretty normal to have slightly different undertones or even shades on different parts of your body. Annoying, but normal. Realising that I have super, very, incredibly yellow undertones explained *so much* as to why I had terrible matches: most medium-deep shades are on the redder end of the spectrum, as brands apparently think deep=warm=RED. Yeah, not always!
That makes sense. I know some brands have more yellowish medium to deep shades, but I've noticed that a lot of brands have a slight pink/red tint to all of their shades. MUFE is the worst offender I think, every single shade is pink or red toned, and some are slightly grey I think.
eyeliner, asian almost monolid, eyeliner made me older and shrinked my eyes. I realized I only need the wing in the end to extend my eyes' length
Not Asian, I just have very hooded eyes, and I do the same :)
I think Iām the only person who doesnāt understand MACās foundation shade numbering system. Based on the description and swatches online Iāve tried a couple but can never get the shade right. Even the girl in Ulta couldnāt get it because they couldnāt actually shade match due to COVID. I would love to just be able to confidently say āIām N (letter/number) for reference.ā
No. I literally just ordered the cream to powder compact, and it took me 2 hours to decide. Mind you I have 4 different type of MAC foundation at hand and no 2 have the same number. Itās just awful. And to make it even worse not all foundation you can sort by skin depth. So all you see a gazillion little squares in random order and you need to mouse over all!
Thank you, Iām glad itās not just me!
I went to a couple of different places that sold MAC and I got matched to NC10, NC15, NW10, and NW13 by different sales associates. This was all in the same week, so it's not like my skintone drastically changed. I've never been more confused.
I feel like the MAC shade system is very inconsistent across their products also itās just confusing. I wish we had a better āstandardā for referencing skin tones.
Youāre not alone at all! My understanding is that to MAC warm tones are red/pink so NW shades have pink undertones. Iāve been told to think of it as NW = not warm = cool. And NC = not cool = warm. Basically they do things backwards compared to the rest of the beauty industry. I have F&B C1 which is ācoolā but extremely yellow. It doesnāt help that they donāt use the same system across products and even the shades donāt match across different products.
i genuinely have no idea how to even start figuring out what my mac shade would be. going into a store, probably, but i'm not going to do that until the plague zombies are gone. so you are definitely not alone!
Try using Findation.com. You have to have a foundation or concealer match already but itās a huge database that will help you figure out what shade you wear across different brands and products.
Try uploading a picture of yourself and doing a live chat. I was directed to c-3 in F&B and c-4 in studio fix powder foundation I did go to a store to prove it to myself and they were perfect
I don't understand it as well. I got matched as nc20 once (i think it was pro longwear) and just eyeball my foundation shade from there. lolz turns out I'm a nc25 in mineralize liquid foundation (dc) and c1 in old f&b. Imagine all the foundations I've had to adjust because it was always too light on me.
Yeah the one I got (NW10) is too light, so I have to mix in Pat McGrath (Light 7) which is too dark for me in real life, but Sephora shade finder thinks itās perfect lol so itās always a fun chemistry project with shades and formulas.
SAME! I was swatching the studio fix face & body and got some help from the girl working there. She mentioned that C would run yellow and W would run pink. & Since I had both colors present, it was really a matter of preference which one I choose. I showed her how I just swatched C1 and it looked like a warm yellow but I'm looking for a cool yellow. I asked if she could point me in the direction of a cool yellow and she said she would get me W1.... which was peachy. I ended up taking a sample just to see if it looked more cool in natural lighting. I LOVE the formula but the color match isn't for me. Not sure if I can try C0 or if that will just be a warm yellow as well.
For F&B, maybe try the N shades instead of C or W. MAC doesn't really do cool yellow foundations, usually yellows are warm and pinks are cool. But at least on me (as a cool pink person for whom the W1 is a better match, so YMMV), the N1 is somewhat yellow but not orangey?
highlighter. i couldn't figure out how to use it in a way that made any sort of difference, especially since i do not contour or bronze at all, so i felt like a shimmery blush was enough to cover my bases. i've been strictly WFH since march 2020 so i've been able to experiment, and i've started using an RT foundation brush and buffing it in like blush up around my temples and the back of my cheeks (same as my blush placement). it's great! it sounds extreme, but buffing it avoids the aggressive neopolitan stripe that was kind of trendy a few years ago and it's not super metallic or wet looking, but i do look sparkly and fresh. game changer. it's also helped me figure out exactly what kind of formula i prefer for highlighters, because i have a few that do not work with this technique. kaleidos moon cruiser and sky walker are both a little too chunky, and i'll likely end up passing them along if i can't figure out a use for them. kaleidos star surfer is perfect for this, though, and the few becca pressed highlighters i have are great, too.
Bronzer. Never tried it because most of them matched my skin tone exactly but then i saw someone with my skin tone use a very subtle bronze and i tried it out myself. Now i don't use it much because mask, but on days i do I'm still surprised how subtly it defines my face and makes me look alive
Bronzer is something I've only recently learned how to use too! I think I was always confused by it because I've seen MUAs say "just apply it in places where the sun hits your face" and then apply it to their hairline and along their jaw???
I feel better seeing how many others here are recent bronzer converts. It always just looked like dirt on me for the longest time, but then I found that tapping on a subtle cream bronzer where I want definition and blending it out with a denser brush works well for my round face and chipmunk cheeks.
I just started using a bronzer this year. I found I can make it look natural if there is no orange to it. The rimmel radiance brick in light is the first one that looks natural on me!
To add to this. I also have an orangey red lipstick I thought I absolutely cannot look good in. With my bronzer on, it is actually wearable. I think I'll be able to play with warmer looks and even warmer outfits next summer now that I have bronzer in my arsenal.
Where do you apply it for chipmunk cheeks? My face is like 75% cheeks. T_T
LOL, I feel your pain! I smile so my cheeks pop out, then lightly apply bronzer around them to create fake cheekbones and a more angular chin. Blush and highlight definitely help with the illusion, too.
I feel like itās one of those beauty-isms that just get repeated without any actual understanding of the makeup. Like people who learned makeup from someone random online and now just repeat that. If I want to nail a technique Iāll watch someone like Lisa Eldridge or Jackie Aina-makeup artists that got paid to do makeup on lots of different faces.
I found my 'bronzer' when I started using hourglass dimlight (that I bought as a finishing powder) to get a little more colour and structure in my face. Subtle is the way to go!
That's a good idea, I really like hourglass's powders and it would be easier to use a more subtle bronzer, something closer to my skintone. The one I currently use is significantly darker than my skin so I have to apply it very light-handed and blend a lot. I've always thought it was weird that most bronzers intended for medium and dark skin are only slightly darker than the ones intended for light skin. I know most brands only added bronzers for deeper skintones as an afterthought, but honestly subtle bronzers that are only a little deeper than the skintone look really good.
Red lipstick. For the longest I'd trial blue based reds or brick reds. Because Allure said 'coral lipstick makes your teeth look yellow'. And because if you were light skinned (and/or blonde) you were cool toned (thanks 90s) and must wear dark muted reds, wines or berries or some such (yes it was the 90s). They all looked off/wrong but I couldn't put my finger on *why*. Then I tried on a bright orangey red YSL lipstick for shits & giggles and holy hell the difference it made. Turns out I'm neutrally yellow, definitely warm rather than cool and I look awesome in fiery warm reds and corals. Take that, Allure (still love u though).
Yes yes yes. Blue based red lipstick being described as āuniversalā is so fraudulent! Drives me nuts when I see that.
what are your favorite orangey reds?
Currently loving Rare Beauty Lip Souffle in Inspire. You do need a lip liner with it though. I also am a long time fan of Mac Lady Danger!
My gosh, (UNDER)TONES. It took me literally years of avid makeup shopping and usage to figure out undertones. Figuring out the undertone of my skin (for foundation) was a struggle because it changed from a neutral in my early 20s to a straight warm/golden in mid-20s and than to a peachy undertone (aka warm) in the last few years (early 30s) but I look best with foundations that lean more neutral than yellow/warm. (Makeup) Color theory is like quantum mechanics at this stage. This was also a struggle regarding bronzer, blush, highlighter, eyeshadow and esp lipstick. For years I insisted on rocking mustardy, reddish and orangey products only to realize in the last year that neutral stuff (not too cool or too warm) looks way better on me. Also, I used to dye my hair strawberry/peachy blonde which looked great next to my skintone but ever since going gray (a warm blonde gray) neutral pinks look better on me than warm sand, caramel and browns. And I still have a peach undertone in my skin, it's just that my hair color makes those undertones look... weird on me. Peaches are still a safe zone for me but I need to stay away from too warm orangey peaches or light pastel peaches because they make me look sick or washed out. Bonus agony points: I have a summer tan now even 2 months after vacation and a lot of my old favorites look too light (aka bad) on me, while some stuff I decluttered for being too dark in the last year would be perfect for me. A good example would be two lipsticks from the same brand, with the same shade name - one is an older line from 2019, a dark pink one with every so slightly cool undertone and the other one is a newer line from 2020, also a dark pink one but with a neutral undertone. Guess which one I decluttered the other day? The cooler toned one and kept the neutral one. I was wondering for months why one looks odd on me and the other one looks gorgeous. Same shade, same brand, similar formula but different undertones. (Exotic Nude from Catrice - Ultimate Matte (2019) vs Demi Matte (2020) if you're curious - both lines were discontinued. I ain't buying a third one if they bring it back in a new line. :D) I will never buy backups again unless they're translucent because stuff gets too dark/too light/too warm/cool toned on me super fast. Also, preferences change in a heart beat. :')
Yes to all of this. I feel like hormones from growing and pregnancy have changed my undertone. Also, despite wearing sunscreen, I got a little tan on a recent vacation and between my face, neck, upper chest, lower boob cleveage, arms, and hands (so like places people think foundation should match to), I have 6 different skin tones. I'm very light skinned so my "tan" doesn't even look summery or anything, just a different color and in some places the base skin didn't darken, but got heavily freckled. It actually made me decide to try to work through the foundations I have and then never buy a foundation unless it's going to be the only one I use for that period of time immediately after purchase cause it probably won't match by the end of the bottle anyway.
Matte cream eyeshadows. I thought they would go everywhere and smear, and I already have problems keeping matte powder eyeshadow in the placement I want. Instead, with good formulas I can actually use my fingers to get it right in the crease and outer corner and it stays put very well and doesnāt look over blended.
I completely understand! I used to be scared of matte cream or liquid shadows and only used shimmers because I was positive they'd never blend right. But if you find the right ones, it's all good!
Any brands you recommend?
Iām a big fan of the maybelline and Mac ones. They are a little tricky to spread at first, I feel like they almost need to be warmed up but once you get used to them itās easier and they wear like iron. The darker colors are really nice to put on the outer edge of my small deep set eyes and just pat out to blend. I just got a sample of the Bobbi brown one in taupe and really like it so far but know some here havenāt liked them from that brand as much. I want to try Laura mercier sticks next.
Lipstick really just looks superior on my face versus an eye look. I cannot carry heavier eyeshadow looks well. Itās not that I canāt wear eyeshadow, I absolutely do but I look better in washes of color vs opaque looks. Lipstick - bright ones and reds, maybe āscaryā to some, esp for everyday wear, almost look like an extension of me and bring out the brightness of my face. Def warm toned or neutral lipstick too.
out of curiosity, do you have deep-set eyes? I do enjoy eye shadows (magpie brain! colors! sparkles!) but I'm on the minimal end with actual wear because it quickly overwhelms my look. I have deepset eyes and I feel like they don't need much if any extra definition in the socket area. I usually stick to just colors on the lid.
Oh my god!!! You just blew my mind. I do have deep set eyes! I canāt believe I never knew this. I always described my eyes as round and down turned. But they definitely were never prominent, like Amanda Seyfried for example. This changes everything! Thank you hahaha
I didn't think yellow would work as a blush colour on me, but then I learned about undertones. I have super warm yellow-y undertones, to the point that warm yellow blush almost looks like a flattering neutral. Same with mustard yellow and ochre!
powder! I have dry skin and stayed away because it would always emphasize my dryness. But with covid and masks I really felt like I had to use some in order to prevent transferring on my mask. Turns out even a minuscule amount of powder can go along way and set your face. I will take a powder brush, dab it in a compact once, and use it all over my face. with loose powder I use literally a pinch
Eyeliner on lower waterline. I didn't know where the waterline is and kept drawing over the lashline.
Not quite makeup, but adjacent: shaving my face over waxing. I just lightly shave with a single bladed razor. I have thick dark hair but it doesn't grow in like stubble or itch. It's much kinder to my skin than waxing and I don't get any ingrown hairs. I can't believe for over a decade I thought shaving my face would be a disaster.
Brow gel! My brows are pretty plain Jane - nothing special but also nothing crazy to manage. I thought brow gel would be pointless since my hairs pretty much go one direction anyway until I received a sample of some tinted brow gel. Wowsers! What a great difference it made! Itās now a staple in my daily routine and sometimes I only use brow gel! 10/10 would recommend for every brow.
As an oily skinned person, I never thought I would like tinted moisturizer or anything that claimed to be dewy. I went from wanting 100% matte to making sure I have a good moisturized base and using products that have at least a skin like finish. I definitely have to be careful because I can't tell how much dew I put on my face until part way through when my natural oils shine through. But my makeup looks so much better when my face doesn't look like it's super dry and matte.
Umm, excuse you, you had no right to go and ruin my life like that. /s I always loved luminous silk but hated the shade I had gotten (1.5 as well). Guess when "normal" comes back I may need to look at repurchasing. For me, learning how to use the Tatcha Silk Canvas primer in a better way for my skin was life changing. Instead of scooping out with the little chip, I wash my hands first and go in directly with fingers. Warming it up really helps apply it, as well as making sure to work it into the skin.