Make up Guide for Dummies by a Dummy

^Soooooooo....

Somehow, you found yourself in a situation where you need to use make up but you know absolutely nothing about it.

Welcome, dear reader. This post is for you.

To start off, you may have some misconceptions about make up.

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"My parents say make up is bad for my skin"

-> So will eating unhealthy foods excessively, staying up late, lack of proper hygiene, stress and pollution.

"Am I too young for make up?"

-> Have you hit puberty yet? If the answer is no then yes, you are too young for make up.

Once you hit puberty, you start getting acne and your body changes in a lot of ways.

Enjoy youth and blemish free skin while still young, do not rush growing up, you'll miss the days of worry free bliss.

"Isn't make up for girls only?"

-> I see you have a face and you care about how you look. Make up is for everyone.

"Make up is expensive..."

-> There is no denying that the best brands are indeed expensive. But how expensive an item is also depends on your capacity to buy them. Make up need not be expensive, as long as you find a brand or items that suit you and give you the effect you desire.

Let me just say that I am no expert, what I know maybe wrong but these are things I learned from personal experience and research. Just sharing to hopefully be of help to others. THIS POST IS NOT A TUTORIAL. I shall focus on make up for beautifying purposes.

Lelouch vi Britannia cosplay

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Back to make up.

Make up or cosmetics, as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are items intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body's structure or functions.


To get the result you desire, here are some things to consider:
-For what purpose will you use make up? When and where? Will you be needing make up for a performance? A photo shoot? Cosplay? Wedding? Day or Night? For everyday? Will the place be humid? Taking these into consideration will have a big effect as make up comes in many types and have different purposes.

-Know your skin type. Is it dry? Normal? Oily? Combination? Sensitive?
Does your skin react negatively to certain substances? Do you have any allergies?
It would be a shame to spend money only to find out you cant use what you bought.
Know your skin, consult a dermatologist first if necessary.

-Accept how you look and love it.
Knowing your face and features and accepting them will greatly help in putting make up.
How will you know what what needs to be emphasized and what needs correcting if you do not even know your own face?

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Rocker version

cosplay by Kat Langomez and Yuu Shomura

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If a certain items give you any bad reaction, do not be so quick to generalize.
I have often heard people say stuff like "moisturizer? (or insert product here) nakaka-pimple yun!"  <"moisturizer? (or insert product here) that cause pimples!" >

Here are the most probable reasons why you got a bad reaction from said product:
- regardless of price or brand, it is most likely that said item just does not suit you.
Make up is one of those things that you need to be hiyang in. (sorry, can' think of an appropriate english translation of the word hiyang oTL)

- check expiration date. Yes, make up is not forever, it expires.

- check your health, maybe when you used the item, it coincided with you being stressed. You never know.

Still, you need find products that suit your skin best to get optimum results.
I don't know bout you guys, but I hate it when money goes to waste.

Megurine Luka cosplay

Yukata version

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Now for the types of make up!

Just a quick run down and what-for thing. Short descriptions for easy understanding.

Moisturizer: actually a skin care item, but used for hydrating the skin and to make it soft. Some moisturizers are tinted and can be used in place of foundation for everyday use.

Primer: applied before foundation, used to make make up last longer by making the skin smooth for easy application.

Lip balm: moisturizer specifically for the lips

Lip liner: used to shape and define the lips

Lipstick: make up specifically for coloring the lips. Comes in a wide variety of colors

Lip gloss: sheer, liquid make up used to add shine to lips

Base: used for correcting skin tone, evening out skin texture and also makes make up stay longer when used before foundation

B.B. cream: stands for blemish balm or beauty balm, is a multi purpose cosmetic. It can usually be used as a moisturizer, primer, foundation and sunblock. Good for everyday use

Foundation: usually skin colored, used to even out complexion and cover small flaws. Comes in a variety of forms such as mineral, liquid, gel, mousse, cake, pancake, powder and spray.

Concealer: especially for correcting and covering flaws and blemishes

Face powder: used for setting all the liquid cosmetics applied to the face

Blush on: coloring especially for the cheeks

Highlighter: used to highlight or for drawing attention to parts applied to. Usually has shimmer to add glow to applied area

Bronzer / Contouring powder: used for adding definition by way of giving an illusion of shadows. Bronzers are also used to give skin a bit of character via golden or bronzy glow

Eye Shadow: coloring especially for the eyes but has been proven to be of use for other parts as well. Comes in matte or shimmery 

Eye liner: one of the  basics of a make up kit, comes in forms such as pencil, brush, liquid and gel. Used to shape and define the eyes

Mascara: used for emphasizing the eye lashes by way of darkening, lengthening or adding volume to eye lashes

Eye brow pencil: used for filling and defining the shape of eyebrows

Final / Setting powder: used as a finishing and setting item for foundation

Make up fixer or setting spray: last to be applied, used to make applied make up last longer and remain intact

Chii cosplay

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More points about make up:

* Do not be afraid to try the make up first before buying. That is what the testers are for.
When you try the make up out, please refrain from trying it out on your hands, most of the time, the face has a different shade than the body.

* Branded items are great, but not everything in your make up kit needs to be expensive. Invest on the stuff that are directly gonna be on your face, like bb creams, foundation, primer and concealer. Drugstore eyeliners, eye shadows and lipstick are just as fine as any branded ones out there.

* Ask the sales person for advice but do not buy what they offer right off the bat. Try it out, see for yourself and consider your budget. If it is worth getting, you need it and the price is reasonable, then get it. Remember that sales persons are there to help you BUT their job is also to make sales.

* What works for your friend may not work for you. Everyone is unique, you and your friend might have the same skin tone but her skin may be sensitive and yours may be oily. Try first before buying.

* Practice and learn thru experience. Mistakes help you learn lessons that will not be easily forgotten. Utilize the power of the internet! Practice and research.

* We all have that friend who is good with make up. Ask that friend for help, if possible, when buying make up, bring that friend along. If you have friends that are in the same situation as you, learn together, learning with friends is always fun.

* Skin care and properly removing make up is just as important.
Clean your face before and after make up application. Invest in good skin care items, a clean good canvass is always easier to work with.
Get your self good make up removers and facial wash. Cleanse, Exfoliate, Tone, Moisturize and Protect!

* Cleanliness is key. Make sure to have a clean face before putting make up, make sure you have washed your hands as well.
Sponges, brushes and paraphernalia should also be cleaned regularly. Sponges, most especially, should be changed every 6 weeks or so.

* Blending is key! Blend blend blend! Remember to spread make up thinly and evenly for better results. Don't just apply on your face, blend down to your neck or until the visible parts of your chest. The key to making a believable look with make up is still making it look as if it was natural.

Rikku cosplay

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Some bit on cosplay make up.

Cosplay make up is different from everyday make up or any kind of make up actually...

For cosplay, we may need to completely change how we look rather than just emphasizing our most desirable natural features.

The characters that we wish to imitate are not real (actually most of them aren't heheheh). They have perfect skin and big eyes. When doing cosplay make up, our main focus should be defining the eyes and making our skin look flawless and following the face shape of the chosen character.

Photos almost always go hand in hand with cosplay, so high definition make up that lasts long in different conditions are important.

I have often been ask, why I take so long to do cosplay make up and why I put on so many layers.
The answer is, because how I look naturally is very different from the characters I wish to portray. I put many layers on because my skin is not as blemish free as I'd like it to be.

My usual make up routine is moisturizer, primer, bb cream, foundation, powder, eyes, high light, blush, contour then setting spray. Many layers, yes. All these are necessary for me to achieve my desired look.

Why not just put on a thick layer rather all those layers? All the layers I put on have different purposes, and even though one extreme layer may do it, there are still areas of concern that may not be hidden completely. If there was one super product that could do what all the other layers can and still look good then I'll use that, it would sure make life easy. But there isn't. I'll stick to my method as it is what works for me.

Think of it like wearing clothes. If you were to put on one big bulky sweater, it would keep you warm, but it is shapeless and unflattering, and may even be a bit too warm for your taste.
But if you do layering, it keeps you warm, it looks nice and you can just take off a few garments if it gets too hot. :)

Again, I am no expert, hence the title, Make up Guide for Dummies by a Dummy XDD
I do hope this helps, though.

Will talk about cosplay make up in another post. :3

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thanks for reading!

 jaa! visit me again, ne!

     arigatou! (*^3^)/~

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