Basic Makeup Essentials: Makeup Tips and Tricks Every Girl Should Know

From perfecting a sharp cat eye to rocking a bright and bold lip, here are the 9 basic makeup essentials every girl needs to know!

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Hey there! We’re all beautiful just the way we are but it’s undeniable what makeup can sometimes do to a woman’s confidence level. There are plenty of tricks and techniques that not everyone has the time for. But there are some makeup basics that every girl needs to know. Whether you’re a beginner or just a girl in need of some makeup 101, with this list of basic makeup essentials and tips, you can create your own looks, no matter what age you are!

9 Basic Makeup Essentials

1. Foundation

shilpa-ahuja-fashion-blogger-india-makeup-picThis is one of the basic makeup essentials and also the first step to any makeup look. Foundations come in all sorts of shades, formulations and finishes. We all feel like having flawless skin once in a while, especially when we need to go to a party after a night of binge-movie-watching! So every girl should have a perfect foundation that matches her skin tone.

If you can’t find one that matches your skin color, you can always mix two that are the closest to your shade, which is what I like to do! Liquid foundations are a lot easier to blend than any other kinds like a cream stick. You also want to keep in mind your skin type. Matte foundations work the best on oily skin and dewy liquid ones suit dry skin.

And before you apply your foundation, make sure to moisturize or prime your skin. The tools that I personally love to use are sponges and sometimes, my fingers! Brushes work well too, especially with certain formulas. But they can make it a bit streaky at times and no one wants that!

2. The Cat Eye

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Perfecting a winged liner has never been easy. There’s always the struggle of trying to match both eyes. But there are a couple of tips and tricks you can use to achieve the perfect winged liner. There are so many different types of eyeliners out there. I personally love to use gel liner with an angled brush. But many women and even makeup pros prefer liquid. It’s all about testing out different products and figuring out what works best for you.

Start with thin strokes. You can always build it up and make it thicker. You just can’t go back to a thin line if you start with a thicker one. Better safe than sorry. And no one likes cleaning up the mess of excess eyeliner. It ends up ruining your foundation, concealer, eye makeup and your entire day! So if you’re just starting out, leave the foundation application until after your eye makeup is done. And when all else fails, there’s the popular scotch tape method that everyone swears by.

3. Smokey Eye

shilpa-ahuja-fashion-style-midnight-blue-dress-party-look-lace-dress-clutchA smokey eye is one of the basic makeup essentials every girl needs to master. It’s everyone’s go-to nighttime makeup. It’s so striking and bold on its own, it doesn’t need anything extra. Just a clear glossy lip would be amazing with it.

Use either a black eyeshadow or a shimmery eyeshadow palette in brown or grey. You can go for an all-over smokey lid look or smokey outer corners (which is my favorite!). You’ll need a small fluffy brush ’cause there’s a lot of blending to do! Start by applying a base color all over the eyelid and slowly build it up on the outer corners and crease to your desired smokiness level. You can also add it on the lower lash line for extra drama.

4. Concealing

shilpa-ahuja-indian-fashion-blogger-date-night-makeup-redWe all have bad skin days when there are random spots here and there or dark circles under the eyes from sleepless nights. This is where concealer comes to the rescue. It’ll instantly brighten up your eyes and make you look like you’ve had a good amount of sleep (even if you haven’t!).

For the best results, use a high coverage concealer. Also, don’t forget to set it with a powder. Concealing is not just for the eyes you can do it on any other spots or blemishes you may have on the face. Spot concealing is perfect for those.

5. Contouring

shilpa_ahuja_boho_look_dress_nautical_maxi_beach_jewelry_necklace_rings_makeup_australia_outfitContouring is optional but preferred, especially if you are in the mood to take pictures! Once you’ve put on foundation and concealed, the face tends to be a bit flat as the skin tone becomes completely even. And that’s where contouring comes in. It adds definition and depth to the face for a sculpted look. For this, you’re gonna need the right shade of contour powder or cream for your complexion. Make sure it’s atleast two shades darker than your skin tone.

Big angled brushes are perfect. In case you don’t have a contour product, you can just use a matte bronzer. The areas where you wanna add shadows are where you should contour – under the cheekbones, hairline, down either side of the nose and under the jawline. Don’t forget to blend it well or it ends up looking like there’s mud on your face!

6. Highlighting

basic-makeup-beauty-tips-tricks-how-to-highlighting-makeupA contour looks better if you highlight after. It adds further dimension to the face along with a radiant glow and dewy finish. Once again, there are types ranging from powders to liquids and cream. I find powders the easiest to work with ’cause there’s no blending required. All you gotta do is take a brush and lightly sweep it across places you want to illuminate. They include cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, under the brow bone and cupids bow. A fan brush works best for this technique.

7. Dark Red Lip

shilpa-ahuja-red-rose-spring-makeup-lipstick-eye-blogger-lookThere’s a shade of red for every woman. But applying it to perfection is not always easy. Being a bold color, there’s so many things that could go wrong!

The first step for applying any product on the lips is to moisturize with a balm or chap stick. This will keep your lips hydrated the entire day and also not make your lipstick crack especially if its matte. For dark colors, you always wanna make sure to use a lip liner. It not only makes filling in the lip color easier but also lasts longer and prevents it from smudging.

8. Bronzing

bronzing contouing beginners makeup starters tips bronzed lookBronzing is the cheat’s way to a glowy and healthy-looking tan. You can also do it to add depth to your face but it’s the bronzy sheen that every girl is after. Like with the contour, pick a shade that’s two tones darker than your skin. Places where bronzers are normally applied are the temples, hairline, T-zone and under the cheek bones. Opt for a not-too-dense brush as this will give you a lighter touch. ‘Cause too much of bronze is never a good look, it still needs to seem natural! Also, shimmery bronzers are way better than matte ones if the bronzed glow is what you’re trying to achieve, especially for parties.

9. Brows

blue-eyeshadow-red-lip-makeup-shilpa-ahuja-pearl-earrings-ombre-hairEvery person prefers a different type of brow. Some like it natural looking and some like it bold. The best look is somewhere between natural-looking but with gaps filled in, and neatly brushed. If you wanna go bolder, you can make your eyebrows appear fuller by filling the gaps in with some product. Matching eye shadow is a good option! Start by filing them in the direction of the hair with an angled or pointed brush. You don’t need to change their shape or make them look overdrawn or too dramatic. In fact, they don’t need to look exactly alike. Just similar!

Also read: Perfect Brows: A Complete Guide to Eyebrow Makeup & Shaping

So those were the basic makeup essentials you need to know. Hope you found them helpful. Do let us know if they did by tweeting @shilpa1ahuja! 😀

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