Best Makeup Tips (that I have received)

Today I wanted to concentrate a little less in a specific product or type of product and discuss how and why we use certain things or how and why other ways might be better, since getting into makeup I have done a lot of research both personally and for this blog. In that time i find i have picked up some information that i was completely or mostly ignorant to. So wanted to share the less obvious tips that I've learned. stuff more useful then just sleep and drink lots of water. Maybe this should be a tag?

So here are the 10 best makeup/beauty tips I have learned/received/or discovered to share with you;

1. Like with Like; if your primer is water based don't use it with oil based makeup. Oil and water don't go well together, trying to make them cooperate will mean your makeup is going to slide around and your going to thing "this foundation/primer/blush/whatever is crap, it slides right off!" When actually it's just one element is not getting along with another.

2. If you have dry or sensitive skin, avoid using a stippling brush for foundation or blush; the circular motion you use to cover up pores means that you create microbresions on your skin which will cause it  to get aggravated and will cause your makeup to look cakes as your skin tries to produce more oil to compensate.

3. If you can sleep on your back rather then another position then do so, sleeping on your sides means one side of your face is going to have more pressure put on it meaning it will get more sensitive, harder to work with and more prone to breakout and aggregation. On the other hand the side not squished into the pillow is going to be feeling the effects of gravity much more potently and will over tips droop. Same thing for your breasts actually, so if you can do it try sleeping on your back.

4. Wash your brushes, especially if your using your brushes everyday and even more so if your using them on someone else. Dirty brushes will spread not just germs and bacteria around but will make your powders/foundation/shadows dirty. Cleaning your brushes is a very simple and super effective way of making sure your skin isn't being overloaded with nasty things all the time. Even better if you wash them in something alcohol/ethanol based as it will mean they dry very quickly as ethanol evaporated unlike shampoo washing which can mean hours of drying time.

5. If your getting older or simple have different shaped face from the "norm" then reconsider putting your blush on the "apples of your cheeks". To see why, smile like you would if you we're trying to find the apples of your cheeks and put your finger right in the middle of it. Now stop smiling. Now, unless your skin is super youthful you might notice your finger is no longer up ne'er your cheeks but have dropped down significantly, because gravity. Instead try using blush along your cheekbone. You can find this by putting your finger to the top of you ear and just feeling along.

6. Similar thing for brows, the time tested method of putting a pencil up against your nose to see where your eyebrows should start doesn't work if you have a large nose or particularly flared nostrils. How far apart your eyebrows should start is however small you want your nose to look, you can still use a pencil to determine this just put the pencil on top of your nose where the nostrils begin rather then next to your nose or you might end up with tiny eyebrows that start above your pupil.

7. A Kleenex is just as good as blotting paper in a pinch. Sometimes it's better. A single ply tissue is very proficient at absorbing excess oil and you can press the whole thing to your face rather then dabbing for hours on with your tiny blotting paper.

8. Before doing your nails, especially before painting your nails go to the bathroom. Even if you don't feel like it because I guarantee the moment you finish painting that last nail it's going to come up.

9. It doesn't matter how a brush or eyeshadow is supposed to be used, if it works for you then your doing it right. In the end brushes are just tools too help you look good, however that happens is fine. I like using kabuki brushes for pressed and loose powders but rarely do I "swirl" them onto my face, instead I pat it on, I use a concealer brush because the size I find is better for some of my eye shadows. Probably my favourite use for an angled liner brush is using it to shape and fill my brows.

10. Be gentle, however gentle you think you are half it again. The bristles on your brush should never bend during application and your skin should not be moving around either. You makeup doesn't need a hard hand, and your face will appreciate more gentle products too. Exfoliating scrubs with huge chunks or rock/sugar/apricot seed/ whatever literally scratch you face clean which feels smooth and awesome for a while but your actually damaging the layers underneath. On that same not you probably only need about half the foundation your wearing now, I know I was.

So share your best tips/tricks. Consider yourselves all tagged and I link back so I can see your posts/comments/videos.