How To Master Your Makeup; there are no RULES

Having worked at several makeup counters for the past almost 8 months I have learned a few things about my fellow women. We are afraid that we are breaking the rules. We are not sure if we are applying our lipstick right, if our cat eyes are sharp enough, and is it ok to wear bronzer as blush? I find myself trying to convince these women that there are no rules to makeup just guidelines and preference.

Let's be clear here! There are some rules to makeup but those rules are not rigid. You can spend thousands of dollars to go to makeup school to learn all the rules. Just to go out in the world and become famous for breaking them. There is certainly merit in learning the "rules" and proper techniques but let's be honest it is much more fun to experiment. The makeup that you wear on your face is like paint applied on to a canvas. If we used the paint straight from the tube and never blended or mixed, paintings would be filled with primary colors. We would have no gradient sunsets, no shades of light and dark.

I would like will assure you for once and for all that no, red eyeshadow doesn't make you look bloodshot. And no, that lipstick isn't too orange and no that lipstick isn't too red and no that lipstick isn't too pink. Makeup is not about if the color is flattering or not. What matters is do you like it? Remember that you can blend your blush colors together, you can put lipgloss on your eyelids and eyeshadow on your lips. You can wear lip pencil by it self as your lipstick. Your lipstick can be doubled as cream blush. Sheer out your full coverage foundations with moisturizer. But for god-sake don't use tinted moisturizer as your moisturizer.

Makeup can be overwhelming, especially when stepping into a Sephora. But remember you have to practice to be good at something. So go in front of a mirror and spend 20 minutes practicing. Once you get used to the angles and shapes of your face it will click. Go watch a video, ask a counter artist, buy a book, or read a magazine article. You can do it.  I have faith that everyone person can do it. It took more than a year for me to figure out how to properly line my eyes and I still sometimes struggle in the morning. I am always learning new tricks and techniques so don't feel bad if you make a mess of your face the first few times.

If you still aren't convinced that there are no "rules" and you are desperately wanting some, here are some flexible guidelines that might help.

1. Your face isn't Neapolitan ice cream. Highlight, blush, bronzer and contour should be blended into a gradient. Not stripes of solid color. 
2. Lipstick with blue undertones will make your teeth look more white. 
3. Color correcting is for severe discoloration, not mild redness or normal under-eye discoloration
4. Tinted moisturizer isn't the same thing as moisturizer 
5. Your fingers are your best tools 
6. The color of your hand isn't the same color as your face. So stop matching your foundation to your hand. 
7. Bronzer should not be used for contouring because it is too orange/yellow. Contour colors should be cool toned to mimic natural shadows on the face 
8. Most of your under-eye darkness is the shadow cast by your brow bone and forehead so don't stress out about it. 
9. None of these rules matter. don't listen to them if you don't want to. 

Warm Regards, 

Emma Elizabeth