Starting with the Right Tools

Also CRUCIAL to figuring the whole makeup thing out is having a good set of brushes. See those little foamy brushes your eyeshadows come with? THROW THEM AWAY, IMMEDIATELY!!! They are useless. When it comes to makeup, the tools you use to apply it with are just as important as the actual makeup itself. I'll get more specific later on, but for starters, make sure you have a decent powder brush, blush brush, an all over shadow brush and an angled brush - and you don't need to drop your life savings on those, either. Target and CVS are perfectly good places to get your beauty supplies and both sell really quality brushes at a fraction of what they cost at high end places like Sephora or MAC. (I have nothing against these places - I just can't always afford the products there!) Pay attention to how you're applying your makeup - are you quickly swiping color on with your fingers? (I used to do this all the time and now I frown upon it - yes, your fingers make excellent blending tools, but you are also putting the oils from your body into that shadow pallate every time you touch it) Are you using the same brush for your lid color and the color you apply to the outside corner of your eye? There are specific brushes for all types of application. Angled brushes will obviously give you more control over where you're putting your shadows - so it makes sense to use these for your darker, outside corner colors, or for something like applying shadow under your bottom lashes or along your lash line. Bigger, fluffier brushes should be used for application on larger surfaces, like all over your face, or the neck/chest area (for things like bronzing or adding shimmer). Please, please, please, just remember to wash your brushes at least a couple of times a month. You don't need a fancy brush cleaner, baby shampoo will work just fine. Letting color build up in your brushes over time will not only lead to the brush becoming clumpy and full of your body's oils, but it will also mean that the colors you're trying to apply won't be as true, since they are competing with a month's worth of other colors loaded up on your brush. Plus, taking good care of them will mean they last longer. Most drug store brushes are made out of synthetic hairs - the more expensive brushes you'll see in places like Sephore are made from real hair - much, much softer to the touch and divine to use, but if you can't afford it, synthetic is just fine! Just take care of your brushes and your brushes will take care of you!