Learning to apply make-up is no easy feat. Steady-hands and technique aside, there’s the vital matter of working out what make-up is really for. And it usually takes a while to figure out it’s not actually about showing the world how much you’re wearing.
My earliest experiments included a blue eyeliner I’d slip into the pocket of my school uniform for a clandestine application in the girls’ loos. From there, I graduated to wearing concealer, lipstick in either black or purple, a stumpy black eyeliner, mascara and a pearly pink lipgloss I thought made me look like Wendy James from Transvision Vamp. It was neither pretty nor subtle and it would be a few years yet before I realised the art of make-up is about enhancement, not disguise.
Discovering exactly what suits your colouring, face shape and lifestyle is a work-in-progress that takes many of us through myriad memorable mistakes in our late teens and early 20s. I recall a particularly tragic Saturday evening when I headed out to a club sporting a wash of shimmering pale blue eyeshadow and dark chocolate lips painstakingly applied by a friend who was a budding make-up artist (strangely enough, he did make it but I’ll bet that effort still haunts him). There was also enough matte foundation to render me unrecognisable. It was the early 1990s after all.
I also remember sparkling like a disco ball the summer those multi-purpose cream crayons and lovely little pots of coloured shimmer were introduced in the late 1990s. With numerous shades for the eyes and cheeks to play with, I virtually glowed in the dark. By then I should have been old enough to approach with caution but they were so pretty who could resist?
While I ultimately believe make-up should enhance every woman’s natural beauty, there’s no denying the fun it offers as well. Just choose your moments to experiment carefully. And hide the camera if you have to.
What past make-up looks make you smile?
knowing how thick to apply black eye liner too before its too thick and looks terrible