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First and foremost - Eyes OR lips, ladies, not both! Unless, of course, you are going to enroll in clown college. If that is the case, work the whole face.

Make sure your face is clean. Can't paint a masterpiece with a dirty canvas. If your foundation doesn't have UV protection in it, put on some.

Now that the canvas is taken care of, let's apply the base coat and ditch the painting analogies. Since mineral makeup is so hot right now, one doesn't have to do the whole face in liquid foundation. Just do the problem areas on your face; use a makeup sponge to lightly apply foundation where you need it. I would recommend a smart-makeup that automatically finds your shade. There's the first step, and now on to...well, it differs here from girl to girl, because EYES OR LIPS! Pick the best one out of the two.

Eyes: A girl needs to be able to look at herself and figure out if her eyes are too far apart, too close, or just right. For the sake of my fingers (typing) lets say they are just right and continue on.
Do your eyeliner first. It doesn't have to be black; white and brown are really in right now, especially with the weather still being warm. I recommend a liquid eyeliner as it goes on easily; if you make a mistake, it's easier to correct. Next comes the shadow. Forget the little thing that comes with the shadow; use a brush. Based on hair color and skin tone, you should pick a palette of at least three colors to work with; light, darker, darkest. I use browns and coppers, with a very light beige base. Put on the lightest first, starting on the lid and working up to the brow bone. The color should be light enough that you don't resemble Bozo fresh out of the makeup studio. Next, sweep the middle color in the crease of the lid, bringing it down on the lid far enough, but no so far that you can't see the base color above your liner. Finally, put the darkest color in the crease, leaving just enough showing on the outside corner to add depth.
Lips for an eye girl - shimmer, and that's all. End of story.

Lips: Big, bold beautiful. If you are choosing to make your lips the focal point of your face, do it up! Dark, bold, fun colors that pop are the best thing here. Choose your color carefully, and please...make sure your teeth are clean! You ladies know what this is about....everyone knows or has seen that girl who does her lips and has the nastiest teeth ever.
I recommend putting a gloss on whatever color you choose. Nothing says "look at me!" like a very high shine.
Eyes for the lip girls: Downplay. No liner. Soft, muted colors. The less the better, but be sure to choose light shades that play up your lipstick, but DO NOT match it.

Now that we're all at the same point, we'll get on with the cheek portion. This part is tricky, because of the various colors and places to put blush. My advice here is to ask someone around you to help with this so you can get a different perspective, but keep in mind who you are asking. Talk to the girl who has artfully applied makeup.

Now, to the top coat...lol, also known as the finishing powder. I recommend a mineral powder, applied with a professional brush. It's amazing simple to apply, because it blends in well and isn't that visible. Make sure you get the right tone for your skin...if you don't, you will only look like you dipped your face in dirt.

Mascara, whichever brand you prefer, and you are DONE.

Learn more about this author, Jessi Mills.
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