Expert Beauty Tips

Great tips on updating and decluttering your makeup routine…

A lot of women have learnt as they go along how to apply their makeup through a combination of trial, error and practice. Many haven’t had any professional advice, so tend to stick with what they know which can lead to getting stuck in a rut. As this is Back to School month, We thought it would be the perfect time to share some makeup artist tips on updating and decluttering your makeup routine…

Beauty School Tip 1: Shake up your makeup

Makeup formulations and technologies have developed so much in the past few years there are some real differences versus the older products, so don’t stick too faithfully to those makeup choices you’ve been using for years. You’ll find that products are often ‘new and improved’ or relaunched and that is a good opportunity to try a new texture. Sticking to exactly the same products can mean you miss out on some great new launches, so if you’d like to try something new ask for a makeover at a counter or try travel sizes. This will mean you can try a new product out with minimum investment.

Beauty School Tip 2: Check your base

It is important to check that your shades of foundation, concealer and powder are correct through the changing seasons. The shades you wore in winter may not be a perfect match for your skin tone in spring or summer. To check your shade is working for you, apply to your cheek and jawline then look in a mirror by a window with natural daylight. The shade shouldn’t be ‘standing proud’ from your skin.

Beauty School Tip 3: Top swops for a fresh look

The great thing about makeup is that there are no rules, so if you love a retro winged eyeliner with red lips in your 50’s then do it! However, if you want to enhance your look but are worried you aren’t using the right products for you now, then consider updating your makeup bag with these swops:

• Swop a powder blusher for a creamy cheek colour; simply blend a dot over the ‘apples’ of your cheeks with your fingers
• Swop matte foundations for a ‘dewy’ tinted moisturiser; as we age, powdered looks can emphasise any fine lines, so try a lighter base, finished with a dusting of translucent powder
• Swop lip gloss for a creamy lip colour; lip gloss can ‘bleed’ into fine lines around the mouth so choose a creamy lipstick as the latest formulations are better at saying put, and also moisturise lips.

Beauty School Tip 4:  Use the right product for the job

Skin changes from time to time, so if you’ve noticed you have redness, dark circles or spots that you want to cover, choose a formulation specifically designed for that concern. Watch our video on the theory behind ReCover, the makeup artist skill of colour correction, to learn how to effectively disguise blemishes. If you have redness then try a dot of ReCover Correct & Conceal Red on the affected area, as it contains specially selected yellow pigments to neutralise redness in an instant.

Beauty School Tip 5: Invest in brushes

Brushes are essential as they can make a massive difference to how things blend, the precision of application and the shapes/styles we achieve with our make up. 

They can also assist if there is something you find more tricky to do. For example, concealing a spot without a brush is very hard as you need to feather lightly to keep the product in place, whereas using your finger will keep removing it.

If you have a limited budget these are the four brushes that we recommend as you can multitask with them:

1. an eyeshadow brush 
2. a thin liner brush  
3. a  flat lip/ concealer brush 
4. a larger brush that you can use for powder or blush (obviously washing in-between uses)

Beauty School Tip 6: Keep it clean

We sometimes keep products that don’t suit us ‘just in case’ but a regular clear out will mean you have an edited (and clean and tidy!) makeup selection to use. If you are having clear out, follow these steps:

• Empty your makeup bag out and wipe around with a wet wipe or warm soapy cloth and leave to dry.
• Wash makeup brushes every 2-4 weeks in warm, soapy water.
• Always put lids back on products tightly, and wipe any excess product away from screw threads on wand products to keep them from getting ‘gunky’.
• Sharpen pencils and if you’ve shared lipsticks you can even ‘flame’ them (pass the bullet over a lighter really quickly to kill any bacteria).
• Take a look at the Period After Opening (PAO) symbol on your cosmetic packaging - a small jar with the number of months that product can be kept open for.
• Finally, throw out anything that smells musty or ‘off’, or liquids that have separated.