Make-Up Tutorial with Bloom guest Joan

Joan and her boys, Max, James, and Brandon

At Bloom we talk a lot about what it takes to be a great mother. We talk about how to enjoy motherhood, and even about making sacrifices for our children. But we also know that in order for us to best take care of our brood, we need to take care of ourselves, too. Obviously not everyone feels like they need their face painted to be their best self, but I know it makes a difference for a lot of us. I always have a lot of make-up questions, and my go-to gal is my cousin-in-law, Joan, who used to be my college roommate. One night in college I had a hot date and, after outfitting me with her uber mod jewelry, Joan spruced up my typically boring make-up. I felt like a million bucks. Years later, Joan painted my nails the night before my wedding and kept reapplying my lip gloss the night of the reception. She never fails. You are going to love this...
-Anne

My tenth grade English teacher taught me to never disclaim anything, ever. So, as inclined as I am to say, "I am not a professional. My experience with make-up is based on simple trial and error..." I have had complete strangers approach me to ask how I get my liquid eye-liner so thin across my eye, among other comments about my skin (which I think is largely due to the fact that I apply the right face make-up).
So, I hope that you at least find some element of this helpful/informative. I tried to be as thorough as possible, but keep in mind that I do not presume to think that all of you are going to do this kind of make-up job on a regular basis. My personal philosophy on make-up is that it should be used to magnify your already natural beauty--being that every individual has their own unique beauty--and bring light, life, and color to your face.


Step 1: Finding the right foundation can be difficult. Examine the color of your skin and whether or not it has red tones and find a color that will balance out what you have already going on. I prefer a thin foundation that spreads easily (Maybelline Age Rewind is one of my favs. about $10 at most grocery stores). You should not feel gross and caked after you apply your foundation. It should feel like a thin layer of moisturizer. Oh, and I do not use spongy applicators b/c they get icky after a multiple uses.
Apply foundation with middle and index fingers, spreading evenly and working in circular, upward motions.

Note: Rub the make-up down past the jaw line toward the neck. Make-up lines are no bueno.

Step 2: Under eye concealer. I am a huge advocate. I have a picture of the kind I like the most (Cover Girl something or other) down below. I always buy the lightest color b/c my goal is to rid myself of those tired looking purplish/blue bags under my eyes. And really, even if the color is a touch too light you can always soften it with a swipe or two of bronzer. Better too light than too dark b/c if it's too dark...it defeats the purpose of having it on at all.
Use your ring finger (it applies the least amount of pressure) when blending under eye concealer. The tissue under your eye is tender and sensitive so be gentle.

Note: I spend almost no money on make-up (maybe I'm saying that b/c all my high school friends bought Laura Mercier at Neiman Marcus while I shopped at Osco). But really, truly I have Wet n' Wild brand liquid eyeliner from eight months ago that I still use b/c I add water to it and it works like a charm. There are a few products that I spend a penny or two on and one of them is this MAC bronzer. SO many bronzers are orangey and "hi, I spend my life in a tanning booth" looking. I highly recommend MAC's bronzer over any other brand ($22 ish bucks at Nordstrom--but it lasts at least six-eight months).

Step 3: I apply bronzer to all the areas of my face that the sun hits: ridge of nose, cheek bones, top of forehead, and lightly all over to blend and smooth. I recommend using a big, fat brush for this. No, you don't need a fancy, schmancy one. Any cheap-o will do.
I also apply bronzer down my neck and onto my chest in an attempt to forgo the brown face/white neck look. It just blends everything and gives you a sun kissed look.

PS: I totally forgot to put on blush when we were taking pics of this. Blush is a must (no, it's not a thing of the 80's). I buy a true, pastel pink and apply a light layer on the apple of my cheek (the part that gets round and sticks out a bit when you smile--learned that from you, Rae). It really brightens up your face.

Step 4: Use an eyeshadow that is one or two shades lighter than your eyebrow color to fill in your brows. Play around with the color. Just don't use anything too dark. It can make you look harsh--almost evil. I prefer eye shadow to eye brow pencil b/c it blends better and looks more natural.

Note: Here is a pic of my favorite under eye concealer...and for my next step (eyeshadow application) I wanted to give you an idea of the base color that I use regardless of the additional color I choose to use that day to compliment my outfit. I always use this pearlesque base b/c it has a light shimmer and it softens the natural brown shades on the top of my eye lid.

Step 5: I use my base eye shadow color all over my eye lid all the way up to my brow line. It is useful for multiple reasons...first, b/c it helps eliminate the mascara smudge line a lot of women get caused by the grease factor...second, it looks more finished.

Note: Ooops. Okay, so I lied. I have one more thing I like to spend money on (well, I don't like spending money on anything)...but this 12 dollars is worth it--it lasts me up to a year and I wear it almost daily. I love, love, LOVE shimmery, glittery anything. So, this eye shimmer is a must for me...but it may not be for you. I.d. brand carries oodles of different colors but I chose gold for today's tutorial.

I applied an even coat on both eye lids. This photo is just so you can see what it looks like up close. You don't need the shimmer though. I just wanted to show you how it can add a little "pop" to your eyes :)

Step 6: This part can be tricky and really only comes with time and practice. My roommate from BYU (Naomi) taught me how to apply this layer of shadow and I love her for it :)
The color you use can be any shade of color that is darker than your base shadow. I chose a rich wine color to compliment my gold shimmer.
Barely dab your brush in the color (you don't need much). Start at the pull of your eye or the end of your brow line as pictured above.

Continued Step 6: Work your way inward toward the center of your eye and stop. This is where many people mess up and continue to sweep the brush all the way toward the bridge of the nose. the problem is you can give yourself a black eye of sorts by doing this. What I mean is--the darker color shadow in the wrong places creates a not so appealing look.

Note: this photo shows you how I stop with the dark shadow about midway and blend with my finger just a bit so there is no abrupt line. You can also use your lighter base color to soften any mistakes or blend in general.

Step 7: Curl the lashes. This is a must for me b/c when you don't have much lash...you've got to work what you do have :) It is important to curl the lashes before the liquid eyeliner is applied b/c otherwise it will smudge.

Step 8: The liquid eyeliner. I always buy Wet n' Wild brand ($3--which is less than half the price of other grocery store brand liquids--I use black and brown--depending on my outfit). The brush that comes with it is super thin and gives me the subtle but clean/stark look I want.
You will use many, many q-tips as you first learn how to apply liquid eyeliner but that's okay. Just try to keep a steady hand and direct the brush as close to the eye lash line as possible.

Note: I like to drag my eyeliner out a bit to create a catty effect. Not too much or too thick...just a subtle extension. It really accentuates the eye.

Step 9: Mascara. This is my favorite part. I feel like a magician making eyelashes out of nothing :) I put on one even, thorough coat on the top layer of lashes then go to the bottom layer and apply one coat. The top layer will have mostly dried at that point and so I add a second coat to add volume and thickness. I often use a needle to separate stubborn, clumpy lashes.

This shot is just for fun...


Here is a close up of my eyes. Notice that nothing looks too heavy or dramatic. I do have a fair amount of make-up on but it still looks natural and simple for the most part.

This is something that I occasionally do to add that last bit of umph to my lashes after the mascara has dried (makes me think of you, Karyn).


TA-DA! I think it's a bit of an improvement, don't you?! I did put on a thin layer of lip gloss for the "after" photo. I recommend buying a gloss that has color to it. As much as I like the nude/shimmery glosses I think a little pink can really feminize your face.

A happy thank you to my friend Melissa for being my photographer. The pictures are what make this tutorial effective and fun!

Oh, and one more thing...as complicated as this all seems, I don't spend more than ten minutes a day applying my make-up (every step shown included). It doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. Did I mention it does wonders for your mood--and your husband/boyfriend just might give you an extra long smooch for making the added effort :)