Do Formal Makeup

Wear formal makeup to a cotillion or quinceanera.

Special events like weddings or your graduation are times when you want to look your best, and you can get a nice look with formal makeup. Formal makeup should highlight one favorite feature like your lips or eyes. Soft and youthful-looking, this type of makeup flatters the face without making you look "over-made" or too edgy. Formal makeup is less about personal style and focuses on showing the real you. Perfect for photographs, formal makeup is the perfect pairing with an elegant updo.

Instructions

1. Cleanse your face and neck skin. Then pat the skin dry with a soft towel. Apply an oil-free moisturizer to your face and neck. Do not put moisturizer on eyelids. Allow the moisturizer to dry for one minute before moving on.

2. Dab concealer on blemishes and on any dark circles you may have around your eyes. The concealer should be one shade lighter than your natural skin tone. Pat the concealer into the skin with the clean pads of your forefinger and middle finger.

3. Shake your mineral powder foundation while keeping the lid on it. Remove the lid of the foundation. Sweep the kabuki brush across the surface of your foundation. Tap the brush handle on your wrist to remove any excess powder.

4. Swirl the mineral powder foundation on your face starting at the forehead. Work the powder over the face, moving the brush in small circles. Move down to your cheeks, nose and chin. Sweep the foundation on your neck too.

5. Accent your cheekbones with bronzing powder. Rub a powder brush across the bronzer. Stroke the underside of the cheekbone to give your cheekbones depth. If you have good cheekbone depth already, then sweep a light pink blush across the top of the cheekbone.

6. Brush your eyebrows upwards and outwards using an eyebrow brush. Curl your eyelashes up with an eyelash curler.

7. Sweep a highlighter eye shadow on the bottom lid and under the brow bone. Use a eye shadow brush for the best coverage. If your eyes are the feature you have chosen to highlight, then add an accent eye shadow to the crease of your eye. The accent color should be two shades darker than your highlighter. Do not go too dark on your accent color. Keep the look formal and light.

8. Line the top of your lashes with dark brown eyeliner. Avoid wearing heavy black eyeliner unless you have dark brown or black eyes. Line the eyes, starting from the outside of the eye and moving inward. Line the bottom of your eyelashes, but only half way. Stop the eyeliner directly under the pupil of your eye. This will keep eyes looking open and expressive.

9. Apply two coats of mascara to both the top and bottom lashes. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second.

10. Line your lips with a neutral lip liner. Use a shell, soft pink or taupe lipstick on your lips. If you have selected your lips as the feature to highlight, then add a thin layer of clear lip gloss to them.

Tags: your lips, your face, accent color, brush across, dark brown, face neck