How to Apply Makeup for your Face and Needs

I think this post is necessary because I myself have been a victim of Instagram makeup trends. I had a phase when all I watched was beauty videos on Youtube, and I am thankful for everything I learned from them, but I also think they present a reality that isn’t true for a lot of people who wear makeup.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a face. I love watching myself transform when I go the whole nine yards- contour, lashes, the bake- but I also very rarely actually have the time do all of that. Most days I have ten to fifteen minutes to apply makeup, if I have the time to at all, and I simply cannot recreate Jackie Aina’s newest makeup tutorial in that time. I thought I would share what my actual honest daily routine looks like, on the days I choose to wear makeup, and talk you guys through the products I keep in my little everyday routine kit.

HOW TO APPLY MAKEUP FOR YOUR FACE AND NEEDS

The first thing I put on is usually foundation. I know the eyebrows before or after foundation thing is still somewhat contested, but I don’t really have strong feelings either way. I just go with whichever product I grab first. The foundation I use for my daily looks- whether in steaming Accra or in wintery New Haven- is Estee Lauder Double Wear in the shade Rich Mahogany. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this product. It was the first foundation I bought that actually matched my skin. For most dark skinned girls, the Lancome Teint Idole foundation seems to be the standard, but Estee Lauder found me first and I truly have no regrets. Nowadays, it is a lot easier to find more affordable products for dark skin in stores but when I started getting into makeup, the options were super limited. The Maybelline Matte and Poreless foundation is my top affordable recommendation.

Estee Lauder Double Wear is a full coverage foundation, but still gives you the most skin like finish it’s kind of magical. When I wore this the other day, it took my friend a couple minutes to even realize I was wearing foundation at all, that’s how good the shade match is. It is expensive, and if you’re buying it in Accra the markup is a little mad, but it is also honestly worth every last coin you spend on it (well, unless you are buying it in Accra. Then it’s a touch overpriced) It will stand through sweat, through fighting to get on a troski, through long hours at work; and it’s transfer free. I usually apply a couple dots of it on my cheeks and under my eyes where my dark spots and under eye circles are, and blend it out with a Real Techniques sponge. I usually leave it for a minute or two to set into my skin and then go on to do the rest of my face.

I will usually then move on to eyebrows. I like using a pencil for my everyday looks because they’re faster than gel products. I use a regular brown eye pencil lately and you can get those anywhere really, but my favorite ones are the hard waxier types. I don’t like soft brow pencils so much, I think it’s just easier to get hair like strokes with a waxy pencil so I usually get those instead. The NYX micro brow pencil is a good example.

Then, I will usually move on to blush. I have a cream blush from Trinny London that I love and use most of the time but really any cream blush in a color that suits your skin will work. You just need to smile so you can figure out where the apples of your cheeks are, and tap the product on there and just blend it out with your fingers.

Following that, I will add on some cream highlighter, usually a cream shadow or a drop of my MAC Strobe cream also blended out with my fingers or a beauty sponge. I throw on some mascara, add on some lip balm or the Fenty beauty gloss bomb, spray my face with a setting spray and Bob’s your uncle. I am ready to be out the door.

 

This routine takes me all of ten minutes; I don’t have to fuss with powder or eyeshadow, and I know that I can trust every single product to actually stay on my face. The thing about makeup is that it isn’t one size fits all. Not just from person to person, but also from situation to situation. I got in the habit of doing a whole 45 minute routine to go anywhere without paying attention to my face re the weather conditions and what my actual needs were in that moment. With Accra heat and all the moving around I have to do on a daily basis, it would be simply impractical for me to do anything more than this routine. It gets the job done, gets me out the house feeling that bit more put together but without making myself uncomfortable. It takes time to find a routine that works for you, especially if you usually don’t wear makeup and are just figuring it out, but as you read blogs like this one or watch Youtube videos, just remember that at the end of the day, it’s your face and you should like what you put on it and have it actually work for you.

I hope this how to apply makeup for your face and needs post is helpful, and shows you guys that it’s okay to evolve in your style of how you present yourself. Leave me a comment of your favorite makeup products too so I can give them a try.

As always, sending you love and light,

Amoafoa.