Make Me Up before You Go (Go)

Although I’m not a makeup artist, I am an image consultant (and thus an image artist) so I know a bit about makeup and what looks good on a person. No matter how much or how little makeup you usually wear, you’ll find a tip or two here to help refine your look. The more knowledge you have, the better equipped you will be to determine what will be flattering and how to achieve the look. There are three basic makeup styles (there are many sub-categories but we’ll focus on three main ones).

The natural look. (Photo: Criber-Photo via Flickr-CC Lic.)

The first style is the Natural look. This look is appropriate for casual wear and is described as minimal.
Some of the characteristics of the Natural look are:

• Fresh faced—like you just washed your face
• Healthy un-made-up look—like a child with perfect, rosy complexion
• Applied very lightly—though it looks like you don’t have makeup on, you do but the application is weightless and delicately.
• Sheer natural colors—there are no dark or very bright colors. Everything helps achieve the effect of no makeup.
• Thicker brow—this doesn’t mean a caterpillar. This means the brow isn’t pencil thin but has some thickness to it, yet is groomed.

The next style is Classic. This look is appropriate for business and during the day. It’s thought of as a moderate look; not minimal and not over the top.

The Classic look (Photo: Mexcast via Flickr)

Some of the characteristics of this look are:

• A balanced look that emphasizes one feature. Choose either eyes or lips as your focal point.
• Though application isn’t as light as with the Natural style, application is semi-sheer, natural and uses neutral colors.
• A noticeably groomed brow. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a very thin brow, but does mean that there are no excess hairs above, below or around the brows.
• A gently lined eye. Save thick lines or designs like a cat eye for the next makeup style.
• Foundation and or powder to create a smooth, put-together look appropriate for all situations.
• If you wear lipstick, you can line your lips with a color that matches and apply a medium, neutral lip color close to the color of your natural lips. If you don’t like lipstick, wear a pretty lip gloss that has just a hint of color.

“Red Fashion” shows Dramatic Style (photo: lewisha1990 via flickr)

Last but absolutely not least is the Dramatic makeup style. This look is appropriate for evening or creative events and is rightfully described as strong and bold.
Some of the characteristics of this look are:

• A brow even more defined, pencil thin, highly arched and darkened.
• This style is where you bring on the theatric level eye liner. There are many different designs, such as the winged cat eye or the double line, which are very much on trend this year. The more dramatic, the better.
• Smokey eyes are a must with the Dramatic makeup style. Don’t be afraid to use multiple colors.
• This makeup style screams for opaque, strong colors. If vibrant colors aren’t your thing, use very pale/pastel colors–they’ll still make a statement.
• If you wear lipstick, line your lips in a color that’s close to your natural lip color (nope, not even with this style do you use dark lip liner) and apply bright or dark lip color (depending on your complexion). Just like with eye shadow, if bright isn’t your thing, use a very pale lip color. It will still be dramatic.

Note: even though this last style is dramatic, it still needs to be appropriate for the real world. This look isn’t meant to be for your role in a Broadway play. Yes, the lady in the picture is a model in a fashion show but unless you also are, bring it down a few notches. You don’t want to look like a cartoon character, just a more dramatic version of yourself.

So there you have it, the three basic makeup styles and their characteristics. Step out of the box and try one or more that you don’t usually use. I’d love to see pictures of you with your new makeup styles!

Follow Kimberly on Twitter @impeccableimage