Makeup Lessons

How to Apply Foundation

Smooth primer onto your face. This creates an even canvas and helps makeup last longer, especially if you have oily skin.

Put a dot of foundation on each cheek and your chin, nose, and forehead.

Blend from the center of your face outward, using a damp foundation brush or a makeup wedge for the thinnest coating. You can also blend with just your fingers— your body heat will help the formula melt into your skin for a more natural finish.

Extra credit: If your foundation tends to cake up, especially in the creases around your nose and under your eyes, smooth it out with a fingertip’s worth of eye cream.


How to Apply Highlighter

Form the letter C with your thumb and index finger. Place the thumb on your cheekbone and the index finger on your brow bone.

Remove your hand and apply a small amount of cream, liquid, or powder highlighter in the shape of that C, says Wende Zomnir, a cofounder of Urban Decay cosmetics.

Blend well with your fingers. If you’re afraid you’ve gone overboard, tone the color down by dusting a little loose powder on top, says Maggie Ford Danielson, a beauty authority for Benefit Cosmetics.

Extra credit: Highlighter can do more than give you luminous skin; it’s also handy for creating optical illusions. To make close-set eyes look farther apart, dab a bit onto the inner eye corners. If you want your mouth to appear more shapely, apply highlighter to the bow of your upper lip with a flat-tip brush. To make your face look slimmer, sweep it down the center of your nose.