These days most of us aren’t wearing makeup (or indeed pants) except for during our zoom meetings/ skype calls/ FaceTime calls…but sometimes, we want to look decent. I know, it’s the apocalypse and frankly we are just grateful to be alive and have toilet paper, but if you wanna look decent on camera, this is what us makeup folk do. SPOILER ALERT: IT’S MORE MAKEUP THAN YOU NORMALLY WEAR. 

Step One: Decent lighting. 

Half the reason this pic looks lovely- GREAT natural light. She’s also really pretty, I know! Makeup and photo by me using Becca cosmetics.

Repeat after me: sideways lighting makes you look older. Downlighting is also useful for making you look old, tired, and baggy eyed. There is no amount of makeup that can save you from horrendous lighting- it’s worth the effort to find a good spot. 

What you want is even, soft light. Usually the best is to sit facing a window when the sun is NOT streaming in directly. If you’re lucky enough to have a north facing window this means any time of day is good- for the rest of us, you just want the time of day the sun isn’t in front of that window ie west facing in the morning, east facing in the afternoon. 

Step Two: Double layer your foundation.

The aim of the game is to give yourself a blank canvas to work with so you can draw the eye where you want ( and away from redness/ under eyes circles/ that nice stress pimple). Apply one layer of foundation and let it air dry. Do the rest of your makeup and then put another layer of foundation over the top. Most cameras don’t pick up extreme detail ( unless you are using something very snazzy and not just your laptop/ iPhone like the rest of us) so you don’t need to worry about looking ‘cakey’. 

Step Three: Wear more Blush. ( and a bit of highlighter )

Have you ever seen a reporter on the street filming and noticed just how much makeup they are wearing? It’s HEAPS. Check your blush in a mirror standing at least 1.5 metres away ( we all know how far that is now )- it should still be visible at that distance. 

Step Four: Brows are a girl’s best friend. ( don’t worry too much about eyeshadow )

I know y’all love your eyeshadow ( I do too) but on camera, you don’t see it much. Basically all we see is the ‘frame’ – brows, lashes, lip. Define your brows by filling gaps first and stand back to check evenness of shape. 

Step Five : OODLES of mascara. ( and maybe some eyeliner )

Anyone who has had lash extensions can tell you: lashes make you look better. They make your eyes stand out, you look less tired, and your eyes look bigger. Fake it by triple layering your mascara- focus the mascara at the roots of the lashes to make whites of your eyes look brighter. Trace a fine line of liner as close as you can to your lash line to give you extra definition. 

Step Six: Lipliner is a necessity, not an option. 

Disappearing lips make us look tired. Do yourself a favour and make your lips stand out with a neutral lipliner and some gloss- doesn’t need to be dark but needs to be visible. I also recommend a bright lip ( if that’s your thing) to make the face look fresher- coral, pink and red are guaranteed to make you look like you didn’t spend last night stress eating an entire packet of ritz crackers ( not that there’s anything wrong with that). 

P.S. This is a hard time, and frankly if you wanna cry on the couch into your packet of crackers with no makeup on, that’s totally fine and I support you. Stay safe peeps ! xxx Ellen

Normally, writing about cleaning out your makeup bag is about as interesting as a misguided attempt at instagram live during lockdown, but in the current climate we all suddenly got REALLY interested in keeping things clean sooooooo…….

I want you to start by getting ALL of your makeup and ALL of your skincare and ALL your makeup brushes and sponges.  Rescue all the bits of makeup from your handbag/glove box/ bathroom drawer – ALL of it. Put it on a clean towel on a flat surface so you can see whatcha got. Take a moment to reflect on the ten year old lip smackers that really shouldn’t be there.

You will likely immediately realise that you have a BUNCH of stuff you never use. Before you start making resolutions to use up that old chemist bronzer you used one time- STOP.

WE ARE GOING TO THROW THINGS OUT. 

ANYTHING THAT’S OFF, YOU DON’T REALLY USE OR IS THE WRONG COLOUR……..CHUCK IT OUT LIKE A USED PAIR OF GLOVES YOU WORE TO THE SUPERMARKET.

The first thing we need to do is work out what’s gone off. Most makeup has a little picture of a jar on the bottom with an open lid and the markings ‘12M’ or ‘24M’ – that means, use 12 months from opening or 24 months from opening. I’m willing to bet that it’s rubbed off, and anyway, who knows when you bought it? March was about 3 years long so at this point time is an imaginary concept. 

This means, it’s gone off when:

• lipsticks. Smelling weird, funny little white dots, odd grainy texture.
• pressed powders ( including eyeshadows). Funny film of gunk on the top, odd grainy texture, discolouration. fun fact: THIS IS MOULD AND BUILT UP OIL AND DEAD SKIN. I advise against putting makeup oil dead skin mould on your face.
• mascara. These have the WORST use by dates once open. Basically if you opened this before you heard of coronavirus, it’s time to bin it. Other tell tale signs include funky smell, flaky texture or making your eyes itchy. 
• foundation. Anything in a pump or tube will last better ( because you don’t stick your fingers in it ) but for creams or sticks you only get about six months. Again, any funny smell or change or colour LET IT GO.
• Glosses. Same comments as foundation. If you dip a little thing in it, put it on your lips, and dip it in again, keep it approx 3 months. if it’s a squeeze tube or you religiously use a spatula in a tub, about six months is fine. As always, if it smells weird, bin it.
• Pencils. If the actual lead has shrunk away from the wood/ casing, it’s gone. Sorry. 
• Skincare. Pumps and tubes, fine as long as they smell normal and are not obviously really old. Sunscreen should be less than six months old. Be ruthless with jars, anything you get reactions to, and anything that is not kept sealed properly. 

Now that we have thrown out half your makeup, it’s TIME TO CLEAN. Don’t pretend you’re not excited – you’ve been stuck in your house for weeks now so this is the most fun you’ve had recently.

1. Wash all your brushes. A cake of old fashioned laundry soap ( Sard or Sunlight soap) is the best if you can get it- gets all the gunk out and disinfects as well. Don’t bother with baby shampoo or liquid soap- it just doesn’t do the job. Try not to get the handle wet, squeeze out excess water and lie them flat on a clean towel to dry. Sponges can go in the delicates bag in the wash- if they fall apart, they were old and needed to be chucked out anyway. Wash your pencil sharpeners in the cutlery section of your dishwasher. 
2. Assess your actual makeup bag. There is a good chance it’s old and has a film of gunk on the inside. Unless you can wash it in clean soapy water or spray it with 70% alcohol, consider chucking it out. Fabric ones can also go through the washing machine in a delicates bag. Basically unless it’s in great condition and very clean, chuck it.
3. Wipe your makeup over with a damp cloth – makeup up a solution with soap and water or a few drops of a disinfecting essential oil. Anti bacterial wipes are also great if you can get them. Wipe the outsides and insides of all compacts ( don’t get powders wet), shave the top layer of your lipsticks, sharpen all your pencils.
4. Place items you actually love and use regularly back into your makeup bag. If you have items you can’t bring yourself to chuck out that you don’t use a lot, put them into a tray on your dresser to remind you to use them. If they are still sitting there unused in a month or so, let them go. 

Source: How to: Car Glam; Makeup Artist Style

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