Until the days of the Internet, there were very few sources from which a woman could learn to do her own makeup like the pros. A woman was limited to: 1) demonstrations at the makeup counter, which aren’t very helpful because you can’t watch the professionals apply the makeup to your own face; 2) tips in magazines, which again don’t really show you techniques; or 3) learning from friends–again, not very helpful. When it comes to learning how to put on makeup for that media-perfect look, nothing beats actually watching the pros apply it.
Today, watching professionals apply makeup is just a click away. The Internet is a wonderful resource for finding instructional videos on makeup application technique. Several of the most important makeup brands post instructional videos on their websites and you can find other professional videos elsewhere on the Internet on websites like youtube. Below are descriptions of some of the most useful videos and where to find them.
One of the best places to look for makeup application instruction videos is the Maybelline website. Maybelline has a whole gallery dedicated to videos of their makeup consultant and artist Troy Surratt in action. One of my favorites is the video on eyeshadow application. Troy does a splendid job of demonstrating how to apply eyeshadow constructions that make your eyes look brighter and really pop. In this video he shows you how to apply both a casual look and a more dramatic evening look using shimmer colors that really define the lashes and brighten up the eyes. The best thing about this video is that Troy shows you how to construct an evening look without a lot of extra dark heavy eyeshadow, like you would see in what is called a Smokey Eye construction. Instead, Troy demonstrates how to create a more dramatic look by simply applying a darker color to the outer corners of your eyelids and blending it in.
Another of my favorites in the Maybelline gallery is the video on constructing luscious lip looks for day and night. In this video Troy talks about choosing the right color of lip liner and the right range of shades for your lipstick. He shows you how to construct a lipstick look for day time wear and also how to construct a more ultra-glossy lip look for night.
Other videos in this gallery that you might be interested in are videos on constructing a really natural looking makeup look using foundation and concealer and applying your makeup to make you look younger.
Other great videos can be found on the Chanel website under the under the Application Videos tab at the bottom of the drop down box under the Makeup tab. One of the best videos demonstrates how to construct an extremely sexy natural eyeshadow look using a quad eyeshadow palette. What’s great about the video is that it gives you a close up of the strokes used. It shows you just exactly where to place the eyeshadow and exactly how to blend it. The end result is an extremely sexy and glamorous, yet very subtle look.
Another video on the Chanel cosmetics website that is helpful is on lipstick application. The video spends a great deal of time showing you exactly how to apply and thoroughly blend lipstick with a lip brush. I have yet to see a lipstick application video that spends such a great deal of time demonstrating blending and explaining the purposes of blending.
A final great video found on the Chanel website demonstrates precise and well-blended lip gloss application. Very few amateurs stop to think that even your lip gloss should be well blended. But the reason why I truly admire this video is that it also shows, even though it doesn’t demonstrate, an incredibly beautiful and exotic eyeshadow construction. Go ahead and try to imitate this look ladies, you might really enjoy it!
On the Bobbi Brown cosmetics website, you’ll find many videos on nearly each page under the Looks & Tips tab. You’ll find video demonstrations on creating that very classic and natural no-makeup look called nude and on bridal makeup. You’ll also find how-to’s for all the basics including foundation, concealer, and mascara. But my very favorite Bobbi Brown video is the one on lipstick. Bobbi gives some very expert advice on choosing the perfect lipstick color for your lips that I’ve never heard before. This is a very helpful video.
Finally, a great place to find makeup demonstration videos is on youtube. But be careful, a lot of amateurs post demonstrations on this site too. The tip to clue you in is that if you think they don’t know what they’re talking about, then you’re right, they don’t know what they’re talking about.
The best videos you can find on youtube are of a show called The Makeup Gourmet. A new show is posted every month. The makeup artist on this show does an excellent job. The shows are searchable under The Makeup Gourmet, or under the title of the episode. Take a look at his “Hot Chocolate” series in three parts, where he demonstrates three different looks ranging from casual to “ready for the red carpet” using flattering brown tones.
Also take a look at The Makeup Gourmet’s series titled “Asian Eyes, Even if you don’t have them.” In these videos he’ll show you how to do various eyeshadow looks to remedy problems, like small eyes and flat eyes by making your eyes look brighter, or making them look bigger with a contoured construction. He also shows you how to create descent looking Smokey Eyes and how to make your eyes look more almond shaped if you don’t have Asian eyes.
Other episodes of The Makeup Gourmet that you might enjoy watching are the “Flawless Bridal Makeup” episode in two parts and “Seasoned Beauty” in two parts, which covers makeup tips for older women.
There are dozens of episodes of The Makeup Gourmet posted you youtube, so have fun and enjoy.
