Use lukewarm water and a cream cleanser to hydrate your skin and wipe off lingering oils. Avoid using hot water as it’ll dry out your skin. On the other hand, cold water will make your skin look red or splotchy. Dab your face with a towel; do not rub. Rubbing may damage your skin. If the skin around your eyes is particularly dry, use an eye cream to moisturize.
Concentrate on the rough and dry patches of your skin. Find the dull, flakey, or uneven patches of your skin. Gently exfoliate upward, in smooth round motions. Do not be too heavy-handed as it may damage your skin.
If you have oily skin, look for a moisturizer that will combat the oil and not leave your face shiny. If you have dry skin, look for an oil based moisturizer with natural ingredients. If you use a tinted moisturizer, that can act as your primer.
Primer is essential for pageant wear since you’ll be under harsh light. Use your fingertips to work the primer into your skin. Primers come in gel, cream, or powder form and can offer varying levels of coverage or blurring/smoothing effects.
If you have dry skin – Choose a foundation specifically designed for hydration. Liquid and stick foundations are creamier and may help moisturize your skin. Use a powder foundation to mask any stickiness from the foundation. If you have oily skin – Choose an oil-free foundation. Using a powder foundation may help absorb your skin’s natural oils, giving your skin a matte, healthy look. If you have a combination of oily/dry skin – Choose both a creamy and a powder foundation to help create an even and healthy skin tone. Try out foundation looks before applying the makeup for a pageant. Pick something that will look good during pictures, interviews, and under stage lights. Since pageant makeup is traditionally heavy coverage, start with a strong foundation to apply color and more unique details.
If you can, dip a cotton swab in your desired foundation and apply it on your jaw line. If it doesn’t stand out and looks invisible, you’ve found your match! Determine if you should use cool, neutral, or warm tones. Use a cool tone with a reddish or blueish base if the veins on your wrists stand out as blue, you burn easily, and you easily flush pink. Pick a warm tone with a yellow or gold base if the veins on your wrist appear a greenish color and if you quickly bronze or tan in the sun. Choose a neutral tone (with either warm or cool colors) if you have an equal number of green and blue veins on your wrists. If gold looks good on you, you’re more than likely “warm. ” If silver looks good on you, you’re a “cool. ” If both look great on you, you are a lucky “neutral. ”
Apply heavier layer of foundation on blemishes to make your skin look even and healthy. Don’t worry if it looks uneven on the first pass through. You can smooth and blend these spots out. Blend the foundation around hairline and jawline so it looks natural and smooth.
Don’t get the makeup in your eyes or it can be painful! Use a small brush or your fingertips to apply it in delicate locations. Buff out any creases caused by the foundation. Once you’ve applied the first layer of foundation, go back through with a sponge and use a sweeping motion over your skin. Pay particular attention to where the makeup cakes over blemishes, creases, lines, etc.
When picking and applying a concealer, choose one that’ll blend smoothly. If you don’t blend your concealer, stage lighting will reveal “layers” in your makeup and accentuate your blemishes. When buffing creases, look at your skin under different types of lights to catch any of these issues.
Powder will help your foundation stick to your face longer, and help with the “stickiness. ” It will also help your makeup look more natural and less like paint.
For example, if you are participating in a night event, you may want to consider darker, bolder colors with a sparkle or shimmer. You may want to consider different looks for different parts of the pageant. For an interview, swap a very dramatic look for the neutral colors of a more professional look.
Using the lightest shade, create a triangle on the inside corner of your eyelid, nearest to your nose. Brush a line of the lightest powder along your brow bone. This is the first step to creating a bold eye look. Apply the medium color to the middle of your eyelid. Make a medium-sized rectangle in the middle of your lid. Use the darkest shadow and make a triangle on the outside of your eyelid. This should cover the last third of your eyelid, on the outside of your lid.
Add a finishing touch using the darkest color. Use a thin eye shadow brush to contour your eye shadow. Swipe the brush from the outside corner of your eyelid crease to the inside corner of your eyelid.
Using short strokes, form the desired eyebrow shape on your eyebrows. Use your eyebrow bone as a guide for a more natural shape and always follow the direction of your hair. Fill out your eyebrows well and make them bold so they’ll stand out on stage. Stick with a color that fits your hair and skin tone to prevent “bold” from being over-the-top.
If the liquid or gel eyeliner comes in a small pot, apply it using an eyeliner brush. If you’re using a pencil eyeliner, hold it like you would a normal pencil in your dominant hand. Apply a thin line on the top inside of your eyelid, forming a thicker line as you move outward. For your bottom lid, make a line on the inside of your eyelid (also called the water line). Be careful not to poke yourself in the eye!
Slide the brush out of the tube slowly, making sure there is an even amount of mascara on the sides of the brush. Apply the mascara to your eyelashes, starting with your top eyelashes. Move the brush from the bottom of your lashes to the ends of your lashes in one fluid motion. You can apply several layers of mascara, but avoid applying so much that you create clumps. You can also carefully apply 1-2 coats of mascara to your lower lashes (though you’ll likely have fewer lower lashes).
Identify your skin undertone. Is your undertone more yellow or pink? Yellow is warmer, and pink is cooler. Pick a lip color that goes with your undertone. For instance, if you have a cooler skin tone, choose reds that have some blue in them. If you have a warmer skin tone, choose orange-based reds. Ask a beauty consultant at your local makeup store for more advice if you have trouble determining your skin tone.
Make your top lip look a bit bigger that your bottom. Use your lip liner and gently shape your desired lip shape. Make this look bold, but natural. Don’t exaggerate this too much or it will look unnatural. You can also play around with the liner to make the shape that you want.
Once you apply the lipstick, fold a piece of clean tissue in half and close your lips over it to seal in the color. Open your mouth and smile to confirm you don’t have lipstick on your teeth.
This tip is very similar to how you can contour your nose to look different. Applying lip gloss on the center of your lips will make them look fuller. Lip gloss will also help your lips photograph well and make them noticeable from the stage.
For fair skin, use a pearl-colored pressed powder. For fair to medium skin tones, select a champagne-toned highlighter or a pale pink highlighter. For medium to dark skin tones, go for a highlighter in a neutral peach shade and avoid highlighters with any yellow in them. For darker skin tones, go for a highlighter with a gold shimmer. Start by lightly running the highlighting powder underneath the arch of your eyebrows and in the inner corner of your eyelids. Apply highlighter on the bridge of your nose just between your eyes. Make sure you brush the powder away from your nose and eyes. Run the brush on the high points of your cheeks to help your cheekbones pop and add dimension to your face. Finally, put a small amount of highlighter above your lips, at your Cupid’s bow. Always brush out, moving away from your nose and mouth to avoid getting powder on your lips.
Next you can finish your look by applying blush right above your bronzer to emphasize the apples of your cheeks. The darker color blush you use, the bolder the look will be. If you want a thinner nose, use a brush and brush the bronzer down the sides of your nose. This will highlight your nose and manipulate the way it looks.
Because you have applied this look in layers, you can easily touch up any spots that you are unhappy with by repeating the steps of this process. Remember to add a translucent setting powder to prevent shine on stage. [11] X Expert Source Ivy BoydMakeup Artist Expert Interview. 4 August 2021 Finish the process with a setting spray to keep your make up from sliding off under the hot lights of the pageant. [12] X Expert Source Ivy BoydMakeup Artist Expert Interview. 4 August 2021
