Introduction
Make up is one of the mostly abused aspects of dressing in the modern day world. For ladies, it is an imperative part of preparation, be it for work, school or any other social functions. This makes it necessary to understand the routine for makeup application and thus learn how to do it satisfactorily. Personally, I find make up application intriguing as well as challenging. Consequently, understanding the routine perfectly requires the help of specialists in this area. The purpose of this essay is therefore to learn and pass on the routine for makeup application. The audience for the paper is supposed to include all women as well as the men who may find themselves interested in make up as a subject. To conduct the study satisfactorily, the information will be collected through surveys from 6 different makeup artistes as well as from the internet.
Prior Stance
My original stance on makeup was developed through observation of what people mostly do in their makeup regime. Growing up around women made me view make up application as something that took a lot of attention and had very many details to it. I considered it time consuming and tiring as well and though I might not be able to place myself under such stress. I thought make up was mainly for those who had low self esteem and who could not cope with their natural looks. However, I believe that this stance has and will continue to change over time due to the observations that I make as I continue learning more.
Survey Results
From the results collected by the surveys, the makeup artistes mainly understand a particular regime for makeup application. However, in some special cases such as where the person to be made up has many break outs, there are specialized treatments that have to be conducted before make up application. For the normal skin conditions and types, the regime begins with the application of a liquid or compact foundation. For those with uneven skin tones, the make-up artistes recommended that a primer should be applied prior to applying the foundation. The foundation has to set before application of others such as the eyeliners, lip stick or lip gloss for those unwilling to color their lips, blush and mascara where necessary. After applying these, the final stage of makeup application if considered to be the application of powder. Face powder can be loose or compact and is applied after the other make up pieces to hold them in. The six artistes contacted also reported that over application of makeup can have a lot of negative rather than positive effects such as making one appear surprised when the eyebrows are shaped wrongly.
Online source
From the online sources checked, the regime for make-up application seems to be more detailed than that described by the survey respondents. The process described by the online sources generally begins with washing the face. It is assumed that anyone who desires to apply makeup already has some previous makeup on. As such, skin cleansing is described by Melero (par. 1) as the first step in ensuring that the makeup process is successful. This is followed by drying and application of a skin moisturizer. Additionally, various websites give the advantages of facial cleansing and recommend removal of all last makeup at the end of the day to avoid producing a caked on look upon the application of new makeup. Moisturizing is also recommended to avoid drying up of the skin. Many of the sites also recommend skin testing to enable one choose the appropriate foundation.
After successful cleansing and moisturizing, the next step in makeup application is that of facial priming. According to various sources, facial priming is crucial for enhancing the longevity of makeup as well as improving the appearance of all the makeup applied. This is followed by applying a layer of foundation. There are various types of foundation that can be used during a makeup application regime. Some are powdered while others are liquid and/ or cream. The type of foundation selected depends on the type of skin one has. The liquid foundation is recommended for those with dry skin while the powder foundation suits those with oily skin. The cream foundation is often used on those with normal skin types. The foundation can be applied using a brush or with the fingers. When applying the foundation, areas with darker skin tones are covered up with more layers of foundation while other areas are left as they are. The application of a concealer follows that of foundation. The role of the concealer is to even out the areas with uneven skin tones. Areas with darker shades are covered up with concealer before setting the foundation and the concealer into place.
According to some of the websites, the procedure for setting concealer and foundation into place is crucial for other areas such as the eyes, lips and the cheeks to take in the make up perfectly. Setting is done using a setting powder with the aim of making the makeup crease free. Although recommended the setting step is optional. After ensuring that the look is perfect, the next step is to focus on different areas such as the eyes and lips by first applying blush. Eye liner, lip liner and mascara then follow before finally applying lipstick/ lip gloss.
Compare and Contrast
From the information received from online sources and the surveys, it is evident that the two procedures are similar in a general sense. However, the makeup artistes provided a more generalized procedure that is most applicable for individuals doing their own makeup. Most people would not follow the process suggested online in their daily routine since it appears cumbersome. As such, the makeup artistes recommend the most essential pieces of makeup such as the foundation, concealer, and the specific makeup for the eyes, the lips and the eyebrows. In addition to this, most of the makeup artistes also assumed the cleansing step since they all assumed that anyone intending to apply makeup must first cleanse their skin. While this is reasonable, it is necessary that the cleansing stage should be stressed since some people have the tendency of applying makeup on top of other makeup. This brings a caked look and can also result in the blockage of pores and subsequently development of acne.
Conclusion
From the surveys, it appears that make up application is not as intensive as I thought it would be. I could use the survey procedure given by the makeup artistes easily for my daily regime. I can thus say for sure that the study has changed my perception of make up to a large extent.
Work Cited
Melero, Angela. The ultimate step- by- step tutorial for perfect make- up application. Makeup.com. 26 October 2015.