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How do your personal features influence the makeup you use?

I think the type of skin I have, what my skin reacts to, those are things that influence more heavily than others – I tend to stay away from anything super, super matte but also anything over-the-top dewy (I’m normal-to-dry, mostly normal these days!). I have a decent amount of lid space but find that lower eyeliner helps make my eyes look bigger (learned this from a MAC senior artist, Victor C., years ago).

— Christine

56 Comments

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CeeBee Avatar

I have a very oval face with reasonably regular features, so that’s nether here nor there but I do have thick black framed spectacles, so I tend to use lighter, more shimmery shades on my eyes with brighter eyeliner if I’m feeling adventurous. Otherwise I look tired or sick if I have heavier shadows cast around my eyes.

Linda Avatar

My lips and eye skin peels from many products, and my skin is prone to breakouts with every primer I’ve ever tried, and any product with oil. So…that leaves me with only few options, but it’s the reason why I love blush – it never gives me any problems! I definitely love playing with different blush and highlight combos every day, as I tend to leave my eyes and lips bare and stick with my Urban Decay Naked skin on the daily. I think that foundation has actually made my skin better! I have also found the Nars lip crayons work for me so if I remember to, I’ll pop some color on my lips (but I usually forget to).

Katherine T. Avatar

I have some hyper pigmentation and uneven-ness, so I like to use a medium- to- full coverage foundation to cover it up. I don’t have tons of lid space, so I keep my brows trim to maximize space, and I usually do 4 colors max on my lids. I like to do a bold eye or bold lip to balance out my black hair and brown eyes. The “all natural” nude look usually looks awful on me, I look very washed out or sick. I think my lips are my best feature, so I have a huge lipstick and lip liner collection.

Cat Avatar

Just wanted you to know that I received Eros in the mail today… and it’s gorgeous! It’s nicely pigmented but it was a little too soft. I put it in the freezer for ten minutes and that allowed me to swatch it without it crumbling. It’s only 68° here today, and the package wasn’t in the mailbox for more than five minutes, so I’m wondering if the formula is softer than my other liners.

Anyway, here is a comparison of Jazz(berry), Eros, and Raw Power. Eros is in the center.
http://imgur.com/ElDZZpH

Katherine T. Avatar

Oh my gosh, THANK YOU so much!! Those are great swatches. I assume that’s Raw Power with mixed with Duraline to make it an eyeliner. I can see Jazzberry is a little more purple, but definitely in same color family, but Eros and Raw Power look the same, 95-100% dupe. Thanks for the heads up on the softness of Eros. I will definitely buy from a retailer where it’s easy to do returns. So far, I’ve had good luck with the Stylos on my oily lids, but I can’t have a red eyeliner that runs or smudges! Not a good look, I will definitely scare people. I love the convenience of Eros in eyeliner form, so I can see myself ending up with both Eros and Raw Power. Oh dear! But when I run out of Eros, which is LE, at least I can use Duraline to make Raw Power into a dupe. Hope you enjoy your Eros 🙂 Thanks again!

Cat Avatar

You’re very welcome! I’m glad I could help.

I don’t have Duraline (yet) so I mixed it with Cinema Secrets Eyeliner Sealer. (I can’t recommend that product as I haven’t had the best luck with it.) Yes, the swatches are almost identical! If I wore Eros on one eye and Raw Power on the other, no one would ever know the difference. 🙂

After you’ve tried Eros, I’d love to hear about your experience with it — if yours is soft as well. I have to use the lightest amount of pressure with it, but at least there’s no tugging! LOL

Lisa Avatar

I dont tend to go for heavy eyeliner or too much colorful eye looks since j feel they tend to make my eyes smaller than they are. I’ll tend to do more of a hazy smoke rather than a dark eyeliner on my inner rim.

Lulle Avatar

I think they influence it a lot, and in my view that’s how it should be! Makeup is not something that should be the exact same on everyone, because everyone is different, from eye shape to skin tone. I guess that’s why I have a problem with the “Insta-face”…
I avoid dewy foundations because they make me look oily. I go easy on the eyeliner on the lower lash line because with my naturally deep crease it makes me look tired. I have a huge lid space so I can have fun with shadow placement. On the other hand I have very little space between the crease and the brow, so I have to work with that when I use a crease and transition shade. Since my eyes tend to be protruding I avoid the classic touch of shimmer in the center of the lid. I already have high cheekbones so I don’t feel the need to contour much, and I prefer my highlighter very subtle. I have to stay away from red-based eyeshadows, although they’re trending right now, because they make me look sickly. I can’t wear most of the popular liquid matte lipsticks or lip stains because I have dry sensitive lips. Etc, etc, that’s just a small sample of the way I adapt the “norm” to my personal features.

Shannon. N Avatar

I’m half Native. So I have hooded/monolid almond brown eyes, (my inner corner is monolid-ed and the rest is hooded.) So I tend to do a lot of “showing off” of my eye shape!! I wear a lot of tilted eye shadow placement to show off my almondy eyes. I don’t do winged liner, with my monolids it doesn’t show up.

I also have very large full lips. So I always love wearing bright, bold lipstick!!

Lastly, I have very prominent cheeks/cheekbones thanks to my Native half. So I ADORE highlighting my cheek bones and making them POP.

Makeup has really taught me to love and appreciate my mixed race features!!!

Nancy T Avatar

Like literally, face sculpture. Not so much to give myself higher cheekbones, cause those I have. But pretty much changing the entire appearance of my eyes, nonsurgically. I have ethnicity related hooded, almond shaped eyes with very little visible lid. BUT! Once I’m done doing my work, you may not realize how altered they are unless you’ve seen me without eye makeup. I’ve made them appear to be larger and more “open” by always creating a defined crease by using contouring principles on my lids.

I also DO have fun playing up those cheekbones! Because, why not??

Yasmin Avatar

I have hooded eyes so I tend to stay away from palettes that have more shimmer shades in them, as mattes in my crease look so much better!

Allisonsaysthis Avatar

I only wear sheer to medium coverage foundation because I have freckles and I think it would look weird if They are visible on my arms and shoulders and chest but not my face

Michele @Binxcat4ever Avatar

I have small hooded eyes that turn down slightly. They make it tricky to do certain eyeliners/eyeliner shapes. I also need to be careful about any shimmer, pearl, or glitter eyeshadows I use for the crease. Typically I try to go with matte for the crease but sometimes I will use a different finish on the outer portion of the crease.

I have freckles. My freckles are dense under my eyes (particularly my left eye) almost making it look like I have dark circles. I try to pick different under eye products that can be layered without getting cakey to mask the pigmentation.

I have a round face with high cheekbones. I always use some form of highlight and contour to play up my cheekbones and visually reshape my face.

Mariella Avatar

Because of the shape of my eyes (round and now starting to develop a hood, esp. on my left eye, which is the side I sleep on), I don’t do a “flick” with liner (though I’d love to find a way to do one that looked flattering rather than just weird). Also, I have a rather full face (not as bad as it sounds – as you age, a rounder face is youthful….the guy at Passport Control questioned me about my age, which was really flattering despite the hassle). Anyway, contouring to try to create “chiseled cheekbones” just looks like I have a dirty round face!

Nancy Avatar

I hear you on the flicked eyeliner/hooded lids dilemma! It can be impossible at times for it not to look wonky. I have found a mini flick sometimes works for me, but it’s definitely hit or miss – lol!

Fran Avatar

My very sensitive skin type severely restricts that kinds of base products I can use. In daylight hours, I have to wear sunscreen with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, unless I want to turn bright red within a few minutes of walking outside, or seriously irritate my skin. These kinds of sunscreens, applied in a large enough amount to really work, tend not to work very well under foundation, plus, it’s a lot of layers, takes a lot of time and a lot of work to get it looking good. So, for daytime I’ll usually stick to a BB or CC cream or TM that has SPF 30-50 from zinc and/or titanium. It also has to be fragrance-free. I guess I can be thankful at least that as long as I avoid sun exposure, fragrance, and chemical sunscreens, my skin doesn’t usually react to other current cosmetic ingredients. My skin is combo normal/oily (dehydrated under eyes in winter), but, at age 60, I like a glowing look rather than a matte one — my expression lines handle glowing a lot better. I also need a product that is not prone to settling into said lines in a major way.

As my hooded eyes have gotten more crepe-y and crinkly, I’ve found that slightly satin eyeshadows look better in my crease than matte ones do. Who knew? I think it’s good to keep experimenting throughout life.

My lids are so hooded that eyeliner inevitably transfers into my crease, no matter what I do. Solution: usually tightline only (push liner into the lash line from underneath the lashes); for an elaborate eye look, make sure the liner will blend in with the crease colors rather than standing out.

Small, round, very hooded, slightly droopy eyes with glasses: shimmer and color on the lid, where it’s seen mostly when I blink; shadow placement to give a more lifted look to the outer lid; avoid dark or harsh liner on the lower lid — stick with something mid-range in value and shimmery — usually repeat the color on the mobile lid, making the eye area overall look bigger; just accept the fact that my progressive lenses are going to magnify the expression lines under my eyes, because trying to cover them with makeup only ends up emphasizing them.

My chin recedes a little, I’ve got baby jowls, and my cheekbones aren’t all that visible: contour placement to give me a more defined jawline and lift the cheekbones a bit.

Droopy eyebrows: pluck those long, droopy tails; use pencil to make my arch look a bit higher and sharper, and extend tails 1/4 inch in a less droopy direction.

Fairly large, full lips: play them up! Choose lip colors that are flattering over those ‘prescribed’ for certain occasions (in other words, don’t wear unflattering ‘nude’ colors for work or for job interviews just because that’s what’s generally recommended — go for the colors that make me look great instead). Avoid too matte textures that emphasize the few lines that are there; don’t go hyper-glossy, either, because then my lips take over my whole face.

When I do makeup for someone else, I don’t think in terms of certain ‘looks’; I look at that person’s face, think about what features to draw out, ask them about colors and textures that they like and don’t like, what kinds of looks they like and how adventurous they feel; I might encourage them to take a small risk if I think it will result in something they’ll be happy with, but my real goal is for them to walk away from my chair feeling like one of the best-looking versions of themselves, walking tall and with a big smile on their faces.

Nancy Avatar

I’m glad I’m not the only one that finds matte eyeshadow doesn’t look good on my dry, hooded lids. I have found pearl or satin finishes make my lids look smoother, the same way a dewy foundation alleviates the dryness of my skin. Also, Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in emerveille is my go to for a natural base. It’s hydrating, not too shiny, and keeps my other eyeshadow in place.

kjh Avatar

Nothing particular, beside the need for concealer, massive need, corrector most of the time. And aging concerns. Very glad that today’s products are so refined that I can still wear color.

Sarah Avatar

I have very round eyes so I have a lot of space to work with when it comes to shadows; however, I don’t wear winged liner! It makes them look almost deer-like and that’s not something I like with my face shape. Also, my bottom lip is really far out from my chin so lip liner tends to drift waaaaay too low and over line. I rarely wear liner, just primer or reverse lining!

AB Avatar

My eyes are my prominent feature — large, lots of lid space. So I can use 2-3 shades at a time but has to be with light touch and lighter hues except for an accent/corner, or I’ll look cartoony or like those paintings of children with outsized eyes. My brows have to be in-between thin and thick, again since any off-proportion cannot be gotten away with.

My lips are also prominent, and same basic rules apply — anything too dark, not right shade for my warm tones, heavy or too strong really takes over my look quickly.

My face is quite narrow, so I’m usually better off with blush on the cheekbones v. on the cheek apples. The only time this isn’t so is if I use a bronzy or light color as if I’m sunlit, but even then, it’s just along top, not on the apples per se.

Angelcat47 Avatar

My face is pretty round so I use a matte bronzer to contour around my forehead and temples ,under my cheeks and along my jawline. This makes a huge difference. Ladies, use a matte bronzer and blend well.

Marie Avatar

I have sparse eyebrows, so I take a lot of time to make them darker and fill out the outer portions of the arches.

Also, I have hooded Asian eyes, so I have use primer before shadow and eyeliner or I always get a mess.

In terms of face shape, I have high cheekbones, so I like to contour and strobe. I try to make my jaw look a little narrower and emphasize the heart-shape when I smile. I usually go brighter or darker with blush colors too.

Diana Puckett Avatar

I like to wear eyeshadow that makes my green eyes look greener. I also stay away from anything luminous because of my big pores and oily skin

Wednesday Avatar

Yes, it plays a big part.
Eyes: Super colourful or comlex eye looks get lost on my smaller hooded eyes. Winged liner is something I do on ocassion, but for the most part, I stay away from liner and use shadows or shimmery pencils to create contrast and depth where it doesn’t exist. I also tend to stick to muted neutrals and shades that can play up my green hazel eyes: purples/burgandy/red/bronze
Cheeks: I have angular cheekbones so I use noticeable colour sparingly if at all. I tend to go for plum or nude cheeks with some highlight to play them up instead.
Lips: I prefer myself with smoky eyes, muted nude lips or nude eyes, dramatic lips, but not both. I think my features are small and colour on both overpowers everything.

Stacy Avatar

My face was already long, angular, and a bit “bony.” Now when you add a loss of volume in my cheeks and temples due to natural aging, all things “contour” are pretty much out for me. Also, flat matte finishes, especially for the lips, add harshness and an aging effect that my face does *not* need. I have to be very careful of textures in makeup products, because of all the dents, dings, divots, and crinkles in my skin.

Aeri Avatar

Having no heads on my brows used to really make me a slave to dipbrow/painting hairs in, but now that they’ve regrown (thank you Rapidbrow!) I hardly have to use anything but tint and a little powder. I’m very angular and gaunt with a small nose, so contouring is a no unless it’s zombie makeup time. But I highlight SO MUCH. Lip-wise, I use a lot of liners because I have no definable border and pretty flat lips – I can over draw without it being a visible thing since I have to draw a shape in anyway. I tend to use darker or bolder colors – though my lips are small, they look larger in brights/darks because they look like have a more defined shape.

Rachel R. Avatar

*FACE/SKIN — I do light contouring (cheek bones, around chin, nose) because I have a round face shape, am very overweight, and have a large, very wide nose. I try to give my face and nose more definition and dimension. I also highlight the tops of my high cheekbones rather intensely, and lightly highlight the “magic triangle” area. This helps my face look longer and thinner. I avoid dewy makeup finishes and intense face highlights because of my oily skin.

*EYES — My eyes are somewhat hooded, wide-set, and very deep-set. I avoid really light, shimmery colors in the crease because of the hood. I always use inner corner highlight to counteract the dark, sunken eye effect. I don’t have a lot of visual space between my lids and my brows, so I use a brow bone highlight under the entire brow to open up the area. I like to use bright colored liners and shadows on the bottom lid and lashline, because people can see them better than on my mobile lids. My eyes are a mix of several colors and look olive green, so I tend to go for eye makeup that intensifies the greens: Purples, reds, pinks, burgundies, olives, dark greens, oranges, coppers, warm neutrals, etc. Always lots of mascara to play up my long lashes and open up my eyes.

*LIPS — My lips are not as nearly as full now that I’m older, and they are very down-turned. I have a permanent pouty frown. I like to overdraw my lips slightly and make them look more full and less frowny. As a result, I use lipliner almost every day, and I wear bright lip colors a lot.

Cory Avatar

I buy more eye products bc I feel like my eyes are my most prominent feature. Like, I feel as though I NEED every single eyeshadow color out there lol

Andy Avatar

I’m constantly buying concealers and foundations because my skin is so hard to match. My skin tone has always been fair/light but yellowish, and my face has always been darker than my neck. Starting in my mid 50s, my nose and chin also have some redness. I still have acne scars to cover, too. I guess I still haven’t found the perfect foundation in 45 years!

RMW (Rose) Avatar

Well, I have green eyes..so I absolutely love playing up my greatest asset! I am very picky about what kind of skincare products and cosmetic products I use. You get all kinds of mixed talk on what colors look best on different color eyes. I have to say that it’s really up to YOU! What colors I feel great in, and even sexy in. Believe me, noone can stray me off of my path! For eyeshadows I love lavenders to deep purples.. greens, light and dark as well as light blues to dark blues! I love black eyeliner, but once in awhile I will go brown for a liner. Mascara is always the darkest of black that they make, sometimes waterproof and sometimes not. But all the cosmetics in the Universe wouldn’t look or feel right if I didn’t have a great skincare regimen or eye care regimen! Clean face every night and day. I use 2 anti aging creams and one oil. I stay out of the sun and drink plenty of water. I do use a primer, day moisturizer with SPF 15. My foundation also has an SPF in it also.
With so many products to chose from, either in high end or drugstore brand’s.. It can be overwhelming! The best way of NOT feeling overrun by products, is to do your homework before you enter a store! This way here you can go to the brand you want and just have fun picking out colors! ?

Cat Avatar

I have mild nerve damage from stress on the right side of my face. I use cream and powder contour in order to make both sides of my face appear more balanced. The damage also causes one eye and brow to sit lower than the other, so I need to go slightly above my brow with a pencil on one side and I have to strategically place my eyeshadow so that it’s not as obvious that one eye looks larger than the other. I have to use a lipliner to create balanced lips, too. I’ve actually been thinking about getting surgery… but it sounds painful and kind of scary. If I do, it won’t be anytime soon because I’ll be helping my daughter care for the baby. Maybe next year, maybe not.

Genevieve Avatar

As I have mature skin, I look for foundation that has a natural effect – not too dewy or matte.
My eyes are hooded, so that, in effect, limits the kind of eye makeup that I wear. I don’t wear eyeliner or use eye pencils a lot because of my eye shape.

Silvia Avatar

I’m very fair and love wearing make up but do wear it lightly. I find orangy/coral color lipsticks really pop the color on my hazel eyes. I don’t like heavy cover all foundation on myself just wear it to even out my skin tone a bit I have great skin so I need a little bit only. Love rosy, plums and gold/brownish or taupe eyeshadows. Lately, been living the blushes from Wet n Wild I have bought them all they go in so so soft especially pearlescent pink and all the ombre ones. ?

Elisa Avatar

Because I have a malar rash mask from lupus,which looks like a bad sunburn across my cheeks, I wear brown or orange blushes and avoid the pinks and reds. Also, because I’m 50, I don’t wear bold highlighters,which I love!

Heather Avatar

My skin type (very dry, flaky, sensitive, porous, acne-scarred) means I haven’t yet dabbled much in highlighters–I feel like even the best highlighters just accentuate the bad texture.

My hooded eyes mean I’m less likely to spend time on a complicated eye look, since it doesn’t really show!

I’m all about bold lipstick, though, as my lips are small-medium but have a nice shape. 🙂

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

These are very hard questions to answer. I usedcto think i had it figured out but now i know i was so wrong.. My comcomplexion is light/medium and warm to neutral. I have some areas of rosasea that are fairly well under control with some residulal redness and enlarged pores. I used to be very oily but am normal to sensitive. I am 67 but my oily skin has prevented wrinkles and my coloring made tanning an exercise in futility. , thus few wrinkles. My eyes are blue grey… Think US from GB descent and youve got it
Lt broen, dark blonde hair with polite grey highlights now. My eyes are avereage size, a bit crepey in the crease but otherwise Ok. Brows too light and thin. I use Latisse so i have lashes and brows. Lips Ok. Better than some, not as good as others. Make up: i use a moisturize 2x a day and a serum at least once a day. Primer before makeup. Prefer a creme makeup. Current favs; Laura Mercier smooth creme somethingthing that takes much shaking or Tarte Rainforest of the Sea. I color correct. Just a bit with a Stila set for redness and dark undereyecircles. I lightly set with MUFE setting powder. Use a light matte bronzer, laura Mercier #1 hiliter and a Nars or Clinique colorpop blush for face. Get a bit crazy with eyes but a black, brown, grey liner on top and color on lower lash line and perversion by UD mascara. Finish with Guelain pearles and setting spray.
Patrs may be eliminated depending on activities. Thats the max.

Audrey Avatar

When I do my makeup I like to do a little contouring but my cheekbones already have a shadow so I don’t put too much 🙂

Alecto Avatar

Really interesting question. I’m low-contrast and monochromatic (neutral blond hair; light to medium-light golden skin; medium-light blue eyes so unsaturated that they’re essentially grey; washed-out lips that are neither lighter nor darker than the surrounding skin; light brown, short, thin lashes that have zero impact on my eyes), and I think my color choices fight that every step of the way. I do have rosacea, so most of my face is deeper in color and red-toned, but when I cover the rosacea, I’m unrelievedly light, gold, and featureless, like a pale warm shadow. That’s part of the reason I’ve always been attracted to the Klimt Pallas Athene image (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klimt_-_Pallas_Athene.jpeg) — she reminds me of me; if you made her skin more golden, her eyes more grey, and her lips invisibly taupe … even her helmet is like my bobbed hair. Anyway, I tend to go dark or strong in my clothes and makeup, especially my eyes. If I choose not to emphasize my eyes (wich is rare), I’ll go very dramatic on my lips and cheeks. I can’t stand being colorless. Growing up, I always sighed inside when I saw images of women with dark hair and dark lips — Snow White types — because that, to me, is absolutely beautiful. I even tried dying my hair dark brown, red, you name it, but my hair won’t hold color. In the end, my strong aesthetic choices suit my musical and cultural choices, so it works out. But what I wouldn’t give for raven hair, berry lips, and hazel eyes…

Pteetsa Avatar

Blue-green eyes, so my favorite shadow colors are golds, browns, copper, and bronze colors that emphasize blue eyes.
Large, prominent, round eyes, so dark shadows at the outer corners and liner (like a smoky eye) look best.
Lots of acne scars and hyperpigmentation, so I prefer medium to full coverage foundation. If I’m going to put something on my face, I want it to cover everything!
I wear contacts, so glitter is not my friend.
My lids are becoming more hooded as I get older, so I need to keep my brows well-groomed, otherwise it just looks like a dark cloud above my eyes.
I don’t have much in the way of eyelashes or bone structure, so I love mascara and blush.
I have thin lips, so wearing lipstick makes me feel self-conscious, but I’m trying to get better!

Brenda Lee Avatar

It has everything to do with my choices. I choose eyeshadow palettes based on my eye color. Blushes and lipsticks due to skin tone. Foundation/concelear based on combination skin and skin texture.

Naomi Avatar

I have hazel (mostly brown) eyes but if I can, I’ll try to make the green in my eyes pop/be more prominent. I’ll always contour to make my cheekbones look better. and I almost always apply an inner corner highlight even if I’m doing a simple eye look to make my downturned eyes emphasized (since that eye shape seems to be desirable/on trend, I try to play up my features!) I also have oily/combo skin so I choose my foundations carefully. and I have a lot of undereye fine lines and super dry, so that greatly limits my concealer choices. I also tend to pick a more subtle blush since I’m usually playing up my eyes and my lips. they say do eyes or lips but why not both? I say don’t do all 3 (cheeks,lips,eyes) and pick 2.

Tagerosan Avatar

I have extremely hooded eyelids, sometimes I even have a double crease ,lol. I’m focused on creating unusual and complicated eye looks to flatter my lid shape. Also my eye color affects what eyeshadow hues I choose. I can wear any color, but some look a lot better than others.

Jade Avatar

I have normal to combination skin, which has been more oily in the past, so I go for a matte finish in my base products – I’m a powder addict and can’t fathom skipping it! I have quite an angular face so I tend to play up my cheekbones and brows, so those areas get a lot of attention and time. I have smaller eyes and find they can appear closed in, so I apply my shadow and liner in a way that pulls them “out” and I will apply several shades to make my eyes appear more dimensional. I avoid heavy liner on the bottom, as I find it invariably makes my eyes appear smaller and my whole face appear harsher. I find a matte shadow blended along my lower lash line to work well for me.

Jade Avatar

I forgot to say, my face is a smidgen longer than a true “oval” shape, so most of my colour placement is focused on drawing the eye “out” and making my face appear wider. That means no blush on the true “apples” of my cheeks, but more along the cheek bone towards the ear; and I elongate my brows and make them quite bold, as I find it really balances out my face.

thirteen Avatar

Oh god, so many ways, right? For me, one of the biggest things at the moment, because it’s on trend, is that I don’t do any brow makeup at all. I have fair skin and coloring (inherited from my mom, who has almost invisible brows) and thick, dark eyebrows (like the only feature I inherited from my dad, who had much darker coloring than me). I was so self-conscious about this when I was a kid – in junior high, I got teased for my unibrow.

Now I get them threaded to keep them tidy and to combat the unibrow but making them darker and emphasizing them even more than they are naturally seems hilarious to me.

Bonnie Avatar

My most noticeable features are my cheekbones and my coloring – I’m pretty golden. Golden tan skin, golden blond hair, golden green eyes. I don’t do much in the way of hiding flaws. I’m not about that. I prefer enhancement to concealment. I do try to fill out my sparse brows because they add a needed frame to my eye area. The only issue I conceal is my chronic dark circles, but not with concealer. I use non-glittery bronzer at the top of my cheekbone into that area to add a natural healthy glow without gathering in the easily irritated undereye area. I keep the eyes simple, but I will use almost any color combo on them, just not too many colors at once. I try and keep it to 1-2 shadows, a liner, and a mascara. My eyes are on the rounder side, and most colors will enhance both my eyes and my tan.

Lips are the feature I am most careful about. Mine are small and turn down slightly, and that’s not too pretty, so I use reverse lip liner to slightly enlarge them and fill them in, and light to medium color on top of that. Never darks, not too many brights. These lighter shades make them seem bigger while not competing with my eyes to be the main color focus.

Mo Merrell Avatar

My skin. I have good skin so I don’t need to cover much (it’s usually full coverage cause I prefer it or got carried away lol).

My eyes are really tiny so I always have to make them look bigger thus buying eye makeup that enhances my small eyes.

My cheek bones, they are high enough so I rarely contour as I don’t like my cheeks being super sculpted so contouring makeup for me is out of the question thus the budget.

Justine Avatar

I have very fair, sensitive skin, so I have to be particular about skincare ingredients, such as avoiding fragrance whenever possible. I also am a huge proponent of sunscreen and virtually never leave the house without some form of SPF (I also live in a very sunny place, so I don’t have much of a choice!). I have mostly hooded eyes, so in terms of eyeliner application I have to be choosy with the formula since most do transfer to my crease. I also have to try to make the line thinner rather than the thicker on the upper lash line, or skip eyeliner entirely. Thus, most of my eye makeup is focused on making my eyes look bigger! Luckily I have decent eye lashes, but I always use a smudge resistant formula or waterproof top coat to prevent the mascara from transferring on to the brow bone. I don’t worry about my lips too much, though I should remember to try and wear more color!

Nikki J. Avatar

I tend to have decent, unblemished skin, so I enjoy light to medium foundations that allow my natural skin to peek through and that will even me out versus giving me full coverage. I also love the “me but butter/no makeup” make up look, so I tend to gravitate to natural/nude shades for everyday wear, and I love brights (corals, deep pinks, plums, reds) for special occasions.

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