How to Apply Makeup: A Beginner's Guide to Foundation, Concealer and Eyes

Beginner-focused makeup tutorials from beauty brands and a professional cosmetology school broadly agree on the same sequence for a basic face-and-eye look: skin prep, foundation, concealer, eye makeup, then a setting step. The sections below summarise the steps, tools and techniques each source recommends.

Prepping the Skin and Applying Foundation

Skin should be cleansed to remove oil, dirt or leftover makeup and then moisturized before any colour product goes on, according to No7's beauty guide. The same guide notes that a colour corrector — used to offset redness or dark circles — is applied before foundation, while concealer goes on after it.

Lamora Beauty's beginner tutorial lays out foundation application in stages built around two brushes: a flat kabuki brush for the main face area and a smaller, tapered brush for tighter spots such as under the eyes, around the nose and near the mouth.

1. Dip the flat kabuki brush into foundation and buff it onto the skin with small circular motions, starting at the centre of the face and working outward toward the hairline and jawline, per Lamora Beauty.
2. Press the brush firmly against the skin for fuller coverage, or use lighter half-circle sweeps for a sheerer finish, the same tutorial notes.
3. Dampen the tapered brush with warm water and use it on creases and tight areas to smooth out any visible lines left by the main brush, Lamora Beauty advises.

Applying Concealer

Concealer is applied after foundation rather than before. Maybelline's guide and No7's guide both describe this order as a way to see which areas still need extra coverage, so less product ends up being used overall for a more natural finish.

• Use a shade that matches the skin tone to cover blemishes and discoloration, or a shade one to two levels lighter specifically to brighten the under-eye area, according to No7.
• With a clean ring finger, dot the product on and blend it outward with circular patting motions; Maybelline's guide notes the finger's warmth helps it melt into the skin.
• With a makeup sponge, dampen it first, dot concealer onto imperfections, then dab rather than drag the product so the foundation underneath isn't disturbed, the same guide says.
• Common target areas are under the eyes, the centre of the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the cupid's bow, Maybelline notes.

Eye Makeup: Eyeshadow, Eyeliner and Mascara

Both Ogle School, a cosmetology school, and the beauty subscription service Ipsy recommend starting the eye area with an eyeshadow primer swept across the lid, which they say helps colour show up more vividly and last longer. On shade placement, the exact number and order of colours differs slightly between the two guides, but the underlying principle is the same: the lightest shade goes near the brow bone and inner corner, a mid-tone covers the lid, and a darker shade is built into the crease or outer corner for depth, with every transition blended using a clean brush.

1. Sweep a neutral base shade across the whole lid using a fluffy, domed brush, per Ipsy's guide.
2. With the eye closed, apply a medium shade where the lid meets the brow bone; for hooded eyes, Ipsy suggests applying this step with the eye open instead.
3. Build a darker shade into the outer corner in a V-shape, then blend every colour transition with a clean brush until no hard lines remain, according to Ipsy and Ogle School.
4. Finish by placing the lightest shade on the inner corner and the brow arch to highlight the area.

For eyeliner, Clarins' beauty guide suggests steadying the hand against a solid surface and tracing a line as close to the lash line as possible, starting from the outer corner. It describes pencil liner as the easiest option for beginners to control, since mistakes can be softened with a cotton swab, and recommends an upward flick at the outer corner for a lift on hooded eyes.

On mascara, Clarins' guide advises against pumping the wand in and out of the tube, since that lets in air and dries the product faster. It recommends starting at the base of the upper lashes and moving the wand in a zigzag motion, applying several light coats, and placing a tissue beneath the lower lashes to catch any smudges while coating them.

Setting and Finishing the Look

Both No7 and Maybelline recommend finishing with a light layer of setting powder applied with a small, fluffy brush to help the makeup last longer. No7's guide specifically cautions against using too much, since it can make skin look dry, and suggests powdering mainly the areas that need it rather than the entire face.