Happy Fri-YAY, ladies! I hope you’re having a sweet one. Ever since we moved I’ve been feeling perpetually behind. I’m sure it has to do with the fact that I’m spending a significant portion of everyday cleaning and organizing and unpacking. And Chris’s work shifts are making shooting a challenge in the moving context. Next week is going to be a rough one because my schedule is getting a significant change as well. But we’ll find a way to make it work! Anyway, I was chatting with a friend recently and we talked about how hard it can be to learn about makeup when you don’t know anyone who is very into it. My mom has amazing skin, so all she really needs is a bit of mascara and she positively glows. My skin, however, not so much. So I had to learn the hard way, and on my own. But I know I’m not the only one so if you’re in that place, this post is for you. I’m sharing a few tips and tricks that will make the learning process much more enjoyable and successful!

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FRANCESCA’S TOP

FOCUS ON LEARNING ONE THING AND PRACTICING DAILY

Trying to learn in the beauty world all at once is kind of overwhelming. The truth is it takes years to become an expert and there’s no way you can learn it over night. So pick one thing you want to learn first, and practice it everyday. I started with winged eyeliner because it seemed like an easy enough challenge – all it took is patience and some liquid liner that I already had. So I took a little time to do it every day, even just a single attempt before I washed my face. After about a week I had gotten to the point where I could do it pretty well, pretty quick. Depending on exactly what you’re trying to learn, it can take anywhere from a week to a couple months.

Looking back, I wish I had started with base products: foundations, concealer, and setting powders and sprays. Having a beautiful base for your makeup makes such a huge difference for the overall appearance and professional-look of your makeup. These do take a little longer because the product itself takes as much experimentation as the technique, but it is so worth it.

WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS AS YOU GET READY IN THE MORNING

A friend introduced me to most of the beauty channels I follow and I am so grateful for it. YouTube is a great way to really dive in and learn about the beauty world. I regularly watch them in the morning as I’m getting ready, from tutorials to hauls to reviews. There’s so much to learn and I often don’t have time to sit and follow a tutorial. But by binge watching them while getting ready or cleaning or other tasks, I pick up little tips and tricks here and there to try later.

There’s often a lot of repetition, but you can use that to your advantage because it makes it easy for your subconscious to pick up and remember the tip later. It slows the learning process down, but makes it so much less overwhelming and you’ll find you progress in a much more natural way with fewer huge mess-ups.

A few beauty gurus I love are: Tati, Casey Holmes, RachhLoves, KathleenLights, and Jaclyn Hill.

SHOP SEPHORA FAVORITES KITS OR ULTA BEAUTY BAGS

These guys are amazing when you’re trying to learn about new products. Subscription services like Birchbox and Ipsy are also helpful because you are able to test out different products without committing to a full-sized version. I especially love these for foundations and concealers, primers and setting sprays, and even masks. If you pay careful attention to how new products wear, you really only need to get 2-5 uses to know if you like them. So these little kits and subscriptions are a perfect way to save cash and headaches at the outset.

TALK BEAUTY WITH WHOEVER WILL LISTEN

Talking about and teaching something is the best way to learn it. Even if you’re still learning yourself, you can always find someone to talk to who you maybe know more than. (I even bore Chris to death with it because saying it out loud helps me remember and make connections). And that’s for learning literally anything. You can find forums and groups online to chat about beauty if there’s not a person in life to talk to. And don’t forget the folks at Ulta and Sephora, they know a lot, but you know your skin, so chatting with them is a good way to get new ideas, learn a little bit, and teach them about your particularities and what works for you. All of that talk further ingrains what you’re learning in your mind.

BLEND, BLEND, BLEND

So, your first make up lesson is to blend, blend, blend. There are very few products and techniques that don’t call for blending (a perfectly sharp wing is the only thing that comes to mind), but literally every other makeup technique requires blending. So if you’re struggling to make your eye-shadow look nice, try just spending significantly more time blending out those edges. Always blend foundation down your neck. Bronzer should blend a tiny bit onto your ears (that’s where the sun hits!). So when it doubt, blend it out. It can take your look from amateur to budding beauty guru real quick.

Those are the basics that will help jump start your learning process in the beauty world! I also have a post on the essentials for any makeup kit for an easy look! If you have a bit more practice, what tips and tricks worked for you?

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