7 things that will change the way you think about makeup

Here are a few things we took away from the demonstration that could change the way you use makeup forever.

1. Modify the way you think about makeup

It seems obvious, but it’s an easy thing to forget – we need to remember that makeup is a celebration of us and our style.

The duo talked about makeup as ‘problem-solving’. The most common problem Pixiewoo see cropping up?

It’s not dark circles or messy eyebrows – it’s a lack of confidence.

Whatever the look, if someone loves it and they’re confident it will look great on them.

‘You shouldn’t feel like you need to do it all. A lot of these “rules” are built up to sell products. You don’t need to do it all, no matter what social media tells you,’ Nic said.

‘You need to think about how these products make you feel as a person. There’s nothing “wrong” with your face to begin with’.

‘Don’t look at anyone else’s face. Look at your face.’

Once you master this one, makeup becomes a lot more fun.

2. Experiment

‘Some of our best techniques and ideas have come from experimenting, doing what you’re not supposed to do. Problem-solving means you just have to try stuff’, explains Sam.

Nic agreed, you never know how something will work (or not work) until you try it.

‘Even if two people manifest the exact same problem, there will be different ways of dealing with it.’

‘I never ask what skin type someone has. People mostly don’t know, I say, tell me what your problems are, and we’ll figure out a way to solve it.’

For example, there’s no right way to apply eyeliner, liquid or otherwise, when every eye is a slightly different shape.

So get in there and play around and see what works best for you.

3. Primers are good

If you’re like me, you’ve probably written off primers as another unnecessary beauty addition – but I was very surprised to learn that they are on of the most important elements of your kit.

When asked about staying power, covering up redness and how to use foundation on combination skin it all came down to a good primer, and here’s the thing: a good primer is all about what’s best for YOUR skin type.

You might need to use more than one primer for different sections of you skin, you could get away with just using a good moisturiser, but as long as you have something as a base, you’ll be able to solve a majority of your makeup and skincare problems.

4. Colour correctors are useless

Those cute little pink, yellow and green pallet sets are, to quote Nic, ‘silly-silly…’ and highly unnecessary.

If you want to cover up redness, dark circles or discoloration, you’re best off selectively applying a thicker, full coverage foundation where you need it.

5. Contouring

Thanks to the likes of the Kardashian clan, contouring is still raging strong.

Nic raised a good point when she said,

‘I like contouring, but I don’t like what it has become.’

It’s true, the trend has taken on a life of its own, and while everyone wants to be rocking a full Kimmy K face, it’s just not practical or sustainable for most of us.

‘Work out your face shape, play around with shape and depth and don’t over do it,’ agreed Sam.

6. Highlighting

Sam excitedly announced that this season highlighter is everywhere, with ‘fresh’ being key.

But the secret is making sure your product looks like part of your skin, not something sitting on top.

They recommend investing in a cream highlighter and if you suffer from oily skin, making sure to avoid the T-zone.

Of course, it will always help if you’re using the right base and foundation underneath.

See note on primers above.

7. Leave one feature free

With so many strong looks and exciting makeup tutorials, how do you know when a look has become too much?

Nic advises that whatever look you’re doing, always try and leave one feature ‘free’.

‘That’s the key to making sure your look is not overdone.’

‘Know what works for you.’

Writer: Holly Royce for Metro.co.uk