Beginner Glam Makeup Looks
- Alena Black
- Sep 15, 2019
- 9 min read
Sorry for not posting anything last week. It was the first week of fall semester and I got sick! It was awful but I am back now! This week I will be showing you guys some of my favorite easy makeup looks for parties, date nights, events, and just days when you want a pop of color, or something more dramatic than a casual everyday look. If you want those light makeup or natural look, check out my college makeup post. If you want even more glam, I'm probably not the person to ask. I'm not that dramatic with my makeup ha. I have been experimenting a lot with my makeup recently though because of the theater makeup class I just started. This post took me a little bit of time to put together just because I realized how hard it is to take good pictures of eye shadow. It's nearly impossible, so just use your imagination and don't look too closely at the pics.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and are all my own thoughts. Please also keep in mind that I am very much aware that not everyone likes makeup as much as I do. I do not wear makeup because I think I need it to feel pretty nor do I think other people need it either. I genuinely enjoy the art of makeup and transforming myself and I hope that this post inspires some creativity within you guys too. I am also not a MUA and my "glam" looks are wayyyyy less glam than you would find on a Instagram account or YouTube video. I just wanted to show how I do MY glam makeup and how I like it. These pictures also don't give justice to the makeup. I swear that makeup looks 100% better in person than on a picture. Most pictures you see on Instagram are heavily edited to look as good as they do. I'm honestly too lazy to edit that much so. Keep that in mind. Finally, you can always adjust these looks to fit your style, these are just some fun things I like to do. And with that, let's jump right in!
Color
The biggest thing I do when I want to spice up a makeup look, is adding color. I don't go crazy, but a surprise bit of color adds a lot to a look, and shows confidence because it is not as common. There are typically three ways I add color to my looks.
Crease/Lid:
This is pretty self explanatory, but for natural eye looks, you may tend to go towards browns and creme colors. To spice up your look, try some other colors! If you are new to color and don't want to step too far out from the natural makeup world, I suggest starting with warm reds and oranges. These look good on most everyone. Red and orange and close to those warm brown tones you may already use, but will add just a bit more of an edge to your look. A really good and popular palette for these sort of tones is the ABH Modern Renaissance palette. It even has some fun pinks to help you step even more into the world of color. If you are really feeling out there, go ahead and try some other colors. Personally, since I have brown eyes, I like to use purple eye shadow. I use the MorphexJaclynHill palette in Bling Boss. It has some gorgeous purple shades that I haven't found anywhere else. I also own the MorphexJamesCharles palette which has all sorts of fun colors. In general, just try adding some color to the crease! Start with small amounts and if you like it build it up, if you don't blend it away or remove it!
Lower Lash Line:
I did this almost every Friday in high school. Our school colors were blue and white and as a cheerleader who had to wear her uniform, I wanted to sort of coordinate my makeup. I would take a blue eye shadow and put it on the lower lash line of my eye. That way, I would still have a very neutral eye look for school, but with a tiny pop of color and spirit too. I got a lot of compliments when I would do this because it just added the slightest hint of blue that would make people notice my eyes just a little bit longer.
Inner Corner:
This one I did quite a few times in high school and this past year as well. I really like this one because it is so easy and is even more dramatic and noticeable than the last. Just use your ring finger or a small brush to pack on some color in the inner corner. From there, I usually like to take a highlighter or a lighter shimmery shade to highlight it further and pop that right on top of the color to add some dimension and light back into the color. This look is great for parties and nights out because you can just put a color there, add some winged liner, and it makes your makeup look extremely put together.
Eyeliner:
I have just recently started doing this. Honestly, my friend Emmy inspired me, but I got some colored eyeliner. So far, I have pink, yellow, and periwinkle liners and I love all of them. Each has a different consistency and way of applying them, so if you aren't familiar with one, you might opt for another. The pink one I have is from Colourpop and is a liquid pen liner. The yellow is a NYX Vivid Bright Liquid Liner, and the periwinkle is also a NYX Creme Color and is applied with an angled brush. I use these typically as a pair with my Stila black liner. I personally like to lay the black liner down first with a wing, and then tracing the edge of the liner with the color. I think it adds dimension to my eye but still emphasizes the color. I also keep the eye shadow very neutral and will only do a shimmer shade or a very light crease shade to keep the focus on the liner. I want to experiment some more with other eyeliners and placement of liner because of the recent show Euphoria that came out. The makeup artists created some amazing looks with colored liners that I would love to experiment with.
Lipstick:
This is a classic. Everyone knows a red lip is a great way to spice up a look. Red, purple, hot pink, even black. Lipsticks come in every color now. Go to Sephora, MAC, or any makeup store and try a few out! I personally don't ever wear bold lip colors just because I haven't found any that I love on me, but I know plenty of people who changed their entire look with a lipstick shade.
Add depth
A big part of making a "day look" into a "night look" is adding more depth and darkness. The key is knowing where to put those darker shades.
Eye shadow:
With eye shadow, in my last makeup post, I talked about the outer "v"/corner of the eye. That is where you will put you dark shades. Be sure to start small and blend blend blend. Nothing is worse than a literal "V" shape of black. In fact, don't use black in the outer corner unless you are going for a full on smokey eye. I tend to put dark browns, purples, and reds in the outer corner first so it adds both depth and color. It is also easier to control these colors than the color black. Keep building up the color until you have your desired intensity, and blend out the edges.
Eyeliner:
Eyeliner is also a great way to add depth. With most makeup looks, you want to make your eyes seem upturned and larger than they are. Winged liner extends your eye shape for that illusion. For everyday wear, I usually do not add a wing to my liner, but for a more glam look, I add that wing to be extra dramatic. Winged liner just takes practice. That is all I can say to help you really. Everyone likes their winged liner different, so you just have to keep trying. I personally think that a pen liner like Stila's is the easiest way to get that sharp edge, but there are people who prefer gel or liquid. You can also add depth with eyeliner by smudging it out to create a smokey effect. Liquid liner can make this hard as it is usually smudge resistant, but I will take an angled brush, tap into some black shadow, and smudge the sharp lines with the brush. It just adds a bit of depth and looks less "try hard" than a sharp line. If that made any sense.
Contour:
While you are adding dept to your eyes, don't forget to balance it by adding depth to your face. For most everyday looks, I would only suggest bronzer around the perimeter of your face, but with a more glam look, I suggest contouring. Contouring is like chiseling out your face structure. You typically use a cooler toned brown from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette to do this so it looks more like shadows, BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CANNOT BLEND. We don't want to look like you smeared dirt on your cheek. Simply go over where you would normally bronze with this contour shade with the same technique. If you really want a more structured look, use less product, but concentrate it more in those areas you would start the bronzer before blending it.
Add light
In addition to adding darkness, we should, depending on what look you are going for, add some light to the face as well.
Lid Color:
With natural looks, like I said, you usually use a nice shimmery shade for the lid. When you want something more glam, I suggest one of two things. Use a loose pigment. These pigments are meant to be extra shiny, sparkly, or like the name implies, pigmented, and will add so much light to your look. People will be drawn to the color of your lid because it will be the part of your face that catches light from straight on the most. Another way to do this without pigments is to use a eye shadow packer brush, get a good amount of product on it, and spray it with your setting spray, or in my case, my rose water spray. Making the shadow damp with enhance the shine and sparkle of the shadow when it is pressed onto your lid.
Inner Corner:
Similar to the color in the inner corner, use the same technique with a shimmery ivory shade or highlight shade. This will make your eye appear larger and more awake and will again draw people to look at your eyes.
Highlighter:
In terms of face makeup, you can always go more "glam" with a fuller coverage foundation shade, but you can also add more light to the face using highlighter. I have two highlighters in my collection. One is softer and for an everyday glow from Wet N Wild. The other is blinding. ABH Glow Palettes are amazing for the sparkle and shine that will catch light very easily. It is going to turn heads for sure and can be a lot for everyday use, but for glam nights, it is perfect to highlight your cheekbones, inner corner, brow bone, and nose.
False Lashes
I talked about this a bit in my college makeup post, but false lashes are always an easy way to make something more glam. Like I said, I have used all sorts of lashes. Individual, magnetic accents, full lashes, clusters, you name it. I personally like the magnetic accents just because they are so easy to use, but the full lashes look amazing as well. The best way to find the right ones for you is to ask an associate to help you. Trying on lots of lashes will help you figure out what your favorite shape and length will be.
Rhinestones/Glitter
I mentioned before the show Euphoria and their colorful makeup. Well, a trend that has started because of the show is adding rhinestones and glitter. I used glitter in my makeup for cheer either on my lower lash line or the inner corner of my eye. I would just take an old makeup brush, dip the tip in eyelash glow and then dip it into the glitter and apply it to the desired areas. In the show, they use glitter under the eyes to look like tears, on the lids to add a sweep of whimsical color and sparkle, and even in the hair to add some detail. With rhinestones, they put they all around the eye and eyebrow. On top of the liner, in the inner corner, on the lower lash line, around the lid. It is truly amazing and I have been very inspired by the makeup. So much so that I went out and bought my own small rhinestones from JoAnn and tried a few looks. I love how they look. I used eyelash glue for these as well. I just love how it looks with the 3D element that catches the eye from even further away.
Overall, like I said, I love to experiment with makeup. There are always new techniques to learn and new designs to try. These are just a few of the ways I make my looks more glam. I love the glam look and wear a semi-glam look consistently every single day. I am no beauty guru or MUA, but I sure have an appreciation for the art form and can't wait to continue practicing. Let me know if you want to see anymore makeup related posts!
XO
Alena
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