Full glam makeup can be intimidating, but with these 20 tips, it should become much easier.
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Learn your undertones
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A good full glam look depends on wearing the right shades, and you can’t select the right shades for your face without knowing your undertones. Determine whether you have cool, warm, or neutral undertones to help you pick out the right foundation, concealer, and any product with color.
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Learn the basics of color theory
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If you aren’t sure what your undertones are, you could be lacking knowledge of color theory. Learning even the basics of color theory will improve your full glam game and help you pick colors that complement your skin tone and each other.
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Determine your skin type
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You’ve got to know your skin type to choose the right products, too. Determine whether you have oily, dry, or combination skin and what skin issues (if any) you struggle with. This will guide your decision about product types and textures and help you understand which tips to employ to make your makeup last.
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Lock down your skincare routine
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Good full glam is just as much about the pre-work as it is the actual work of applying the makeup. Get a good, consistent skincare routine together, including makeup prep, so your skin is as good of a base as it can possibly be for your makeup.
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Don’t skip primer
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Primer is an important step in a full glam makeup routine. It provides a base for your makeup. It evens out your skin texture so your foundation goes on more smoothly.
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Understand the difference between bronzing and contouring
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There is a difference between bronzing and contouring, and it’s important to know the difference when you’re doing full glam. Bronzing gives you a sunkissed look while contouring sculpts the face. The terms are used interchangeably, but the techniques are different, and knowing the difference is vital to good full glam.
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Learn your face shape
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Learning your face shape is just as important as knowing your undertones. Your face shape will determine the placement of products, especially when contouring, highlighting, and applying blush. Determine your face shape and learn where on your face certain products should go.
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Learn your eye shape
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Just as important as learning your face shape is learning your eye shape. Everyone’s eyes are shaped a little differently, and the specific way your eyes sit on your face will determine which shadow and liner patterns look the best.
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Get the right tools
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Unless you want to apply your entire face of full glam makeup with your hands, you’re going to want to get the proper tools. To start, get a basic set of brushes and a beauty sponge for applying and blending. As you become more comfortable, get some brushes with more specific uses to up your game even more.
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Use high quality products
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The quality of your products is just as important as your skillset. Make sure you’re using products that are pigmented, have good texture, and are long-lasting. And keep in mind that high quality doesn’t necessarily mean high price.
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Decide your look ahead of time
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Unless you opt for the same look every time, you’ve got to have a game plan for your makeup before you apply it. Take a look at your palettes and consider what you’re wearing and where you’re going to help you decide what you want your makeup to look like before you start. This will give you a road map to follow and ensure you end with a cohesive look.
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Take everything to the neck
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Makeup doesn’t just go on your face. It goes on your neck, too. Make sure your skincare prep and your foundation get taken to your neck for a seamless look. This is especially important when you’re matching your foundation to the color of your body.
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Blend, blend, blend
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Bad blending can be hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. For a good full glam look, make sure you blend thoroughly so your contour, blush, concealer, highlight, foundation, and shadows all fit together seamlessly.
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Use good lighting
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If you want your makeup to look bad, do it in poor lighting. Not only will poor lighting distort the colors you’re using, but it’ll make it more difficult to see if you’ve blended everything well enough. Get a good makeup mirror with a light if you don’t have access to good lighting.
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Lengthen your lashes
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Full glam is always topped off with a great set of lashes. You can use falsies if you’d like, but you don’t have to. You can play the long game by applying a lash serum to lengthen your natural lashes, or you can use a good curler and great mascara to add some millimeters.
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Up your eye makeup technique
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A pillar of full glam is a good eye. Master full glam makeup by improving your eye makeup techniques. Practice your winged liner, establish a go-to smokey eye, and get a versatile shadow palette so you have a few tricks up your sleeve when it comes to eye makeup.
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Master the art of the brow
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The eyebrows are included in the ever-important eye area of the face. And just like learning how to do a killer eye, it’s vital to master a good brow for a full glam look. Get to know the shape of your brows and find products that will enhance them so your brows act as an anchor for your look.
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Practice your lip look
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When it comes to full glam, you’ve got to be a jack of all trades. Don’t let your lip look fall through the cracks. Whether you want to go all out and overline, keep it simple with some colored gloss, or land somewhere in the middle, you’ve got to know how to apply lip products without creating a mess and perfectly finishing your look.
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Set that beat
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What good is a full glam look if it all fades throughout the day? A little fading is inevitable, but you can get your glam to last all day with good setting products. A mix of setting powder and spray will yield the best results.
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Practice
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Practice makes perfect. If you really want to master a good full glam look, you will have to put some effort in. The good news is that if you wear makeup every day, you’ve got lots of built-in time to practice your looks, so test out a new technique every now and again while you’re doing your regular routine.
Acacia Deadrick is a South Dakota-based writer who has written for sites such as Nicki Swift, The List, and Glam. She loves music and all things pop culture, and she can be found watching TV, completing a crossword puzzle, or reading in her spare time.