First of all, let's define pageant make-up in its proper state for what it is and is not. Pageant make-up is not the make-up that you wear every day for school or work. Pageant make-up is not your every day make-up applied in a heavier manner. Pageant make-up is not theater pancake make-up. Pageant make-up is richly pigmented products applied in a blended, glamorous style. Pageant make-up is conscious of bright stage lights, judges' eyes, and the distance of the audience. Pageant make-up does not detract from your individual beauty, but merely emphasizes your beauty in order to allow everyone to recognize it.
Now that we have a definition of proper pageant make-up, we can start with the foundation of make-up - your beautiful face. In order for your pageant make-up to have a flawless canvas, you will want to invest in a skincare regimen that addresses your individual needs, whether you have acne-prone skin, dull skin, dry skin, oily skin, fine lines and wrinkles, etc.
- Give your skin time to improve. If your skin will stand in the way of your pageant make-up, I urge you to invest into the necessary products to make your skin appear luminous, smooth and clear. In order to give your skin plenty of time to be at its best, I highly recommend that you start on a skincare regimen no later than six to eight weeks prior to your pageant. If you can start even earlier, you will have time to replace any skincare products that may not have been effective.
- Apply your products as directed. As we all know that you can't lose twenty pounds overnight, you cannot expect your skincare products to perform drastic miracles overnight. Skincare products must be applied consistently and with patience if you want to see results.
- I also would like to emphasize the importance of removing your make-up and washing your face before bed. If you do not, you are allowing all the dirt, oil, environmental pollutants, and everything else in your pores to be absorbed into your skin.
- Please consult with an expert, such as a salesperson at a make-up counter or a specialist at a spa, to learn what products will work for your skin.
With a fresh-faced canvas, now you are ready to learn about make-up techniques. There are three ways you can go about this. Make sure that you are learning how to create a make-up look that is age-appropriate. You should not look like you are 25 if you are 16, and vise versa.
- If you have a general idea of make-up application and can learn with a 'monkey see, monkey do' approach, then you can consult make-up experts on YouTube. There are a lot of make-up artists who work independently or for companies such as MAC Cosmetics that upload videos on make-up techniques and looks. A few users that come to my mind are MakeupGeek, Aboywearingmakeup, pixiwoo, and panacea81. Although definitely not all of their looks are pageant-friendly, you can get an idea of what looks would work based upon the make-up of previous contestants in your pageant system.
- However, if you know very little about make-up, you should consult with a make-up artist. Do your best to find a make-up artist who has experience in the pageant industry. If you intend to learn how to do your make-up on your own, you can bring pictures of previous contestants to show the make-up artist the type of look that you need to master. Fearlessly ask questions and make sure that you leave feeling confident in your newfound make-up application skills, since you will be applying the make-up on your own for the competition.
- If you intend to have the make-up artist do your make-up for you, make sure that you perform a run-through with the make-up artist prior to your competition to make sure that your look is created flawlessly. Although I can understand how depending upon just a professional may seem like a good idea, it is more of convenience than of practicality. If you are selected as the titleholder, you will have appearances to make where the public will expect you to look the same as the pageant. If you can afford to have the make-up artist doll you up for every appearance, then that's fine! But it is exceptionally helpful to learn how to do your own make-up for many occasions post-pageant.
- Finally, you can do a combination of an appointment with a professional and exposure to professionals on YouTube. The former concept will give you the foundation of make-up application skills, while the YouTube make-up artists can inspire you with various make-up looks to use during your pageant competition.
- No matter what approach you take to learning the techniques, make sure that you practice what you learn on a regular basis to keep your skills sharp for the competition. You do not want to stress about your make-up during your pageant, so make sure that you know what to do beforehand.
Before purchasing any make-up, you should learn about the products, tools, and techniques in order to make informed purchases and decisions. Make-up artists and beauty experts can give you opinions on what products and tools to use. However, I can divulge what is worth investing in, and what you can let slide a little. Beauty budgets have the ability to climb easily, so it is important to recognize what should be more expensive, and what doesn't have to be.
- First of all, you should invest in good make-up brushes and tools, such as blending sponges, powder puffs, and eyelash curlers. MAC, Shu Uemura, and Sephora have wonderful make-up brushes. However, an affordable and luxurious alternative is Sonia Kashuk, available at Target. For sponges, the reusable Beauty Blender sponge is truly genius. For disposable powder puffs, I recommend NYX sponges. For an eyelash curler, you should not settle for less than the best, which is the Shu Uemura curler.
- When it comes to make-up products, the primer is more important than the actual product. By using a primer, you can make ordinary make-up last as long as more expensive products. For your eyes, Urban Decay's Primer Potion is a cult classic. For your face, everyone adores Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. For your lips, Urban Decay also offers a wonderful lipstick primer. Mascara primers are not entirely necessary, so feel free to exclude one from your budget if you don't feel the need to have one. Also, there are many lip exfoliants and balms out on the market. If you take an old, dry toothbrush and rub your lips in a circular motion, then your lips will feel revitalized. Seal the deal with some Chapstick and you're good to go!
- When it comes to your face make-up, such as your foundation, concealer, and powder, you truly should invest. However, for eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, blush, and other beauty products, you can go for more affordable alternatives. If you want to have a Dior gloss and NARS blush just for fun then you certainly can, but the more expensive products are not completely necessary.
- For your eyebrows, you should consider investing in professional shaping in addition to more expensive products. Anastasia makes exceptional products that help you shape and highlight your brows. Your brows frame your entire face and also highlight your eyes.
- When it comes to false lashes, you can purchase more affordable lashes if you don't want to try resurrecting a pair. Ardell lashes are great for one-time-use, whereas MAC lashes can hold up for more than one occasion. I do recommend that you use Duo glue. I truly believe that all contestants teen and older should wear false lashes during their pageant competition.
Last but not least, the color choices of your make-up should come into play. You want to choose colors that compliment your skintone, hair color, eye color, personality, and wardrobe. A make-up artist can help you identify which colors to use and avoid. To learn which colors will compliment your wardrobe, visit Qdazzleprom.com and select the colors incorporated in your wardrobe. You do not need to purchase her products unless you want to. The key is to find products that are similar to the colors she recommends.
I hope that all of this information will help you create your most gorgeous and glamorous pageant make-up look for your next pageant competition!
-Miss Pageant Prep
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