Have you ever found yourself shopping for new beauty products and feeling totally confused over why there were so many options? Do you really need to contour your face and apply bronzer? What’s the difference between an eyebrow pencil and an eyebrow gel (and how do you even fill in your eyebrows)? After a while, your shopping cart can seem redundant, while every YouTube makeup tutorial can simply sound like noise. The good news? If you feel like this, you’re not alone. Whether you need a makeup for beginners tutorial, or you love trying all the latest beauty trends, we’re giving you a little refresh on all the basics. 



Buckle up, because we’re about to school you with our crash course in simple, must-know makeup knowledge. Say goodbye to creasing, learn how to make dry skin appear hydrated (and oily skin appear matte), get the best use of makeup brushes, eyeshadow palettes, lip balm, and more. We’ve got the best hacks for how to apply makeup for beginners, thanks to makeup artist tips and tricks. Whether you want to up your face makeup game or turn heads with a killer eye makeup look straight from Sephora, these makeup tips from the pros (with our own IPSY editor input as well) will have you making a mad dash for the drugstore or beauty supply store (depending on the makeup products you fancy). Now, what are you waiting for? Keep scrolling and get to applying!

First Things First: What Are All These Products?

Whether you’ve totally mastered your everyday makeup look or you have no idea how to put makeup on, most of us could use a refresher when it comes to what’s in our cosmetic case. Read on for how to apply makeup, step by step, with our comprehensive guide below.

Complexion Products

  • Primer: Primers come in gel, cream, or spray form and can create an even canvas for your makeup application by filling in fine lines and blurring large pores. We’re fans of this step because it helps the makeup glide on evenly, last longer, and avoid lookingcakey.

  • Foundation:Even if you’re only into makeup for beginners, you’ll want to have at least one trusty foundation at your fingertips. Foundation can come as a liquid, cream, or powder, and is meant to even out your skin tone and smooth over imperfections. Unsure which formula is right for you? Check out our breakdown of powder and liquid foundation. Tip: We always factor in what coverage we’re looking to achieve. You can get foundations ranging from sheer coverage (like a skin tint or tinted moisturizer) to full coverage. 

  • Concealer: Concealer is meant to provideunder-eye brightness or additional coverage over select areas, like dark circles, breakouts, acne scars, and more. Depending on the look you want to achieve, you can opt for a concealer with either a matte or dewy finish. Just like with foundation, we appreciate that there’s a coverage level for everyone’s preference. Want to know more? Here’s our guide on how to apply concealer.

  • Highlighter and Contour: These two are the secret behind the perfectly chiseled faces we often see on celebs and influencers. “Contour colors always recede, meaning they will add depth, where highlighter brings that light forward,” says makeup artist Robert Sesnek. Together they add an overall dimension. Because everyone has different skin types, we recommend playing around with liquid, powder, and cream formulas to figure out what’s most flattering on your own individual face. 

  • Blush and Bronzer: There’s often confusion between contour and bronzer when it comes to makeup for beginners. But it’s important to remember that contour creates shadows, while bronzer creates a natural, sun-kissed glow that accentuates and lifts your cheekbones and other features. Bronzers come in liquids, creams, and powders (brush up on the differences with our tips for how to apply bronzer). On the flip side, blush is used to add a hint of color to your cheeks and comes in liquid, powder, and cream formulas.

  • Setting Products: You have a few options to set your makeup. When we want to lock a look in place, we love the waysetting powder does the trick. When we want to smooth fine lines and blur pores, we apply finishing powder, which also gives an airbrushed finish. And when we want to secure our look while adding a little dewiness, setting spraygets the job done. Sesnek says he never skips the setting step. If setting the whole face feels like too much product or leaves the skin too matte, we just powder select areas (like our T-zone and under our eyes), while leaving the other areas dewy.

  • Eye Products

    • Eyeshadow Primer: While most primers for your complexion contain silicone or water, we suggest priming your lids with designated eyeshadow primers because they offer more grip. This allows your eye makeup to stay in place all day. 

    • Eyeshadow: Eyeshadow is pigmented powder or cream applied to your eyelids to accentuate your eyes. The colors come in a variety of finishes and shades, ranging from matte to shimmering to duochrome and satin. They also contain varying levels of pigmentation. 

    • Eyeliner: Eyeliner is used to define the eyes, enhance their shape, and create different looks. When it comes to eyeliner, we switch back and forth between gel, liquid, or pencil, depending on our vibe (and the time and patience we’re working with at the moment). If you’re unsure which one is right for you, turn to our guide on which eyeliner you should use.

Eyebrow Products

  • Eyebrow Gel: Eyebrow gel keeps brow hairs in place. The formula is usually either clear or tinted, natural, or extra-hold. 

  • Eyebrow Pencil: Eyebrow pencil is used to draw in hairs and allows you to achieve the most natural-looking finish. Not only does a fine tip create strokes that resemble real hair, but “the wax texture mimics real brow hairs,” says Sesnek.

  • Eyebrow Powder: Powder is perfect for filling in sparse spots and is a great go-to for beginners, says Sesnek. In fact, if you don’t have a powder on hand, you can use an eyeshadow to achieve the same effect. Just be sure to select a shade most similar to your eyebrow color.