I wasn't really brought up with makeup. I mean, I liked it, in theory, but other than multiple flavours of Lip Smackers, I never really played with makeup growing up. This, plus hanging out mostly with guys, plus being Goth, meant that when I finally DID start playing with eyeshadow and lipstick, it was pretty much black, black, black. There was a lot of 101 type makeup info that I never really got, and there wasn't makeup around the house for me to experiment with.

This all led to me realizing that I'm 30, and I've barely tweezed my brows. I know how to put on clown makeup, or burlesque glitter, but everyday looks? Nope. I would go into Sephora and be completely distracted by all shiny and bright eyeshadows, never getting blushes, bronzers or concealers. My collection therefore was incredibly unbalanced, and I never really learned anything new. There's so many tutorials, I tended to get lost and confused and give up really easily.

So I've set myself the challenge to learn how to put makeup on my face like an adult instead of like a 5 year old drag queen. As I know I'm not alone in this struggle, I've included tutorials I've come across that make me widen my eyes and take notes. Hopefully this helps more femmes out there! <3

-how (and why) to use primer

-hiding dark under eye circles

-applying concealer

-brows. everything about them.

-blush

-how to do winged eyeliner with a spoon!

-eyeshadow for beginners

-blending your eyeshadow

-mascara tips 

-lippy lips lips (also these are just awesome)

-suggested drug store must haves here, here and here

-and, why not, some info on contouring

Once you get the basics down, you can start to expand that repertoire into my favourite types of looks- incredibly wild and out there! I'm excited to play around with tropical multicoloured eyes, smokey eyes in greens and blues, and retro looks.

Like anything, makeup is a learned art. You don't need to learn everything at once- get to master a bit at a time. Generally bold eyes or bold lips is best, so maybe start with the one you like most (I'd always go eyes, personally, because so many more colours) and then develop more skills from there. Like any art, I've learned that part of it is learning technique, and part is experimenting/personal expression! This is the summer I will learn how to femme, and I'll be posting #femmefriday highlights of indie makeup companies, mostly ones that are also vegan. Get ready to play!

What spring/summer looks are you particularly interested in exploring?