Brows, Lashes, and Lips: Getting Started with the Basics

In early 2010, movie star Jeremy Renner surprised the world when he revealed on The Ellen Degeneres Show that he’d once been a professional makeup artist. Back before he was the action hero we know him as today, Renner discovered a natural, artistic knack for doing makeup during his days in the theater. Instead of waiting tables between auditions, he earned his income by doing women’s makeup.

When asked what his tips are for women’s makeup, he had three simple words: “Frame the face.”

How best can you do that? According to Renner, it’s all in the brows, lashes, and lips! “It’s simple; it’s 5 minutes,” he added. Framing the face by highlighting these 3 areas can be done by anyone, even beginners. So let’s take a look at this, shall we?

Let’s start by saying: if you’re a makeup lover and have been playing with the idea of turning this into your career, keep in mind that this tip isn’t going to be enough to make you a professional. The concept of framing the face, and learning how to do it, is more like the basic foundation of makeup artistry. In order to build off this starting point and truly hone the craft, you’ll need years of practice, a solid understanding of makeup theory, and lots of education/makeup training under your belt.

That being said, we believe that ANYONE with a passion for cosmetics and an eagerness to soak up new information can learn how to do makeup! Even if you have absolutely no background, at least by starting with these basics, you can get the ball rolling for yourself.

Step 1: Brows

How you choose to approach each step is dependent on your own taste. This can be said about the lashes and lips, too!

Tending to your brows can be as simple as using an eyebrow brush (a.k.a. a ‘spoolie’) to brush out and tame the hairs. If this is good enough for you, you can go the extra mile by lightly spraying a tiny amount of hairspray on your fingers, and then passing them over your eyebrows afterwards. When the hairspray dries, it’ll keep the hairs in place. Just make sure your hands are always clean first before you touch your face!

If you want to fill your eyebrows in but have no clue what you’re doing, never fear. There are plenty of easy options of what to buy to get the job done:

• Pencils (which come in a variety of thickness)
• Powders
• Pomades

Personally, I’ve tried all of the above, and found an equal preference for either a thin, pointed pencil, or an eyebrow powder. Powder can often be the quickest option, and many argue it gives the most natural result.

To better learn how to properly fill in your eyebrows, you can always look around and check out a makeup tutorial that speaks to you. Here’s just one example!

Of course, shaping the eyebrow can become more and more complex, depending on how much time and product you’re willing to put into it. But even just brushing them out (and lightly filling them in, if you want) can make all the difference!

Step 2: Lashes

If you’re not used to putting on makeup, putting anything close to your eyes might be a little nerve-wracking for you. But don’t worry! You just have to take it slow, and once you get the hang of it, it very quickly becomes second-nature.

When it comes to accentuating your eyes, lashes are one of the best ways to go. There are two primary ways you can do your eyelashes:

1. Keeping things au naturel, and simply putting on mascara
2. Combining mascara and fake lashes

Pro Tip: Fake lashes aren’t mandatory. It’s a personal preference; for as many people out there who love to wear them, just as many don’t. Falsies require a little bit more makeup experience, since they require more precision, and can be a hassle otherwise. If you’d like to challenge yourself, feel free to research further into fake lashes and how to properly apply them.

Since we’re aiming for ‘quick and easy’, let’s just focus on emphasizing your lashes by using mascara alone. The first step is finding a color/shade that works best for you. You can always go to your local drugstore or makeup shop and ask a professional MUA there to help you. For example, some people like to go with the traditional black mascara. Others prefer a softer, more natural shade, and opt for brown. You’ll know your preference when you try some options out and see the results!

Another take-it-or-leave-it option is an eyelash curler. I know some people who swear by it, though I personally have never used one. Again, if you’re comfortable giving it a try, online tutorials or an in-person consultation can walk you through the steps of using an eyelash curler. But if you’re not comfortable with the idea of one, that doesn’t mean your lashes will look any less luscious! You can just keep going without one.

If you’ve never, ever tried to put mascara on your own lashes before, we recommend watching a few tutorial videos. This way, you can see how easy it is, as well as how many different ways you can apply it. Find whatever feels most natural for you, and remember – breathe! It helps to keep your hand from shaking!

Step 3: Lips

Again, this step can be kept super simple! It can be anything from a quick coating of lip gloss, to a full, dark lipstick, etc. When it comes to your lips, there’s a lot of wiggle room. Also, the nice thing is that, shy of replicating the shudder-inducing lip liner trend of the 90s, it’s really hard to go wrong.

If you want to wear more than just a transparent gloss, the key in finding the best shade for you is to know what’s right for your skin tone. This applies to not just lipsticks, but stains and glosses, too. There are plenty of Beginner’s Guides out there to break down the basics of which colors go well with which skin tones. But if speaking with an actual person works best for you, it’d be worth it to go back to the store and chat with one of the reps there.

As with your brows and lashes, if your preference is to learn by watching others online, there are also plenty of online video tutorials to show you different ways for beginners to learn how to apply their lip product. You can customize the tutorials based on the type of product being used, etc.

This ‘Back to Basics’ lipstick tutorial, for example, looks pretty promising!

Keep in Mind…

Many of the beauty vloggers you see online aren’t actually trained professionals. While their work looks impressive, lots of the tutorials found online are guilty of teaching the wrong techniques, without anyone even realizing it. That’s not to say that EVERYTHING you learn from online tutorials is wrong – but rather, that if you truly want to ensure you’re learning how to do things the best way possible, the only answer is through makeup training/education and continued learning.

This way, you know you’re being taught by a true professional: someone who works in the industry and has the accredited background required in assuring the information you’re learning is accurate.

At the end of the day, everyone has the time and ability to frame the face, and anyone can learn how.  But to grow from there and truly become a makeup pro, you’re going to need so much more. Are you open to the challenge?

Become a certified makeup artist in 2020 by enrolling today in QC’s leading Master Makeup Artistry course!