My knowledge of makeup is very limited. Just wanted to know how you all learned to do your own makeup. Do you have a person who does makeup well that teaches women how to do their makeup? Or do you just pay a make up artist to do it for you?
My knowledge of makeup is very limited. Just wanted to know how you all learned to do your own makeup. Do you have a person who does makeup well that teaches women how to do their makeup? Or do you just pay a make up artist to do it for you?
“Cook for him like a housewife, fuck him good like a nympho….pay the rent and the car note, he invests in me like crypto”




I just dove in.
YouTube tutorials, magazines, sephora consults, etc.
Oh, seriously, I knew almost nothing about makeup until I started dancing. (Although I've been doing a mean cat-eye since I was an angsty goth 14 year old.) I learned primarily through trial and error. I watched other girls in the dressing room, YouTube tutorials -- a priceless resource btw, etc, and just spent a lot of time trying to recreate it in my bathroom mirror.
I used to do a lot of experimental looks for work, which was an excellent learning experience. The club is a great, if harsh, way to find out what is both flattering and durable.
I've never used a makeup artist, but I do owe a lot to my older sister, I guess. She's never worn a lot of makeup, but she loves to buy makeup, and she had probably given me $500 worth of eyeshadow, blush, lipstick, and brushes over the past few years. So it has been a huge help getting hand-me-down Laura Mercier and Dior. Similarly, I bet you could get some good pointers asking your friends what products they love or reading the makeup threads here.
I agree with using YouTube. It is awesome.
I only used eyeliner, mascara, and red lipstick up until about 2 years ago.
I didn't live with my mom. As a teenager I had tomboy tendencies. My roommates would try to do my makeup, but it would end up being 2 or 3 of them holding me down while 1 did my makeup. They said it was for my own good. They stopped that when I shaved my head
When I started dancing I would get the eyeshadow sets that had instructions on them. I just had no idea what stuff was for and how to make it look good so I needed the step by step instructions. Then I started watching tutorials during my last pregnancy out of boredom.
Now, other dancers have looks of surprise on their face If I come in without makeup because I look so different. I'm the contour queen at work. I wish I could afford better brands, but I found out I can still make it look good with the right shades and brushes. I just have to do more work on taking care of my skin between shifts.


Schedule an appointment at a MAC counter, and they'll do a full face for you based on the look youre going for. Maybe Ulta and Sephora do this too but idk.
Youtube tutorialsssss!!! The beauty guru community is huge and atleast a few girls will have a similar look, skin type and a tutorial on the look you want.
And just experiment, the hardest thing about makeup is probably shade matching your concealer and foundation, atleast for a girl of color. And dont get caught up in trends, like this "instagram eyebrow" every girl is trying to create, or super heavy contouring and highlighting. Good luck!![]()
Pure trial and error here. When I first started dancing, literally all I wore was face powder, mascara, and red lipstick. Over the years, I've gradually learned more and added new steps to my routine. (I really miss being able to do my face in 5 minutes! Now it takes an hour!) Experiment! Make it a goal to try something new every week. Eventually you'll settle on your perfect face.
YouTube tutorials and lots and lots of practice in front of the mirror. Makeupalley.com is an amazing make up and skin are review site, I always check products on there before I buy them and now I have my really good quality staples that work for me.






Pure trial and error on my end too. I went through many teenage years of foundation that was too dark and oxidized orange, and wearing dark blue eyeshadow with red lipstick, and the such. I eventually learned how to mix/layer colors (like the lightest foundation and concealer I could find from the drugstore that I lightly sealed with white powder I bought for cheap during Halloween season, back when I went through a weird sun toxic phase for a few years) through experimentation, started playing with eyeliner and doing designs with it that I thought were cool, doing my best to mimic photos, etc. Of course, I was a teenager in a small town before the Youtube age so I had no choice.
Definitely hit up a MAC/Ulta/Sephora counter, because they can give you a LOT of insight when it comes to "face" makeup and what tones work best with your skin. Other than that, Youtube like hell.
Exotic dancing is like any other job.If you work in an office, you wear dress shoes and a suit.If you work in a restaraunt, you wear skid resistant shoes and a uniform.If you work in a strip club, you wear 7" stilettos and lycra g-strings.
I learned how to do a lot of makeup from youtube and asking people at the makeup counter. Video tutorials are very helpful. There are some good eyeshadow palettes out there with some decent colors that blend well together. It's a good idea to get a primer for your eye shadow too. It helps keep the shadow from smearing with sweat. If you want to try something lighter at first, Stila's In the Light palette is amazing. Urban Decay has some bolder colors that might be better for dancing. A lot of drag queens use Mac, which some people were recommending above, because it supposedly stays on well when you sweat. It's important to know if your skin tone is cool/warm/neutral, etc, because that will help you learn your color palettes. It's also very helpful for picking out flattering clothing too.
If you want to try yourself, these types of guides can be helpful:
Good foundation is tricky to pick out, because you need to really know your skin tone. The Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover foundation covers a pretty wide range, if you're looking. I don't use foundation that often, but I have some of that around.
They're Real! Mascara stays on really well too. I always went cheap on mascara before, but it came very recommended. I don't regret it! One basic rule is that if you go heavy on your eyes to go light on your lips, or if you go heavy on your lips to stay light on your eyes.
I've been playing around with some new looks with black liquid eyeliner lately, which has been a lot of fun. Also, a decent brush kit goes far. I was slow to get one, and it made a world of difference.




Watching other dancers in the dressing room doing their makeup and Youtube videos are what helped me the most. Also helpful are Pinterest, Instagram videos, and there was a book I read called Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin. Those things will show you the right techniques. To get good, just practice,practice,practice. And use the right products and tools.My favorite brands and products are all from Sephora; I love Hourglass and Laura Mercier lip products (Laura Mercier Stick Gloss and Hourglass opaque lipstick and high shine lip gloss). They have such a variety that you'll definitely find something you love. Just make sure you get the right products for your skin type.





So much trial and error. I've been wearing a full face of makeup since junior high. And definitely watching YouTube videos. A few years ago I worked at Benefit Cosmetics then Sheer Cover a year after that. YouTube pretty much taught me everything I knew.
I can't really practice much anymore though. If I wear more than eyelashes, foundation and eyeliner I make less money.
Yes but it only takes a sec to sign up, it's definitely worth it!
When I'm at the drugstore or department store I make sure to always check out makeupalley on my phone before I make any purchase. The department store ladies who are trying to sell me stuff are not amused! Hah![]()





I thought I was the only one who did that LOL. "Wait, hold up .. gotta check MakeupAlley reviews."
Until I worked in makeup, I didn't realize how easy it is to sucker people into buying makeup they don't need. If I gave someone a makeover 4 out of 5 times they would buy one or all of the products. If my boss told us to start selling a new concealer, I'd put it on everyone and tell them it made their eyes pop even if I thought it it sucked. It's a necessity to read reviews because at department stores employees are pushed to sell certain products over others.
Last edited by sammii; 03-26-2015 at 10:45 AM.
Watching other dancers put their makeup on sounds like the start of a fight "wtf are u looking at" lol I'd watch YouTube videos if I,were you. Hit up MAC and sephora for live makeup lessons.
I was always a makeup hoarder but it took me some time before I started wearing it right. A lot of practice and trial & error is what got me going.





Trial and error... I largely wear the same face I did in high school, back when I actually spent 20 mins doing my makeup in the morning. Now I just do more eyeshadow (those 3-color palette things are amazing), usually wing my eyeliner out, and do liquid foundation.
Am totally clueless about contouring though... I bet I could look even more fake-stripper-porn-star if I Youtubed some contouring videos. Think I'll try that!
"People jack off with the left hand and point with the right."
"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."





Sephora's offering free contouring demos..I went, but eh it just looked like I had foundation on, no blush like I was dead or something..the makeup lady was nice & she showed me what goes where, etc. She told me to use cream, not powder cause of dry skin.
So I bought today @ Ulta, an NYX brand palette, for fair skin, although I'm more med. tone.http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/p-284-co...r-palette.aspx
MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP
-Eartha Kitt

I go into sephora when I know it's going to be slow and ask them to try different looks on me. I tell them I work in a club, and that I'm trying to learn new techniques. They're always super excited to help and I just buy whatever the "key" product is for that look. I do tell them I'm trying to keep it on the cheapy-cheap so that they don't try all the $50 products on me and stick to the $10-$20 products. They are always happy to show me step by step how to apply it. They don't work off of commission so as long as they're busy making customers happy, they're happy.





I went there twice for makeup, & was disappointed..the 1st time was for eyelash application. She made my brows almost black (I'm blond) & way too much eyeliner. I get that I had to pay 10.00/get lashes, but the ones they gave me (from the store) were horrible! I'd have rather brought in my own, but they wouldn't allow.
MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP
-Eartha Kitt
Some good 'universal' beauty tips here:
How to do the damp-brush eyeshadow trick Stila use to teach too!


one 'life-saving' makeup trick ive learned is for the tan girs w/ bad acne scaring or dark spots/under-eyes you wanna cover, orangish-red lipstick!!! i just put it directly over the dark area, after moisturizing and priming, but before (liquid) foundation), then concealer over the red and blend it in!!
i use MUFE Rouge lipstick.![]()



I've been doing my makeup since I was like 14 lol! So just practice.
Also, Sephora does a thing called "half face tutorials" where the MUA will do your makeup for free on half your face and show you how to do it and then you do the other side yourself and can learn how to do it!
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