8.5 Makeup: Color Theory, Products, Face Shapes and Application
Key Takeaways
Makeup color theory uses the same color wheel as hair color: complementary colors neutralize, so green-tinted correctors offset redness and peach or orange correctors offset blue-purple dark circles.
Foundation is matched on the jawline in natural light; it may be liquid, cream, powder or mineral, chosen by skin type and desired coverage.
Contouring uses a shade darker than the foundation to recede or minimize an area, and highlighting uses a lighter shade to bring an area forward.
Minnesota requires pencil cosmetics to be sharpened with a disinfected sharpener before each use and makeup brushes to be cleaned and fully immersed in disinfectant after each client.
Products are dispensed with disposable or disinfected spatulas onto a palette, mascara uses disposable wands, and product removed from a container is never returned to it.
Why this section matters
General theory topic 09.B makeup (color theory and application; tools and implements) and written practical topic 08.C makeup (face shapes, contouring and corrective; application; forms of makeup; brushes and tools) together produce several questions. Makeup application, airbrush makeup and lash and brow tinting are within Minnesota's esthetics scope, and therefore cosmetology (Minn. R. 2105.0105, subp. 2, item E).
Color theory for makeup
- Primary colors: red, yellow, blue. Secondary: orange, green, violet. Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the wheel and neutralize each other (Section 7.1).
- Undertone: skin can be warm (yellow, golden or peach), cool (pink, red or bluish) or neutral. Look at the jawline and the inner wrist in natural light.
- Color correctors: green neutralizes redness; peach or orange counteracts blue or purple under-eye circles on medium to deep skin; yellow brightens mild purple tones; lavender brightens sallow (yellow) skin.
- Eye color: complementary shades intensify eye color (for example, copper or warm brown on blue eyes; plum or violet on green eyes).
Forms of makeup
| Product | Forms | Purpose and selection |
|---|---|---|
| Primer | Lotion, gel, silicone | Smooths the surface and helps makeup last |
| Concealer | Stick, cream, liquid | Covers blemishes and dark circles; usually one shade lighter under the eyes, matching skin over blemishes |
| Foundation | Liquid (oil- or water-based), cream, cream-to-powder, powder, mineral, tinted moisturizer | Evens skin tone; oil-free for oily skin, moisturizing for dry skin; matched on the jawline |
| Face powder | Loose or pressed, translucent or tinted | Sets foundation and reduces shine |
| Cheek color | Powder, cream, gel, liquid | Adds warmth and shape |
| Eye shadow | Powder, cream, liquid | Light shades highlight, medium shades add color, dark shades contour |
| Eyeliner | Pencil, liquid, gel, cake | Defines the eye shape |
| Mascara | Liquid with a brush wand | Darkens, lengthens and thickens lashes |
| Brow color | Pencil, powder, gel | Fills and shapes brows |
| Lip color | Lipstick, gloss, stain, lip liner | Color and definition |
Airbrush makeup sprays a fine layer of liquid foundation with a compressor and is within the esthetics scope; theatrical and media makeup are unregulated services in Minnesota (Minn. R. 2105.0010, subp. 13).
Brushes and tools
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Powder brush | Large, soft brush for powder |
| Blush brush | Smaller, rounded for cheek color |
| Foundation brush or sponge | Even foundation application; sponges are single-use |
| Concealer brush | Small, firm and flat for precise coverage |
| Eye shadow and blending brushes | Applying and blending shadow |
| Angle brush | Brows and eyeliner |
| Lip brush | Precise lip color application |
| Spoolie and disposable mascara wands | Combing lashes and brows; single-use |
| Tweezers, lash curler | Shaping brows and curling lashes; cleaned and disinfected after each use |
Face shapes and corrective makeup
The oval face is the ideal proportion, and corrective makeup creates the illusion of an oval. Highlighting (a lighter shade) brings an area forward; contouring (a darker shade) makes it recede.
| Face shape | Corrective technique |
|---|---|
| Round | Contour the outer cheeks and jaw; highlight down the center of the face |
| Square | Contour the corners of the forehead and jaw; soften with rounded cheek color |
| Oblong | Contour the top of the forehead and under the chin; apply cheek color horizontally |
| Triangle (pear) | Contour the wide jaw; highlight the forehead |
| Inverted triangle (heart) | Contour the wide forehead and temples; highlight the chin |
| Diamond | Contour the wide cheekbones; highlight the forehead and chin |
Feature corrections: close-set eyes use lighter shadow at the inner corners and darker at the outer corners; wide-set eyes do the reverse; a wide nose is contoured along the sides with a highlight down the center; thin lips are lined just outside the natural line, and full lips just inside.
Application sequence
- Consultation: occasion, preferences, allergies, contact lenses, skin type and condition. Check for contraindications such as eye infections, cold sores or open skin, which Minnesota bars from service in that area.
- Prepare: wash hands, drape the client, secure hair with a clean headband or towel, cleanse, tone and moisturize.
- Primer and color correction, then concealer.
- Foundation, blended toward the jawline and hairline.
- Powder to set.
- Contour, highlight and cheek color.
- Eyes: shadow, eyeliner, then mascara with a disposable wand.
- Brows with pencil or powder.
- Lips: liner, then lip color applied with a disposable applicator or lip brush.
- Check balance in the mirror and finish; record the products and shades used.
Minnesota sanitation rules for makeup
- Dispense creams, liquids and powders onto a clean palette with a disposable or disinfected spatula; never use fingers to remove product, never store spatulas in the container, and never return product to the container (Minn. R. 2105.0375, subp. 7, item C).
- Pencil cosmetics are sharpened with a disinfected sharpener before each use; mechanical pencils have the exposed tip trimmed with disinfected scissors or a knife and the applicator wiped with alcohol (item E).
- Makeup brushes are cleaned and fully immersed in disinfectant after each client (subp. 10).
- Sponges, cotton swabs and disposable wands are single-use (subp. 13).
- Containers are wiped clean and their exteriors disinfected at the end of each day.
Which color corrector neutralizes redness, such as from mild blemishes or broken capillaries?
Yellow
Peach
Green
Lavender
To make a wide jaw appear narrower, which technique is used?
Apply cheek color along the jawline
Apply a contour shade darker than the foundation along the jaw
Apply a highlight shade along the jaw
Apply a foundation one shade lighter to the entire lower face and jaw
Under Minnesota rules, how must an eyebrow pencil be prepared before it is used on the next client?
Sharpened with a disinfected sharpener before each use
Wiped with a dry tissue
Replaced only when it becomes too dull to draw a clean line
Stored in a plastic bag between clients
Where should foundation be tested to match a client's skin tone?
On the back of the client's hand
On the inside of the elbow
On the jawline, in natural light
On the forehead under salon lighting
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.