How has your makeup style changed over the years?

MELISSA | Switzerland | Kiss & Make-up
When I first started wearing make-up as a young teenager I only wore some black eye pencil and a wash of grayish green eyeshadow. I must have worn that same look for like a year! And then I entered my gothic phase. Yep, I’m talking heavy eyeliner and black Avril Lavigne-style panda eyes! I thought I was such a badass, lol. Then when I went to college I got into my colorful phase and started experimenting with face make-up. And then finally after collage I started to develop my current make-up style: smokey eyes with a subtle lip.

KRISTEN | USA | Glambunctious
In a way, it really hasn’t changed that much!  I’ve always focused on the eyes.  In high school, I wore a shimmery lavender eyeshadow and in college, my go-to look was a bare lid with a swipe of metallic black liquid liner (found the exact Physician’s Formula one I used to have here).  It wasn’t until my late ’20s that I started using shadow again daily, and thanks to blogs and YouTube, discovered new application methods like using 3 different shadows on the lid to create dimension. Shadow, liner, and mascara still feel most like makeup “home”!

SUNNY | Belgium | Mostly Sunny Blog
I got into makeup with the hype of the original Urban Decay Naked palette. I was introduced to wonderful inventions like eyeshadow primer and gel liner at around the same time, so for quite a while eye makeup was all I wanted to wear. Then at some point, I discovered the joy of bright lipsticks and I haven’t really looked back since! I still do different looks for the blog, but in real life, my signature look would be neutral eyeshadows, winged liner, and a bright lip! It doesn’t have to be a full-on opaque formula, but it’s probably bright!

LILY | Malaysia | Chloe Ash
When I first started, I was all about the sheer nude lip. I was really bad at eye makeup so I learned and practised every day. Now, I’m more experimental. I love my smokey eyes of different shades, but I’ve always been a neutral girl at heart. So all different shades of brown and taupe it is. Recently, I love a clean flawless base, liquid liner for a small cat eye flick and a bold lip – orange, coral, dark reds and berries. I think when I get bored, I’ll change again. That’s why makeup is fun!

AGATA | USA | Her and Makeup
My makeup style has changed dramatically over the last years. I used to be a one shadow, one blush, one lipstick kind of girl. I kept my makeup simple and neutral, wearing the same makeup every day. Over the years, my makeup skills have improved and I learnt more about using products and applying them to my advantage. With the improved makeup skills, I also started to be more adventurous in terms of colors. Although neutrals are still my favorites, I have no problem wearing a pink or blue eyeshadow, rocking a red lip or a purple blush.

ALICE | Belgium | Alice Yeh
Looking back at old pictures, I spy a face generously dusted in bronzer and eyes lined with liquid eyeliner from top to bottom. Now I’ve learnt to embrace my features – the good and bad ones. Bronzers are now used light-handed and eyeliners are kept very thin with a flick tailored to the shape of my eyes. Oh, and I ditched the eyeliner on the bottom waterline altogether – I look so much fresher and natural now. Make-up mishaps are part of the journey so never stop experimenting, and embrace foremost the beauty you were born with.

LENA | USA | Lenallure
I’ve enjoyed refined and posh makeup styles for many years. I am not really into difficult techniques or something that requires too much time, etc. To me, a makeup style has to be simple and practical to function for me. For that, mine hasn’t really changed in concept. Color wise though, I used to sport purple/blue smoky eyes with light pink/nude lips almost everyday, but now I prefer light neutral smoky with bright lips. Also, lately I’m keenly interested in natural luminous base.

JAA | Thailand | Hello Jaa
I only started wearing “real” makeup 4 years ago! Before that, it was only a bit of mascara and sheer tinted lip balm. In 2010, I began experimenting with neutral eye makeup, sheer blush, and soft pink lips to create my very own “minimal” makeup look. When I started Hello Jaa in 2013, I became more adventurous with colors. I probably wear neutral eyes as much as I wear smokey eyes nowadays. I also like to experiment with foundation and concealer. Lip color still remains in the nude, pink and coral zones, though! I rarely wear bold lips unless I’m going out to a party!

Makeup / Skincare DOs and DON’Ts

LILY | Malaysia | Chloe Ash

1. When it comes to both makeup and skincare, DO know your own face and skin. Your skin type, skin tone, skin behaviour. Nobody knows your skin better than you.
2. Do your own experiment – mix and match or layer different products. Layer different serums or mix foundation shades. Pull out your inner mad scientist but as a rule of thumb, refer number 1 first.
3. Don’t be afraid to sample new skincare or new looks. When it comes to makeup especially, it’s more fun to try a variety of looks and explore your own features at the same time.

RAE | Canada | the Notice: a beauty blog

1. DO treat all acne like face acne. (This is so, so important. I had back acne for years, and it all but disappeared when I started moisturizing my back.)
2. DON’T try too many new things at once. It’s tempting, but too many new treatments at once can stress out your skin barrier and leave your skin really reactive!
3. DO bend the rules. Makeup and skincare should be fun! And a little bathroom alchemy never hurt anyone.

SARA | Germany | Color Me Loud

1. Don’t wear foundation which is too light or too dark compared to the tone of your neck. This one seems to be a common mistake, to the point that it is widely excepted by the brands, so they release their foundations in deeper shades in one part of the world and very light shade in the other. Try not to go with the trend, there is nothing less appealing than your face sticking out of your neck.
2. Do test out skin care and foundation and actively ask for the shops to provide you with samples. This is especially important if you are going to spend a small fortune on the product. No samples, no purchase!
3. Don’t (over)plug your eye brows. Later in life you might regret plugging them too much since they get ever more sparse each year.

AGATA | USA | Her and Makeup

1. Do emphasize your beauty but don’t conceal it. A lot of people will say that you put on makeup to hide the real you. Don’t. Use makeup to hide imperfections but play up your best features- beautiful eyes, prominent cheek bones, plump lips.
2. Do step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Red lipstick is not for you? You won’t know until you try it on. Makeup is supposed to be fun, play with it.
3. Do take good care of your skin. It’s the basis for all your makeup and if your skin isn’t well taken care of, no amount of makeup will cover it. Drink plenty of water, properly cleanse and moisturize your skin.

JAA | Thailand | Hello Jaa

1. Don’t pop or pick at your pimples to avoid acne scars!
2. Do apply sunscreen religiously wherever there is sunlight, even when you are indoors.
3. Don’t share your makeup, especially eye makeup, to prevent contamination and eye infection.