introduction

It’s an age-old question: what is true beauty?

The answer is self-confidence, of course!

Self-confidence can immediately make someone look and feel more beautiful. And that’s the real power of makeup: it can give you self-confidence like nothing else. I love being able to make such a big change with nothing more than a little makeup and some brushes. When you make someone feel beautiful on the outside, it is amazing what it does for them on the inside.

In this book, I’ll give you all the information you need to reach your most confident self via makeup. Throughout my career, I’ve been amazed to watch what a difference feeling beautiful can make. I want to equip you with the tools you need to experience it as well.

Of course, there’s an overwhelming amount of information about makeup out there, so it’s hard to know where to start. My goal is to make it simple because it is!

I’ve broken it down to the absolute basics. No matter your skin tone or skin type, the information is here. Whether you are a beginner or someone with makeup experience, there is something here for you. And everything is laid out in a step-by-step way, so you can learn to be your own makeup artist.

We’ll discuss all the tools and products that are out there, so you can make the best choices for yourself. After all, there isn’t just one generic eye shadow application, for example, that works for everyone. You’ll learn techniques to enhance every different eye shape and every different face shape. I’ll explain how to accentuate—or hide—anything you might want to, so you can feel the best about your skin.

Then we will move on to explore how to combine these basic techniques to create more advanced looks. This is a makeup masterclass because when you are finished, you will not only have enough knowledge to do your own makeup, but you will have enough knowledge to do others’ as well. Not only can you bring out your own self-confidence, you can help others bring out theirs too.

So let’s get started exploring the world of makeup!