Makeup is becoming a craft that many are pursuing these days. While it used to seem optional to be good at makeup it is now necessary for women in image related fields to have some type of basic makeup knowledge. With the rise of influencers, like myself, many are looking for a craft that they can master in order to gain buzz in the digital world.

Working in the fashion industry as a blogger, youtuber and influencer I am constantly being judged by my appearance. Although it may seem like a good outfit is enough, in this competitive digital media age one must come with the whole package. Good looks and a nice outfit just won't cut it anymore, one's face must be beat to the tenth power. Makeup is single handedly the one thing that can elevate any outfit and I believe it is a skill that all women should have basic knowledge in.

Due to this, I have been so eager to learn more about makeup. I decided to head over to Sephora at Lenox to learn some makeup tips from their Senior Makeup Artist Natasha. In this blog post I am sharing with you 3 makeup tips that I learned during my visit.

1. How to cover dark spots

While my skin may look flawless I have severe dark spots that I have been trying to learn how to conceal properly. Natasha taught me the proper way to conceal them. For dark spots you should use an orange colored concealer and for extreme dark spots red colored concealer. When color correcting use concealer underneath your foundation not on top.

WRONG WAY: Do not use a nude colored concealer to cover dark spots. This will cause your spots to look ashy. I am guilty of doing this. I thought it would make sense to use a concealer that is lighter than my skin tone in order to color correct but this is actually very wrong. Natasha explained to me that the goal with color correcting is to balance things out. Orange and red toned concealers are the colors that balance out dark spots on darker skin tones.

2. Beware of the halo brow

Lets admit it, many of us are guilty of putting concealer all around our eyebrows in order to shape them. Doing this creates what Natasha calls a "halo" brow and the look is nothing close to angelic. The truth is concealer should only be applied underneath the brow. Concealer is meant to lift and clean up the brow. When you apply concealer all over you are just highlighting everywhere so it doesn't create an effect. Last but not least, when doing your eyebrows please do not forget to blended properly.

3. How to add layers of product on your face

And the order goes...Moisturize, primer, color correct, foundation, concealer, bake/setting powder, setting spray

For this makeup look Natasha used a moisturizer with a time release primer. Using this duo-product helped lessen the amount of product on my face which helps my skin look less chalky and more natural.

You do not want to blend these layers, instead press and roll which allows the product to lay in the skin versus sitting on top. I was so shocked when I learned this tip. I thought we were supposed to blend because I always hear Youtubers say "blend, blend, blend!". On the contrary, blending products actually causes the products to mix and smudge.

I just want to testify that this makeup look lasted ALL DAY LONG! This is the benefit to learning proper makeup application techniques. I learned that application techniques are just as important as the products that you use. So what are your thoughts? Are you guys as guilty as I am of applying makeup the wrong way?

Photos by Alimatu Sesay

Special thanks to Sephora at Lenox Mall for letting me come by