Hello there! Last week I finished up my segment of posts about types of makeup, and you can find the last of these posts here. This week, I will be discussing some of the most common techniques used in the makeup industry as to make my subsequent posts more easy to follow.
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First off, we need to talk about blending. Blending is when you work makeup, whether it be eyeshadow or foundation, into the skin to create a flawless effect where the colors mesh together seamlessly. Blending can be achieved with various tools. For example, on the face, people use sponges or flat top brushes 
to smooth out foundation, whereas on the eyes, smaller, fluffier brushes are used to really blur the lines of the colors.
When blending out foundation, you must blend down your neck in order to not have a foundation line, as pictured on the left. Foundation should match the color of your neck, so that when you blend upward and outward, everything looks flawless. Perfectly blended eyeshadow is difficult to achieve because different shadows may not blend as well together. In one of my future posts I will be detailing the steps to getting a good blend in your eyeshadow looks, so stay tuned for that!
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Another technique used in makeup application is contouring. Contouring is using a product, typically a power or cream, that is a few shades darker than your natural skin tone to accentuate the shadows
of your face for a more chiseled appearance. The typical places that are contoured are the hollows of the cheekbones, the forehead, the jawline, and the sides of the nose. When blended properly, these shadows enhance the bone structure of the face allowing for other products, such as blush and highlight to pop. In addition to the darker product in the hollows of the face, highlighting can be used to bring light to the high points of the face, using a cream or powder a few shades lighter than the regular skin tone. Typically this is achieved by concealer under the eyes and on the forehead, whereas on the tops of the cheekbones, sparkly/reflective highlight powder is placed toward the end of the makeup routine.
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Lastly, baking is when you apply a thick amount translucent powder under where you contoured to 
fully saturate the surrounding highlights. This technique was mainly used by drag queens before celebrity makeup artists started to incorporate the technique with their clients. It sets the under-eye concealer in addition to chiseling out the cheekbones and enhancing the contour line. Baking is an advanced technique that requires practice and patience in order to achieve the desired look; otherwise, the face may look cakey and powdery, which is not good.
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Hope you learned a little about some basic makeup techniques! I have some exciting posts planned for the next few weeks and I hope you stick around to read them.