For centuries women have used make up to decorate their bodies and accentuate their natural beauty.

Ancient man used earth and clay to color their skin and hair and the ancient Egyptians used kohl to line their eyes and plant dyes to color their lips. French women used white lead powder to make their faces as white as possible as a pale skin untouched by the harsh sun was believed to be a sign of great beauty and status in the community.

These days most of us put on make up to make ourselves look and feel more attractive and to hide little flaws in our complexions. We also put on make up for fun and to express our inner selves.

Follow these basic tips on how to put on make up and you will soon be looking and feeling like a better and new you.

The Make Up Foundation

* Start by applying foundation. A good foundation will help to make your complexion appear more even and provide a base for applying the rest of your make-up products. The trick is to use a sponge. Our fingers contain natural oils that cause the pigments in foundation to change color and can hold bacteria that could cause skin infections or contamination of your foundation. Using a sponge will avoid these problems and create a smooth finish.

* Another tip is to use a large complexion brush to smooth your foundation around your jaw and hairline. This avoids an artificial and unsightly demarcation at the edges of the foundation and creates a more natural look.

* Next apply color to your eyebrows. Use a brow gel to keep your brows pretty and in place all day and night. When you put on make up, you should make sure it lasts as long as possible.

* Now, apply your highlighter. Choose a creamy highlighter not a waxy one (Beige Eye-Lite is a good choice). What you are trying to do is hide fine lines on the face and a wax-based highlighter will not move as your face changes expression so creases are likely to occur. Cream based highlighters settle into the lines and make them appear less deep. Once again use your complexion brush to blend your highlighter evenly.

Make Up for The Eyes

* With the correct make-up application you can create wonderful dramatic ‘eye illusions’. Eye make up should always be three dimensional and three colors should be used for the best effect.

* Begin at the top eyelash with a medium-tone. Apply this from the lashes to the crease of the eye. The next shade should be two shades darker than the first one. Stroke the shadow from the top of the first shade to the brow bone area.

* The last shadow should be a shade lighter than the first and is used to highlight the eye brows. Use this shade from the top of the second shadow to the bottom of the brows. This three-shadow technique gives your eyes dimension by gradually changing tone.

* Next, apply your eye-liner. Use a shadow and a firm bristle brush to keep it natural. Start from the outside and move toward the center on the top and bottom. Don’t allow the top and bottom lines to meet at the corners (inside and out). This will make your eyes appear larger. When you put on make up you should try to make the most of your best features.

* To make your eyes look whiter, use a white pencil on the inside of the lower lid. Light reflects off the white line and onto your eyes. If your eyes are often red this is trick that really works. Once again, blend with a complexion brush and try to put on make up that looks as natural as possible.

The Cheeks

* Blush is applied to the cheek bones. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and locate the place where your cheek changes from flat and starts to curve backwards. Start your blush at this point and follow the cheek bones backward.

The Lips

* When you put on make up for your lips you are trying to create the illusion of good health and vitality. Choose a complimentary shade to your blush. Using your blush as a base color for your lipstick will also make it last longer and stop it bleeding into fine lines around the mouth. Use a soft bristle brush to apply your lipstick as this gives greater control and makes it last longer.

* Start at the outer corner and work towards the center on your top and bottom lip. Small lips will appear larger if you apply a lip liner just outside your lip line. Larger lips will look narrower if you apply lip liner just inside the lip line.

That’s it! You should be looking like a beauty queen and feeling the confidence to match. When you put on make up remember to accentuate your best features and use simple techniques to hide little flaws and fine lines. Make up can boost your self-confidence or just be a fun way to express yourself and your mood. Remember you can put on make up for any occasion and adjust the tone and intensity to suit it. Spend just a few minutes each day on your appearance and it will make the world of difference to the way you look and feel. Don’t be scared to look your best and you will feel it too!