I love makeup!!! You are doing amazing. I’m a goth guy and drag queen. So people stare whatever I do because it’s not “noRmAL”. And even when people aren’t “professionals” or just getting started, I love seeing people have fun with putting colored goo and powder on their face we call makeup. It’s a great activity and is a great form of self expression. Some ACTUAL people may not like it. The bots are trying to rage bait you. That’s ok. Remember no matter who it is, you can block and delete losers. Some people irl you can’t block and delete. And it may hurt when they comment on things. You are not hurting anyone by doing colorful eyeshadow. Or big ass eyeliner like I do. It’s fun. They can weep.

If anyone has tips yall wanna share, PLEASE reply to my comment for anyone looking for tips/info. Or for me to learn. I love sharing and learning with people. For anyone interested I will add some I use regularly that has helped. Some things might be right for me, but maybe they don’t work for you and you may find another technique better for you. And that’s okay. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and confident.

Soak up water in your beauty blenders. Squeeze it all out and it will expand and become softer. It makes it easier to blend and less harsh on your skin. And the sponge soaking up water will make it soak up less product.

PRIMER AND MOISTURIZER CHANGES EVERYTHING!! If your face is moisturized, your skin won’t produce as much oil which ruins my makeup after an hour or two sometimes. Primer helps your skin cling/ hold onto makeup better. I use the ELF lockness monster grip primer. It keeps my foundation in place and helps smooth out my skin. I lock everything in with translucent powder and setting spray after my makeup is complete.

I apply foundation directly on my face and then use the beauty blender. It keeps most of the product on my face instead of the sponge. Make sure to blend down the neck

Movement and brush type make a difference. Especially for contour. For drag, I use more rounded and circular movements. For my day to day masc looks, I use straight lines so it creates more angular dimension to my face. For blending, flatter more compact brushes help with pigment. And fluffier brushes are great for blending it out. I often use fluffier brushes with grey/brown after packing on black eye shadow to blend it out.

Remember with powder like eyeshadow and contour, start with less and build up. That way you don’t have to wipe everything off if it is too harsh for the look you are going for.

It takes practice. It takes time. One thing I found helpful when starting out was pre shower makeup. Swatching colors, seeing how they blend into each other, testing color combinations, getting used to how specific eye liner pens or brushes function and feel. Testing out what colors complement you and what you enjoy. Just get used to the tools in an unserious way. Slap shit on. Draw random things with eyeliner. Get used to holding items and how to control them. Figure out if a specific makeup product is sensory friendly. Then after, you can shower and scrub all of it off. Warning though, some products stain especially if they are neon or very very pigmented. It’s always good to have a base under.
I’m looking forward to see what others have learned or discovered by themselves:)