Chapter 481 – Teaching Ye Lin Makeup
Before, Ye Nan had told her cousin Ye Lin about the promise to teach makeup over the weekend.
Ye Lin was thrilled and couldn’t wait. She arrived at Lu Xia’s house the next day.
However, she was stopped outside the compound and couldn’t enter.
Lu Xia received a call from the gatekeeper and went to escort her inside.
Perhaps it was her first time in such a place, and Ye Lin was very curious but also a little nervous. She didn’t dare to look around too much and walked cautiously.
Seeing this, Lu Xia tried to talk to her to help her relax.
“How did you decide to learn makeup?”
Upon hearing this question, Ye Lin’s eyes lit up instantly.
“I like people who look good. When I was a child, I envied the beautiful women in the magazines. As I grew up and struggled with my studies and job searches, I thought about learning makeup. If I learn makeup, I can help others look beautiful.
“Unfortunately, there were no schools for learning makeup. Later, I found someone who specializes in bridal makeup and paid to learn for a while. As you can see, I ended up like this…”
Lu Xia laughed upon hearing her words, confirming that she indeed loved makeup.
“Alright, you can learn from me, but I have to be upfront, I don’t know a lot.”
“It’s okay, it’s already great that you’re willing to teach me. I can pay for the lessons.”
Lu Xia shook her head. “No need for payment. What I know is easy to learn, no complicated techniques.”
But this was someone else’s skill. Ye Lin wanted to say something, but considering Lu Xia’s living situation, she held back. She planned to compensate her in other ways in the future.
Lu Xia was unaware of her thoughts.
After arriving home, there weren’t many people at home at the moment. Grandpa Jiang and Kang Kang had gone visiting, Jiang Junmo had gone to school to continue working on design drawings with his classmates, and the three children had just finished drinking milk and were being put to sleep by the nanny. So, there weren’t many people in the living room.
Lu Xia started teaching her in the living room.
Ye Lin had brought a comprehensive set of makeup products, so Lu Xia didn’t need to prepare anything.
She handed her a mirror and started teaching directly.
“Let’s start by learning to put makeup on yourself.
In makeup, the first thing is to know what suits you and what you want to look like. The essence of makeup is to enhance your beautiful features and conceal the less favorable ones. That’s what makes you look good, not just aiming for fair skin, which looks artificial and rigid.
So, the first thing in makeup is to observe the face shape and the advantages and disadvantages of the entire face.”
Ye Lin looked at herself in the mirror, frowned, feeling a bit lost.
Lu Xia also looked at her and smiled, saying, “You’ve probably looked at yourself for a long time, and you’re too familiar with your appearance to pay much attention. So, let me ask you this: what do you think is the most beautiful and the least satisfactory part of your face?”
Ye Lin thought for a moment. “My eyes? And my skin color?”
Lu Xia nodded. She was right. Her eyes were big, probably the most striking feature of her face. But her skin color was a bit dark.
“That’s right, you observed it very well. The next step is to magnify the advantages and cover the disadvantages.”
Ye Lin nodded after hearing this, then shook her head, “I’ve tried it. Because my skin is dark, so I applied foundation to make it lighter. But people said I looked like a ghost.”
Lu Xia was speechless. “That’s because you didn’t apply it properly. I’ll teach you how to do it right.”
Then she took her to wash her face and sat her down, saying, “The skin on your face is delicate. You can’t directly apply face cream; it might harm your skin, and it might not spread well. Try applying some moisturizing snowflake cream first, and also on your neck. Cover all the exposed areas.”
Ye Lin obediently applied the cream.
*
Chapter 482 – Skill Recognized
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Lu Xia continued, “Afterwards, you apply the face cream. Remember, don’t apply too much. Just a little to brighten your skin is enough; don’t treat it like you’re painting a wall.
Spread it evenly and let the skin fully absorb it.
Apply it on your neck too, so the transition isn’t too noticeable.”
Ye Lin also followed instructions and applied it. Now, when she looked again, her skin had indeed lightened considerably, and with the application on her neck, it looked much more natural compared to before when it seemed like she was wearing a mask.
Ye Lin exclaimed, “So this is how it is! From this, you wouldn’t know and might think I’ve gotten much fairer.”
“Yes, natural is better. Avoid making it too artificial,” Lu Xia advised.
Ye Lin nodded, “I understand, Sister Lu Xia.”
Lu Xia continued, “Next, you can apply some powder at this point; otherwise, your skin might become oily. Powder can help set the makeup. Of course, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention after applying it. If you go out during the day, you can carry some powder with you and touch up when needed.”
Ye Lin nodded again.
“Then comes the makeup part. The makeup for Ye Nan’s wedding was a bit heavier, but for our daily makeup, it should be lighter. This requires practice, especially for things like eyebrows, eyelashes, and eyeliner. You need to practice them slowly; you won’t get it all at once.”
Ye Lin nodded and listened attentively.
“I know this. I saw you doing makeup for my cousin before, and when I tried it myself at home, my eyebrows were thick and uneven, and my eyes looked too dark, quite frightening.”
Lu Xia chuckled, “It’s okay. I can teach you these techniques. With practice, you’ll become proficient.”
Ye Lin nodded and began to learn from her carefully.
After Lu Xia taught her the techniques step by step, she also did her makeup.
After finishing, Ye Lin indeed looked much more attractive.
“It’s really magical. I feel like I didn’t put on much, but I look much prettier than usual,” Ye Lin exclaimed as she looked at herself in the mirror.
“That’s the magic of makeup, and it’s perfect for everyday looks,” Lu Xia said.
Ye Lin was extremely happy. “Sister Lu Xia, I understand now. Don’t worry, I’ll study hard when I go back. I’ll come over next week during your break to show you my progress.”
Lu Xia nodded. “Good, I’ll be waiting for you.”
It seemed like Ye Lin really liked this. Afterward, every time there was a break, she would come over to show Lu Xia her progress.
Surprisingly, each time, her progress was significant.
It appeared she was really putting in the effort.
“Not bad, you’re getting better and better. It seems you’ll master it soon!” Lu Xia said after seeing her progress.
Ye Lin was delighted to hear this. “Hehe, I practice every day, and I’ve also tried doing makeup for others. They said I did it well.”
Lu Xia encouraged her with a smile. “Keep it up, practice makes perfect.”
Lu Xia originally thought that she was practicing makeup on family members.
But when she heard from Ye Nan upon returning to school, she had actually set up a stall in the residential compound. Initially, she didn’t charge for makeup if it didn’t turn out well, but as she became more skilled, she started charging ten cents for each makeup. Quite a few young ladies and young wives would seek her out for makeup.
Lu Xia was surprised by this revelation. She didn’t expect her to find this method; she truly had a passion for it!
Then, during the next break, when Lu Xia met Ye Lin again, she excitedly shared some news.
“Sister Lu Xia, guess what? Someone actually asked me to do makeup for a bride, and they’re paying!”
Lu Xia smiled and congratulated her, “Congratulations! It seems your skills are being recognized!”
Ye Lin grinned, “Lu Xia sister, do you think I should go?”
“Of course, why not? It’s a great opportunity for practice. Just don’t go too light this time; bridal makeup should be a bit more pronounced. However, it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. Also, about the hair, are you going to handle that as well? If needed, you should learn that too.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Lin immediately became anxious and hurriedly learned how to apply heavy makeup and style hair from Lu Xia.
That “lightening your skin tone by using the face cream (something like BB cream, foundation, concealer, etc?)” won’t always work. Just like any beauty when they’re asked what their beauty secret(s) were, LX also skipped the most basic method(s) which actually the matter the most. For example in this chapter, she didn’t share (at least in the scenes) that the type of base make-up should be following the skin type and skin care routines really make difference in making the make up looks good for longer time. When you have unhealthy skin, the make-up wouldn’t stick. When the sebum comes out, the make up would “melt” and it wouldn’t look pretty.
Also, just like how JJM needs physics (among other things) to ensure his architecture design is applicable and safe, beauticians (like YL) also needs chemistry. Or, at least she should know the chemical ingredient(s) which should be avoided in cosmetics for good and for particular reason(s).