So this post will be a bit different from the regular reviews and makeup look posts I write. I wanted to share some thoughts about things I’ve learned about makeup since I started my Instagram account two years ago, because I have really picked up so many things I was not even aware about before I got started.  So I hope you can enjoy this post about my personal experiences with having a makeup account even though it’s a bit different than my usual content. Please feel free to share your own opinions and what you have learned in the comments. I love to know your experience as well!

First thing I learned – I was not “the shit”. But lets just take it from the beginning. When I started my Instagram page almost two years ago, I thought I was good with makeup. It must be because I don’t have very many makeup lovers in my real life, and I don’t really know that many people who wear enough of makeup to even evaluate their skill set. So I thought I was “the shit” since I could do a basic brown smoky eyes and a winged liner, and that I was quite above average (if is so silly looking back at it). I created my account and quickly realized that in stead of being “the shit” I was rather shitty. My skills would be slightly below average at best. I mean, all my old posts are still there (they make me cringe so I kind of want to get rid of them, but you know, it’s fun to see progress). In short words. I quickly realized that I had no reason to feel good about my skills. There are tons of amazing artist on Instagram, and I was not one of them. Not even close! But the great thing is that there will always be tons of inspiration to get from all those amazing talents out there!

Second thing – Practice makes perfect, but you have to practice…A lot! I have actually been close to giving up so many times. There was no reason for me to post makeup pictures when they are not even close to being as good as the stuff I see other people post. I saw so many stunning looks that I could not possibly recreate and it made me feel bad. Bad and with a severe lack of talent and skills. Maybe my ego was hurt a bit since realizing I was not “the shit” was still freshly in mind. But you know, I kept going. And you know, when you just keep doing it you get better. And I got a bit better, slowly but surely. One thing I also noticed was that many people who I had followed from the beginning who had, lets be honest, quite mediocre skills much like myself, suddenly became better! And quickly too! It was so inspiring to see how others just grew. I started to see a bit of progress in my own photos as well.

But saying “practice makes perfect” is easy. Actually realizing how much practice it takes is another thing. It took me two years to go from the first to the second photo above. But we are speaking two years of doing everyday makeup every single day, and creative or more dramatic makeup 3-7 times a week. That is two years of doing my makeup more than once a day several times a week in two years (OK, I had some time “off” here and there but you get the picture). I am not saying it does have to take that long, you could be a creative wonder child and get the same progress in two months, but for most of us I think it takes more practice and work than most people realize. With that said, I don’t think you need some special skills to be able to do it. Everyone can be great at makeup with practice! I still have a lot to learn, and I personally hope one day to be able to match some of the makeup accounts I look up too. I have a long way to go still, but just to keep on practicing and have fun along the way is key (still realizing I am not “the shit”). It’s a constantly ongoing process, but every single one of us who do makeup looks will inevitable become better and better. Luckily!

Third thing – Blending! I thought I knew blending before I started taking photos for Instagram. I didn’t. Because when you do makeup you intend of taking a picture of, it may very well look blended in the mirror, but I can assure you, your camera will see EVERY imperfections you make. I actually learned what blending really meant from taking Instagram photos. After taking many failed photos where I realized my blending was terrible I think I got more of a trained eye myself to judge if the blending was as good as the mirror told me or if it needed more. Most of all I learned how much effort it really takes to blend out colors, even the eyeshadows that are easy to blend. The blend can’t jut look good in real life if you want it to look good in pictures. It must be perfect!

Forth thing – People are amazingly supportive! Honestly, I came into this community expecting hate comments to be “normal”. Because you know, these bigger influencers often talk about how to deal with hate comments and stuff like that. So I thought I would be a victim to quite vicious “constructive criticism” on a regular basis and was prepared for that. Two years into it, I have yet to get anything resembling hate comments on my Instagram. I realize that with 20 000 followers I am still very very small, and I just don’t reach as many assholes as the big influencers do, but still the amount of love and support is so overwhelming. Even in the beginning, when my pictures was (honestly) shit, people left the loveliest most encouraging feedback. That is the main big reason why I am still around. Yes, my love for makeup has also a lot to do with it, but I would not have lasted more than a few months into it unless it was for YOU! The followers, the readers, the commenters. I am so grateful for every single one of you who left a nice comment or clicked the like or follow button on my blog or Instagram. Sounds so cheesy, but you know, it’s a cliche for a reason. You are the reason why I stuck around on Instagram long enough to create this blog, and you are the reason why I keep putting out post every day. So thank you so much, for keeping the boat floating!

Fifth thing – If you want it to show up, it better be dramatic! I do my brows completely different on the looks I intend on taking pictures of for Instagram, than I do in real life say for work. I prefer natural brows, which look great in real life, but when you add lighting and a camera much of those natural brows will disappear. The same with makeup. The colors will look less intense, the eyeshadow will look less dramatic, and that wing will look teny tiny even if  it looks great in real life. One of the tricks I found helpful when doing looks for Instagram was to add some drama. Off course, there is nothing at all wrong in showcasing a gorgeous natural look, but if you want to do something bold and colorful you have to make sure it is even more bold and colorful in real life. So when I do a look I intend on taking a picture of I make sure I make those brows extra bold, that I blend that shadow up just a bit more than I usually would, and that I make my wing longer and thicker.

Two years into it I am grateful for everything I’ve learned, but mostly for all the inspiration I’ve got form all the amazing artist out there. I would absolutely not be anywhere where I am now without having Instagram constantly pushing me to try to do better. The level of makeup art on Instagram is incredibly high, and I hope to be able to continue to grow and improve, hoping to one day be comparable (at least a bit) to those artist I admire and look up to.

And since we are talking about Instagram don’t forget to give my page a visit!

XOXO

Mufavorites!