Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Makeup in English! - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Good morning, good afternoon and good  evening! Welcome to Smashing English!
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Good morning, good afternoon and good  evening! Welcome to Smashing English!
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Before we start this video, be sure to  subscribe because I make new videos all the time and I don't want you to miss any! So,  with that said let's get on with the video!
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Today we are going to learn about makeup and all  the words and verbs you need to talk about it. So I thought the best way to teach you would be to  show you my everyday makeup routine, so the next time you see me there will be no makeup on this  face so good luck! I wish you all the best. Um I'm sorry for the fright you're  going to have, but, uh, yeah. Enjoy.
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Terrifying, I know. Let's get some makeup on  before people start throwing up! Okay let's do it. Let's start with eye shadow and I'm going  to be using a palette which is how we describe eyeshadow that has a bunch of things inside  of it, it's really messy, it's really dirty, don't judge me okay? These sorts  of colours that we have here, exhibit A. We often call them nudes  because they're sort of skin tone, they're not bright colours, they're nude tones, so  I've got my nude eyeshadow palette and I'm going to do a base. So the base is a colour, normally  sort of for me, it's normally a cream or a white that goes on the bottom. So if you imagine a  house needs a base, eyeshadow needs a base as well and I'm using an eyeshadow brush to do this, by  the way, a brush. So now that the base is on, I will put some makeup in the crease of my eyes.  Now, I'm not a makeup artist so this is probably not the best makeup routine but I'm just here  to teach you about the terms alright? So, okay I know it's not going to be perfect. So let's  take a different eyeshadow brush and go for a slightly darker nude. So the verb that we can use  for everything to do with makeup for eyeshadow, foundation, eyebrows, we can always use the verb  to apply. So I'm currently applying eyeshadow or more commonly you can use the phrasal  verb to put on so I am putting on eyeshadow, that's a bit more common, a bit more native.  Okay so once it's applied, I tend to do a bit of blending, now blending is quite a generic  verb and it just means to mix things together, so that it's not a harsh line, you know? You  blend things together so that there's not a distinct line where the eye shadow  starts, so just a little bit of blending.
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Okay next we're going to use a little bit of  gold, sorry all of my palettes are disgusting, by the way, so disgusting. So I love gold  eyeshadow, it's my favourite, so I'm going over the brown I just did with a bit of gold and  blending it towards the brow bone. So this part here I believe it's called the brow bone, so  I want to blend it up towards there. Next I use my ring finger which is probably not the best  tool to use but I use a very light eyeshadow here almost like a shimmery cream. Shimmer  is a nice word you'll hear a lot in makeup, something shimmers, it it shines, it's glossy.  So I use a nice shimmery colour and I just dab it right in the middle of my eyelid because I  think it just brightens up my eye a little bit.
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Then, I do the same shade on my brow  bone, then I blend it all together.
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And that's pretty much my eyeshadow done, I will  probably tweak it a little bit once the final look is finished but I don't spend time on eyeshadow,  I just can't be bothered, I don't enjoy eyeshadow, it's the worst. Next I use concealer,  now concealer is this little thing and it's called a concealer because you use it to  conceal, which is a verb on its own, to conceal things that you don't want to reveal. So  if you conceal something, you hide it, so if you want to hide something, so for me I like  to hide my eye bags, my under eye bags or dark circles some people call them. So I use concealer  and my beauty blender which is also really dirty, I'm sorry, I'm disgusting. Use my beauty blender  to blend it and then we just dab dab dab dab dab dab. Okay so I've used concealer on my  under eyes, I also sometimes just put a bit of concealer there, I don't know why and then  just plop it anywhere where you see a little spot or something that you don't want to  show anyone so you can use concealer for anything that you just want to hide a little bit.  There we go. Next we need to apply foundation, now foundation is called foundation because a  foundation, the noun, a foundation means the base of something. The strong base that means you can  put things on top of it and that's what this is, it is the thing that goes all  over the face and it is the foundation for the rest of your makeup look. So  again I use my beauty blender and I slap it on.
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Foundation done! Now the next step that  a lot of people like to do, I don't do, but I want to teach you about it anyway. So a lot  of people use powder like this and it's called setting powder or transparent loose powder or  baking powder, it's got a couple different names.
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And what people do is they dab dab dab and  they put it on their under eyes or any place that they think it might crease or their makeup  might get a bit patchy. So you might have seen pictures of someone like Kim Kardashian with  just powder underneath her eye and that's called baking, so if she says i'm going to bake my  under eye it means i'm going to put powder on top of my skin and it will set the powder,  almost like you're baking a cake, it will keep it nice and firm. But I still want to  set my foundation to make sure it is set and it's not going to move anywhere so I use this  pressed powder and I just take a big brush, do a bit of that and then just dab it on,  just setting the makeup with pressed powder.
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The next thing I like to do, as you can see  I've got sort of foundation all over my lips, so I like to use a lip scrub which is  basically lip balm and sugar it tastes amazing.
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So I just scrub my lips with the sugar to  get rid of the foundation that's on my lips and it also helps your lips be nice and plump,  there we go. Next up is eyebrows, now there's a lot of different ways you can do your eyebrows  some people use eyebrow gel, some people use an eyebrow pencil, some people tattoo their eyebrows  on. I personally like to use a square brush and some eyebrow powder, again, it's disgusting.  So I've got my eyebrow powder and my eyebrow wax which I use because it's the only way I have  learned how to do my eyebrows. So I start with the wax and what I'm doing here is a very common  phrasal verb you will hear in regards to eyebrows and it's to fill in. So to fill in your eyebrows  means to fill all the parts that are empty, so if you have eyebrows that are quite sparse,  there's not a lot of hair, and you want to make them thicker and more dense, you fill them in. You  might also hear the phrasal verb to fill in for things like forms because you are making full all  the empty parts in the form. But in this context, fill in just means to make your brows look  thicker. So that's the wax done, then I use the powder. Eyebrows done! Next it's time for  contouring, yes contour can be a verb, to contour, but also contour can be a noun. So you might  hear something like: the contours of her face, so the movement of her face, the bits that  go inwards, so when we contour our face it's basically making our face look  like a different shape or it's defining to define to make more obvious. You're defining  the lines and the shape of your face, so for example, I use a contour brush and a darker powder  and I just put that in there then I go like this: So do you see how I'm defining my cheekbones and  everything so that is where the word to contour comes from. So now I feel like I have more defined  cheekbones. Next up, we have blush for the cheeks, so red on the cheeks to make it look like  you're healthy and alive and awake. Most people, well some people, will use powder blush like  that. However, I use this blush and it's like a liquid cream blush so it's sort of a cream and  you dip your finger in it and then you apply.
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Ah! Awake! Alive! Refreshed! There we go. Next we  need to highlight using highlighter, so the verb, to highlight, using the noun: highlighter. So  I use that same shade that I use for my eyes and just, I don't know why I do that, I saw  someone do it and now I do it every day.
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Then I just highlight the tip of my  nose with a bit of a pinky highlighter, just like that, okay now this is my favourite part  of the makeup process: eyeliner. Some people use pencil eyeliner, some people use liquid eyeliner,  some people use gel eyeliner, there's lots of different ways. I like to use a pen, I think it's  easy, it just looks like this, it's like you're drawing a picture, just makes it nice and easy  and there are many different styles you can do, I always go for a winged eyeliner or a cat eye,  it's the only one I know how to do and it just- I think it looks good on me, that's the only  reason. So, a winged eyeliner let's do it.
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That's one done, so you can see now it's called  a winged eyeliner because you have a bit of a wing sticking out and also a cat eye because  it looks a bit like a cat's eye, there you go.
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Both eyes done! Next I take my eyelash  curler and I curl my eyelashes, this looks a bit like an instrument of torture  to a lot of people who don't put makeup on but I can assure you it doesn't hurt, it's  very painless and then I apply mascara using the mascara wand as we call it,  like harry potter, I put on mascara, So as you can see that's the top  lashes done, now it's just time to do the bottom lashes and it is impossible to do  the bottom lashes without going like this- Okay we're nearly done, I promise! Next I go back  to my eye shadow palette from the beginning and I take the same colour that is on my eyes and  I put it on my lash line which is the bottom of your eye but I only do it halfway, I  take this shade, the one that's on my cheeks and I put it in the middle, in the corner of  my eye, in the inner corner of my eye. Okay finally finally finally, we need to do lips. Now  there are lots of different options for lips, I always like to line my lips with a lip liner so  you are literally drawing the outline of your lips on your lips. Some people like to over  line their lips which is drawing a line higher than your actual lip line to  make your lips look bigger, juicier, more plump. But today I'm just going  to draw the actual line of my lip.
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So once we've done the lip liner, we have a  few different options: you can use lip gloss which is the shiny stuff, you can use a lipstick  which can be a bit more matte, but I like to use this it's like a chunky lip stick, but I wouldn't  call it a lipstick it's more of a creamy lip...
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something? It's basically a  creamier version of a lipstick.
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And then the final final final thing I do  is use setting spray, so this is a spray that you spray all over your face to set  your makeup and make sure it doesn't move and make sure it doesn't run or smudge. Notice  by the way how the verb and the noun are the same so this is a spray but the verb is  to spray. Easy peasy! So let's spray.
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Just let that dry and there you have it! A full  face of makeup! Thank you so much for watching, if you enjoyed this video, please give it a like  and if you want to follow my Instagram the link for that is down below and also down below there  is a link if you want to have a one-to-one online English lesson with me. Thanks again for  watching and I'll see you next time! Tata!

Context & Background

In the video titled "How to Talk About Makeup in English!", the speaker engages viewers with an informal yet informative approach to discussing makeup-related vocabulary and phrases. As she presents her everyday makeup routine, she explains various terms and actions associated with makeup application, such as “apply,” “blend,” and “conceal.” This dialogue provides a goldmine of practical language that learners can use in daily conversations, particularly if they have an interest in beauty and cosmetics. The speaker’s relaxed style invites viewers to follow along and practice their own speaking skills through repetition, making it an ideal resource for anyone looking to learn English with YouTube.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • To apply: Used to describe putting makeup on.
  • To blend: The act of mixing colors smoothly for a natural look.
  • To conceal: Means to hide imperfections or unwanted areas on the skin.
  • To fill in: Refers to making eyebrows appear fuller.
  • Setting spray: A product used to ensure makeup stays in place throughout the day.

These phrases not only enhance makeup terminology but also serve as excellent examples for learners to practice common verbs in context. Using these phrases as part of daily shadow speech exercises can significantly improve your conversational skills.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use the shadowing technique with this video, follow these steps:

  1. Watch the Video: First, view the video fully to understand the context and flow of conversation.
  2. Listen Closely: Pay attention to pronunciation and intonation as the speaker goes through her makeup routine.
  3. Pause and Repeat: Use the shadow speak method by pausing the video after each phrase and repeating what you hear. This helps in mimicking the natural speech patterns of the speaker.
  4. Record Yourself: After shadowing a few sections, record yourself speaking the phrases to compare your pronunciation and fluency with the original.
  5. Engage with Tools: Utilize a shadowing site or app that allows for audio playback and recording to enhance your practice sessions.

By consistently applying this structured approach, you not only boost your vocabulary and pronunciation related to makeup but also enhance your overall English speaking skills. Remember, shadowing is a powerful way to internalize language, so keep practicing!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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