I second the "Making Faces" book recommendation. That's exactly (and the only) make-up book I use. Reading it, you will at least become literate in the make-up jargon. So instead of looking silly and trying to play charades with the make-up artist on what effect you want, you can impress her with your knowledge of concealers, blush-ons, matte vs. gloss, kohl pencils, eye shadows, blending etc (speak passionately about these things as well as pretend you knew this stuff all your life, and you can probably raise some eyebrows... as the people around you try to quietly assess your sexual orientation ;).(posted 8835 days ago)...actually buying yor own make-up kit and trying the techniques hands on, well, that's another matter. It's not easy and sometimes downright scary (try applying eyeliner with a Kohl pencil). The more I know about make-up, the more respect I have for those who do it well. The flipside to this is that since you're into fashion (as am I), being able to do this stuff yourself would be a tremendous advantage.