Advice on buying make-up

flogen

Hi all.

My girlfriend has a big birthday coming up and I wanted to get her something make-up related as part of her present.

She has been saying for a while that she wants a decent-sized box to hold the make-up she has, so my plan was to get something suitable and put plenty of new additions in there for good measure.

So I'm coming here for three things -

Any suggestions for a good-sized box/container for someone's make-up?

Any tips for what I should be looking to buy (and where I should be going for them), specifically in terms of brushes or decent brands (she uses a lot of Mac and Urban Decay, also some No 7)?

Any recommendations for a good beauty course? This is a secondary thought but it's something she's often said she'd like to learn more about..

I'm looking to spend a decent amount of money, but the more bang I can get for my buck, the better the end result will be.

Thanks in advance

ratmouse

Her clutterbox.com do really lovely make up drawers. Bit pricey but are very nice and are transparent so you can see easily what is in each drawer/compartment. Homestore and More do a much cheaper and smaller version of these types of drawers.

dee_mc

Real techniques Expert Face Brush gets fantastic reviews. I have a few MAC brushes and find them brilliant. The people on the MAC counter will be able to advise you as to what brushes will fit in to her routine.
I second the http://www.herclutterbox.com/ idea, i wouldn't dream of spending that amount of money on make up storage for myself but to receive it as a gift would be amazing! If you think she'd prefer a more portable case, this is pretty covetable and around the same pricepoint http://www.beauty-boxes.com/Milan-Trolley/dp/B007FP06B6?field_availability=-1&field_browse=1639834031&id=Milan+Trolley&ie=UTF8&refinementHistory=brandtextbin%2Csubjectbin%2Ccolor_map%2Cprice%2Csize_name&searchNodeID=1639834031&searchPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12

Y.Kendellen

If you go into ebay and type in 'beauty storage cases' there is a great selection of make up storage cases both large & small. I think the girls at the Mac counter are the best idea to inform you of what selection of brushes to get There are some good value make up course offers on Grab one, good luck with the birthday girl, sounds like she's gonna be spoiled

retro:electro

I agree with the other poster the clutter box storage cases are literally every girls dream! They are a bit pricey but u can guarantee you she won't be disappointed! Whatever make up you buy for her would look so great in it when you give it to her. Awh you sound so nice that's so thoughtful!

ams

You can get some really good storage bits in Ikea if you're looking for drawers.

I think the price of the clutter box thing is cray!

I use wicker drawers that I picked up in Heatons and then for my everyday makeup I have a really large case I got in TK Maxx.

flogen

Thanks for all of this so far!

The herclutterbox looks great - though it is quite pricey... I'm happy to spend a decent amount on the present as a whole, but I'm thinking the more spent on a case, the less that can go towards the make-up itself.

Came across a slightly more budget-friendly case that's similar to HCB - http://beautyangel.ie/acrylic-makeup-storage-homestore-more/

Anyone seen this in the flesh or know if it's any use? Will take a trip to Home Store & More (and Ikea etc) over the weekend and see what's on offer.

Thanks.

dee_mc

Just looked at Homestore website and couldn't find them, I've never seen them in store either (if i had i would've splurged on one of everything!). Let us know if you track them down

flogen

Will do!

ratmouse

dee_mc wrote: »

Just looked at Homestore website and couldn't find them, I've never seen them in store either (if i had i would've splurged on one of everything!). Let us know if you track them down

They are definitely in Home Store and More, located near the bathroom stuff. The drawers are very small but can be put together to make a bigger set.

ratmouse

flogen wrote: »

Thanks for all of this so far!

The herclutterbox looks great - though it is quite pricey... I'm happy to spend a decent amount on the present as a whole, but I'm thinking the more spent on a case, the less that can go towards the make-up itself.

Came across a slightly more budget-friendly case that's similar to HCB - http://beautyangel.ie/acrylic-makeup-storage-homestore-more/

Anyone seen this in the flesh or know if it's any use? Will take a trip to Home Store & More (and Ikea etc) over the weekend and see what's on offer.

Thanks.

That's the one that's in Homestore and More. In the flesh, they are smaller than HCB but still serve their purpose well.

flogen

Just following up on this as promised...

Went on a recon mission today - overall I was surprised by how few options there were across the various shops.

Anyway - saw the above in Home Store & More - it looked well and wasn't a bad size; also had two types (one with just two full drawers and the bits on top, another where the drawers had compartments).

They've gone up in price since the blogger above saw them - now €49.99.

Anyway - as nice as they were, I decided against getting one in the end. It's the kind of thing that would need to go in a dedicated place and stay there - and we don't really have a spot for that at the minute!

So I decided instead to go with something that could be moved around and packed away as needs be (even if it wasn't as nice to look at).

This is what I ended up getting (http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4385659/Trail/searchtext%3ECOSMETIC.htm) - plenty of space to work with and I think it looks well all the same!

flogen

Onto phase 2 - I'm planning on picking up some Sigma brushes (from what I've read they're as good as Mac's but better value).

Am I best buying them directly from their website or can they be found in any shops in Dublin?

Also - if anyone has any more advice for what to buy product-wise I'd really appreciate it. Especially the various essentials like concealer, primer etc.

And any particular brands to aim for (and avoid!).

Thanks.

dee_mc

Nice one, i thought you were looking for something a bit bigger but that looks like a great piece of kit. I'm sure she'll be well impressed!

PinkLemonade

flogen wrote: »

Onto phase 2 - I'm planning on picking up some Sigma brushes (from what I've read they're as good as Mac's but better value).

Am I best buying them directly from their website or can they be found in any shops in Dublin?

Also - if anyone has any more advice for what to buy product-wise I'd really appreciate it. Especially the various essentials like concealer, primer etc.

And any particular brands to aim for (and avoid!).

Thanks.

You'll have to buy sigma on line, their site is cheapest, but could take a while with shipping, cloud10 beauty also stock them and have great fast shipping from Ireland

I'd recommend getting an urban decay naked palette, there are four and it will depend on her colouring which one you choose.

Foundation and concealer are quite personal so I'd avoid buying them for her, a makeover voucher might be better?

Do you want to go high end for her makeup? Benefit and nars blushes are very popular if you do, but brands like sleek are excellent if you want cheap good quality makeup

flogen

dee_mc wrote: »

Nice one, i thought you were looking for something a bit bigger but that looks like a great piece of kit. I'm sure she'll be well impressed!

To be honest, it's probably a little bigger than I expected - should certainly do for now (until she out-grows it!). Definitely has more space than the clear plastic one in Home Store & More.

PinkLemonade wrote: »

You'll have to buy sigma on line, their site is cheapest, but could take a while with shipping, cloud10 beauty also stock them and have great fast shipping from Ireland

Great, thanks. Might go down the Cloud10 route - I have a fair bit of time but just don't want to take the chance.

Someone else also recommended Real Techniques brushes - any use?

I'd recommend getting an urban decay naked palette, there are four and it will depend on her colouring which one you choose.

She has the 2 palette already - am I wasting my time getting a different one, or can multiple ones suit one skin type (she's quite fair, btw!).

Foundation and concealer are quite personal so I'd avoid buying them for her, a makeover voucher might be better?

Great, thanks. I think I know the foundation she is happy with so could get more of that - will leave the rest and maybe sub in a voucher instead.

Do you want to go high end for her makeup? Benefit and nars blushes are very popular if you do, but brands like sleek are excellent if you want cheap good quality makeup

It doesn't have to be high end, so to speak, and she's not the type that has to have a particular brand. Once it's good makeup she'll be happy. Thanks for the suggestions.

StripedBoxers

If she likes the NARS Orgasm blusher, Sleek do one in Rose Gold which is supposedly a dupe for it

http://www.cloud10beauty.com/blush-html.html

The NARS one is €29 and the Sleek one is €5.50 so quite a difference between the two. I have the NARS one, got it as a gift and while its nice, I wouldn't pay €29 for it tbh, don't think it is worth it.

http://www.brownthomas.com/blusher/blush/invt/90x3553x4026

BethG

flogen wrote: »

Onto phase 2 - I'm planning on picking up some Sigma brushes (from what I've read they're as good as Mac's but better value).

Am I best buying them directly from their website or can they be found in any shops in Dublin?

Also - if anyone has any more advice for what to buy product-wise I'd really appreciate it. Especially the various essentials like concealer, primer etc.

And any particular brands to aim for (and avoid!).

Thanks.

Inglot have excellent brushes and they are a lot cheaper than Mac. They are in Jervis, Blanch, Anne Street, Liffey Valley and Dundrum. They have storage as well but they are cases and not shelf/presses as you had an eye for.

Ilyana 2.0

Real Techniques brushes are quite good for their price, usually around the €15 mark; they're available in Boots and the staff in there might be able to help you choose the best ones.

If she has the Naked 2 palette, maybe Naked 3 would be nice if she's pale, especially if she has green eyes. Naked Basics is a great all-rounder palette, and a little cheaper too.

I'd avoid buying anything she needs an exact shade match for, but if you can get her exact foundation then that'll be great. Benefit do little kits with various sample-sized products in them, that she can try out and repurchase herself in full if she likes them. Something like this maybe: http://www.debenhams.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10052_10001_123901009499_-1

And if you're not sure, a Brown Thomas/Debenhams/Cloud 10/NARS/MAC etc voucher will always be welcome

SmokeyEyes

Sigma are great, the Mrs. Bunny set is amazing and you can buy it in a travel sized version that's cheaper but still amazing! For individual brushes the round and flat top kabuki brushes are fantastic!

flogen

StripedBoxers wrote: »

If she likes the NARS Orgasm blusher, Sleek do one in Rose Gold which is supposedly a dupe for it

http://www.cloud10beauty.com/blush-html.html

The NARS one is €29 and the Sleek one is €5.50 so quite a difference between the two. I have the NARS one, got it as a gift and while its nice, I wouldn't pay €29 for it tbh, don't think it is worth it.

http://www.brownthomas.com/blusher/blush/invt/90x3553x4026

Excellent - thanks. If the Sleek one is meant to be as good I'd rather get her six choices from them rather than one NARS!

BethG wrote: »

Inglot have excellent brushes and they are a lot cheaper than Mac. They are in Jervis, Blanch, Anne Street, Liffey Valley and Dundrum. They have storage as well but they are cases and not shelf/presses as you had an eye for.

Thanks - saw that shop in Blanch but wasn't sure if they were any good.

Ilyana 2.0 wrote: »

Real Techniques brushes are quite good for their price, usually around the €15 mark; they're available in Boots and the staff in there might be able to help you choose the best ones.

If she has the Naked 2 palette, maybe Naked 3 would be nice if she's pale, especially if she has green eyes. Naked Basics is a great all-rounder palette, and a little cheaper too.

I'd avoid buying anything she needs an exact shade match for, but if you can get her exact foundation then that'll be great. Benefit do little kits with various sample-sized products in them, that she can try out and repurchase herself in full if she likes them. Something like this maybe: http://www.debenhams.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10052_10001_123901009499_-1

And if you're not sure, a Brown Thomas/Debenhams/Cloud 10/NARS/MAC etc voucher will always be welcome

Thanks - Benefit seem to have a few of those small sets which might be ideal - if I'm unsure of it I'd rather get her things with a number of small items than one big one that she ends up not using.

flogen

OK ladies;

The first batch of purchases have been made. Here's what I've gotten so far:

Real Techniques brushes (starter set and core collections)
No7 foundation (the one she uses)
Benefit Bronze of Champions kit
Urban Decay Naked 3

Tried to get some Sleek stuff (thinking a few blushes, possibly a lip and/or eye palette) but the only Boots that stocked it (Jervis) had very little left. Might try Blanch or Dundrum during the week. Not a bad start, though!

Now - a few more questions -

I saw a lot of brow kits and was thinking of getting one. She'd not be one for Scouse Brow, but something a bit subtle would go down well. Worth going with Benefit's stuff for that?

Also - nail varnish. She probably doesn't have a huge amount of good-quality stuff... any recommendations on a decent brand?

She has some UD and Mac lipsticks too, so might add to those... again, any other brands I should look out for?

Thanks so much for all your help so far - hopefully won't need to hassle you all too much more!

retro:electro

Definitely benefit for the brow kit! The one they have is by far the best and very popular. Essie have some lovely nail polishes and are by far the best on the high street, you can get them in boots but at about €14 a bottle they're pretty dear. A cheaper but still popular alternative would be rimmel nail polish, Rita Ora has a recent collection for them and all the colours are really nice.

flogen

anna080 wrote: »

Definitely benefit for the brow kit! The one they have is by far the best and very popular. Essie have some lovely nail polishes and are by far the best on the high street, you can get them in boots but at about €14 a bottle they're pretty dear. A cheaper but still popular alternative would be rimmel nail polish, Rita Ora has a recent collection for them and all the colours are really nice.

Excellent - thanks!

StripedBoxers

Bobbi Brown lipsticks and eye shadows are good. I have some and they are by far the best, not cheap by any means, but definitely worth the money IMO.

Essie are fantastic polishes - I get mine on eBay from this seller, they are 100% genuine, not fake and delivery takes about 5-7 working days normally, sometimes quicker. OPI and China Glaze polishes are great too

http://www.ebay.ie/usr/beautyzone2007

My boyfriend got me some polishes from them for Xmas, I think he got me 7 for about €25ish, compared to €14 for one in Boots.

bnagrrl

Ooh gonna go against the grain here and say I don't rate Essie polishes at all. I think they're very expensive for mediocre polish that's very streaky. They do have a great choice of colours though but at around 14 quid a go there's better alternatives out there.

I prefer OPI, Nails Inc, Rimmel, Barry M, butter London... I actually think if you have a good quality base and top coat the colour itself doesn't matter. My fave base coats are CND Sticky and butter London Nail Foundation. The latter is pricy but CND can be got on eBay for around €7-8. Top coats I'd recommend are Seche Vite Quick Dry top coat, Sally Hansen Insta Dri and butter London PDQ top coat.

I'll get around a week's chip free colour when I use those base and top coats even with cheapie polishes like Essence and my nails take a lot of wear and tear on a daily basis

Tiddlypeeps

Another vote here against Essie polishes. They are very inconsistent, I've picked up some that apply wonderfully smooth and don't even require a second coat and others that have been so streaky I couldn't even work with them. Definitely not worth the risk for the price you pay. Barry M are probably my favourite polishes, but as bnagrrl says with a good base and top coat you can make pretty much any polish last ages.

Every time I've been in Boots in the Liffey valley the Sleek stand has been well stocked despite the fact there is usually a hoard of people hovering around it.

PinkLemonade

Beaut.ie have their beauty awards just out, you might get some good ideas there?

BethG

PinkLemonade wrote: »

Beaut.ie have their beauty awards just out, you might get some good ideas there?

I was just going to post that, PinkLemonade. Some surprise winners as well

Meangadh

Agree re. Essie polishes- they're fine but over rated and over priced IMO. I'd definitely go for Rimmel first. But as already said, get a good base and top coat and even cheap polishes last pretty much the same time as the dear ones.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the beaut.ie awards winners, I didn't agree with them all but it's a good place to start.

flogen

Thanks for all of that. Think I'll go with Rimmel (along with the decent base & top coats).

Can you get CND stuff in any shops in Ireland, or is it all online only? Still have ~10 days but would be terrified of it getting delayed in the post!

BethG

flogen wrote: »

Thanks for all of that. Think I'll go with Rimmel (along with the decent base & top coats).

Can you get CND stuff in any shops in Ireland, or is it all online only? Still have ~10 days but would be terrified of it getting delayed in the post!

Any nail or beauty salon that advertises CND nails should have CND on sale

flogen

OK, so the second batch has been acquired... getting close to done now!

This time I got:

Two Sleek eye-shadow palettes
Sleek blush palette
Sleek lip palette
Sleek lip gloss
Benefit Brow Kit
4 X Rimmel nail paints
3 x Essie paints (smaller bottles that were part of a set - €16 for the 3, which made more sense to me than €9 for 1 big one)
Sally Hansen top coat

The girl at the Benefit counter threw in a few sample thingeys too - which was nice of her!

Having a hard time finding CND Stickey - even nail bars that use CND don't seem to sell it. I'm hoping Butter London stuff will be easier to find!

After that, I'll probably get a few UD or Bobbi Brown lipsticks... any other obvious product types I'm missing?!

Thanks!

retro:electro

flogen wrote: »

OK, so the second batch has been acquired... getting close to done now!

This time I got:

Two Sleek eye-shadow palettes
Sleek blush palette
Sleek lip palette
Sleek lip gloss
Benefit Brow Kit
4 X Rimmel nail paints
3 x Essie paints (smaller bottles that were part of a set - €16 for the 3, which made more sense to me than €9 for 1 big one)
Sally Hansen top coat

The girl at the Benefit counter threw in a few sample thingeys too - which was nice of her!

Having a hard time finding CND Stickey - even nail bars that use CND don't seem to sell it. I'm hoping Butter London stuff will be easier to find!

After that, I'll probably get a few UD or Bobbi Brown lipsticks... any other obvious product types I'm missing?!

Thanks!

Wow well done! She is a lucky girl!

flogen

Thanks - hopefully she likes it! (but I've kept receipts in case she doesn't!).

bnagrrl

flogen wrote: »

Having a hard time finding CND Stickey - even nail bars that use CND don't seem to sell it. I'm hoping Butter London stuff will be easier to find!

Some of the US based eBay sellers that do CND have super fast delivery.

You can get butter London from Millies.ie. They also do OPI and have a sale on at the moment. Next day delivery is available if you order before 3pm I think?

Seche Vite and Sally Hansen are available in Boots.

flogen

Great, thanks

tiablue

herclutterbox is really good. I got some nice ones for 170 euro

tinkerbell

I wouldn't bother with lipsticks - they are a VERY personal product and unless you know exactly which one she likes, you'll get it wrong. How about a voucher for Mink (Ballsbridge or Donnybrook) to get a manicure or a pedicure rather than buying more products? It's the best place in Dublin to get your nails done and the chairs for the pedicures are so comfy.

Lia_lia

Fair play to you...I can never imagine any man I know going to such lengths!

Meangadh

Absolutely! Not one man there's ever been in my life be it family, friend or more than that would do this! They'd barely know the difference between mascara and blusher, never mind all the brands. Amazing, fair play! She will love it, I don't know how she couldn't.

flogen

tinkerbell wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with lipsticks - they are a VERY personal product and unless you know exactly which one she likes, you'll get it wrong. How about a voucher for Mink (Ballsbridge or Donnybrook) to get a manicure or a pedicure rather than buying more products? It's the best place in Dublin to get your nails done and the chairs for the pedicures are so comfy.

Thanks - that might be a good alternative unless I'm certain of the product in question.

Lia_lia wrote: »

Fair play to you...I can never imagine any man I know going to such lengths!

Meangadh wrote: »

Absolutely! Not one man there's ever been in my life be it family, friend or more than that would do this! They'd barely know the difference between mascara and blusher, never mind all the brands. Amazing, fair play! She will love it, I don't know how she couldn't.

Thanks - in fairness, you have all been a huge help in getting the products right so there's not been all that much work involved for me.

Fingers crossed she likes it - will know soon enough!

flogen

tinkerbell wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with lipsticks - they are a VERY personal product and unless you know exactly which one she likes, you'll get it wrong. How about a voucher for Mink (Ballsbridge or Donnybrook) to get a manicure or a pedicure rather than buying more products? It's the best place in Dublin to get your nails done and the chairs for the pedicures are so comfy.

Against your advice and my better judgement I decided to pick up one or two lipsticks after all... I got gift receipts, though, so they can be swapped for another shade if she wants (I know I got the brand right, at least!).

retro:electro

If you are interested in throwing one last special thing into the mix you could grab her a nars highlighter stick? Depending on where you live they usually stock them in brown thomas, they are amazing and every girls dream!

flogen

Thanks - might be near BT tomorrow morning so will have a look.

flogen

So my search for CND Stickey has hit a dead end - the last place I tried (Creative Spa & Academy) said they're out of stock and it's discontinued (or they're not getting it back, anyway).

They recommended Morgan Taylor's Stick With It as an alternative - any thoughts? And any idea where I can get it in Dublin city?!

bnagrrl

Oh I hope Stickey isn't discontinued, it's my favourite.

Have you seen this list of CND stockists? Might be worth a shot.

http://www.lovecnd.com/salon-finder/

ETA: found it online here:
http://www.beautybay.com/nailcare/cnd/stickeybasecoat/

BUT...word of warning - I've ordered from this site before (at least 3 times) and never had an issue but I do remember a thread on here a while ago and people saying orders took a long time/didn't come so...up to you if you want to chance it. Again, I've never had a problem!

flogen

bnagrrl wrote: »

Oh I hope Stickey isn't discontinued, it's my favourite.

Have you seen this list of CND stockists? Might be worth a shot.

http://www.lovecnd.com/salon-finder/

ETA: found it online here:
http://www.beautybay.com/nailcare/cnd/stickeybasecoat/

BUT...word of warning - I've ordered from this site before (at least 3 times) and never had an issue but I do remember a thread on here a while ago and people saying orders took a long time/didn't come so...up to you if you want to chance it. Again, I've never had a problem!

Thanks for that.

Did try the two places in the city centre that are listed as stockists but they don't sell it - I presume they use it, though!

flogen

Just a quick note to thank you all for your help with this.

Gave her the present this morning and she was delighted - apparently there's nothing there she wants to return, so I have you all to thank for that!!