Complete newbie to all things beauty - advice appreciated!

DuchessduJour

So I'm a 22 year old who has never worn make up of any description - unless you include lip balm in your definition of make up, in which case I'm a fiend

It's something I've actually always wanted to try out but I guess through lack of confidence I never really got around to. And now that I've decided to take the plunge, I'm utterly clueless as to how to go about it Any research I've done has been pretty overwhelming, so I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has tips as to how to get started? When you were first getting interested in make up, what were your absolute essentials?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

greenfrogs

For me foundation is the most important thing in my make up bag. It really is about finding what suits your skin the best. I use bare minerals powder foundation because it suits me. I would recommend going into brown thomas or Debenhams and looking at the various brands and get a few samples. Then see which one suits you best.

I also think a setting powder is important. You can get one the same brand as your foundation or pick one up from boots. I also like blusher. I use max factor creme puff blush. It's a lovely colour and you can use it as everyday wear. I use burt bees lip balm. I use a pigmented one and really like it. Mascara then can finish off your look. That is my basic everyday make up look.

I really like the vivianna does makeup blog. She reviews a mixture of high end and budget make up products.

fussyonion

Foundation should be your first step, so you can either go high-street and pick up something by Maybelline or Rimmel; check the shades on the bottle to the one that closely matches your skin.

Or you can go upmarket and go for the likes of Clinique or Estee Lauder/Bobbi Brown or MAC, for example.

I went to the Estee Lauder counter in Boots because I was having trouble finding the right shade of foundation for my skin.
The lady there applied two shades to my face and told me which was the best.
I then purchased Estee Lauder DoubleWear in that colour.

It's a flawless, stay-put foundation that makes your skin look amazing, and you'll see many fans of it on here.
It's also the biggest selling foundation out there.

Next, you might want to think about blusher and again, it's up to you what colour you want, but there's generally two; a pink blush or a peach blush.

Depending on your skin tone, a peach would be for slightly more sallow/medium coloured skin and a pink would be for anyone else.

You've got high-street brands of blusher and upmarket too, so it depends on how much you want to spend.
I'm a big fan of Seventeen blushes (that's a Boots own-brand) and Bourjois do lovely ones too.

Mascaras are a minefield, OP, and it'll be trial and error as to which you prefer.

Some girls prefer mascaras that lengthen their lashes, others prefer mascaras that volumise, others may prefer thin rubber wands whereas someone else might prefer thick brushes.

You could always buy a cheap one, say from Essence in Penneys, and try it out at home until you know what you like.

Eyeliners; if you like that intense black liner you see women wear on their upper eyelids, then your best best is to go for a liquid/gel eyeliner.

If you're a beginner, I would recommend a pot of gel liner which will come with a little brush.
I think it's easier to apply gel with a brush as you'll feel you have more control over the application.

Or you could try one of those marker pen style eyeliners, which are a doddle to use.

Youtube is your friend when it comes to any type of make-up tutorials, by the way.

Eyeshadows: it's all personal choice as to what colours you want and I'm not fantastic at applying eyeshadows, but like I said, go to Youtube and type in, for example, "smokey eyeshadow tutorial" and you'll be shown, step-by-step, how to do that look.

Lipsticks are all personal preference.

I realise this has been a long post, so I'll end by saying that expensive products doesn't mean better.

I've a lot of Essence and Barry M products which were really cheap, but are excellent quality, whereas when it comes to foundation, I feel spending a bit more is worth it.

Invest in a set of eyeshadow brushes, too, if that's your bag, as having brushes means you can do any look you wish.

If there's anything else, feel free to ask!

Holly Tree

If you leave near somewhere that has a bobbin brown counter I'd really recommend popping in there for a make up lesson ( free and lasts about 45 minutes) bobbi brown make up is very natural looking so you'll just be emphasising your facial features as opposed to other make up counters (Mac,ingot) that tend to be a bit heavy handed in my opinion..

kerry4sam

^^^ Wonderful replies above...

Another suggestion though would be to contact a local Beautician/Spa who could do a Beauty Class/Make-Up Lesson(s) with you and go through what you need and/or would have queries about

fussyonion

kerry4sam wrote: »

^^^ Wonderful replies above...

Another suggestion though would be to contact a local Beautician/Spa who could do a Beauty Class/Make-Up Lesson(s) with you and go through what you need and/or would have queries about

You didn't sign your name at the bottom! :mad:

kerry4sam

fussyonion wrote: »

You didn't sign your name at the bottom! :mad:

I know, I know slap on the wrist for me!




/kerry4sam

ShazGV

I'd second the idea of going to a local beautician, afaik a lot of them offer makeup classes. It can be very useful even if you know what you're doing, they can help you figure out what shade you should be looking for in foundations too.

Youtube is a goldmine for all things makeup related, if you search something like 'beginners makeup' you should find product recommendations & tutorials.