Hello ladies, I’ve watched quite a few of these makeup starter kits on YouTube and when I was asked to recommend some products for a beginner in makeup I thought I would put together a post (thanks Rebekah!). Today I am going to share with you the items I would tell myself to buy a couple of years back when I first got into makeup.
Base Products
First things first I wouldn’t recommend buying a foundation if you’re new to makeup. Makeup is supposed to enhance your natural beauty and it’s very easy to become dependant on it everyday. It’s not great to mask your skin, so yes do pick up a foundation, but save it for night outs and weddings rather than every single day. Instead I would recommend the Bourjois 123 CC cream - £9.99. ‘CC’ stands for Colour Correction and its amazing at evening out the skin-tone whilst leaving a natural finish. If you’d like to read the full review click right here.
If you have good skin, stick with using concealers rather then a base. The Collection Lasting Perfection - £4.19 is the most well known, talked about drugstore concealer on the blogosphere, and I swear by it. Personally the high coverage works great for my dark circles, but I know some people find it too thick for under-eye. It is phenomenal for all blemishes, spots and dark marks too. I would also recommend buying a lighter and illuminating concealer if you don’t have dark circles - my favourite at the moment is Essence Stay Natural - £2.00 which has a brush applicator and not only can I use this under the eyes but on the bridge of my nose, cheekbones and forehead to add a natural highlight! Be warned though this doesn’t have a whole lot of coverage - best for illuminating! Essence is available from Wilko.
Face Powders
First things first, if you’re a dry skinned girl, stay away from the powder it’ll do you no favours. Also if you do pick up the CC Cream the finish on that is very much normal, not dewy and so there’s not much to set. However if you find yourself getting hot often, or you have oily skin the I would recommend the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder - £8.99. This isn’t the cheapest compact you can find in boots but it is the best one. When you scrimp on powder you can easily get a cakey crusty look at worst, and normally just makes your face appear flat. This is the powder that keeps shininess away whilst still adding a slight glow which is pretty awesome - I’ve also heard its a dupe for the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Powder AND the Chanel le beige powder (thank-you Amelia again!).
As far as bronzers go I highly recommend the Rimmel Natural Bronzer - £2.99 (I’d recommend you getting this from this link rather than boots as its half the price!). I’ve reviewed it here already so I won’t say much, but its certainly my starter bronzer of choice as its light, not shimmery and buildable ^_^ Bronzers are amazing for warming up the face, just take a fluffy brush and apply to the cheekbones, jawline and forehead.
Blushers
The world of blush is vast and can be overwhelming for a newbie to makeup. So stick to light buildable shades, that add a flush of colour onto the cheeks and are hard to get that clown effect. Some of my favourites are Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder Blush in Pink Rose - £3.99, Sleek blush in Rose Gold - £4.50 and Essence Silky Touch Blush in 10 - £2.50. Both the Rimmel and Essence blushes are easy to apply without looking OTT and really do add a beautiful natural glow to the skin. Sleek have every shade of blush imaginable under the sun, and Rose Gold is their most famous and can be a little shimmery, so do use a light hand if you pick up this beautiful shade.
Lips
Again like the cheeks, go for a light option for the lips. When I got into makeup I didn’t buy any lipsticks only glosses and even now it takes a lot of effort to remember to top up the lipstick after a few hours. I’m not a fan of faffing about with reapplying products, nor do I like lipsticks that cling to dry patches. Therefore my top picks would the old Rimmel Moisture Renew line - £6.50 which I reviewed here. Also E.L.F have some fantastic options in their mineral line so I would 100% recommend subscribing to their newsletter and waiting for their huge sales! To see which products are my hits and misses from E.L.F click here.
Eyes and Brows
Brows can be intimidating, but its surprising how little bit of filling in and...whaaam your face instantly looks groomed and put together! I am loving this Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix Eyebrow Shaping Kit - £2.50. You can find this in some superdrug stores, but I usually order online because you get free delivery on orders over £30 and they have some amazing high quality makeup for some ridiculous prices. This kit is fantastic because there are 3 separate shades of powder and an applicator with tweezer (what more could you ask for?!). The one pencil liner I would highly recommend is the Rimmel Scandal eyes waterproof kohl liner in Nude - £3.99 I have raved about this one my blog many times, as its a brilliant eye brightener, makes your eyes look larger and more wide awake and essentially its a life saver for when you’ve had a lack of sleep!
Winged liner is my must, its truly amazing how much of a difference two lines can make to a face!
To be honest I don’t have one true favourite liquid liner but I have been loving the Collection Fast Stroke in Brown AND Black - £2.50 The brush is perfect for thick and thin, its easy to control and the brown liner is just excellent for school or work situations because it still defines the eyes but isn’t as full on as black can appear to be.
As for eyeshadow, make sure you pick up the MUA undressed palette - £4. Its supposedly a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette and its the main palette I used throughout 2013. It has all the shades you could need for basic day-to-day looks and also for night looks. If you’re looking to spend a couple more pounds go for the I heart chocolate makeup palette (available here). But the MUA one is available from any Superdrug store and perfect for starters in makeup.
I hope this post was beneficial for you all ^_^ what products would you fellow makeup lovers recommend to any newbies?
Thanks for reading!
