My interest in makeup popped up like a pimple. It came out of nowhere, and with very little warning. Don’t get me wrong, I have dabbled. Maybe a little foundation in high school, though it was about 8 shades to dark, and being a self-proclaimed “emo kid,” eyeliner was a must, but my true love for cosmetics didn’t surface until much later in my life, when I began to actually need it, in my mid-20’s. I had to learn everything. I had no idea what I was doing, which meant I had no idea what I was doing wrong either. Here are my top makeup tips for beginners that want to look like pros.
Beauty Sponges
I know what you’re thinking, why spend money to buy a beauty blender when I have my good ol’ paddle brush in the bottom of my caboodle, what it can’t do, my fingers can.” I know, I know, but trust me on this one, makeup sponges can and will change your life. Using a brush to buff out your foundation works, but can sometimes leave brush strokes and texture to your skin, and in turn, not give you that flawless, airbrushed base that you are going for. The sponge soaks up excess foundation, giving you a nice even coverage. If you don’t want to spend $20 bucks on a beauty blender, the drugstore brand “Real Techniques” makes awesome application sponges, and they are a fraction of the price.
Find your Perfect Match
Finding your foundation shade can be tricky. If you are shopping in store, test the shade on your neck, not your wrist, or your face. This will ensure that your face and neck match seamlessly, and you don’t end up with the dreaded line, or worse, the Oompa Loompa face. I also recommend trying a swatch on your neck, and then walking outside of the store to see how it matches. The lighting in the stores is designed to give your skin a blurred effect, and sometimes can make a shade look like it matches well, when it actually doesn’t. If you are shopping online, look for a foundation matcher. I believe sephora has one on their website. What these do, is allow you to enter the name and shade of a foundation that you already know matches you perfectly, and then tells you which shade of another brand you should buy. These aren’t always 100% accurate, but that is just part of the risk of shopping for makeup online. I recommend buying your first foundation in the store, so you can be sure that you get your perfect shade match.
Don’t be Afraid to be Bold and Creative
In makeup there aren’t really any rules. If you have a blush shade that you think would look nice as an eye shadow, go for it. Same goes for contour or even lipstick! You can use anything for anything. On another note, when I started out playing in makeup, I stuck strictly to nude eye looks, and very neutral lips. I was terrified of wearing any bright or bold colors. for this I would recommend practicing with neutral colors just to get the hang of it, and then BUST OUT! Once you get your technique down, you can handle any color that gets thrown your way. Don’t be intimidated by fun color schemes.
You Don’t Need to Break the Bank
When I first got excited about makeup, I started doing what any reasonable person would, making a list of every single product that Beauty YouTubers were using. I know, you would think that the more a product costs, the better it would work, right? WRONG! I have tons of drugstore products that work better than my high-end products. There are some situations where you get what you pay for, but that is NOT always the case. If you want to splurge and get a few expensive products, I recommend getting a higher-end primer, foundation. It’s all about that base, ladies, anything else you can work with.
Don’t be Afraid to Try Something CrAZy!
Everyone is different. Our skin tones, texture and oil levels are different, and how we choose to do our makeup is different. A product that worked AMAZINGLY for Jeffree Star may not work as well for you, or me. Experiment and pay attention to what your skin is telling you, and also the ingredients of your products. If you have a negative reaction to a primer that has coconut in it, and you also get itchy eyes when you use a certain eye product that contains similar ingredients, you may be allergic to that ingredient. Some products work better on oily skin, while some perform better on dry skin. Trial and error is going to be necessary to find your perfect everyday products. Also keep in mind that there are a gazillion different ways to apply each product, so if you try to apply a certain product with a brush and it just isn’t giving you the outcome that you want, that may not mean that the product is bad, it may just not apply well with a brush. Try using your sponge, or even your fingers, yes, I said it, and see how it works for you then.
Try Beauty Subscriptions
Here is one more bonus tip for you. Try signing up for a makeup subscription box. Ipsy is a great subscription for beginners AND pros. You can customize your beauty profile, to let ipsy know what your skin tone is, your eye color, hair color, and even how comfortable with makeup you are and the brands that you like. Every month they send you a cute little makeup bag filled with sample size, and full size products for you to try. This is EXTREMELY helpful for beginners or for those who can’t afford to but high end products all the time. You will get to try tons of great brands so you will know what products you like, and which give you the most bang for your hard earned buck.
Everyone had different opinions on makeup, but it really can be an empowering tool. For moms who just haven’t had the time to doll themselves up all the time, or people who just have insecurities about their appearance and what to change it, no matter what your reasoning may be, I guarantee that there is a product for you out there somewhere, and who knows, it may even be on clearance.
