A Beginner's Guide To Makeup

| A Beginner's Guide To Makeup! | 

Starting out with makeup is a very daunting experience and I can remember the day I got my hands on my first makeup products. I was a late starter compared to all of my peers as I started when I had just turned sixteen. That was a little over three years ago so not that long ago in the grand scheme of things. I was lucky enough to begin my makeup journey when there were many Youtube channels and blogs to give me advice. I avoided that disastrous thin eyebrows, blue eyeshadow and not blending foundation down my jawline phase - Thank goodness! *insert winking emoji* I still knew nothing about applying makeup and it wasn't really until last year when I started collecting makeup that I picked up a few skills. I remember how overwhelming it was at first so I thought I would do a thorough guide of the products I started out with and the products I wish I had in my makeup bag back then.........

The First Few Products:

Mascara: I started using three products and one of those products was mascara and I wouldn't change that. Mascara is a great product to start off with because it can open up the eyes and when you use a natural looking mascara and apply a light layer, the difference is noticeable but subtle at the same time. My first mascara was Rimmel Lash Accelerator {linked below} and I couldn't have asked for a better mascara! The key to your first mascara is getting one with a thin wand. It won't give you dramatic lashes but it will accentuate them, and the thin wand is very easy to use for your first time.

Products to try: Rimmel Lash Accelerator {Make sure to get the thin wand version!} & L'oreal Telescopic Mascara Extra Black {Review}

Powder: A translucent pressed powder is a great way to get into base products. If you have dry flaky skin then a loose powder might be a better option. I love the translucent loose powder from Penneys/Primark!

Products to try: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder & PS Pro Loose Powder from Penneys/Primark

Lip gloss: You really can't go wrong with a bit of lip gloss when you're starting out with makeup. I'm pretty sure I've been wearing lipgloss since I was about 9 or 10 and it was a great product to start out with! It made me feel very sophisticated without losing my childhood if you know what I mean. Children seem to be growing up quicker these days but in my opinion, a neutral lip gloss is a great way to feel a bit more grown up without looking like they've got anything on.

Products to try: Nyx Butter Gloss & Maybelline Colour Sensational High Shine Lip Gloss

Concealer: A couple of weeks after applying powder, lipgloss and mascara, I delved into the world of concealers. I started out with the famous Collection concealer and I thought it was the best thing ever because the coverage was amazing! But after trying out a handful of other concealers I realised that the formula was a little cakey and there are definitely better concealers on the market in my opinion. At the moment, I'm obsessed with the NYX concealer and it's a great one to own whether you're a beginner or not. 

Products to try: NYX HD Concealer

Shop My Favourites:

Move Onto:

Brows:  In this day and age brows are the most important step in anyone's beauty routine as they have the ability to change how your whole face looks. I think pencil is the easiest way to start filling in your brows and it's hard to overdo it as pencil is so natural looking anyway. I wish I'd known about the Soap & Glory Archery pencil when I started out as it's amazing and it comes with a spoolie at the end which is really handy! I'd also recommend the first brow product I ever used which was the Seventeen Brow Kit - I still love it to this day! It comes with a wax, a powder, a pencil and a highlighter so it comes with everything that you need to learn how to fill in your brows.

Products To Try: Soap & Glory Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil & Brush & Seventeen Brows That Brow Kit

Eyeshadow: Cream eyeshadow and eyeshadow sticks are the best products to start with as they look well on their own and you don't have to worry about transition shades etc. You can also blend them out using your ring finger so there's no need for fancy brushes. 

Products To Try: Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow

Blush: A light neutral or peachy pink blush can brighten up your complexion. The Rimmel lasting finish blushes are easy to use as they're not overly pigmented so it's hard to overdo it - Perfect for beginners! They're neat and compact making them very handy for throwing into your makeup bag. The shade 'Santa Rose' is the most well-known shade in the blogging community and it's easy to see why it's a favourite! 

Products To Try: Rimmel Lasting Finish Mono Blush in 'Santa Rose'

Bronzer:  If you want to try bronzer then The Body Shop honey bronzer is a great one to tart with. The lightest shade is very pale so it provides a subtle bit of warmth to the skin. 

Products To Try: The Body Shop Honey Bronzer

Shop My Favourites:

Move Onto:

Eyeliner: If you want to experiment with eyeliner a nude kohl liner is the best option. When applied to the waterline it opens up the eyes and it's a trick I still do when my eyes are looking a bit worse for wear. Move onto a brown kohl liner next as it looks more natural than black. Apply it to the top lash line to provide definition and to make your lashes appear fuller. You could then move onto black kohl liner followed by testing out pens, liquids and gels to see which eyeliner method is best for you. 

Products To Try: Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Liner & Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Eyeliner

Primer: In all honesty primer wasn't something that I bothered with until very recently. I have combination skin but it leans more on the dry side with very minor oily parts so primer isn't something I really needed. However, at the start of the year, my eczema was really bad due to stress and it completely dried out my skin. My skin is now in the driest state it's ever been in and a hydrating primer is essential for me! There's hardly any primers on the high street market that are catered for dry skin but high-end brands offer some good ones. I'm loving the Too Faced Hangover Primer at the moment but whenever I get eczema on my face I like to use the Body Shop Instablur as it smooths my skin making it easier to apply foundation. 

Products To Try: The Body Shop Instablur & Too Faced Hangover Primer

Foundation: After a few disastrous attempts with some awful tinted moisturisers, I finally gave up and I decided to buy my first foundation: Revlon Nearly Naked. This was the best first foundation ever and I highly recommend it! This does exactly what it says on the tin; A light coverage foundation that provides a natural finish and it feels very lightweight on the skin. I used to hate the feeling of foundation so this was perfect for me as it feels like you have nothing on. I love budget products but budget tinted moisturisers and BB creams are something I usually avoid. I've tried a good few and every single one of them looked orange on me and had a formula that was difficult to work with. The Nars tinted moisturiser is pricey but it's worth every single penny if you want something even lighter than the Revlon foundation.

Products To Try: Revlon Nearly Naked & Nars Tinted Moisturiser

Lipstick: You can never go wrong with a nude lipstick if you ask me! There's one to suit every occasion and whatever level you're at with makeup, they're easy to wear. My first lipstick was a nude pink shade from the Rimmel Lasting Finish range and I'd highly recommend them! I had bought a few lipsticks after that but my lipstick collection really took off when I bought my first Mac lipstick. The creme-sheen formulas are the best if you're new to makeup as the creamy formula is effortless to apply. I highly recommend 'Creme Cup' and 'Modesty'!

Products To Try: Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick & Mac Cremesheen Lipstick

Palette: My first palette was the Urban Decay Naked Palette and as much as I love it, it wasn't an ideal first eyeshadow palette. It mostly contains shimmer shades and a good few of the shades were a bit too dramatic for me back then. I wish the Pippa Palette was around a few years ago as it would've been the best palette to begin with. It houses 6 matte neutral eyeshadows, a blush, a bronzer and a highlighter so it has everything a beginner needs from eyeshadows to complexion powders. 

Products To Try: The Pippa Palette by Blank Canvas

Shop My Favourites:

What were your first few makeup products?

Love,

Cliona xx

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