Back to Basics: Create your first Makeup Kit
Hi ladies and gents,
Classes have started and reality kicked in. My days consist out of waking up early, getting ready in record time and still neglecting my need for a perfectly balance breakfast ... Snack bar it is!
As I was getting ready during one of those mornings I thought about ways to shorten my makeup regiment. What kind of products did I use in when I first started getting into Make Up? What did my first makeup kit consist of?
I came to a conclusion; time to go back to Basics... at least sometimes!
I know it can be quite challenging to get an idea of what products you NEED when looking at the abundance of make up idioms offered, so if you are currently getting into makeup and have no idea about what kind of makeup products to buy for yourself or others keep on reading!
Step 1) Primer:
When looking for the right primer you need to know what kind of skin type and issue you are trying to cater to!
If you are dealing with larger pores and slightly oily skin like me try a mattefying primer!
Try the Pore Minimizing Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer or the e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer
For an uneven skin tone try a color correcting Face Primer like STILA One Step Correct or the Tone adjusting green Mineral Infused Face Primer by e.l.f.
If you are dealing with dry and flaky skin you should try a hydrating primer that will provide you with radiance and glow. Some of your options include Marc Jacobs Beauty Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer and the Radiant e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer
Step 2) Foundation:
The easiest way to pick the right foundation is by knowing about your undertone, skin color and skin type. Don't feel bad if you cant find your right foundation right away, most of us are struggling in this department. Sometimes brands fail to cater to all skin tones (especially really light or really deep skin tones!) which can also be a reason for the fact that finding your shade can be a bit tricky.
So lets try and break everything you need to do down!
Skin type: As I mentioned before, everything comes down to knowing what skin type you are working with! Is your dry? Oily? Your answer determines whether you opt for a more matt or dewy formula. Of cause there are a lot of in-betweens like a velvety or satiny finish but for beginners, try choose either matt or glowy! Don't get me wrong, if you love a matt finish but have dry skin you can still wear a mattefying formula. One important thing to know about make up is that you need to "make it work for you"! With enough exfoliation and moisturization you can rock anything. The same goes for using the right primer and powder in order to be able to wear a dewy foundation as a oily person.
Undertones: One major factor in picking the perfect foundation for you! Ever had a closer look at the veins on your wrist? If not, do it now!
Do you see something blue, green or maybe a mixture of both?
Blue: You have a cool undertone! When looking for foundations try and pay special attention to pink or red tones in foundations, these are the foundations you should get!
Green: You have a warm undertone! Foundations with hints of yellow and gold will flatter you perfectly.
The Mix (green/blue): You have a neutral undertone! good news is you look stunning in silver AND gold jewelry (CHING CHING!) not so good news is the fact that a lot of foundations will look either too orangey or too pink on you. While a lot of brands will state the undertones of their foundations (yes, also neutral) others wont. In such cases it is best to compare at least three shades (that don't differ too much in color) right next to each other and find the one that blends seemingly into your skin.
Skin tone: Now, most of us know if we fall into the fair, light, medium, tan, dark, or deep category pretty easily. It becomes a bit more tricky when confronted with all those shades in between. Walking into Sephora, Ulta, MAC or other Make Up counters in the department store you can get matched! Sometimes you will find that some employees will still recommend the wrong shade for you so always be aware of that. I think the best way is to take the desired finish and your undertone into consideration and pick three colors that are close to each other and swatch them on the side of your cheek. Make sure to not wear any makeup (I know! sigh) so that no other foundation is altering the appearance of your new addition.
To me powder is an essential part of great makeup! It locks everything in place, prevents make up from going into fine lines and lets bronzer, blush etc. go on smoothly! Even though I love me a dewy complexion I also want my make up to stay in place. In order to prevent everything from looking cakey I only apply it under my eyes (loose, transparent powders are perfect for that!), a light layer on my cheeks and T-zone to get rid of oiliness. The trick is to find the right powder for your skin type!
Here a few of my favorites:
For oily skin: MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, Maybelline Fit me loose Finishing Powder
For dry skin: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, L'Oréal True Match Super Blendable Powder
Powders to "BAKE" the under eye: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Kat von D Lock it Setting Powder
Step 4) Bronzer:
There is nothing better than sun kissed skin... at least in my opinion! The best way to bring back some color to the skin and create some depth is using bronzer. Now, I do love a good contour but I find that it can be quite tricky to do, especially when you are just starting out with doing your Make Up! While finding the perfect matt, cool toned shade to contour and then worrying about positioning the shadow correctly is a bit challenging, bronzing is much less complicated and quicker(YEAY). I like to take a fluffy blush brush and apply the bronzer to the sides of my forehead, cheeks and tip of my nose! TIP: Bronzer can also be used as eyeshadow (I do that a lot for when it needs to be quick!).
My faves:
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (I love "Give me sun!")
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer (Hourglass makes some of my favorite powders!)
BECCA Sunlit Bronzer (Gives the most natural Glow)
Step 5) Highlighter:
Even when I am going for a quick "5 minute" face I never ...I mean never, skip out on Highlighter! A nice little glow on the cheekbones make you look more lively and definitely more put together! If you are new to Highlighters I would recommend starting of with a more natural shade! I really think that my post on my favorite Highlighters will help you out with finding your perfect first Highlighter!
I always like to apply a small amount on the center of my eyelids (I use Highlighter on my eyes ALL the time!), cheekbones and top lip. Voila, there you have it "Le Glow"!
Step 6) Blush:
Blush makes you look fresher, brings back some color to your face and gives a beautiful flush! It also helps to marry Bronzer and Highlighter and blend everything seamlessly. I think that blushes with satin finish look the most natural and skin like. Now, there are a lot of color and finishes to chose from but I think that starting off with a peach/ bronze and a mauve blush is the best! These are colors that flatter most people and go with every look.
Blushes I use a lot:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Collection ("Dim Fusion" is beautiful!)
TARTE Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush ( I use "Paaarty" all the time!)
BECCA Mineral Blush ( "Wild Honey")
Step 7) Eyeshadow:
A light wash of color on the lids ties in a natural look! Even on a "light make up" kind of day giving your eyes a bit if definition is a great idea. Eyeshadow can emphasize the windows to your soul in a very subtle way. I would start of by purchasing a palette with high quality, buttery and first of all blendable eyeshadows. The palette should have a wide variety of neutrals like browns and beiges etc. also, pay attention to your undertones! Again, blue veining calls for cool tones, green for warm toned eyeshadows and a mix can go with either or stick to neutral toned shadows. Another thing to note is that you should be able to chose from matts and shimmers/ glitter/ satin. To create a good look you need to play with different finishes so try and find palettes that can give you that. I like to think that it is a good idea to focus on mattes, good formulas are hard to come by so if you find the perfect palette with all matts go for it, you can still add shimmer or glitter pigments to your collection since these are easier to find and available in high quality.
My favorite palettes and pigments right now:
Too Faced The Chocolate Bar Palette (smells like chocolate YUMMY!)
Step 8) Eyebrows:
Eyebrows are sooo important and an essential step in your make up routine! A lot of times we see perfectly sculpted eyebrows on Instagram and YouTube and they look great, but just know that using ten products to get your eyebrows to look good is not needed! If you are a beginner I would recommend a eyebrow pencil for you. It is the easiest way to give yourself some sexy brows! To find the right color for your brows just look at the tone of your hair, if you have really light hair go with a brow pencil that is slightly darker. One really important thing to note is that you should try and stay away from black pencils, even if you have yet black hair!
Brow Wiggling good pencils:
Step 9) Mascara:
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy de feeling and look of having bare lashes for some looks but Mascara definitely adds something special and makes your eyes look awake and even more beautiful than they already are! I think that a lot of Mascaras work great no matter if drugstore or high end! I tend to like extremely black mascaras that slightly lengthen but first of all give lots of volume, if you are not sure abut what you are into I think that buying different lower priced mascaras from the drugstore and trying them for a longer amount of time will give you a good idea of what you like. I mostly pay attention to the mascara wand and brush, so if you find a wand that you like but also want to try higher end mascaras I would tell you to go and find a high end mascara with a brush that resembles the brush of your favorite drugstore mascara!
My current faves:
Step 10) Accessorize your pout:
I am sure that I don't have to tell you that smooth and moisturized lips are the best accessory for your pout BUT if you would like to care for your lips in the most effective and delicious way check out the recipe for my favorite lip scrub!
Now on to two lip products I use everyday! I think that a investing in a great nude liquid lipstick (lasts longer than regular lipstick and can be topped with lip balm or gloss) is the best thing you can do if you are trying to build your collection. A nice nude that flatters your skin tone is such a make up staple and can be paired with any, and I mean ANY eye look! The second lip product I cant function without is a nice non-sticky gloss! Gloss is great to emphasize your lips in a natural way and make them look plump and juicy! In addition, you can layer glosses over any lipstick if you are looking for more color.
Lip lovies:
So guys, I really hope that I was able to help you create your own Makeup kit or made it easier for you to find products your friends or partners could need and actually like!
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