Must-have products?

[Lemonade]

I'm sorry if this has been answered or if it's in the wrong section, I looked around and didn't see anything.

I have worn makeup for years and often use products from Sephora but never really experiment much. I tend to just use foundation, powder, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara, no primers or anything like that. I've decided that I wanted to start experimenting with upping the glam on my makeup and making it look more professional. I've been lurking the forums for a couple of hours and reading tutorials and I'm really excited to start experimenting. I'm going to Sephora this weekend but don't have a huge budget...Around 150-200 dollars, and I know that it's easy to build up the expenses in that store haha.

Long story aside, what products are must-have for your makeup applying experience to go as smoothly as possible while also making it look great? I'm thinking that I need a good primer, brushes (what kind of brushes are important?), new foundation, an eyebrow pencil (I don't own one), concealer, and moisturizer. I have most of the other stuff covered, like eyeliner and I might pick up some nice eyeshadows if I have the money. I also have a Clarisonic so I don't need any kind of exfoliating products to make my face clean and smooth.

Also, is buying a really good mascara worth it or are the cheaper drug store brands just as good? My lashes aren't very long and I experience annoying clumping most of the time when I apply mascara so a good brand would be good, preferably not too expensive. What's a good inexpensive moisturizer? If there's threads that contain this information I'd love to be pointed in the right direction. Thank you for any help!

 

[kittykit]

Welcome to Specktra!

My must-have lists:

1. Primer - I don't use any primers so I can't really recommend you any

But I've read a lot of good reviews on Smashbox primer.
2. Foundation - Make Up For Ever HD foundation is my everyday foundation and finish with Make Up Forever HD Microfinish Powder. It doesn't make my face oily and it's long lasting. I use a skunk brush like MAC 187 or Sigma 188 to apply the foundation.
3. Eye brow pencil - I fill in my brows with MAC Brow Shader (discontinued item) to give a more natural look.You can also try MAC eye shadows that are close to your natural brows colour.
4. Concealers - For undereyes, I love Bobbi Brown correctors and creamy concealers. For other imperfections, Make Up For Ever Full Cover and MAC Studio Sculpt concealer are my favourites.
5. Moisturizer - I've sensitive combination skin and I've been using AQUAporin ACTIVE SPF 15 + UVA for a while and really like it.
6. Mascara - I don't splurge on mascara. Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express is my holy grail mascara.
7. Brushes - I personally love MAC brushes. They're a little more expensive than other brands but they're good investments and high quality! You won't be disappointed. Some Sephora brand brushes are not bad either.

HTH

 

[bell21]

Welcome to the site! You're sure to find lots of info here to help with what you want to do, here's my suggestions:

Primer - face: MUFE HD or Smashbox. shadow: Too Faced shadow insurance, Urban Decay primer potion. Also if you like bright eyeshadows/making shadows pop look for something to use as a base, MAC Paint Pots, MAC Fluidlines (which are meant to be liner mainly) MUFE Aqua Creams (which can also be used as straight shadows/liners/lip/cheek colors), or even NYX pencils for a drug store option are great. If you just want to get one to see the difference a base makes go for one in black (great to use under dark colors) or a white (good for pinks, lavenders).

Foundation - it depends on what color you and what type of finish you want. I like MUFE HD. Make sure you get color matched and leave the store to check it out in normal lights before you decide with one to buy. The above rec of the MUFE HD Powder is a good one, you only need a little bit of the powder so if you decide you want to try the MUFE HD primer, Sephora had(has? its been a month or two since I've been in there so I'm not sure if they still carry it) a "travel kit" Which will give you a 15ml bottle of the clear primer, 15oz bottle of the HD elixar and a medium size jar of the HD power for less than the cost of the full size powder, its a good way to get to try everything.

Brow Pencil - I'd go with a eyeshadow instead of a pencil. Lots of brands have brow kits you can check out. I like the Anastasia Brow Powder Duos.

Brushes - a foundation brush, blush brush, eye shadow and blender brushes, a liner brush if you're going with liquid or gel liners. Too Faced has awesome Teddy Bear hair brushes, MAC has good brushes (I love the 187), MUFE, Sephora has some good ones. I mainly use MAC and the Too Faced kit. The MAC ones I'd say to check out are the 187 (foundation, powder), 116 (blush, stay away from the 168 it sheds like crazy), 222/217 (shadow blending brush) 229 (shadow brush).

Concealer - MAC, MUFE HD or Full Coverage (I'm not a fan of their palette concealers), Bobbi Brown (again make sure to get color matched and then check out in natural light, the store lights can play crazy tricks on your eyes).

Moisturizers - its not not the least expensive option but I love Philosophy Hope In a Jar. A good drug store option is the regular Olay moisturizer.

As far as mascara it seems like something different works for everyone. I have a ton of them, I like MUFE Smoky Lash, Covergirl Lash Blast, Clinique High Lenghts, MAC Plush Lash, and Diorshow. A good idea might be to try one of the sampler kits Sephora has. They have a Sephora favorites that gives you 10 of their most popular mascaras, they also have a Clinique kit with 5 of their mascaras, and a Dior kit with 2 of their mascaras.

One other thing that helps with making make up look its best is a spray, MAC Fix+ or MUFE Mist and Fix are two good ones, they help set the makeup, take away any powdery look that is left after you're one applying everything and you can use them to wet eyeshadows (always dip the brush in the shadow, then spray the brush) for more vibrant color.

Have fun shopping, let us know what you end up getting

 

[Lemonade]

Wow, those lists are awesome, thank you so much! I have a much better idea of what I'm looking for now.
I dug through my makeup, I found a few MAC eyeshadows and 2 Urban Decay shadow books. My foundation does not match my skin color as well as it should, it's a little bit too dark. Do they help you with color matching in Sephora? I think one thing that would vastly improve my makeup is if I got the right shade of foundation for my skin.
I also found a small tube of Sephora brand primer, it looks like it was maybe a sample but it has a lot in it so that will last me for a while. Basically the main items on my list right now are a nice foundation, mascara (I'll definitely look into those mascara samples you mentioned, bell), brushes, and that finishing spray sounds really great. I have a problem with my makeup smudging, so I'm thinking maybe using primer and finishing spray will help it stay put. I want my makeup to look good the whole night, not just half of the night.

Also, about liquid liner...I really like the look of it, how long does it take to "perfect" putting on liquid liner? I'm not an eyeliner expert by any means and I usually use brown eyeliner which is easy to put on since mistakes are easily corrected. Black eyeliner makes me look like a mess because I'm awful at making it look good. Do you just have to practice practice practice until you can get black and liquid liner to look decent?

 

[Beauty11111]

I’d recommend trying Bobbi Brown skin foundation, it has a beautiful natural finish but buildable coverage, with minimal oxidization. Bobbi Brown concealer and powder are also wonderful.
When buying a foundation test in on your jaw line, allow it to oxidize and view it in natural lighting as store lighting can be very deceptive. If possible ask the sa if they can give you a sample of the foundation to trial before you buy. When I’ve been matched to foundations by sales assistants they have always been too dark but I hadn’t realised until I’d taken the product home and trialled it properly.
I love Yves Saint Laurent Ombre 5 Lumières, 5 Color Harmony for eyes pallet, bronze gold is a staple in my collection. They are expensive but diverse and an effortless way to put together a beautiful eye. The shadow last all day without creasing, no primer needed .

 

[bell21]

Wow, those lists are awesome, thank you so much! I have a much better idea of what I'm looking for now.
I dug through my makeup, I found a few MAC eyeshadows and 2 Urban Decay shadow books. My foundation does not match my skin color as well as it should, it's a little bit too dark. Do they help you with color matching in Sephora? I think one thing that would vastly improve my makeup is if I got the right shade of foundation for my skin.
I also found a small tube of Sephora brand primer, it looks like it was maybe a sample but it has a lot in it so that will last me for a while. Basically the main items on my list right now are a nice foundation, mascara (I'll definitely look into those mascara samples you mentioned, bell), brushes, and that finishing spray sounds really great. I have a problem with my makeup smudging, so I'm thinking maybe using primer and finishing spray will help it stay put. I want my makeup to look good the whole night, not just half of the night.

Also, about liquid liner...I really like the look of it, how long does it take to "perfect" putting on liquid liner? I'm not an eyeliner expert by any means and I usually use brown eyeliner which is easy to put on since mistakes are easily corrected. Black eyeliner makes me look like a mess because I'm awful at making it look good. Do you just have to practice practice practice until you can get black and liquid liner to look decent?

They'll absolutely be willing color match you at Sephora, you can let them know you have a brand or brands in mind that you'd like to try and they'll match you in those or you can just let them know you're looking to try something new, they'll ask you about your skin type, skin care routine, etc to try to pick out the right brand for you. The Urban Decay shadow books will be great to try out with a shadow primer, keep in mind that UD shadows are known for having some fall out issues so to help avoid that use them wet or apply the shadows first (before foundation etc) then you can easily brush off any fall out without messing up everything else you would have already done. With the primer make sure to let it skin in/dry down a bit before applying your foundation (it helps it "stick" better).
Its pretty much practice, practice, practice for the liquid liner, check out the tutorials on here, I'm sure there's some good ones. For me a slanted liner brush is easier to work with than the pointy tip style that usually comes with the liner. Something that make it easier for me when I just started playing with it was to start the line in the center of the lash line instead of going from the outside in and make small short strokes outwards, then go back and do the other side.