HELP!!!!! I'm new to the makeup world

[expiredcupcakes]

hello, im also new to this forum
i hope i posted in the right place
so im 20 and although i always LOVED makeup ... i never bought or payed attention to it ... dont know why ... but since i saw some hauls on youtube and here i got sooo addicted ... thank god my addiction started when Hello Kitty collection came out ... and i was able to get some stuff !!!
i bought the set brush(3 brushes) + 2lipsticks (love them) + nail polish
and that's it !!!!
so i need help ... i'v been saving money to buy basic things from either sephora or MAC
and i'm lost !!!! i dont know where to start
i have medium tan skin tone .... normal/dry skin ... light brown eyes
and i want to be an expert in natural makeup !!!!!!!!!
i go to sephora and i feel lost there are too many types of powers liqued foundation

oh and concealer is another problem ... i want to get the one with the 4colours is it easy to use ??

where do i start ?? can you make a list for me on things i should get ???
after geeting basics for creating a natural look i want to also learn how to do a smokey eye ?? so what will yo recomend ?? i dont really care about eyeshdaows alot right now


ohhhhhh and the brushes are another story ... im so confused ... what should i get ??

im sorry if it is too long but im frustrated because i feel lost in makeup world
youtube videos educated me alot in the past few months
but now i need to start buying

ok that's it for now

 

[LRWade]

Hello expiredcupcakes! (I'm gonna call you cupcake form here on in, hope you don't mind!)

First things first. This isn't going to happen over night, and you are going to make wring purchases and bad applications in your quest to find your perfect makeup. So let's go step by step.

FOUNDATION
You said your skin was dry, so naturally I'd avise a liquid moisturising foundation. The best advice I can give you here is to go to a MAC/Sephora asistant and get them to give you a colour match and they wil advise on which range to suit your dish skin. Same with concealers and face powders. You can get a decent concealer palette on eBay or coastal scents, or a quad from models prefer. Other than that you might want to onsider getting multiple concealers for different coverages.


EYESHADOW
A very good idea, BEFORE you invest in any MAC or Sephora is to buy a cheap eyeshadow palette from eBay or coastal scents and use it for a couple of weeks so you can get used to colour. These are not going to be amazing quality but will allow you to decide what looks good on you and what doesn't. There is a natural palette and also some brightly coloured ones but you said you were into natural makeup i think. Then you will be more confident choosing a range of MAC/Sephora eyshadows. Little tip, don't choose a colour cause it looks nice in the packaging, always test on yout skin, colours look different on and off skin. And if you only want to use it on yourself, don't go and buy EVERYTHING!

STARTING LIST
You should first acquire the basics:
foundation (liquid moisturising since dry skin)
concealer (best to get this matched with your foundation, colour dpends on what you want it to do)
powder (nothing heavy, just to set the foundation)
eyeliner and matching mascara (blak or brown depending on your preference)
clear/lip colour lip gloss
a neutral eyeshadow colour (close to skin tone, little bit darker to define your eyelids)
From this you can expand colourwise using first cheap eyeshadow then MAC/Sephora.

I would strongly adivise visiting a MAC/Sephora counter for colour matchin foundation, also for eyeshadow colour testers.

Later cupcake!
Wade

 

[gitts]

I totally agree with Wade. That was some excellent advice. I would however like to suggest you have a look around Specktra. A number of people have ask similar questions over the years and the answers would help you. For example questions have been asked on:

1) Basic brushes

2) Understanding foundation and choosing the correct colour

3) A soft neutral look

4) Review on Coastal Scents Palettes

There is so much more information here. Do a couple searches and see what you come up with.

 

[hawaii02]

Welcome! To be perfectly honest, it took me years to find my favorite and best foundation. It is easy to get overwelmed with all the choices out there. However, i'm with everyone else. Brushes are a good place to start, especially since they will help with makeup application. I would choose a few neutral shadows to start with, as they can go with a lot of other colors when you expand your collection. A few of my favorites are Dazzlelight (highlight), Ricepaper (highlight), Bronze, Woodwinked, and Amber Lights.

 

[Strawberrymold]

I'm in agreement with everyone. If you've never really played around with color before than it becomes easy to spend way too much on things you don't end up liking. Any Sephora or MAC can give you a consultation. This way you can try things on before you buy them. This way you can ask questions & the MUA can show you what you need and how to use it! Also be open with your MUA, if you don't like something or think the look they are doing would be too hard for you to recreate yourself, speak up! MUA's will always do what they think will look best on you... but that isn't always what you might want or need. The more feedback you give, the better the MUA will be able to assist you. It's not rude to speak up as long as you are polite about it, in fact I love it when my clients give me feedback... I'm not a mindreader... it really does help me find a look for them that they are happy with!

My only warning is don't go anywhere were the MUA works on commission (Neither MAC or Sephora does), if a MUA is on commission sometimes they might try to sell you things you may not need or use.

As a MUA i've have had a lot of clients who were just starting out in makeup and needed advice. My number one rule, Purchase and bottle of makeup remover too, set aside a few hours of mirror time and practice! No one is perfect at first and that's okay

Also have the MUA show you how to hold your brushes and apply the correct amounts of pressure. This is another thing I notice a lot with my clients. Sometimes it has nothing to do with where they are placing the color... it's how they are placing it. A firm hand is very helpful to a great application.

Sorry so long... but one last thing... Listen to your MUA recomendations on tools/brushes. A good brush will do most of the work for you. They tend to be a bit pricey, but a good brush is worth the investment. They last for years if you take care of them and clean them often. The key to a flawless makeup app. is really good blending and you cannot do this easily with a crappy brush or a finger.

Hope that was helpful!
Sorry it was so long!

 

[autumnschild]

ooh exciting.

well if you go on sephora.com, you can actually filter products like foundation by skin type, formulation type, and coverage. pick a foundation that works with what kind of skin you have (dry, oily, combo, etc). the basic needs imo for the face would be: concealer (one for your face and one for under your eyes if you need it there), foundation, and a setting powder. and consequently a concealer brush (i like mac's 242), foundation brush (mac's 187 if it's liquid), & a kabuki for the setting powder (or for the foundation even if it's a powder foundation). there are also good and cheaper versions of mac brushes on coastalscents.com. mac fix + is a nice setting spray that makes your skin dewy and less-powdery looking.

for eyeshadow brushes, i'd recommend a shader brush (for the lid), a bigger shader brush (for doing the crease and outer lid), a small pointed brush (for precision lining or filling), and an angled brush (for applying eyeliner). i'd also recommend the 242 for applying emollient-based eye makeup, like paintpots or whatever. the majority of my eye brushes are by sonia kashuk, you can get them at target.

there are a bunch of good smokey eye tutorials on youtube. my favorite makeupguru on there would probably be makeupbytiffanyd so you should check her out.

happy shopping!

 

[gildedangel]

When you go to a makeup counter be sure to have someone help you, especially at Sephora. They will be able to help you find your color matches and they know their products well. For brushes I recommend starting out with paint brushes, I am so mean to my brushes. I also live in a dorm so I don't want brushes to get stolen. I found MAC dupes at Micheals and that allows you to practice with the makeup and get used to brush care, EnkoreMakeup has a great video on dupes for MAC brushes. Just remember to try before you buy, preferably twice on different days to make sure that you like it! If you still feel overwhelmed feel free to post more specific questions, we will be more than happy to help!

 

[expiredcupcakes]

oh thank you thank you thank you sooooooooo much
all of you

you guys are great
and you are right im sooo shy when i go to a mac store i dont like to ask for help from the MUA because of that
things i want to get so far
- paint pot (which one do you recomend?)
- foundation from sephora
- mac MSF (i want to get one exactly like my skin tone... can i use it as a foundation ?? sorry if it is a stupid question )
- chanel bronzer
- Contour & Blush Palette from coastalscents.com


when i go make up shopping without anything in my mind i end up buying lots of useless things ... like once i bought a powder for pale skin ( i dont have pale skin so how will i use it

)
that's why this time i want to write a list and stick with it

thanks soooooooo much again

 

[gildedangel]

Writing a list is a great idea, that is exactly what I have to do or I spend too much haha! I like Painterly paint pot and Bare Study paint pot. Bare Study is frosty and beautiful on its own, and Painterly is matte. MAC has a line of MSFs called MSF Naturals, and they are meant to be used as a foundation or setting powder; be warned that they are sheer coverage. These are different from the regular MSFs. I was really apprehensive when I first started going to counters, but once my aunt took me to a counter and showed me that the MAs are really great I was fine. Don't feel afraid to ask the MUAs for help, it is their job to help you!

 

[expiredcupcakes]

ok so i didnt want to make a new thread only for brushes Qs
so here is mac brushes i want to buy list
Mac 239 ( is it the same brush in the hello kitty collection ?? if so then I have it)
mac 217
mac 224 ( or 222 ?? )
mac 219
mac 211(maybe) or mac 209 ( maybe)
mac 242 (maybe-) looks like 239 to me ??
mac 275 (maybe*)
mac 194 ( concealer … maybe)
mac 168 ( *****) or mac 169

what do you think ?? i only have the 3 brushes from the hello kitty collection
is there things i should buy ?? brushes missing ??
sorry if i ask to much ... brushes are just soo confising ,,, even mmore than makeup to me
espicailly eye brushes

 

[MrsMay]

Quite honestly, I only use a few brushes in my makeup application. The ones I use on a daily basis are:

182 - for application of setting powder & blending
183 - MSF application (if required)
226 - crease work & blending
213 - lid colour
239 - highlight colour
187 - cheek colour
Eyeliner brush - personally I use an Inglot brush but whatever works best for you.

 

[AmiS4ys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by expiredcupcakes ok so i didnt want to make a new thread only for brushes Qs so here is mac brushes i want to buy list Mac 239 ( is it the same brush in the hello kitty collection ?? if so then I have it) mac 217 mac 224 ( or 222 ?? ) mac 219 mac 211(maybe) or mac 209 ( maybe) mac 242 (maybe-) looks like 239 to me ?? mac 275 (maybe*) mac 194 ( concealer … maybe) mac 168 ( *****) or mac 169 what do you think ?? i only have the 3 brushes from the hello kitty collection is there things i should buy ?? brushes missing ?? sorry if i ask to much ... brushes are just soo confising ,,, even mmore than makeup to me espicailly eye brushes

Currently, from the HK brush set you have, you have the 139se, 187se, and the 109se brushes (SE just means special edition). For me, the 242 is a good brush to have because it applies eye broducts fairly well. the 217 and the 224 brushes are good to generally blend with say, blending color into your crease.

 

[Strawberrymold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by expiredcupcakes oh thank you thank you thank you sooooooooo much all of you you guys are great and you are right im sooo shy when i go to a mac store i dont like to ask for help from the MUA because of that things i want to get so far - paint pot (which one do you recomend?) - foundation from sephora - mac MSF (i want to get one exactly like my skin tone... can i use it as a foundation ?? sorry if it is a stupid question ) - chanel bronzer - Contour & Blush Palette from coastalscents.com when i go make up shopping without anything in my mind i end up buying lots of useless things ... like once i bought a powder for pale skin ( i dont have pale skin so how will i use it ) that's why this time i want to write a list and stick with it thanks soooooooo much again

If you go to Sephora to get your foundation, check out MUFE, their foundations are amazing!!! The HD one is awesome, but if you have combo skin check out matte velvet (in my opinion it doen't get enough love and it is really sexy stuff) Also the Lorac & Nars foundations are really good too.

 

[*neerja*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by expiredcupcakes oh thank you thank you thank you sooooooooo much all of you you guys are great and you are right im sooo shy when i go to a mac store i dont like to ask for help from the MUA because of that things i want to get so far - paint pot (which one do you recomend?) - foundation from sephora - mac MSF (i want to get one exactly like my skin tone... can i use it as a foundation ?? sorry if it is a stupid question ) - chanel bronzer - Contour & Blush Palette from coastalscents.com when i go make up shopping without anything in my mind i end up buying lots of useless things ... like once i bought a powder for pale skin ( i dont have pale skin so how will i use it ) that's why this time i want to write a list and stick with it thanks soooooooo much again

Hi! that is soo my life right there. i always lovedd makeup but everytime i went out i bought useless stuff. i was formally an eyeshadow whore and actually bought nothing other than eyeshadows! but now i'm too making a list of the "basics" i need to get for my skintone. first and foremost is a good foundation. that's like your canvas that you will be "painting" over lol so start hunting for a good foundation. i have skin issues and for all these years i havnt bin able to find a good foundation. also, i had several problems with the sephora and mac SAs cuz they will always find me a foundation that was ALWAYS darker than my real skintone and i wud blindly trust them, buy it, and it wud sit in my drawer, or i wud end up wearing it newayz despite the obv colour diff. i suggest that you look online and narrow shades down to about three after finding out your undertones, and tell your sephora or mac SA to give you samples of those three shades you think are best suitable for you. i've had a bad experience with the SAs and now im picking the shades myself and getting samples and testing them out and i FINALLY think i've actually found a shade that matches me in a foundation! lol

secondly, cheek/lip colours. after you find out your shade, look around specktra to see what cheek/lip shades suit best the people on your skintones. there are so many swatches/reccomendations threads here on people of every skintone. note down what they have reccomended/mentioned/use (like i'm doing right now as im on the search of my perfect blush) and go to the store and swatch them on you. or tell the SA to put it on you and then see if you like it or not. i've only bin in eyeshadows and ignored blushes and lipglosses and only now i'm trying to find those colours that suit me best. i have made lists of products to try/buy under every category like lipsticks, lipglasses, blushes, eyeshadows etc.

lastly, eyemakeup. you should first buy those cheap palettes from coastal scents. get the neutral FOR SURE and also the 88 matte/shimmer. play around with colours and have fun with looks

and THEN go on to buy MAC. the way I'm doing it is that, i promised myself that i will only buy 4 eyeshadows from every colour. and put them in a quad. i.e four greens, four blues, four purples, four yellow/golds etc etc. some people have pro 15 shadow palettes with the same idea as mine but that's gonna make me spend moree!! there are always going to be atleast 4 must haves of every colours and thats all u shud really NEED

having quads will also make life easier for you as you'll have all the colours u want in one see-thru quad

now to answer your OTHER questions:
paintpots: i recently bought my first paintpot in painterly. i think its a pretty universal colour, will work for you if you're around medium skinned. i really like it so far but i find that it creases on me. so i only wear it so even out my lid area when im not wearing any eyeshadows. if you want to wear a paintpot as a base for your shadows, then i reccommend urban decay primer potion or too faced eyeshadow primer.

foundation from sephora: you absolutely must try dior nude! it's the best i've tried soo far (not the PERFECT one for me cuz i do have a lota skin issues) but its AMAZING otherwise. like i said, lok online and narrow your shades down to three and have your SA give you samples of those.

mac msf: even i have to go buy my first one but they;re not really like foundation, its just a foundation setter. so you do have to get one close to your skintone.

sorry this post was sooo long!! :| i just felt like we were on the same boat together lol

 

[*neerja*]

oh and MUFE are good too but i havnt bin able to find my shade in them yet

nars was too drying for me but they might work for you if you're VERY oily.