Day 50: Tips You Would Give To Makeup Newbies.

Ahh, I can’t believe that my makeup challenge is finally coming to an end! I actually had lots of fun doing this challenge & hopefully my followers enjoyed my posts! & I think this is a great way to end the challenge- by passing on some knowledge off to some of you who are fairly new to makeup. Hopefully some of these tips will help you out or serve as some insight? These are just some things that I picked up and learned based on personal experience or just simply learning from my fellow makeup colleagues.

  • When starting out with makeup, the drugstore is your best friend. A lot of drustore products are actually good quality products that are sold for a reasonable price! Brands like ELF, Wet n Wild, NYC & Maybelline are very good starter brands that are on the least expensive side of drugstore- whereas Revlon, L’oreal & Neutrogena are a bit pricier but most definitely worth trying! A majority of makeup I had growing up was mostly drugstore & some have become staple items in my makeup collection.
  • Do your research! Curious about a product? Look up reviews either on YouTube, MakeupAlley or even here on tumblr! There are many beauty blogs out there that offer insightful reviews on various products that demonstrate their use, application or different ways you can use a product or if it’s even worth purchasing or not.
  • Don’t be afraid of color! Experiment with it! Try it out, see what you like and get to know what works best with your skin tone! There are also tutorials out there to show you how to rock different eyeshadow looks or bold lip colors. Don’t be afraid to try something because it looks a little too bright or intimidating, just go for it!
  • Get color tested! Not sure what your foundation color matches your skin best? Don’t be afraid to ask to get color tested the next time you go to a makeup counter at the department store, MAC or Sephora. Most of the time, their sales associates will gladly help you out to find your right shade & you can even ask for a sample of their foundation so you can try it out at home & see if it still looks the same without all those florescent lights. Another thing you can do if you’re shopping at the drugstore is find a shade closest to your skin tone & see if it matches exactly with the color of your lower chin and neck (my friend who works at Clinique taught me this)- this is how you find a shade that is not only closest to the color of your face, but it matches your neck as well, so you won’t have different colors going on your face and neck.
  • Whatever you do, don’t go to sleep with your makeup on! Ladies, I cannot stress this enough. It is very detrimental to your skin and pores- you don’t even know the damage that you’re causing to your skin by doing that. No matter how tired you are, just wipe it all off or make an effort to rinse off whatever is left on your face (which in most cases is your makeup mixed with your natural oils and whatever pollution/debris you’ve acquired from being out- yeah, not cute). All that residue left on your face overnight will clog up your pores, cause break outs and best believe you will pay the price for it eventually. Trust me, I learned the hard way. Overnight, your skin overturns dead skin cells and your pores and sebum (natural oils) are work to restore your skin to it’s natural balance and moisturize, as well as rejuvinating your skin. If your pores are clogged- irritations and pimples will form and when you wake up- chances are… you’re not going to like what you see.
  • Practice makes perfect. You don’t magically perfect the act of blending overnight- it takes practice and patience. & don’t worry if your makeup doesn’t look perfect the first couple of times, you can always try again. Don’t rush it either! (unless you’re in a hurry, then that’s a whole other issue). Give yourself ample time to get ready and figure out what colors you’re going to use or which ones work best for your eye color. Experimentation and practice are key to wearing makeup properly & not having to worry about if your face looks blotchy or cakey- or if your eyeshadow is creased or unblended. Look up beginner videos that take you through each step or see which techniques work best for you! Trust me, I learned through observation and practice- you’ll get it right eventually! :) 
  • Develop your own routine! See what works best for you! Determine what steps you want to do first- whether you wanna put on your eyeshadow before you put on your foundation or even if you want to put your concealer (if needed) before or after you put on your foundation! There are no exact rules how to your makeup, just mere suggestions to see what can potentially work best for you or your preferences.
  • Don’t be afraid to change things up a bit! From time to time, we all can fall in a makeup rut and start to use the same things over and over again- I’ve fallen into a makeup rut on several occasions just by wearing neutral eyes or the same colors. Every now and then I like to change it up a bit and add a hint of color! Or try a new technique I picked up from tutorials. If you’re comfortable wearing the same colors, don’t feel pressured to change your ways, but just know that there are other options out there for you!
  • Stay on a makeup budget! I know I should take my own advice- but sometimes I fall into a bad habit of impulse shopping on items I know I don’t really need. Times are kinda hard nowadays, where most of us can’t afford to spend tons of money on makeup- so this is what I would suggest for you (I mean, us…) to do: 1.) Get more for your money- don’t have a lot to spend but want something to feed your make up needs? Invest in a makeup palette! There are a lot of makeup palettes available to better suit your needs- whether you’re looking for a face or eyeshadow palette- you name it, it’s out there. 2.) Looking to buy something that’s a bit pricier or high-end? Invest in something that you know you will use on a regular basis! That usually justifies the purpose in purchasing a high-end lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, etc. If you’re going to get your money’s worth, might as well use it all the time, right? 3.) Not looking to buy high-end products but want something similar to it? Look into purchasing inexpensive dupes! There are a lot of colors out there that are the same for about more than half the price you’re paying at MAC or Sephora. Sure, some items might not be of the same quality- but chances are they both work the same, but at least you won’t end up paying $20 for an eyeshadow (knowing that was some of your allowance/food money for the week).

Well, I think that’s all of the tips that I can think of for the moment- if there is anything else- I’ll do another post! Feel free to ask me any makeup or beauty related questions! I can most certainly try to give you an in-depth answer to whatever you’re looking for!

xoxo-Cynthia.