Ok, I've been asked a lot "What should I buy if i want to start playing with make up?". So here are some "guidelines" to help you out.
Of course, you don't need to buy EVERYTHING at the same time. And the things I recommend having later on, you should buy them ONLY if you're really interested in make up. I should show you my collection one day, it's huge because I love playing with make up. But you don't need to buy so much! And also don't forget i didn't buy all this all at once, I had some products for YEARS ! (shadows mostly, cause lipsticks are not really "good" to keep for years, safety first people).
So yeah, here is what I recommend having as a starter kit, then a few things you could buy if you want to get more into make up and finally, a few brands that I recommend browsing if you like make up.
Also, for my tutos: I sometimes use expensive make up (M.A.C. , Urban Decay...) If you want, I can put up the price of them, BUT you don't have to buy them, absolutely not, make up that you can buy at supermarkets do it just fine. It may not have the same pigmentation but if you're not deeply into make up, you don't need those expensive ones. Anything that matches the colour of the one I use will work fine.
So here is the starter kit:
so first:
for the eyesI recommend
3 matching colours eye shadows. Now you can even find trios so it's pretty cool. It's basically to have
a dark tone, a medium one and a light one. Then you can choose the colour you want as long as the three are matching
(i don't always take matching colours but for a starting kit it's better ^^)
Then, I recommend having a
black eye liner pencil. Why black? because it goes with everything. If you take a blue one, it would be weird with some colours. Plus black sometimes help the other colours to pop out.
Then, if you know you could draw lines on your upper lid without shaking and spoiling it, I'd recommend a
liquid liner, still black. I always take liquid liner for the top lid because it stays more and the colour is more powerful.
Then of course,
mascara. It's up to you which one. I have long lashes yet I have a mascara that make them even longer, so it doesn't matter ^^ but long lashes are pretty so I'd recommend one that make lashes longer. Mascara is a bit expensive sometimes, so just take the one you like and you'll stay with. If you choose the wrong one first and don't like it, you'd regret it. If you even have the possibility to try it (by a friend or anything) do it, you'll see if you like it or not. Also, I've been told that the one some expensive brands like M.A.C. sell is not worth it. So
mascara you'll find in supermarket is really fine. Though I wouldn't recommend the cheapest (those could be bad qualities and dry too quickly or irritate your eyes). Those you see on TV (Gemey Maybelline, L'oréal and all that stuff) would be perfect choice in my opinion. Then
carefully read the specification of each mascara to see what it does and see if it matches what you're looking for.
Mine is Unstoppable by Gemey Maybelline, it's around 8.50€ if I remember well. Some on the net says it's bad, but personally, I never had any problem with it. So I really like it. If I ever find one better (I want to try a new one) I'll tell you about it ^^
Then I should make a sort of tutorial for mascara cause there is a way to apply it to get cool lashes.
For the lips I would recommend getting
both lipstick and lip gloss. Of matching colours would be better ^^ Or clear gloss is fine too ^^. I don't put lip care because I think everybody's got one at least for winter when the lip skin is really dry. You should use it to make your lips nice. If you don't, the lipstick will get on the cracks and it won't be really pretty.
Lipstick will give the colour to your lips. Then if you put lip gloss on it will give your lips a shiny/wet/glossy effect, which is quite nice ^^
And of course,
good brushes ! I'd recommend
eyes brushes (I don't like the "sponge" ones that they give you with eye shadow sometimes, but it's free in those so start with it) and
a lip one if one day you have any lip infection (basically not to get it all over your lips the next time you'll reuse your lipstick) and also it's better sometimes to apply lipstick with a brush, it's more precise.
So basic kit, making it as small as possible:
- 3 eyeshadows (dark, medium, light)
- eyeliner pencil (black)
- mascara (black)
- 1 lipstick
- 1lipgloss.
The liquid liner and brushes can come after, this is really the "can't remove more" starting kit.
That's what I would basically recommend as a starting kit. That's what I started with basically.
Then if you like it and have a bit more money one day, here are the things I'd then recommend getting.
First bases: an eye shadow base to make the colour last longer. I'm using one of the C.C.B. (available only in France), which is really good.
If you want a total make up, then search for a foundation, it will make your skin even and erase some imperfections. But be careful, it may be hard to find a colour that suits you. Especially if you have a really pale skin like mine. I only find a good foundation for me this year!
First of all, if you're pale white NEVER take a gold-ish tone or you'll end up orange :S take a pinkish tone. Mine is the first tone of "Accord Parfait" l'oréal foundation, it's cold "Ivoire rosé"
Yet for foundation, it's sometimes better to go to shops like Sephora or Nocibé and ask to try, i went to Nocibé and she gave me two samples. Then test it on your jaw line. NEVER on the wrist or hand skin as they say it DOESN T match your face colour. They're telling you it does but actually it doesn't perfectly match. So you might think it's perfect on your hand and still look orange on your face.
Then I use a finish powder but that is far from being compulsory, it just makes your skin all soft ^^
So yeah back to more basic stuff, like "advance" stuff maybe lol.
More brushes, of better quality.
As for now, I only have 4 good brushes (well 5 counting the one for finish powder). I would love to get some M.A.C. one later on though but those are REALLY expensive and i really mean REALLY (i'm dying for their Kabuki brush for powder but HELL ! it's 40€ !!! too much for my taste, really too much).
I could show you mines, it's basically a lip brush and 3 eye brushes: one to put the colour on the lid, one to blend the colours out and one angled to use colours as liners, as I do near my waterline.
this way you wouldn't lose lots and lost of shadow because it would be stuck in your sponge brush. On sponge brushes, you usually put a ton because you don't seem to have enough on your lid, it's simply because a huge quantity of shadow is stuck IN the sponge. So yeah I hate those.
Of course, then those are brushes you should take good care off and wash them. I should make a video, it's a bit tricky for one part.
then maybe more eye shadows and liners, I'd recommend going by love. If you love the colour, take it ^^
Don't stop just because you read somewhere that it wasn't a good colour for your eye colour. They say blue is bad for blue eyes, yet I use some ! So yeah, if one day you have some crazy love at first sight for a colour, then buy it ^^
Same for lipstick and lip gloss. Even if you think the colour would look crazy on you (like deep "man eater" red for me) you could still wear it! just put a tiny bit of it and not as much as usually (that's when a lip brush can become handy)
If you want, take a blush, I started using some only a few days ago but sometimes it just make your face pop up and be like all pretty and dynamic ^^ but that is far from being THE thing to buy.
and well basically that's all. I sometimes use some glitters, but those are stuff you can easily find during the Christmas period ^^.
I should take pics of my collection which is starting to be big already. Actually looks like more of a beginner make up artist collection than a regular girl one ^^'
For make up the really important thing is to go with the heart. Chose your colours by judging what you really like. Or then you might never really use it and regret buying this one.
Then, search everywhere ! On the net, there are awesome companies with really good quality products. It may be a bit more expensive with the postal taxes but in the end, you'd use less of the product if it has a good pigmentation that if it's not.
Some companies I'm really liking:
Spell cosmetics and Coastal scents. Those are US ones, so everything is in $ which is better for us those days since € is better, so when you pay a thing around 7$ you pay them LESS than 7€
I also use a bit of CCB but it's not like my whole time favorite for make up. They have cool products but sometimes I don't find the colour I want on there. I can only say that their nail polish is really cool! You can even find dark ones I love (black, dark blue and dark red).
Plus Agnès B of the CCB is Brian's friend (but that will not make you have cheaper products, shame xD).
After, other companies that I tried and some i didn't try yet but that I'm dying to try:
M.A.C. Cosmetics: really expensive so I really don't recommend it unless you're really getting into make up. But they have a huge colour scheme. And well it's more of pro make up. It's basically what would use people such as Brian along with stuff like Shiseido as he quoted in "I do". MAC products are just high quality ones. I have a few things from them already (2 lipsticks, 1 pigment jar - really full!, 1 eye shadow and a "Dazzleglass") and i'm in LOVE with those. Really good pigmentation, awesome colours...
Then Urban decay. They don't ship to Europe but you can find their stuff in some shops. You can search for shops here:
http://www.urbandecay.com/StoreLocator.cfmI know that in France, it's available at Sephora. For other countries i don't really know. As for now, I have 4 of their "Heavy Metal" Glitter eye liner collection and an eye pencil. They're really good ^^ though a bit expensive too.
Heavenly natural. They have gorgeous eye shadow colours I'm dying to try ! And they're only 4.99$ !
And some others I'll let you browse, just to give you some ideas.
So yeah, I hope it gives you an idea for a start ^^
Then you'll have time to see if you would like having more. At first, I didn't really went crazy about make up so I didn't have much stuff. But then I came to realise it was fun to play around with make up, creating looks. And that's when I started buying more stuff. So yeah, enjoy this, take it as fun and who knows, you might like it too ^^
LINKS: Given for information, sometimes you CAN'T buy online, be careful about that
M.A.C. (Make-up Art Cosmetics)Urban DecayShiseidoHeavenly NaturalSpell CosmeticsCoastal Scents
