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makeup recs for beginners like me
14
items I’ve collected a list of beginner-tested (as in tested by yours truly), holy grail products I use every time I do any makeup at all! I’ve split this list into the sections of the face that I usually put makeup on, let me know in the comments if you’v...
Sections
5
eye
lip
cheek
complexion (aka skin)
extra touches, anywhere
eye
Clumping who? Flaking where? I kid you not, whenever I put this on in the morning or to go out at night I don’t even look like I’m wearing mascara. There’s no added bulk to my lashes, this mascara just gives them that solid but wispy look that I love...
CLIO Kill Lash Superproof Mascara
LOVE these. I can usually rely on the darker browns in the shade catalogue to show up on me much more than most other brands I’ve tried. If you have deeper skin, I would go for a black pencil (as in photo 3), since when I get darker in the summer eve...
NYX Professional Makeup Slim Eye Pencil: Brown and Black Shades
These are the most beginner-usable, buildable eyeshadows I know. They blend amazingly, especially if you’re blending a gradient between two colors. If you want it sheer, make sure to tap or scrape off excess from your brush or finger before applying,...
ColourPop 9-Pan Eyeshadow Makeup Palette
lip
Another NYX staple. I often use the darker shade range to line my top lip lightly to add some dimension but not a rigid line, to make my features just that much sharper while keeping the minimal makeup look intact. The light shade (photo 2) doubled a...
NYX Professional Makeup Slim Lip Pencil
I have run this product empty within a month of buying it, which says a lot since I rarely put stuff like this on my lips! I love the dusty rose-looking shades (I believe one is called Drippin’ Rose) and their most vibrant cranberry-juice red, aptly ...
NYX Professional Makeup Lip IV Hydrating Gloss Stain
I swear by this product! I have the shades Dark Coconut and Eat Dotori, which show up as a robust wine red or a vibrant cherry red on me. They feel nicely cooling when I put them on as well. Very easy to combine shades to get whatever color you’re fe...
rom&nd Juicy Lasting Tint
cheek
This one is on the higher end of the price range I’m sticking to for this list, but there’s a good reason I put it in, which everyone who’s used this product can testify to: with how potent the color in this thing is, one container can last you month...
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
These are great tints for both your cheek and lips! On the lips, they may feel drying, but on the cheek, they give you this hazy, airbrushed blush like you’ve been painted by a Pre-Raphaelite. Depending on the shade, it’s either easy to sheer out or ...
Peripera Ink The Velvet Tint
complexion (aka skin)
I swear this stuff makes your makeup stay on for dear life. It’s pretty sticky once it’s on, but as far as I’ve experienced that doesn’t do anything to my ability to blend or spread whatever I put on top of it. Completely usable for beginners, it’s t...
e.l.f. Power Grip Primer
I remember this product being really expensive for a drugstore product when I first got it, but I haven’t had to buy it since then because a little of this goes a long way! It spreads so nicely and is buildable from a sheer starting coverage, so begi...
e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin Tint
Yes, I’ve put lots of e.l.f. here. But the reason is, the other concealer I have that performs just as good is way more expensive, and I still find myself often having an easier time of this one than the higher-priced concealer! The shade range is sh...
e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer
ZERO white cast, thanks to the fact that this is a chemical sunscreen and not a mineral one. If you’re melanated like me, moisturizing chemical sunscreens like this are a lifesaver for preventing your skin from looking sickly pale while not drying yo...
ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing UV LOCK SPF 45
extra touches, anywhere
This is the same pencil I use for the eyes, but these shades can serve different purposes depending on where on your face you put them! I love using the white shade as an inner-corner highlight and smudging it out to diffuse the VERY potent color. Th...
NYX Professional Makeup Slim Eye Pencil: White and Shimmer Shades
These are some of my favorite no-eyeshadow eyeshadows. I use the shade Ritz, which shows up on me as a rosy golden sheen with no real base color but an almost nail-gel-like tinted shine. I didn’t think I’d ever be a fan of “wet” makeup looks, but thi...
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow