Baby Steps to Beauty: Base Makeup for Beginners at the Drugstore
Hello, everyone!
A few months back, I did my first ever "Baby Steps to Beauty" post, and it was quite a success, so I thought that I would continue that series on my blog for those of you out there who are newbies to makeup/skincare/or beauty in general. My first post, which is linked here, discussed how to determine your skin type. This is crucial to buying the right products for your skin, so I recommend you check it out.
For today's post, I want to help those out who don't know where to start when it comes to shopping for makeup. I thought it would be helpful to provide a variety of essential makeup products from the drugstore that I would recommend to anyone who is just starting out with makeup so that they can start to get a sense of what works and what doesn't work with their skin. Plus, since all of these products can be found at the drugstore, they are much more affordable, and if they don't work out, you didn't spend a ton of cash on them.
Don't have time to run to the drugstore? Almost all of these beauty products can be found on Amazon, and I have links to some of them below:)
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links meaning that at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
L'Oreal True Match Foundation
What I like about this foundation is not only the very wide shade range, but how it is a great basic foundation for all skin types. It gives a natural, light to medium coverage finish, which I think is a great starting point for makeup newbies. You can test out the foundation to see how it works for you and you can see what you either do or don't like about it, and pick out future foundations from there depending on what you want or need from a foundation.
Also, since it is a natural looking foundation, it is a great first step to entering a world where you have a thin layer of product sitting on your face all day. Typically, I would recommend that you don't apply foundation with your fingers, but if you are just starting out, you totally could. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but using a beauty sponge allows for a smoother coverage. Real Techniques has my favorite sponge, and you can use it dry or damp. If you are going to use it damp, you can run it under the sink and then squeeze it until water is no longer released, then you are good to go. Then dot the foundation around your face (not too much, more can be added later but not taken away) and blend in by bouncing the sponge against your face to press the foundation in.
Additional tip: this particular foundation is great about undertones meaning that it has 3 foundation sections (warm, neutral, and cool). You have cool undertones (yellow, like me) if the veins on your wrist look blue/purple and you have warm undertones (pink or red) if your veins are green. You are neutral if you can't tell.
The L'Oreal True Match Foundation can be found on Amazon for $7
Note: Before applying foundation, make sure your face is moisturized! This goes for people with dry, normal, and oily skin! While I don't think you need a primer at this stage, I do think you need to properly prep your skin for makeup!
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
Regardless of your age or whether or not you have wrinkles, I think this is a great concealer that can provide full coverage, or could be sheered down to fit your needs. When I say concealer, I mean concealing your under-eye area (i.e. dark circles), but it could also be used to cover up any imperfections on your face (i.e. acne or scarring).
Concealer can be blended in with a beauty sponge, but it also could be applied with your fingers, which could be more helpful if you want to get the concealer up close to your eye. Just don't use too much product under your eye because your eye moves, and the product will form creases and become more noticeable.
The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer retails for under $10.
Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder & Fit Me! Pressed Matte & Poreless Setting Powder
Once your foundation and concealer have been applied, you must set them with a powder. This goes for all cream products because otherwise they will slide around and smudge off. I am suggesting two great options, and both can be applied with my favorite E.L.F Cosmetics Blush Brush (ignore the name). The tapered tip allows you to get the product right up to your eye and all those hard to reach areas on your face. Just get some powder on your brush and press it into the skin to set the creams in place, and you are good to go.
The loose powder may be more challenging to work with and may be better suited for baking (I will be discussing this technique in a later post) but you could still use it with a lighter hand as long as you tap your brush off as to not apply too much. The pressed powder is great because it is travel friendly for touch-ups if you get oily throughout the day and also because it helps to cover up pores and give your skin a matte finish. It works on dry skin too, so have no fear, but if you want a dewy finish, Maybelline has a dewy version of this powder as well.
The Maybelline Fit Me! Loose Setting Powder & Fit Me! Pressed Matte & Poreless Setting Powder can both be found on Amazon and at local drugstores.
Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
I can't believe I used to never wear this stuff. Bronzer is a life changer, especially if you don't have the time or energy to contour (in simple terms, accentuating the hollows of your cheeks to make your face appear skinnier). Bronzer can be used in the same way as contour powders (which are typically more grey toned to give a hollowed out effect) but it also gives your skin a healthy color...as long as you don't go overboard and end up looking orange.
I would suggest using a light hand and a very fluffy brush to sweep this into the hollows of your cheeks (suck your face in and apply under the cheekbone) with your brush strokes going up towards your ears/temples. This will help prevent your face from looking muddy and will help lift your face while skinifying it -if that is even a verb haha.
The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer can be found on Amazon for $8
L'Oreal Paradise Enchanted Fruit-Scented Blush ('Bashful 190')
My new favorite blush and one that is totally usable for makeup newbies. Yes, there is some shimmer in here, but if you are hesitant about the next product (highlighter), then you can just use this and be done.
It isn't very intense, but it can be built up if you want. It is very smooth, and it blends out very easily. When it comes to application, I don't follow the trend of only applying blush to the apples of the cheeks. If you want to properly define your face, you should be sweeping your blush the same way you sweep your bronzer on, just higher up on your cheeks. Start at the apples of your cheeks and move across your cheek away from the center of your face. Do this until you are satisfied with the look and always remember to tap off excess product off of your brush after dipping into product.
FYI: My favorite brush to apply this with is the Real Techniques Blush Brush since it is so nice and fluffy, yet also tapered for more of a precise application.
Milani Afterglow Instant Glow Powder
Now, if you think it is too soon to be applying highlighter in your makeup journey, then don't, but I think you totally should ;). This highlighter in particular gives more of a strobing effect versus a shiny or glittery look. It's perfect for accenting the tops of you cheekbones to further define your face shape and draw the eyes' attention.
Highlighter can be applied to the high-points of your cheeks (the point that sticks out the most when your head is turned to the side), the tip and bridge of your nose, and even under the tails of your brows on the brow bone. It helps to lift these areas of your face to make the hollow parts (with bronzer) appear deeper.
Essentially, at the end of the day, you want to end up with what appears like Neapolitan ice cream on your cheeks...just don't actually apply that much makeup to have it look precisely as such.
PLUS: My favorite highlighting brush of all time is the Real Techniques Setting Brush. It is the perfect size and softness to give the skin a nice glow.
The Milani Afterglow Instant Glow Powder retails for $10 at most local drugstores.
CoverGirl Look Lock Up All Day Setting Mist
Once all of your powders and laid and blended, you need to set everything into place so that your makeup lasts and doesn't budge throughout the day. There are dozens of setting sprays on the market, but at the drugstore, this one is pretty great. It helps keep your makeup set while helping prevent it from settling into fine lines or creases in your face. If you want any other recommendations for finishing sprays, just ask, I've got plenty :)
The CoverGirl Look Lock Up Setting Mist retails for $11.99 at your local drugstores.
E.L.F Tinted Lip Oil ('Nude Kiss')
OK, last but not least I have a lip product that I think would be a great first step for makeup beginners. It's not a gloss or a liquid lipstick, or even a tinted chapstick, but rather, it is a step above that last one. A tinted lip oil gives your lips some color without leaving you with an uncomfortable sensation of a lipstick either drying your lips out or becoming sticky. Lip oils are super comfortable to wear, and while they don't last very long, they are super easy to reapply. I would highly recommend these if you are new to lip products.
The E.L.F Tinted Lip Oil retails for $6 at your local drugstores
So, those are my recommendations for beginner base makeup beauty at the drugstore. I am hoping to continue this series on my blog in the coming weeks, so if anyone has any burning questions or has an idea for a post, let me know!
What was the first drugstore makeup product you got when you were first trying out makeup?
Thanks for reading,
Stina :)
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