I don't do makeup but I like yours, what should I buy and how should I use it?

 If someone asked you this question, how would you respond?

I don't do makeup but I like yours, what should I buy and how should I use it?

Well. I think they'd be pretty shocked at what 26+ years of research (I started young) and make up and skincare could lead to in terms of money spent and your collection of products, which can be overwhelming at times. I started off with budget buys and now am very spendy with the brands I like which could put a lot of newbies off. 

I mentioned skincare there, because no full face of makeup can last or look good without some skincare, prep and ongoing maintenance. I'm lucky that although I have combination skin, the oil keeps it looking younger that it should be and I use my skincare stash accordingly.

So, back to the beginning, I think I was around ten and already loved a dig through my mum's make up bag but she didn't have a lot and I remember one highlighter blush bronze 80s tin compact that she had used up one by one and left that shiny highlight until the last although she didn't really like it. It was a pot of that stage Leichner (I think) makeup that was the base, in a deep beige shade. I can remember what it all smelt like too. She had a tiny pink pot with fruit on it that had a pink sticky lip gloss inside it and I was obsessed with that so she let me keep the last few bits (I am sure my project pan and empties goes back to this time). 

Anyway around the age of ten, I used to visit car boots with my family and usually had a pound or two in change to spend. I remember buying a red set of make up brushes that came with a little pot, they were new in a plastic display. The man on the stall challenged me when I wanted to buy it (for 50p) and asked me what I would want that for and surely I was not old enough to be using make up. Ha! I did buy it though and treasured those brushes. I loved them, they were glam 80s red and there were six of them. I kept them in action for years as a kid. Fast forward to my 30s and it was the Real Techniques Sam and Nic set that were great quality. Anyway, I have amassed a quantity of brushes now, and stick to a few favourites from Bare Minerals as they are the good quality ones, and some short stubby ones from ByTerry.

You can already see that I'm invested in this. So the first bit the newbie must think about is a decent skincare range and make up removing product. I'm into face oils at the moment (see the last post about Nuxe) and then a nice light moisturisers and a primer before makeup. I would just try a few small samples first to figure out what your skin likes. I also add in brow and lash serums when I remember and I'm using The Ordinary right now for that but have Brow Genius by Anistasia ready to crack open soon, that packaging is impossibly glam.

Every good make up after skincare starts with a base and I'm loving all the glowy pre foundation bases at the moment. However you'll need a nice foundation for special make up days and the best way to figure this out is to wander round a beauty store (my nearest is Flannels Beauty) and catch the eye of one of the make up artists and ask them to match your foundation shade. Honestly do this as it avoids expensive mistakes with blind buys off the internet. Only do this if your purse allows though. My current on the goes are Pat McGrath Labs skin fetish sublime perfection, Chantecaille in Vanilla and I have a nice YSL one that I sometimes use. I also have a mixing pot that I mix to make my own in a more travel sized variety and I can change the colour up or down depending on season but that is me meddling too much probably. My friend recently got matched at Dior and their foundations are fantastic and not as expensive as I thought they would be (cheaper than my current ones). 

My routine changes often but I've disciplined myself now to try and work through one type of thing at a time or things dry up and become unusable. This is today's face:

Byoma moisturiser and some of the cleansing balm to make sure the panda eyes were gone from yesterday's face. The Nuxe bio oil then I added the Verso daily Glow as a sort of primer. Whilst that was drying and setting I did a simple brow pencil look using a Benefit pencil and some sort of white fluffy wax that your comb through. I have had my brows threaded so they are a bit skinny at the moment and I do like to keep on top of them to keep them looking neat. I also sometimes dye them at home using a kit from Boots. They always need some pencil to fill in the gaps. Back to the face..

Then the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood flawless filter. And some Leneige sleeping lip mask. I put two shades of the charlotte Tilbury concealer sticks on - a tan shade and a lighter one for under the eyes and as eye shadow base. I liked the coverage so didn't add any more actual foundation today as I'm off to the Antiques Fair so didn't need full coverage today. A bit of Pat McGrath under eye powder and some By Terry dual face powder in a pinky shade using the highlight centre for my eyeshadow and a Tom Ford pencil eyeliner in dark grey. Added in some Nars Blush and a bit more face powder byTerry. Then I went back and added in some glowy Charlotte Tilbury highlight blush. Finished off with some ByTerry mascara and a finishing setting spray by Charlotte Tilbury. I will take the Sweed Lip tint lipstick pencil in my pocket to add on during the day. I always carry a lip balm and have been enjoying the Dr Lipp tint which looks scary and red but goes on sheer and makes your lips feel like a million dollars. 

That sounds like a lot but that is a fairly light day for make up. It does change depending on what I am doing that day and I would say I spend ten minutes max on a work day to get my look completed. 

That is not a helpful list for a newbie really is it? Too much, all at once. If you watch make up tutorials on YouTube you can pick up some tips but honestly I don't really do this as I prefer to find my own looks. I'll try and post another face what I'm wearing post soon so we can see how much it changes day to day! 

Forgive the hair - I'm going to dry it now. 

Nothing much I can do about that face haha!