Makeup Essentials for a Newbie

I started playing around with makeup a little over a year ago and there are certain products that I've been seriously loving. To me, these are essentials for anyone starting to get into makeup because they are all drug store items so you aren't spending a fortune and also, these are all pretty high performing products (although I haven't used much high end stuff so I really wouldn't know...). Also, I can't speak for all skin types so the face products might not be the best unless you have super oily skin like mine. Although, my skin has been getting a lot dryer(blame old age :/). Hope you guys enjoy!

Lips

Maybelline's Baby Lips is one of my favorite products for the lips. I use to use Bag Balm because my lips were so chapped all the time but it isn't very easy to carry around (even the smaller one oozes oily-ness everywhere) so these babies are a great replacement. I like the blue and lime green ones because they are clear so I use them to moisturize my lips before using any other lip products. I would highly recommend these for anyone with dry/chapped lips like mine. The baby blue one is called Quenched and tastes like peppermint. The purple one is called Peach Kiss and I can't really pinpoint what it tastes like. The pink one is called Pink Punch and I'm not sure what this tastes like either. The greenish/turquoise one is called Grape Vine and tastes pretty grapey. I also ended up picking up the orange one called Cherry Me which tastes like Sweet Tarts. 

   

With the whole balm/lipstick boom that has taken place recently, there are many products that claim to moisturize as well as tint your pouts. Lipsticks have never really worked for me since my lips are super chapped and it just looks horrible. Moisturizing with a clear lip balm has really helped and so have these Revlon Lip Butters. Between the Revlon Lip Butters and the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm, I like the Lip Butters a lot more. A friend and I were discussing how the Lip Butters are more of a lipstick consistency but a tad bit more moisturizing whereas the Balm is more of a tinted lip balm. One of the things I would like to mention is that some of the Lip Butters can be a little grainy feeling so if that's a huge issue for you, I'd go with the Balm. My favorite color for the Lip Butters is the Peach Parfait. It's the color that's always in my purse but it is also the one that's a bit grainy.

Face

This is a great foundation(?) for people that are just starting out. I've basically used this as a tinted moisturizer. It comes out white and it just blends in with your skin color. Super easy to use. And it even has SPF! 

I've been using this foundation ever since I wanted something with more coverage. It's got a great creamy, dewey finish which is what I like. Some people have said there's a certain shimmer in the formula and I do notice it sometimes in bright sunlight (Edward Cullen style :P) but it's not bothersome to me. It has absolutely amazing coverage and goes on super smooth. I use both the 005 and the 006. 

This Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink has become one of my favorite blushes. I bought it originally because I had a coupon from CVS for Wet n Wild products and thought the color was nice. This blush is surprisingly super pigmented! It's actually more pigmented than my NARS Orgasm. I also like it a little bit more than my NARS Orgasm because I feel like Orgasm has some gold glitters that if you want to build up the color a little, you end up looking super glittery. One word of warning with this product is that there is quite a bit of fall out but overall, I really like this blush. I still haven't tried the Elf blush/bronzer duo which is supposed to be a dupe of the NARS duo so I can't compare to the Elf one. I have tried several of the other single Elf blushes and I don't feel like they are pigmented at all! They also have a ton of fall out as well which wouldn't be bothersome if it actually produced color! Maybe I'm choosing the wrong colors? Leave a comment below with your thoughts :).

This is a great item not only for bronzing but also for contouring. It gives my face so much color especially in the winter time when I tend to look like a ghost. Sometimes I don't even need to use any blush after using this. This product is also super easy to use. You can build up the color but at the same time you don't end up looking orange. There's a reason why bloggers and YouTubers rave about this product. Super affordable and great quality.

I didn't know you had to set your makeup with a powder for the longest time (lol) and I'd always wonder why my makeup looked so gross and runny after a day out. I picked this up just because it was cheap at Target and ended up loving this product. Because I have oily skin, it not only sets my makeup but also keeps my skin matte. Definitely a great product for those just starting out. I just dust this over my face after rubbing foundation all over and it does a great job of sealing things into place.

One of the main things I can't live without is eyeliner. This Maybelline gel liner is one that I've fallen in love with. It goes on super black and stays on for days! I have super oily lids and this doesn't transfer much. Even though this works really well, I try not to use it everyday since it does give you a very dramatic look. For everyday, I use the Almay black eyeliner. The thing that I love about the Almay one is that it does not require sharpening like the Milani Liquif'eye. The Milani eye liner goes on dark, super smooth and creamy but the sharpening is not a lazy person's best friend lol. 

The Naked 2 palette is great for newbies. I love that it has the super dark black which I use sometimes as a liner. The variety of neutrals in this palette is perfect for doing an everyday neutral eye or to darken up and do a smokey eye. There's also a mixture of matte and metallic colors. I won't get too into reviewing this guy since I'm still learning how to use eye shadows myself but I definitely think it's a good investment! If you'd like to see a thorough review, check out Jenn from From Head to Toe's review. I would follow her blog and YouTube channel. Her reviews are really thorough with swatches and the whole shebang! Definitely one of my favorite YouTubers!



Hope you all enjoyed this post! Love you all and thanks for reading!

Side note: OMG my computer is driving me nuts!! It's so slow!! I'm still using my Lenovo from pharmacy school which I've had since 2008 I think it's time for a new laptop. I'm looking at the new Lenovo Yoga :D. Tony actually showed it to me since it's similar to my current laptop which is on those where you can flip the screen down and it serves as a tablet, "thinkpads" as they would call it. I bought a iMac last year and we've stationed it in our second room but I rarely go in there. Should have bought something with more mobility. I've been looking at the MacBook Air but I feel like I'd just be paying for the Apple symbol rather than the specs. I guess I'll see how Windows 8 is before I make the leap!