Investing in a huge amount of makeup is expensive, time consuming and can make it feel like you’re wearing a lot on your face. For an everyday makeup look, it shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to complete your look, and that means narrowing down your collection to just the essentials.
If you are just starting out, remember that makeup is trial and error, and you may want to consider spending a Saturday afternoon trying out different looks to find what suits you best. Remember to start slow, and everything is optional. If you feel you don’t need something, don’t wear it.
This is also a great list to look to if you are going on vacation and only want to pack the essentials. So, what are these so-called essentials?
Makeup:
Face:
Step 1: Moisturizer and Primer
You want to make sure that your skin receives the necessary moisture for the day and is prepped for the rest of your routine. Now, sometimes moisturizers and primers come combined, and you’ll want to figure out which is best for the face base you will be using.
Step 2: Face Base
Your most common face bases are tinted moisturizer, BB cream, CC cream and foundation. For a natural look you’ll probably want to use something lighter in coverage. You’re truly just looking for something that enhances your skin without covering it up completely. Bonus points if it also contains SPF.
Step 3: Concealer
Trick people into thinking you got enough sleep last night by applying some concealer. Concealers can hide your undereye bags and cover up any unwanted blemishes.
Step 4: Face Powders
Use setting powder to set your makeup. This will help ensure that it doesn’t move, as well as help with a smoother application of any powder products that you plan to apply after this.
Blush comes after setting powder. Apply it to the apples of your cheeks to create a natural flush and to add colour to your face.
Eyes:
Step 5: Mascara
Mascara makes your lashes look longer and fuller while also making your eyes look bigger and more defined.
Step 6: Brow Products
Your eyebrows frame your face and so it’s important to make sure that they look good. Use a brow pencil to shape your brows and lightly fill in any sparse areas to make them look even. Then go over them with a gel to make sure that your brow hairs all stay in place.
Lips:
Step 7: Lip Balm
Just like your face, your lips need to be moisturized and taken care of to ensure that you are creating an even base.
Step 8: Lip Colour
If you are going for as natural a look as possible, then you can combine steps seven and eight by applying a tinted lip balm.
If you want a little more colour, then your options are lip stick, liquid lip stick, lip stain, lip tint, and lip gloss. Be sure to keep a tried-and-true nude lip liner and a nude lip colour, as well as a bold liner with its matching lip colour in your kit.
Final Step:
Step 9: Setting Spray
Last but not least, it’s time to set all of your makeup by spraying a setting spray. This will ensure that your makeup doesn’t move and will limit the number of touch-ups that you need to do throughout the day.
Tools:
Sponges:
You’ll want to have a large blender for foundation and some triangle sponges for concealer and to set powder under your eyes.
Brushes:
The brushes you’ll want to keep in your kit are, a foundation brush, a concealer brush, a powder brush, a blush brush, and a spoolie for your eyebrows.
Other Tools:
Other tools that you’ll want to have include Q-tips, blotting paper and an eyelash curler.
Optional:
If you have more time in the morning and want to add to your routine, then you might consider products like bronzer, highlighter, contour and eyeliner. You could also buy an eyeshadow primer and a nude eyeshadow palette, along with the brushes required for these products.
Lily Frances | Staff Writer
