Talking about makeup, I was an early bloomer and I remember getting my first mascara at the age of 11. The excitement was through the roof and naturally, I had to wear it to school the next day. My best friend at the time (she’s no longer my best friend for obvious reasons) made me take it off because “it looked horrible” (her words not mine). Whether or not it actually looked horrible, I don’t remember but recently I looked through all my tagged Facebook photos and I must admit that I’ve made some horrifying makeup choices over the course of the past 10 years that I’ve been on Facebook. First there was the emo phase that involved a lot of black. Black everything. And while that can look nice when I applied correctly, that wasn’t my focus at the time. Then came the period where I tried to compensate for the black by wearing as many different colours as possible – also on my face! I’m also guilty of the almost non-existent eyebrows and the sun powder all over. All these horrifying pictures inspired me to share my take on a makeup collection for someone who’s just starting out with makeup. YouTube seems to have made it fairly easy for today’s teenagers to look flawless day and night, but the fully powdered and glammed look might not be the thing for someone just starting out with makeup – whatever age they’re at.
I am aware, that a makeup starter kit looks different for everyone. Some would include a whole face of makeup. I won’t, simply because I don’t feel that it’s necessary to take too many drastic steps, when you’re first starting out. My focus has been putting together a little collection of good products that will work for a wide range of people and at an affordable price range in case you discover makeup isn’t for you at all!
Eyes
Starting with the eyes, the first thing to look for is mascara. I remember mascara as being the thing I was most excited to get my hands on, and I imagine many pre teens and others starting out with makeup today feel the same way. After all, mascara does make a huge difference when putting it on. A good beginner mascara that I have tried are the L’Oréal Volume Million Lashes. The formula gives a very natural look with a hint of something there. Perfect for those first timers who don’t want something too dramatic. Thinking back, I would’ve liked some sort of eye shadow palette. Not for everyday use but to add a little something on special occasions. A good suggestion for this could be the Nilens Jord Earth palette (or whatever you can find that’s similar in shade range). It’s neutral and therefore it’s almost impossible to screw it up, however a lot of great, neutral looks can be produced with this palette that’s reasonably priced.
Lips
For lips I imagine most pre teens to be desperate for something that doesn’t smell like Barbie, while someone a little older might just be looking for something that doesn’t look like Barbie. I know I was. I think a full on lipstick can be a lot to work with for a first timer. However, there are many great alternatives on the market. My suggestion would be a lip pencil or a gloss. A lip pencil is similar to a balm in the way it’s easy to apply however it adds a pop of colour. My favourite lip pencils are from Revlon, while I think NYX has a lot of good options for glosses with different formulas and colours.
Face
For the face I’d start with a blush. They give a refreshing, blushed look while still looking natural on the skin. Most skin tones can get away with a peachy coloured blush and that will look fairly neutral on most. For darker skin tones it might be better to try a light pink colour if you feel that the peachy doesn’t give enough colour payoff. We’ve previously spoken about both Sleek and ELF blushes that I believe are some of the best on the market at a reasonable price level.
If you are a little older and might want something to smoothen out your skin while still looking natural, I will recommend a tinted moisturizer or a CC cream, as they both work as a face cream with a little correcting colour to smoothen out the skin.
Brushes
It can be a real struggle to find affordable but good brushes. My suggestion would be the Real Techniques Brushes. I have had mine for years, and I use them all the time. The brushes are well made yet affordable and they have a wide range for the face and eyes. Not only that but they are also available worldwide and washes really well.