Make Up for Beginners

I'm starting a series of blog posts regarding make up for beginners. In my first installment I'm tackling eye products first. Please rate, comment or subscribe if you like these types of posts.

I've compiled a nice stash of make up products throughout the years, but what if you are just beginning to purchase make up. What are the things that you really need? Do you really need to spend lots of money on high end products? Have you walked down the make up aisle in your local CVS, Walgreens, Target or Walmart? It can be very overwhelming if you don't know what you're looking for. We haven't even spoken about going to a MAC or Chanel counter in your local mall. I know that some women can feel confused walking into their local Sephora. One person's paradise can be another person's hell. So here's a list of the products that I feel should be part of everyone's make up kit.

EYES: Before you even begin to look at eyeshadow, every woman should own an eyeshadow primer. What is an eyeshadow primer? An eyeshadow primer helps to keep the color from creasing or fading. This step is never skipped in my make up routine. My favorite primer is made my Urban Decay (which can be purchased at Sephora, Ulta, or Urban Decay.com). TooFaced shadow insurance is comparable to UDPP. I know that L'oreal makes an eyeshadow primer, (L'oreal decrease), but I have not tried it and cannot give you my opinion.

EYESHADOWS: You can never go wrong with buying make up palettes if you're just beginning your make up stash. I would recommend Kat Von D Ludwig palette, which is very pigmented and contains a lot of neutral colors. It also contains the color Lucifer (which is a black matte color) and every woman needs a black eyeshadow in their stash. It's not only for goths. You can use the black in the outer corner to darken any color and give it some dimension. Believe it or not, using a black eyeshadow can make any color more wearable. If your short on funds, drugstore eyeshadows have been improved in the last couple of years and are now even more pigmented. Covergirl and Maybelline both have nice eyeshadow quads.

Eyeliner: There are almost as many options for eyeliner as there are eyeshadows. You can use gel, pencil, cream, liquid eyeliners; and lets not get started with the colors. How do you know which one to choose? If you're looking for a precise thin line, your best bet would be liquid or get liners. For liquid eyeliners you could choose Revlon Colorstay or L'oreal Lineur Intense. If you want a gel liner you will also need a brush. MAC makes a pigmented black gel liner (Blacktrack Fluidline) and Maybelline and Physician's Formula both have gel liners on the market. When choosing a pencil liner, you want to make sure that it's waterproof and will not smudge throughout the day. My absolute favorite eyeliners are made from Urban Decay. They have so many different colors and they are all nicely pigmented. On a comparable note, Milani just came out with their Pencil liquify eye pencil and L'oreal Extra Intense Eyeliner is also waterproof and highly pigmented.

Cream eyeliners are easy to work with because they're creamy, but I find that it can smudge a little if you don't set it with eyeshadow. Smashbox specializes on cream eyeshadows and it's drug store counter part would be L'oreal's HIP Cream eyeliners.

Stay tuned for my next installment on Face Products.