Can we talk make-up?

[prim*rose]

I enjoy wearing makeup, but don't really know what to buy and the last time I bought makeup was 8 years ago. I got a $50 giftcard for Christmas that I'd like to use to buy some new makeup, but I don't know what to buy. I went into Sephora hoping for help, but the woman showed me $50 foundation and army green eyeshadow. I was hoping to find something that made me look "dewy" and was illuminating and when I told her this, she said they don't have anything like that.

 

I don't really know what I should buy, but was hoping for eyeliner, mascara, blush, maybe a brown pencil (?) and some eyeshadow. But again, I know nothing of brands or what colors would be good on me.

 

Can anyone help? I want something that's fairly good quality. I just don't know where to begin!

[Starr]

The major make up lines have specials where you buy something like $35.00 and get a nice gift free. Check your department store. Different companies specials are at different stores different times. The gifts often have blush, eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick.

[Perry]

My hairdresser gave my dds and me a makeup lesson and showed us what products she recommended. It was really helpful. She didn't charge us, but we did buy some products from her.

 

If you have a regular hairdresser maybe you could ask her or see if she can recommend someone.

[3littlekeets]

Oh Puh-lease! Of course Sephora has "dewy and illuminating" make-up. She's a nitwit!

 

If you are looking for foundations, do you like light, medium, or heavy coverage?

 

There are wonderful mineral makeup products that are fantastic and 1/2 the price of Bare Essentials/Bare Minerals. I like Everyday Minerals because it doesn't have bismuth oxide which makes me itch horribly. Though, I hear bare minerals has a new, bismuth free line -- but still spendy!

 

For liquid, dewy foundation, I adore Laura Mercier. It is expensive, but looks great on me. To stay dewy, you need a light powder -- LM is great, and silica powder from coastal scents is my fave, though. It is super cheap and very fine and light!

 

For eyeshadow, the Sally Hansen Carmindy line at drugstores and Ulta is wonderful! For expensive brands in eyeproducts, MAC has awesome color selections, and Bobbi Brown is great, too. Oddly, my favorite mascara is always drugstore. For everyday, I love Full and Soft!

 

You ought to spend a few hours on makeupalley dot com ... it is a wealth of makeup information for all ages!

 

The only Chanel product I like is their lip gloss...the Glossimers, but they are amazing :-).

 

Head back to Sephora and ask for another sales person...you just got a crappy one! Sorry.

Edited February 6, 2010 by 3littlekeets

[Riceballmommy]

If you have an Ulta store near by, they also do make up consultations. Aside from that, Allmay has the whole line of eye products that are supposed to match eye colors and you check that out too. I keep talking about getting those, but make up is always at the bottom of my list of things to buy.

[Beth in OH]

I also like makeup, and a couple of years ago, I was in your same situation with not knowing what to buy. Besides having been "out of the market" for awhile, my skin, coloring, etc, had, ahem, matured, from my previous makeup days.

 

I got a $50 giftcard for Christmas that I'd like to use to buy some new makeup, but I don't know what to buy.

 

Be prepared for sticker shock. $50 won't go very far with department store/Sephora makeup. If you want to purchase all of the items you mentioned with that amount, you will need to shop Target or a drugstore. I expect to pay between $8.00-$10.00 per item for my teens' drugstore brands.

 

 

I went into Sephora hoping for help, but the woman showed me $50 foundation and army green eyeshadow. I was hoping to find something that made me look "dewy" and was illuminating and when I told her this, she said they don't have anything like that.

 

I am consistently disappointed with the assistance provided to my dd's by our local Sephora. I don't think they're very well trained in their product lines, and their stuff is expensive. For me, I happened upon the most helpful makeup salesperson at the Lancome counter in our Macy's. She was about my age, and although she was of a different race (so our make-up colors wouldn't be the same), I loved the amount/style/colors of her own makeup on her. I was there around 11:00 on a weekday, and she wasn't busy, so she had time to focus on me.

 

I told her my story--that I hadn't tried new makeup for awhile and I was bewildered. In your words, I would have said I wanted to be "dewy and Illuminating." I wanted updated colors! Products have changed, and I needed to know what was out there for my age, face and skin type. She sat me down, and we focused mostly on foundation, blush, and lips (no purchase obligation). She tried colors on me and totally nailed it. We did not get into skin care at all--you can quickly eat up your budget with all of that stuff. I also didn't focus on eyes, as I felt like I could do drugstore makeup with eyes for awhile. For Lancome, those three areas we worked on were probably close to $100 (I think I bought 4 products that time.)

 

In the two years since, I have returned to her periodically and added to my makeup wardrobe. I have added an eye moisturizer that I really like, some eye shadow, a creme cheek highlighter that I wear instead of blush, and mascara. I have found that although expensive, the makeup lasts a long time (moisturizers, not so much--I must need a lot of eye help). I also find that I save money overall from the drugstore stuff, since my foundation color is perfect for me, so I buy one bottle at $30, instead of missing the mark a couple of times at Target for $12 a try.

 

I think my approach would work for any department store makeup line--it wouldn't have to be Lancome. I had never used their products previously; I simply liked the look of their salesperson.

 

Can anyone help? I want something that's fairly good quality. I just don't know where to begin!

 

One final suggestion that I have is to buy a copy of In Style magazine and look for faces that you like :). Just like with hairstylists, makeup artists can often start with a picture that you like and tailor it to your own style.

 

Good luck! I'm not a makeup junkie, but I do believe that being well groomed along the lines of What Not To Wear, is a good thing. Find a consultant that will be your Carmindy!

 

Beth

[Ferdie]

Is your gift card for Sephora? If so I would go back and try another person or tell them that you would like to test the Bare Essentials mineral makeup line. I received so many compliments when I switced to mineral makeup.

 

ANother great source for makeup recommendations is Allure magazine's website. They have a reader's choice section with makeup and skin care top picks, (I think the link in on the bottom left of the website home page). I like that they include a drug store and department store recommendation for each catergory. I have tried several of the drug store top picks and have been happy with everyting I have tried.

[SquirrellyMama]

:lurk5: I was going to post this same question.

[elizabeth]

 

http://www.clinique.com/templates/products/mpp/index.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY4900 Love clinique foundation and this nifty tool helps you to pick the correct one. Their colors are amazing . Spend $$$on the foundation as this is essential to be a perfect shade. Go drugstore on mascara and eyeshadow as the difference between affordable and dept store in terms of color and application is nil.

[Ellyndria]

Oh Puh-lease! Of course Sephora has "dewy and illuminating" make-up. She's a nitwit!

 

If you are looking for foundations, do you like light, medium, or heavy coverage?

 

There are wonderful mineral makeup products that are fantastic and 1/2 the price of Bare Essentials/Bare Minerals. I like Everyday Minerals because it doesn't have bismuth oxide which makes me itch horribly. Though, I hear bare minerals has a new, bismuth free line -- but still spendy!

 

For liquid, dewy foundation, I adore Laura Mercier. It is expensive, but looks great on me. To stay dewy, you need a light powder -- LM is great, and silica powder from coastal scents is my fave, though. It is super cheap and very fine and light!

 

For eyeshadow, the Sally Hansen Carmindy line at drugstores and Ulta is wonderful! For expensive brands in eyeproducts, MAC has awesome color selections, and Bobbi Brown is great, too. Oddly, my favorite mascara is always drugstore. For everyday, I love Full and Soft!

 

You ought to spend a few hours on makeupalley dot com ... it is a wealth of makeup information for all ages!

 

The only Chanel product I like is their lip gloss...the Glossimers, but they are amazing :-).

 

Head back to Sephora and ask for another sales person...you just got a crappy one! Sorry.

 

I'm going to ditto a lot of this... especially the Everyday Minerals (you can get free samples for the price of shipping, about $4 if I recall correctly), MAC for eyeshadows, the Maybelline Full and Soft or other drugstore mascara, and spending some time on makeupalley...check the reviews for beauty products there before you buy!

 

I also agree that $50 isn't going to go very far unless you buy mostly drugstore stuff. Some drugstore stuff can be perfectly fine... mascara, eyeliner, and concealer for example. However, I hate drugstore eyeshadow, so I spend more money on that (but it lasts forever, so after my initial purchases of various colors I haven't bought much), and I also think it's important to find a foundation that works for you even if it costs a bit more. (For example, I hate liquid foundation and only do mineral now.)

[OnTheBrink]

Personally, I love Sephora's line of make up. And, they have free shipping with a $50 order.

 

Clinique is having a bonus time right now with a $35 purchase.

 

And, you could always find a Mary Kay lady to help you with finding colors you like. Nothing says you have to buy everything (or anything) from her right now.

 

A few things to consider when going to department stores: the lighting casts a green tint, so if you try a foundation, go outside and look in a mirror to see it in natural light. And, don't be persuaded to buy anything more than what you want or feel you need. They work on commission, so bear that in mind. And, have fun!

[justamouse]

Bare Escentuals (Bare Minerals), Mineral Veil is the dewy fresh bright look you're after. And I buy mine at Sephora all the time so the lady you were working with was ... not supposed to be working at Sephora. ;)

[Janna]

You know, there was a time when I was really into high-priced makeup. I used Bobbi Brown and MAC almost exclusively, but I also liked mascara from Lancome, tried Prescriptives and Philosophy.... But three kids later, and 2 different job losses for my dh and I just don't have the money for that kind of stuff anymore. But my desire to look nice and "real" hasn't changed.

 

With that in mind, I have recently been using L'Oreal's mineral makeup (Bare Naturale) which I buy at CVS. I have the mineral concealer which I use under my eyes, the mineral powder foundation and the mineral powder blush. I have to say that I am very, *very* happy with it. It gives great coverage, hasn't caused any breakouts and is considerably cheaper than dept. store brands. I think it gives the exact look you've described - "dewey". As far as eye shadow, my biggest surprise has been using the L'Oreal HiP eye shadow. When I saw the colors at the store I thought they were too "wild" and intense for me. I really like the "natural" look. But they were on sale for $5 each, so I went home, got on the L'Oreal website and played around with the "what makeup colors are right for you" area, then went back to the store and bought one. Truly, I was surprised at how much I liked it, so I went back and bought 3 more. I watched several tutorials online using the colors I had bought and followed those directions on application (plus tweaked it a little to suit me, too. I don't like having a ton of eye shadow on, and I don't like the "wing" look stretched out beyond the lid). I also recently started using a primer, esp. on the eyelids so the shadow won't crease, which I've never done before. I think it's Maybeline's primer. Anyway, I really am very happy with it.

 

Going this route, you could get all of that for $50.

 

(Oh, just to add, I did try the L'Oreal mineral mascara - it's *awful*. It is difficult to apply because it's so thick, and it clumps and is just...a waste of money. So steer clear of that one.)

[laundrycrisis]

This probably won't help you spend your gift card, but I really love the Q10 Cream Foundation from DHC. You can get samples from them to try their shades before you buy.

[prim*rose]

Wonderful information! Thanks so much, I have a lot to think about. I guess I'll have to ask for more giftcards for my birthday so I can keep buying more, huh? ;)

[cin]

The only foundation I will touch is from Lancome. It doens't rub off. Period. It's like waterproof mascara. And since I do not sit on a throne and eat bon bons all day, I wanted something that won't rub off on the kids, our clothing, etc. the only drawback is that when you put it on, you smooth it out quickly. Once it dries, it's in place.

[Mom-ninja.]

Read Paula Begoun and that will get you started

[Alicia64]

I also spend extra for MAC eye shadow -- not garish, really natural looking.

 

They also have great lip colors -- the one I wear is one of their best sellers b/c it works on all skin types: syrup. It's very nuetral and works for days at the park w/o looking like you're piling it on!!

 

Alley

[erica471]

If I were you I'd head on over to www.makeupalley.com and read some reviews. Everything is reviewed over there. They also have forums where ou could ask some questions. I am a certified MAC-a-holic, I have loved almost everything I have tried. But, I think that you could probably find a good makeup routine using mainly drugstore products. I think it can be really hard to find a drugstore foundation that is a good match, though. You might also check out youtube. There is a large beauty community on there and you might find some good advice.

[Danestress]

I like mineral makeup and was using "Everyday Minerals" but they really changed their website and I just feel like it's aimed at teenagers now.

 

Recently I ordered a number of shades from this website http://meowcosmetics.com/

 

They sell samples for $1 each, and I ordered about 7 samples that I guessed might be my correct shade. I put a stripe of each on my face and saw the one that blended after a few minutes - it's a really perfect shade for me, and it was worth $7 to find out what would be true to my own skin. When you have the right shade, it's so nice!

 

I use it now, and have also ordered their blush. I really like the stuff they sell that "sets" eyeliner, and I have a little brush and use that with a bit of black mineral makeup as a liner.