Hi Girlies!

Let's talk about Makeup Starter Kits! When I first began to wear makeup, I wasn't too sure of what kind of products I should use, especially since there are so many different products out there. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed... and because no one in my family wears makeup, I had to experiment. I had to try out different products to see for myself what works and what not, which everyone eventually has to because of their own skin types and preferences. However, there are a few things that I personally think all beginners should start with - a starter kit. This starter kit is more geared towards younger girls, in particularly high school girls...and some middle school girls. The kit will contain some basic makeup products that makeup beginners should start with, which means a lot of the makeup are more natural, nothing too out there. Ok! So let's get into it! ^_~

1. BB CREAM/CONCEALER/FOUNDATION/POWDER
For any girls who want to even out their skin tone but still look very natural, with very little coverage, I would recommend using a BB (blemish balm) or CC (color correcting) cream. In my opinion, they have sheer coverage and are very natural looking. You can also use a powder, which gives you natural coverage. If you want something sheer, try using a loose powder. If you need a bit more coverage than a loose powder, try using a pressed powder. Now if you want a tad more coverage than this, use a wet sponge or a wet brush to apply the pressed powder. Pressed powder can be applied wet or dry, depending on how much coverage you need.

I would recommend using only a concealer if you only need to even out your skin tone and maybe conceal some of the blemishes that you might have. For example, you have dark circles that you might want to conceal to make yourself look more awake. One that I would recommend is the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. I like the consistency of it, and how natural it looks on the skin, not to mention that it is affordable~

As for girls who would like to have more coverage because they want to conceal their acne/scars/etc, I would recommend using liquid foundation and setting it with a powder, loose or pressed, depending on whether or not you need more coverage. For girls with oily skin, try using a powder with more of a matte finish. For girls with dry skin, you can use just liquid foundation alone or with a translucent loose powder to set it.  I would recommend the Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua foundation (Sheer-Medium coverage) for those who have dry skin...and the Estee Lauder Doublewear (Medium to Full coverage) for those who have oily skin.

2. EYELINER (PENCIL/GEL/LIQUID)
Pencil liners are probably the easiest to start with because it is the easiest to control. Pencil liners with the smudger tool at the end is something that I would recommend to someone who is new at makeup. Why? Well, it is easier to line your eyes and use the smudger tool to smudge out your eyeliner to make both eyes look even. It gives you the smokey look, and if you mess up and smudge it out, people tend not to even notice because of its smokey effect. Whenever I get lazy with my eyeliner, this is the method I use to quickly apply eyeliner. The only downside is that most pencil liners tend to smudge/smear easily for those who have more oily lids, like myself. I haven't found one that doesn't smear on me, even when it says "smudge/smear free." A good pencil liner is the Urban Decay 24/7. I like the way it applies (how smooth it is) and how long-lasting it is, but it does kind of smear a bit on me because I do have oily lids.

Gel liners are probably the second easiest (at least for me) to apply. The product goes on smoothly, and the eyeliner brush gives you decent control. For me, the brush makes it easier to wing out the line ; it also makes it somewhat easy for me to make the wings even (I use the brush to eyeball-measure my line...weird I know). The Maybelline EyeStudio gel eyeliner is probably my favorite gel liner and I would totally recommend it for any beginner.

Liquid liners are awesome because they are usually long-wearing and are smudge free (for oily lids). However, they are probably the hardest to control. Liquid liner pens are better than ones with the tiny long brush tip in my opinion, because they're easier to control. Liquid liners give you the ability to make thin, clean, and sleek strokes, and you can build up the thickness of the line if you prefer thicker lines. I love liquid liners, but they take more time to master. Two of my favorite drugstore liquid liners are the Maybelline Line Stiletto and the L'Oreal Infallible The Super Slim.

3. EYESHADOWS
For beginners, I would recommend starting off with more natural/neutral colors (such as browns, taupes, blacks) rather than bold colors. Neutral colors are basic colors! Seriously, you can't go wrong with neutrals because they're everyday colors and are for any occasions. For girls who are in high school, it is best to come to school with natural eyeshadow colors.

For those starting off, I would recommend getting a neutral palette. For more affordable palettes, try the Maybelline The Nudes palette or Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette. If you want to invest in a great quality eyeshadow, I would recommend the Urban Decay Naked (original) palette or Urban Decay Naked Basics palette.

4. LIPS (LIPSTICK & TINTED LIP BALM) 
For makeup starter, I would suggest starting with a tinted lip balm. It gives the lips more color, but at the same time, it moisturizes the lips. Most tinted lip balms are more sheer but are buildable in terms of intensity. Tinted lip balms are basics, especially for those in middle school or high school who are starting to wear makeup. I cannot stress enough on "starting with the basics"~

For those who are older and are looking to wear lipsticks, I would suggest starting off with nude colors (nude pinks), or what you call "my lips but better" lipsticks. They look better than your lip color, but are natural at the same time. My favorite my lips but better lipstick are the Urban Decay Lipstick (Naked) and the L'Oreal Collection Privee (Jennifer's Nude).

5. BLUSH
It never occurred to me how important blush was to me, until recently. Before, I didn't really care too much for blush because it wasn't essential to me. I didn't include it in my starter kit when I first started wearing makeup. That mentally has changed over the past few years. I feel that blush completes my makeup routine. It adds color to the face, giving you a natural flush to the cheeks. Foundation can make the face look dull and colorless, but blush adds color to it. I feel that if you wear foundation alone, you look lifeless (like a vampire/zombie) because there's no color in your cheeks. Blush can do wonders~ It completes you by bringing color back into your face. Just apply blush lightly and don't over do it, please... I understand that some people apply loads of blush to their cheeks because they like to... but for beginners, my advice is to apply blush lightly. If you're going to take pictures, just add a bit more blush than you do normally because a lot of the times, blush doesn't show up that well in pictures. Just add a bit more by building it up slowly.

A blush that I really love is the Smashbox Love Me blush, but unfortunately, it is limited edition and is discontinued. An affordable drugstore blush is the Wet N Wild (Pearlescent Pink) blush or the Maybelline Fit Me blush.

6. MASCARA
Mascara is an essential to a makeup starter kit. Wearing mascara alone (without eyeshadows) can bring attention to the eyes. When people buy mascara, they look for some kind of function that it does to the eyes, such as lengthening, volumizing, curling, darkening, etc. For someone who is a beginner at makeup, I would recommend finding a mascara that curls and lengthens, but does not clump easily...for a more natural look. Later on, when your makeup skill improves, you can try out volumizing or darkening mascara to see if you prefer it over the more basic mascara. It is up to the person whatever they want their mascara to do, but I personally feel that a makeup starter should start off with something more basic.

So those are the 6 different categories of products I would recommend for a makeup starter kit. Keep in mind, these are the products that I feel should be in a starter kit. There are makeup products that I did not include because I feel like they are not makeup essentials (at least for a starter kit). I hope you find this post helpful. Byeeee! Good luck on your makeup starter kit!

Love,
June♥