Disclaimer: This is based on a personal experience as a user, and any comments and remarks are honest and genuine without any sponsors involved.
I have been practicing and experimenting myself with make-up since high school, and it has been a great journey ever since. I have fallen in love with the artistic side of beauty; putting make-up on has been a confident booster for me to step out of the house and meet people with grace. I have been a beginner before, still getting familiar with tons of products and their functions, so here is my beginner’s guide to a simple, natural and fuss-free look.
1. Moisturize your skin
There are a lot of ways to moisturize your skin. You can either use a day cream, or serum, or a moisturizer. Being a broke, lazy teenager, I moisturize my skin by using an aloe vera mist. Aloe vera comes in many forms, nowadays. It also exists in gel form, if you want a more moistening feel. I don’t have any preferred brands for the aloe vera spray — I got mine from a Korean concept store, Domesky, which has outlets around Malaysia and originated from South Korea — but I believe that you can easily find it online, as well. To get a more trusted brand, Nature Republic is a go. I have been getting good feedback and recommendations from my friends about this brand, and their products are organic, so it is safe to use. Other than that, you can also find this mist at The Face Shop, as well.
The Aloe Fresh Soothing Mist from The Face Shop.
2. Primer
I have gone a long way wearing makeup without a primer before, and I just bought one from Sleek MakeUP, finally another brand that I can afford other than the Sephora Collection alone. Primers act as a shield that sometimes come with SPF to minimize pores and skin imperfections — like uneven textured skin when used alone — prolongs foundation wear, controls oil to mattify skin and creates a smooth, even canvas skin to apply your makeup.
My experience with Sleek MakeUP’s primer is amazing; it quickly absorbs, as if you didn’t apply anything at all. My skin becomes smooth as soon as I apply it, and my makeup goes a long way with the primer, compared to the times that I didn’t wear any. It also doesn’t look cakey or crease at the end of the day, even after being exposed to sunlight and smoke — the usual pollution. A primer may be pricey for beginners, but I highly recommend you to have one for a long-lasting look.
Control Shine & Prime from Sleek MakeUP.
3. BB/CC Cream/Foundation
I usually skip this part, because I haven’t found the right foundation for myself yet and am still evaluating products based on reviews, but I have been using Maybelline’s White Super Fresh CC Cream for quite some time — this before I decide to stand with the concealer alone. Based on a little research, CC stands for “color correcting,” which helps to address issues like “redness” or “sallowness” and unevenly-colored skin.
BB Cream is a light foundation, which also comes with some benefits for the skin. Basically, both of them can act as primers before you apply foundation, so I personally think if you have a primer, you can skip this step. If you ask me to choose between BB and CC Cream, I prefer to use CC Cream, because it gives better coverage for the skin. However, it’s your skin, so find what works best for you.
4. Concealer
Having a concealer is a must for me, especially when I have breakouts during the time of the month and puffy, dark circles under my eyes. Dark circles has been a major problem for almost everyone, even when we have made initiatives to sleep early and such. Concealers are also needed to cover your previous pimple scars too. My favorite is the concealer from Maybelline, which instantly covers up my under eyes and the spots that I need help with, making me look naturally flawless. Many beauty gurus have certified its effectiveness; celebrities around the globe are including it in their routine. But here’s a gentle reminder: the main point of you to wear makeup is not to make you look beautiful, but to enhance your existing beauty.
Instant New Age Rewind Cushion Concealer from Maybelline.
5. Contour/Bronzer
Contour or bronzers are made to form shadows on your face to give illusions of a sharp jawline, to cover up your double chin and to shape your nose. It is designed to make your bones visible. The darker the contour, the sharper your face will look. Beauty gurus will usually recommend The Balm’s Bahama Mama bronzer for its dark tone, which can suit all types of skin from the lightest to the lowest, but I will reveal what I usually use at the end of the article.
Bahama Mama Bronzer by The Balm
6. Powder
Okay, this part gets confusing. I have been using a compact powder all my life until now, and as I head on in my makeup journey, I saw so many powders, like setting powders, finishing powders and such. When I look at tutorials, they only apply powder once, which is to set the base that we have done earlier, so I think there isn’t much difference or issue in using any of the powders.
Beauty gurus will always dab their powder onto their faces with the sponge provided or a kabuki brush, but yes, since this is a lazy guide, I simply just pull the powder all over my face instead of dabbing it. It is the wrong technique; I swear I am teaching you the wrong thing, but dabbing powder kills time, and I am usually up late for my meetings, so that’s a survival skill, kids. I am currently using Maybelline’s compact powder. Yes, as you notice, most of my base products are from drugstores. I will try the setting and finishing powder, as soon as I finish this pack, and tell you how it feels on my social media accounts, so stay tuned.
Super Fresh Two Way Cake Powder from Maybelline
7. Highlighting
There are two solid reasons for why highlighting is my most favorite part of doing my makeup. One, it highlights my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose, and two, you will look bomb when you take pictures, as the flash from the camera will highlight the places that you have highlighted. Highlight at the place where the light will hit your face — your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose. Be careful on this, because with highlighter, you can easily go wrong. Don’t stretch your highlighter too far from the center of your cheekbones, because it will widen your face. I don’t have any suggestions for my preferred highlighter, because I am not even done with my first palette yet, but keep on scrolling to find out what I use.
8. Blusher
Apply blusher on top of your highlighter. There are two ways to detect the place to wear your blusher — either you do the duckface, or just simply smile and blush your cheeks. I had a hard time finding the right blusher for my skin and finally got mine from Sephora Collection. My blusher is peach/orange-ish in color, because I don’t fit with pink all the time (except for certain occasions, when I want to look sweet). I am also not suitable for all shades of pink, or orange, in this case, so you must make sure that your blusher suits your skin tone and makes you look rosy and alive instead of feverish or having an allergic reaction.
Colourful Blush in the shade of Shame On You from Sephora Collection
9. The Eyes
When I say eyes, that includes eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and also the brow pencil. Honestly though, I am only concerned with blending in colors from the eyeshadow palette to my eyes, then I’m good to go. (When I’m in a good mood, I’ll ask my mother to help me apply my eyeliner and mascara, since I am not good at it yet.) I don’t color or do anything to my brows, because I don’t feel the need to do so, but a quick application is fine. Makeup is a free form of art, and you are allowed to own it. What palette do I use? Wait to find out!
10. Lipstick
This is also my favorite part of makeup, because without a lipstick to wear, you still won’t have the x-factor that truly lifts up your face. I am a lipstick freak; I collect many shades and still am, but I’m not yet brave enough to try playful colors like green or black or purple. Although, Fenty Beauty’s Mattemoiselle line tempts me. My favorite collection is Meet Matt(e) Hughes from The Balm. The lipsticks are so moisturizing and give a cooling sensation as you apply them to your lips, they don’t stain and they last all day. Name it — after meals, after toilet sessions, or anything, it stays. Plus, it doesn’t dry out the lips. This is my main concern, since I have chapped lips as a problem since forever, therefore, I must be careful on choosing the right lipstick. I own all shades from the collection…wait, there are new shades? I definitely will get them!
Meet Matt(e) Hughes collection from The Balm
Okay, here’s what we’ve been waiting for. Since this is a lazy guide, I am going to introduce you to the Balm Voyage Vol. 2 travel palette from The Balm that I swing with everywhere I go. It has 12 nude shades of eyeshadow, a bronzer, an illuminator/highlighter, 2 shades of blushers and 2 shades of lip and cheek palette. It is very convenient, since I only use everything in one palette, so there is no wastage or need to buy another palette of everything.
I recommend that you find travel palettes like this, if you’re the kind of person who is always on-the-go, like me, and want to have more space in your makeup bag for other kits, like your makeup brushes, powder, base products, etc. Just bring that kit with your powder and your base products in one bag, and then you’re good to go. That’s a bummer for me, since my makeup tools are growing, so now I have to bring 2 makeup bags and one travel palette, but everything’s good, as long as I look good.
Balm Voyage Vol. 2 by The Balm
I hope that you girls, and guys, have a great time experimenting and creating looks from your favorite products. Mind you, this is my own personal best, and if you have your own favorites, just continue using them if it brings benefit to your skin. For beginners, I hope that this guide can guide your way in some sense in doing your makeup. To create a good look, frequently put them on, practice, watch Youtube tutorials and videos, and most importantly, have fun! Remember, makeup is just an enhancement to your existing beauty, always.
