Where to start? Anyone fancy pointing me in the right direction, please.

[ClutchingPearls]

Ok, I've decided I need to get a grip on things before Christmas.

Currently I do absolutely nothing, no make up, no effort to style myself and have decided at 27 I need to start doing something else it will be too late to bother.

I've started at the gym to tone the stretchy bits and now need to turn my attention to make up and a beauty regime.

To give you some idea of what I'm like, I tend to wear Crew, white stuff and fat face. Being new to all of this and with limited time in the morning I need something easy to start with. I'm a size 12, trying to make it down to 10, I'm 5 foot 5.

Hair - shoulder length, brown with natural red highlights.
Eyes - blue
Freckles, only a few. Scary white skin, ill looking white not lovely porcelain. Get an occasional spot.

I fed up with people thinking/asking if I'm ill/faint/tired/worn out. So what colours, products would you suggest? Make up I've tried only improves the ill/faint/tired wornout look.

Any advice, anyone?

[toofattorun]

Get down to the nearest bobbi brown counter at your local department store or check out qvc. You need a nice moisturiser. I use no.7 brightening day crea.
Then get a nice primer as a base for your make up. I a currently using body shop's one. It's this:- www.thebodyshop.com/make-up/face/skin-primer-matte-it.aspx

Then I use a revlon photo finish foundation and powder

Bobbi brown do a fabulous thing called a shimmer brick which you can use on the cheeks on top of blusher (which should also be bobbi brown) as a highlighter.

www.bobbibrown.co.uk/products/2325/Makeup/Cheeks/Shimmer-Bricks/index.tmpl

Lancôme hypnose do the best mascara and you can have fun choosing a nice eyeshadow and lipstick.

[ooer]

Moisturiser - maybe a tinted moisturiser, maybe a primer?

My sister-in-law looks lovely (I swear) with just Touche Eclat under her eyes, loose powder on her face, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. Looks groomed but not overdone.

I have my eyelashes permed now and again, to curl them (the appointment lasts an hour and it's veeeeeery boooooring, you have to keep your eyes closed and I had to ask the therapist to stop playing the godawful whale music!!!). Makes a huge difference to me and I don't need mascara when they are done - or maybe one light coat at the most, just to darken the ends.

Also pluck my eyebrows just enough to open out the eye area.

The other thing is do you know "your" colours? That makes a huge difference to me - the wrong colours make me look washed-out. I'm an obvious "winter" but I know other people who have had their colours "done".

Good luck!