Make up for beginners. HELP

[rastamouserules]

Hello. Please help I'm a lurker and finally plucked the courage to ask for advice.

I don't wear make up. I always thought I haven't the time with 5 DC's. However I'm knocking on 40's door and I look wrecked. I have a good ski care routine in place now thanks to advice gleaned from previous MN threads.

Now I'd like ur advice re beginners make up. I don't want to start with full foundation cos it will be mega obvious so I thought I'd try bb cream but again it was really obvious. Can any of you recommend a good tinted moisturiser or maybe a really light base I could use. Any other make up tips also appreciated. I'm a. Omelette beginner.
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OP I wear minimal make-up to work.

• Maybelline BB cream. This is like v light tinted moisturiser but makes my skin look brighter - like 'my skin but better'. Takes 30 seconds to put on in the morning, just using fingertips.

• if I have a spot/ blemish, dab of concealer over it.

• mascara - finding a good one can open up your eyes. I am using Benefit They're Real but have heard Lancome Hypnose is good. Worth investing in a good one IMO, whereas the BB cream is £7.

• lipbalm (Burt's Bees, available in Boots, quite cheap) with a quick slick of lipstick over - again, I take care with this. Went to Lancome counter in Boots and tried on different ones with the woman before buying.

This takes 2-3 minutes in the morning - massage in BB cream, check for blemishes, few strokes with mascara wand, slick on lipbalm, slick on lipstick over.

No fussy lines, or shaky hands, and it looks sheer and professional.

Lisa Eldridge is a real make-up artist and she has a fantastic channel on YouTube

I watched every video on her channel and I'm pretty confident with make-up now!

I'm not overly keen on Hypnose, though I know it's massively popular. I find it too gloopy. Lancome Defencils is foolproof though, it has a small brush and gets to every lash.

As far as base goes, a lot of people on this board recommend Bourjois Healthy Mix. It looks very natural. The main thing is finding the right tone, and starting off light and in the centre of your face, blending out.

Going back to Lisa E again, she has a new video up exclusively using products under £10 It may give you some ideas!

I was in your shoes a few months ago and have started wearing a bit of make up. Today I even had a make up lesson (birthday present) to get a few more tips! It was very useful, but I find Lisa Eldridge's videos to be great too - a bit terrifying to a novice if you tried to do a make up look in its entirety but you can actually take bits of advice and ideas from each one.

I now wear make up several days a week but keep it very simple unless I am going out.

If your BB cream was noticeable, it may be that it wasn't the right shade for you. The Botanics BB cream gets a lot of love on here (including from me - and I'm 37 so pushing towards that 40 barrier!) or I use the Bourjois Healthy Mix.

I use a mascara but no eye shadow most days - the best I've found are No 7 waterproof one and a Max Factor Masterpiece one.

I always put on some blusher and lipstick. Sali Hughes in the Guardian says she tries to keep the blusher and lipstick the same colour - so pink blush and pink lippie, coral with coral etc. That seemed a safe approach to me and is what I do!

Sleek in Superdrug do really good blushers. I use Life's a Peach a lot for day to day (a pretty peachy/coral colour) which goes well with my pale skin, or they have a darker coral which suits darker skin tones. Rose Gold is a lovely shimmery colour which is meant to be a dupe for Nars Orgasm which gets rave reviews everywhere.

I then use lippie, usually a Revlon Lip Butter in tutti frutti which looks really orange on its own but is a softer coral colour on.

If I'm not using coral blush/lippie then I tend to go for a pinky-brown look and use a pinky brown blush from No 7 (can't remember the name!) and the Lip Butter in Pink Truffle.

Thanks ladies. I'm going shopping at the weekend to top up my make up bag. Ps. Do u carry ur make up bag in ur handbag or keep it at home by the mirror?

Both! I have a dressing table, but I carry any topping up essentials with me, usually lipstick. I keep a powder compact in my bag too, but it's best to go easy on powder at our age. Dewy is a better look on late 30s skin.

Lol. I can't risk powder Tesco would be looking to repossess the bags under my eyes!!! Thanks again.

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser is another one to try, although its not cheap. I have been really impressed with the Garnier tinted under eye roll on as well - I was using a Bobbi Brown one that was £££ but this is less than a rennet and, TBH, just as good.

Go for a cream blush, quite easy to apply and smudge in. It's worth going to The Body Shop, they will do your face for you - they did my MIL for my wedding and I don't think she had ever worn make up in her life before.

Bourjois do really nice cream blushes, 01 is my everyday blush, you can't go wrong with it.