How do you find make up that suits you just right, without making lots of expensive mistakes?

[Jemster]

I have a drawer full of make up and wear hardly any of it. I have bought stuff over the years, dabbed it on in Boots and thought it looked good but then not liked it after a couple of weeks and so it ends up in the drawer.
Most of it is Boots kind of prices but I do have a clinique blusher that was not cheap but only worn a few times as I think it's too orangey on me.
My favourite brand is clinique but I'm reluctant to buy anything else now as I can't afford to keep wasting money on make up. I did have a make over in Clinique but was not impressed as I just like a really natural look and she slapped it on thick and too bright!

I just want a few nice products to give me a nice healthy natural look. I am permanently tired and am fed up with my boss asking if I'm ok as basically I look shite, even when I've got make up on, so I must be going wrong somewhere!

Any tips please?

I only know trial and error, but you can try a few at department stores. If you are smartly dressed etc, they will give you samples - last time I moved foundation (from clinque to estee laudee) a couple of places gave me a tiny sample bottle to try.

I always have a trial at a counter but never buy at the same time. I like to wear it for a few hours to see how it lasts before I make a purchase or to at least see it in natural light. Ask for samples so you can try on at home using your own "technique"

Estée Lauder are the only makeup counter that didn't do the hard sell on me.
They were very honest with their recommendations and gave me plenty of testers to go home and play about with.

That was years ago, I regularly spend £100+ topping up my makeup bag with them. Good service=repeat custom.

I've tried a few other counters but their recommendations have not suited at all or they've gone for the hard sell/not been forthcoming with samples etc so no sale for them!

Have you thought of having your makeup done at a dept store or even makeup lessons? Otherwise it's just gonna be trial and error...

Watching with interest as I am in need of a make-up makeover as what used to suit no longer does (and tbh haven't been wearing make-up on a regular basis since becoming a SAHM) so need to find what suits me now in readiness for my return to work. Have decided that I am going to treat myself to an Urban Decay Naked Palette after browsing various brands on-line as it gets good reviews and the colours are the sort of thing I am looking for, but like you, don't want to keep spending ££s or £££s on trial and error of different brands to find that it isn't suitable after all. May try Scarlet's idea of getting a make-over at a dept store as would also be a good way to update my look too as I suspect I am also in a bit of a make up rut and need to adapt style to suit my age now.

For me it's trial and error. And lots of errors over the years...
Had my eyes done at Mac recently.

Very happy with the eye shadow I bought but the eyeliner is awful. It disappears in about two hours. My cheapo Rimmel one lasts far longer.
Going to try to get a refund.

So a really good tip to wait and see how it lasts and see how it is in different lights.
I guess you need to bin a load that you'll never use. Or give to a friend that might suit the colours.
I like Clinique and have returned a blusher back to them. It was too orangey also. I exchanged it for a nicer colour. Worth a try? Especially if someone persuaded you it really suited you.

I go and get them to try things on me, go and walk round, see how it looks outside etc then go and buy. MAC and Bobbi Brown v good for this

I now book in for makeovers and give the assistant a steer for the look i want to recreate. I've had great service from Bobbi Brown.

I just keep buying things

I think if you can get a nice foundation you're half way there and this would depend on your skin type.

I usually pick a celebrity and Copy their make up. Like to think I looking Eva longoria so have been buying her range from loreal, I was once told their products were made in the sane place as Clinique so stuck with them

Exfoliate and do your brows to get a good base

Now that I've had my colours done I make hardly any mistakes. I've bought a blusher and a handful of lipsticks all of which work really well.

Definitely all good investment.

Which things do you all think it is worth spending a little more on and which do you think you can skimp on?

Do you have a 'look' that you wear each day and then just adapt evening make-up with a stronger version of the day look? Think I am now at a stage where I want something to flatter my features/disguise imperfections rather than make a statement as per teens and twenties when youth means you can get away with pretty much anything.

Am thinking ahead to if I go to beauty counter and get a makeover if I should ask for a subtle day time look and then ask how to make it more glam for evening.

Thank you all for your replies. I am ok asking for samples of foundations but it's other things like blusher, lipstick, eyeake up I seem to get wrong and you can't really get samples of those can you?
I might try going to the counters for makeovers again. I just remember in the past some of them have made me up far too much or have used so many products they deemed 'essential' it just put me off.
Interesting about having colours done, maybe that's what I need. My friend went to Colour me Beautiful and they showed her what colours to use and she bought their make up and it really suits her.

Look up the new Lisa Eldridge website - loads of tutorials on there that i find really helpful, also endless recommendations for different complexions/skin types.

Okay-well what is your colouring like and what colours do you gravitate towards?

I have brown hair, very dark brown eyes and sallowy olive skin. I have very dark areas under my eyes and in fact on my eyelids. I have never found a good concealer and find it cakes under my eye. In fact the more I try and cover the circles the worse it seems to look.
I used to use Clinique's Almost make up which I loved but I have never found anything quite like it since they stopped doing it.
I've been looking on line and wondered about trying Estee Lauder's bb cream or I think they have a tinted moisturiser. Can anyone recommend either of those?

I've been very impressed with Bobbi Brown lately. They do free mini makeovers (so you don't have to buy their stuff).

I would also suggest maybe Shu Uemura and NARS, but try Space NK for that.

I would try to book a makeup sessions (often free or redeemable) with a few brands that are specialising in a natural look. Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier are in my opinion two great brands for this.

Lisa Elderidge and Sali hughes have also down blog posts and video tutorials about "no makeup makeup" which are really userfriendly.

With the cheaper things I don't bother and just use trial and error but if I want something that's more expensive, I would look at reviews on Make Up Alley and boots website. I would also google the product and colour to see what it looks like on real people and to see if they have similar colouring to me.

I really don't have the money to make expensive mistakes but love experimenting with brands like MUA.

I went to MAC in John Lewis after reading some good reviews of a concealer, the girl was very nice and not at all pushy....she tired the one she thought and didn't mind when I said I wanted to see it in natural light before buying. I ALWAYS say I want to see things in natural light, as that's the only way to be sure you like something. But, I think trial and error is par for the course!!! The ladies at Liz Earle are also very non-salesy. Bourjois stuff is good too (and allegedly made by Chanel).