I look like a kid playing with makeup :(

[TheLongRains]

Help!

I come from a family where makeup really wasn't a thing. My mum and sisters don't use any, and never have. So I never learnt what's what, really.

I, however, need/like a bit of makeup. Not heavy, but enough to make me look fresh in the mornings (broken nights with a baby...).

I currently have a foundation that is probably not the right colour, a powder that I don't really know what to do with, a moisturiser that I use morning and night, an eyeliner pencil and a mascara.

I have no idea what I'm really doing! And should I be using a primer? A setting powder? Concealer? Highlighter? Blusher??? Lip gloss, lip liner...etc etc!!

I'm overwhelmed. I feel like if I apply all this stuff, my face will be an inch thicker than normal.

I went to a makeup counter once and came away looking like a clown. I don't want to look like a clown, I want to look like me, but fresher!

Also, where the heck do I start with choosing brands and colours? There's so much out there! And brushes, sponges, finger tips... What do I use?!

If anyone can help me look like the grown-up that I am, I'd be so grateful :) or even point me in the direction of a good website for beginners who don't want to look made-up, but do want to use makeup...

Thank you!

You don't mention your skin tone/ colouring but here's what a fair white girl who also needs a bit extra uses. I'm in my thirties.

Tinted mineral moisturiser. It makes my skin look good but not like I'm wearing anything. Lots of different brands, Jane iredale is nice but pricy. I apply with fingers.

Benetint - the make up lady suggested their slightly cooler/ pinky shade and it worked for me. I apply with.. fingers! But you have to work quickly as it's a stain. Cream blush that you apply with fingers is easiest imo. Apply to apples of cheeks and then blend up cheekbones toward scalp.

Under eye concealer. The illuminating types with a brush are good, at the moment I just use rimmel

Mascara. I use black even though I'm fair. Look down slightly and brush on

Eyebrows. I use a tinted eyebrow mascara, it's easier to apply. Brush gently up over the eyebrow then I smooth with a finger.

The other thing I think is good is to get an idea of what colours/ shades work on you. Everyone has a pinky or yellowey tone to their skin, no matter level of melanin. That will usually help you to find whether warmer or cooler colours work. Pinker tones means cooler, yellow is warmer. Some people say you can tell by looking whether your veins show green or blue underneath your skin.

Anyway, this will help you choose lip, blush and eye colours that don't make you feel like you're wearing clown make up. If I wear browny toned lipsticks for example I look terrible. Sallow. A pink usually works. Same on cheeks. But that's me - everyone's different. If you get someone to do your makeup, look at the colours and tones they pick out.

I rarely wear makeup but whenever I do I get compliments and asked what I've done. I don't use much but find clarims beauty flash balm as a base brilliant and would also second benetint which i use on cheeks and lips. The rest I change periodically. Benetint makes you look like you've just had some fresh air (or sex).

YouTube tutorials are brilliant. If you fancy a vintage look try Cherry Dollface or for a wide variety of looks, Lisa Eldridge is great as mentioned by PP. I have recently invested in a beauty blender sponge from Boots, you stick it in water then squeeze it out, and dab foundation onto your face then use the blender to sort of bounce off your face and it gives really even and easy coverage. I also bought decent brushes too (I think I paid £20 for a set at Christmas time) because before I was using the applicators that came with the make up or from the pound shop and they are not great.

This has been amazing - thank you all so much! I'm off to the shops tomorrow to try things out/ hopefully buy a few things that will get me off to a better start. So thank you for all the tips!

I'm the same as you OP and went to a bare minerals counter years ago (no idea what they are like now) to get something better than the old Avon stuff left over from my teens and they were lovely and taught me how to apply products and gave me little samples to take away before buying. I've stuck with it ever since as I find it much easier to apply than liquid foundation and doesn't look to obvious on my skin.
I also had my make up done for my wedding by local beautician who does my brows so knows how my face usually looks and she did that but better on my wedding day and gave me tips on what to do.
Might be worth a look into something like that if your like me and need someone to sort you out in real life!!
The reason I ended up at bare minerals was I chose the counter with the least clown looking make upd sales assistant but I'm sure there are lovely assistants at other brands-just got to find them!
Good luck on the shopping trip

You can pay at a beauticians to have a lesson on applying makeup.
You could also go to Debenhams etc and ask for your foundation to be matched at a beauty counter. But be prepared to be sold to.
I did this and it really helped.

I went to an Estée Lauder counter once to get some of their mineral moisturiser. The woman was such a good sales person, I bought more than I intended partly in sheer admiration! :) I also got the benetint (just remembered the one I got is lollytint) from going to get a free sample then getting the lady to do a makeover. It's quite useful if you are genuinely intending to buy something. I usually just stick to one product purchase at a time though otherwise it can be ruinous!

Are you me, Rains? The last time I bought any make up was 12 years ago for my wedding I always feel inadequate every time I go out and see people wearing make up, what must they think of me! I've never managed to put it on properly, so just gave up. I'm debating going into the shops today to see what's there, but am a bit overwhelmed by all the choice and different products there seem to be.

Is it a if you use one, you need the rest kind of thing? So if I were to just get a tinted moisturiser, would that look weird if I didn't have the blusher and eye and lip stuff to go with it?

Lisa Eldridge is good. So are Pixiwoo and Hannah Martin, who is a Bobbi Brown pro artist. I actually really like Bobbi Brown for a natural look.

Risks from expired foundation? Er could you elaborate please? I've also been using the same bottle for over 3 years. My face hasn't fallen off yet, should I be worried?

Having good brushes should also make things 100 times easier. Real Techniques are great and not that expensive. You can get them in Boots or Superdrug.

You should really throw away makeup after a year at most. (Especially mascara and foundation without a pump, since that's being exposed to your fingers/air whenever you apply it.) Makeup can can harbour bacteria like Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus viridans. Plus, it "goes off" and won't apply as nicely.

You can sanitise some, though: www.buzzfeed.com/carolinekee/we-tested-makeup-for-germs-and-what-in-foundation

I'm not worried at all about expired foundation tbh. Mascara - yes maybe, but a teeny tiny dot of liquid on my t-zone...nah. But thanks for the concern

Bobbi brown is nice for natural. Steer clear of MAC and the rest!

Tinted moisturiser definitely. Maybe get brows and lashes tinted.

Lancôme do a nice foundation with sponge and blusher (subtil?) that I think personally is nice, has the glam factor and more coverage than tinted moisturiser and you build up the bluster as you like.

Oh going on what reetgood says their Benetint is now available in different colored moisturising tinted lip balm in a stick which is very subtle (I got the Cha Cha tint one).

reet what you wear is similar to my everyday work look the Lancome blush subtil is cream.

I learnt to do my make up by watching YouTube Type "natural make up tutorial" literally 100s of vids will pop up

This. YouTube is amazing for make-up tutorials! It's how and where I learnt to do mine.

Also, if anyone struggles to do liquid eyeliner - get an eyeliner felt pen (I've got an MUA one and an Avon one), line a piece of masking tape along the side of your eye and it makes it so much easier!

I'm pretty rubbish at makeup but I like my No.7 foundation from boots. They use a gadget to colour match your skin and you get a card which lists other things like blusher/lipstick that will go with your skin tone. Plus it's not that expensive!

See what a minefield it is! You could go to Boots Bodyshop get a makeover, I dont like the idea of being made up in the middle of a shop. I went on a course at local adult education.

I had/have this same problem. In the end I got an acquaintance/friend of a friend who's really good with makeup to come round and give me a lesson and some advice. She said to get out my make up bag and was a but surprised how small it was....!
We went through what I'd do for work day time etc and an evening look. She offered to come shopping with me but in the end I bought stuff on her advice (she'd brought round some things to try). I found that far better than a make up counter where they all seem to wear loads of makeup and their ultimate aim is to sell you stuff.

I also tend to buy (what is to me, anyway) quite nice expensive make up eg Clinique and Bobbi brown - my reasoning being that hopefully nice quality will go some way to compensating for lack of technique, and I don't get through things that fast

I highly recommend Pixiwoo for make up on youtube, I love them, they are sisters and both are make up artists.

This was me.

One word: Youtube.

Look for Lisa Elridge and Michelle Phan.

I still haven't sussed out make up, so am following this with interest.

I can recommend Boots No.7 Match made lipstick service; I found my perfect shade of lipstick (my own shade, but more emphatic IYSWIM) from them. The assistant was excellent and didn't make me feel foolish.

Boots colour match is brilliant, I had it done for my foundation shade, the foundation was like a second skin the colour matched perfectly, and the foundation was great, the assistant was lovely.