Where to start with make up?

[InappropriateGavels]

I'm slightly embarrassed to ask, but whatever, you don't get help if you don't ask do you?

I spent most of my working life up until now in an industry where if you made any effort to look attractive or even just feminine you'd be asked who you were trying to sleep with to get a promotion, I had an ex-husband who didn't like me wearing make up either. It was a horrible industry, so I ended up wearing oversized men's and boy's clothes for years, not giving a damn about my hair or my face. I'd go years without haircuts, I'd let psoriasis get the better of me and wear clothes that made me look scruffy.

I've decided that it's not going to be that way any more. I've got some nice new clothes and I feel that I have the time and the desire to make an effort as I'm not going to get picked on or bullied now. However - I don't know how to do make up. I've got make up, but I feel like when I put it on I look like a six year old playing with my mother's stuff and it looks awful. I am having so much trouble resolving the person I see in the mirror with the person that I am.

I've got hooded eyelids so eyeliner is tough. I've been watching youtube videos on the best way to do eyeliner for that, but I'm still struggling. I have to wear glasses for everything, which makes it hard to see to do it. How do other people cope with that?

Colours - how did the rest of you figure out what colours suit you?
Do any of you have psoriasis on your face, if so what doesn't irritate it?
How did you get used to the feeling of having stuff on your face and stop touching it?

I probably sound like a complete loser, being in my 30s and having no idea about something that most women do every day.

I would say you don’t need to bother with full eyeliner, just eyeshadow, mascara and maybe line your water lines. Eyeliner can sometimes look too heavy, especially with hooded eyelids.
Can you use contacts?
I usually stay away from colours, they’re difficult to get right. I would start with nudes, browns, neutrals etc on the eyes. Lips you can easily be more adventurous with though ( a lot easier if you use a lip liner )
As long as your wearing good quality makeup, not too much and it is applied correctly if shouldn’t really feel like your wearing it. (Maybe just cause I’m used to the feeling? )
Good luck! Have fun nothing needs to be perfect!

I would say keep watching you tube videos
Maybe start with " natural make up" videos or " beginners make up " titles for really clear videos

I think once you find somebody who has a look that u likevygen u can focus on that

Going straight to liquid eyeliner is a big jump if you are not used to much make up.

Regarding wearing glasses and eyesight , I'm really shortsighted and I find the Babyliss make up mirror really helpful , it has a magnified side and lights up.
I also have a small cheaper version from Tesco which has two sides

I just use my large full length mirrors for doing my hair and getting dressed once I already have my contacts or specs on.

I was crap at make up and then one year my parents (unprompted) bought me vouchers for a mac make over for a birthday gift.

I was initially both offended, and wary when I saw how much make up the women at mac were wearing. However the lady that did my make up was brilliant. She chatted to me about what I wanted, which was a natural look that I could put on pretty quickly in the morning, and that's exactly what I got. She wrote down all of the products on a sort of face map and let me apply them so I knew what I was doing. Also, I'm sure this is in their training, but she was really complimentary and made me feel like she was showing me how to emphasise my best bits as opposed to hiding my wrinkles and spots.

It's definitely changed my whole attitude to make up and I've gone back a few times since. If I remember rightly it was £30, which is redeemable against any products you buy, but I think other make up stands do it for free. I highly recommend Mac though.

Also I know I've already mentioned it but don't let their bright Mac up put you off. The First Lady to do my make up was heavily contoured with orange and blue winged eye liner and she gave me a subtle natural look that just used a few key products!

Youtube videos really helped me to perfect my routine and become more adventurous.

If you're not used to wearing make up, then it may irritate your skin, particularly if it is quite sensitive. I don't have psoriasis but I have quite dry skin. I bought the Liz Earle cleanser with the muslin cloth and use that every night and it is really effective in getting make up off and leaving my skin soft.

Make sure you buy a good primer and setting powder and get a beauty blender and some good brushes. I like the Real Techniques ones. The blender will help you get even coverage and if you have particularly dry patches on your face it will reduce clumping in those areas.

It really is a trial and error kind of thing to see what works for you but steer clear of anything fancy for now and get the basics down - foundation, blusher, brows, highlighting, etc. Then move on to eyeliner, etc if you think you need it.

Pop somewhere like Selfridges or Debenhams that has make up counters, have a little look around and find a friendly looking assistant to help, they will advise on colours, put make up on you etc and give you some little samples if you're lucky

Figure out what sort of base you're after depending on the look you want to achieve and the skin type you have . So do you have dry skin and want a dewy finish ? Oily skin and a matte or natural finish ? Combination skin and full coverage ? Or do you want a bare skin look ? Even if you have a skin condition , don't feel like you absolutely have to go full coverage . You don't have to wear foundation as there are many other options like bb cream and Tinted moisturisers etc

The way you prepare your skin sets the standard for the rest of your makeup . I exfoliate gently and then I need a touch of a good skin cream ( elemis marine cream or Dior perfect skin ) that acts as a serum/ moisturiser/ primer so gets my skin ready . If my skin is well prepped and I have the right products for it , the rest is easy peasy

Then think about which areas you want to enhance the most and which you want to correct .If you're going for more bold and defined eyes , you might want to do a neutral lip . Look at problem areas ( for me , patchy brows so I need a really good brow poswder - illamasuqa is awesome ) and think about what you'll need to 'sort out '- concealer for eye bags / redness ? Etc

What is is you want to define and enhance that you're already proud of ? I like my eyes and they look good with eye pencil . Some people might love contouring their cheek bones , others might love their lips and want to line them . You don't have to enhance absolutely everything

For me , I do a simple daily look- prep my skin , dab Dior bb cream , fill my brows , eye pencil . That's all - it's not much but I feel polished enough . A simple routine that you can stick to works best. Good luck !

Agree with those recommending YouTube tutorials - I like Lisa Eldridge and also Hannah Martin.
I rate MUA makeup which is sold in Superdrug - it’s alright quality and it’s really cheap so you can have a play around with products and colours without feeling like you’ve wasted heaps of money if you don’t like the results.

Go for free make overs, most high street store will offer.see what suits you
IMO, less is more so go natural,made up not made over
Lisa Eldridge, Bobbi brown, are good place to start with video tutorials

Good for you deciding to make a change!

I am a very clumsy person so I like products that don't need any skill for application. Eg there's no way I could manage liquid eyeliner.

If I were you, I actually woudn't go to make up counters. You might find it overwhelming or end up making expensive mistakes. I'd take a trusted friend or just go myself to boots and have a play about with the different products. Or just try the ranges they sell in supermarkets. I also think avon (have a look online) is very under-rated.

I'd suggest the following "starter" products:
A 3 in 1 compact make up base (rather than separate foundation, concealer, powder) - easily available in practically every range sold in boots
Eyeshadow that comes in a crayon or a gel (blending different colour powers is a pita) - No7 range at Boots - go for brown
Eyeliner that comes in a propelling pencil (that doesn't need sharpened) - Rimmel or Avon - brown/black
A lip/cheek colour - eg Stila Convertible Colour (available boots, a Rose shade red/pink suits everyone)

Then add in mascara (waterproof), bronzer, eyebrow make up (Benefit Gimme Brow is amazing), highlighter etc etc. You don't need to wear all of it every day.

Also have a look at plucking/threading eyebrows if you haven't already - makes a huge difference.

And a spritz of perfume to make you feel ladylike!

Good luck and have fun!

Start off with foundation as everything sits on top of that and everything tends to look bad if that's wrong.
Figure out what level of coverage you want and then work on finding a colour match. Try foundation in daylight as artificial light can be quite misleading.
You can often get mini pots for a trial of a day or two to see if it's a good fit for you. Also go to make up counters and see if you can get a free makeover and they normally list down everything you've used and you can pick what you do /don't like.
I did a MAC thing a couple of years back in Selfridges £50 for an hour's lesson and cost redeemable on products. I looked great at the end and bought a lot of the stuff. Unfortunately, when I looked when I got home next to the window I realised she was using way too dark foundation. On the plus side she introduced me to highlighter - which I now love.

If you have a kiko store nearby, the staff are lovely and helpful and the stuff is nicer and cheaper than Mac.

Makeup counters can be a blessing or a curse . Agree with pp who said to avoid them . They always tell you something looks great on you even when it doesn't and if you aren't ready to discern your own look yet they can convince you to buy a whole load of things that's aren't right for you. I'd only use them with caution when you are super confident already . I consider myself makeup confident and still find it hard to disagree with them so always say I'll think about it or take a sample rather than impulse buying on the spot . Best to go with a friend , get a load of samples , watch loads of YouTube check makeup alley for reviews.

I have eczema on my face (not all the time) and am just learning how to do make-up, so from that perspective I'd recommend:

• tinted moisturiser rather than foundation feels less weird (though still a bit weird, if I'm honest)
• little bit of concealer on whatever you want to conceal
• blusher

Then I added lipstick (in a colour that matches my lips, nothing obvious) and mascara as I got more confident.

I use Clinique and it's OK on my skin as long as I wash it all off every night with a clean flannel, warm water and cleanser (which isn't the Clinique one, that's really itchy on me).

I'm now trying to work out how to put on mascara without it looking clumpy...

You can get a small mirror with some magnification, and recently I've found I need to use reading glasses a lot more and Bourjois VolumeReveal Mascara comes with a 3 x magnifying mirror strip on the tube which is really handy because I can always hold it up to my eyes to see what I'm doing and don't wish I had an extra (3rd) hand. Also, you can choose how much you want to put on.

Max factor face finity is really good IMO easy to apply. It is an all in one and hard to go wrong. Not expensive

I use clinique pore refining base and then max factor powder to set.

Some decent mascara, nice pink / nude lipstick and bronzer would be an easy start.

Try the pixiwoo YouTube channel, they have several natural makeup looks and are in their 30s/just turned 40 so have really nice adult videos rather than the teenagers who want to look like Miley Cyrus.