Make-up for an ugly person

[FishTrashGlove]

So anyway, I've never been a looker and at 40 I'm as potato-looking as I've always been. Every few years I "invest" in midrange foundation, blush, primer, etc (the very basics; I don't wear eye makeup due to thick glasses)...And then months go by and they gather dust because I haven't got a clue how to use them and with 2 tiny children I don't have the time to really learn...So I bin the lot and in a few months I splurge again and buy a load of random Boots bestsellers that then go on to gather dust... and the cycle starts again...

Please help me, MN! How do I choose & use makeup?!

Not good looking? But we're the ones who stand to benefit most from makeup!

Priorities: skincare is essential for makeup to look any good. Cleanse/serum/moisturise/SPF. A vitamin C serum will give you bang for your buck. And some kind of occasional glycolic peel.

Then makeup. Even light touch makeup can be enhancing.

Go for it!

maybe ask a professional to help you find a basic quick look that suits you, check your colours, advise on products etc.

Black hair and green eyes are a killer combination! I'm very pale too but, you know, a bit of blush does wonders.
It's important to know one's colouring when it comes to makeup because you can google what looks better and that makes things a lot easier. I'm yellow-ish (if you google MAC NC15 you can get an idea), given I'm yellow-toned I look better in rose, as it tones down the yellow. So pink blush suits me better. If you're pink (think English Rose) colours with a speck of yellow usually look better (I'm not saying bright yellow, just closer to yellow like shades of coral, brown or peach). Still, nothing's set in stone.
If you're busy, sticks should make your life easier as you can blend with your fingers.
Somebody mentioned Kiko, they do a fab blush stick. I'm allergic to their eye stuff unfortunately (don't be put off by that) but they do lovely eye pencils and I know several people who love them.
If don't usually do eye make up go for more natural colours or you'll be put off by it. They're also more forgiving.
If you have sweaty eyelids, like me, I would go for powder eyeshadow. Look for sticks and then blend with the finger. I like the Lâncome ones, the Bobbi Brown ones not so much. You could also look at making your own palatte. MAC eyeshadows can also double as eyeliners when wet. Inglot Duraline is a product you can mix with powder to make eyeliner too and it's fab for oily eyelids (something to consider later when you're more comfortable).
I don't contour à la Kim Kardashian heheh. It literally takes a minute with my fingers and I don't do it all over the face either! When I'm puffy and need a confidence boost I stick under the cheeks and the chin (just a bit with the finger, no brushes) and the key is to use something over it (like foundation or a BB cream), so you get a "shadow" that gives the illusion of a slimmer face, this is called underpainting and blending doesn't have to look perfect but you need the right stick because it can't be too creamy. Still if you have an oval face a blush is probably enough!
A nice lipstick is also something super easy to put on. It takes 10 seconds. You don't need to spend loads, just get the right colour for you. Lipstick's are usually cool or warm. I'm a warm (gold/yellow) person so I love cool lipstick. Just the right lipstick is enough to make you feel like taking on the world. Ruby Woo and Candy Yum Yum, the old Flat Out Fabulous (the new one is meeehhh). I put these colours on and it's like: yeah today I rock! You need to find your colour. The right lipstick makes you look put together. Look online for celebrities that have your colouring in terms of hair, eyes, skin and look at teh colours they wear. Look at it online, look at pics, videos, then choose the colours, then look at individual products, then buy just a lipstick and a blush, then expand. If you're not sure about colours, get the cheapest ones from Superdrug. Start with the colours and decide what makes you look your best. I'd start with lipstick/blush because they're easy to put on and the right ones make a massive difference to your confidence when you look in the mirror. Feel free to experiment before getting in the shower. Go wild and crazy! The right colour will stand out.

Can you recommend a good collagen?

Little update... I got HD brows and an eyelash lift & tint, and some lip & cheek tint, as well as vit C serum and oral vitamins... I feel so much better about myself. Thank you, Mumsnet.

Don't forget a good sunscreen goes with the vitamin C. I'm very happy to read you feel better about yourself. 😊

Have a make up lesson

Take everything you have with you and if you need to buy a few new things she’ll tell you

Great update OP.

That's good news you've tried all this stuff! Good moisturiser, nice glossy products, all sounds ace. I look like a potato as well, but aim to look like an attractive potato on days I go out of the house. I think that's a good goal.

@Oceanus promise!

@continentallentil working my way up to this!

@Highdaysandholidays1 we are Fancy Potatoes, and no one cab hold us down!

@itsmylife7

*cab = can 🙄

My advice chimes with a pp.

Start simple.

To begin with invest in good skincare. If your skin looks good everything else will also.

Buy a nice cleansing product (I like Elemis rose cleaning balm) and a decent moisturiser (my go to is Embryolisse).

That's all all you really need aside from a lip balm and frankly Vaseline is great.

As for make up, don't over complicate.

Get a tinted moisturiser to smooth out your complexion (much easier and forgiving than foundation) and a concealer to hide dark circles under your eyes if needed.

Then mascara and a multi purpose lip/cheek stain for every day. You can pop Vaseline on top to make it glossy if you want.

Will take less than 5 mins to do.

Don't both with eyeshadow/liner to begin with (or ever). It's the most time consuming.

Finally invest time in finding "your" lipstick for if you want to ramp it up a bit.

Don't underestimate the power of a fab flattering lip colour set again very minimal makeup.

Start with the natural shade of your lips and then look for a colour that pumps that up a bit (or a lot).

My lips are naturally quite rosey so nude tones make me look dead. I think a lot of people scared of make up choose nude/pale lip colours and they are often very unflattering.

I actually look best in quite blue toned red/burgundy for example so don't be afraid to be bold.

This is where a session at a make up counter can be great. You can try lots of colour on.

Perhaps also worth buying a really delicious scent? People respond to so many different cues, both consciously and unconsciously eg being clean, well groomed, and smelling amazing - many people would “see” a 🌹, not a 🥔! Plus the first person to benefit is you - as you spritz you give yourself a moment of pleasure.

Go to a Bobbi Brown/Mac counter and tell them what you've told us. Their makeup artists love helping people like you and will give you a makeover suitable for your needs and explain the process. Don't be shy - it's what they are there for.

This

I don't believe for a moment you are ugly and everyone can look a bit potato like when compared to made up faces given that make up exists to make your features pop. I would recommend booking a Bobbie Brown make over / make up lesson.

Hey, me again. What would people recommend for a tinted moisturiser? As a result of your fabulous advice on this thread, I now use vit c serum as well as 'normal' Clinique moisturiser, but my face seems to hate foundation, and I still sweat a LOT from my face, so I'm wondering if a tinted moisturiser is the way to go? I'm very, very pale, BTW.

I recommend a tinted moisturiser in my post below. Alternatively a serum foundation.

I've recently bought this and really like it.

It's not heavy at all but gives a light/medium coverage that seems to sink into the skin like skincare rather than makeup.

trinnylondon.com/uk/products/bff-de-stress?variant=flora&category=light

I've found Trinny a bit hit and miss. Loved the product (and related concealer) above.

Love the packaging concept and really like the cream eye shadow (so easy to apply/blend). Not so keen on the cheek/lip colour.

The answer to a sweaty face is good old powder. They come in all sorts of swanky formulations, but you only need a 'neutral' or 'transparent' pressed powder in a compact. Fluff it lightly over the middle zone of your face, using a brush.

Some powders come with a flat brush in the back of the compact, otherwise buy a retractable powder brush (quite bouffy, comes in a tube) to keep in your bag. Then just fluff it on again when you feel a little damp or oily 🙂

I tried a translucent powder yesterday and i looked like a 40 year old fluffy chick. I feel like I have the complexion of a very sensitive zombie

I use L'Oreal tinted foundation. I find it blends better and keeps hydrated.

Green eyes and dark hair?! Girl that is fabulous coloring!

You can use your lip tint as blush and eye shadow as well. I Iove lipstick as blush. Green eyes look gorgeous with some pink as well. Literally just a light smear.

Once your face is a little brighter with blush and lip gloss, your green eyes are going to steal the show!!!

You might have gone a bit heavy with it. Or, maybe you are in fact a baby zombie chicken!