I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't like make-up, I have always worn it. I worked my way up from just lipgloss to the full face I wear today and I still have more to learn! It's an endless journey of learning what you like and how to use it, the brands and techniques that suit you. Everyone is different.
Saying this, I remember being in secondary school and just wanting to have everything. I wanted to wear eyeliner and mascara, I wanted flawless skin and shiny lips everyday but when you're 14 and only have pocket money to buy it all with, it's hard to compile the perfect kit. I would get £5 pocket money every week and turn to cheap brands to get as much make-up as possible but what I now realise is that I would have been better off saving up for a few months and just purchasing all the essentials.
I have always been adventurous with make-up. I loved a red lip, black smokey eyes and coloured eyeliners. I still do but I think that when you are starting out it is best to keep it simple. Which is why I have gathered a simple, budget friendly make-up kit for first timers. This kit is perfect for the everyday.
The first step is to get yourself a make-up bag which fits all your starter products but also has a little room for your collection to expand, I think this bag from the Zoella Beauty range is perfect. Such as great size, affordable at only £8 and it has a guineapig on it! What's better than that!
Foundation is the base for your whole face and it needs to be gotten right. It needs to be good coverage, the right colour and long wearing. Rimmel is a great brand for this, this is the lasting finish nude foundation and it is fantastic. It comes in a huge variety of shades and it is super affordable at only £5.99.
A beauty blender is a great way to apply your foundation, it gives an air brushed, smooth and glamorous finish. A beauty blender typically costs around £20 which in my opinion, is crazy expensive. This little guy is only £1.50 from Primark and it does a great job. This can also be used to apply blush and highlight so it is a multipurpose tool which is a bonus!
Little Tip: Use this wet! Run the sponge under the tap and squeeze out excess water, this stops the sponge from soaking up the product but instead provides fuller coverage.
This is an optional step, I don't use concealer and I don't think concealer is necessary for young people because your skin will already be so fresh. If you do feel you need concealer then I would recommend Rimmel Wake Me Up. I use powder all over my face because I hate feeling shiny and sticky but I am aware that some people like a dewy look so this is down to you personally. I use this MUA powder all over my face with concentration under my eyes to brighten the area. This is a barginous £2.
Next is blusher, bronzer and highlighter. For blush I find that a dusky rose colour suits me best but this may be different for you, MUA do these compact blushers in endless colour options so there is bound to be a colour for you. They are £1 which is just insanely cheap for such a good product.
Highlighter is a funny one for me, I just don't think it suits me. It always looks shiny which as I previously mentioned, I hate. This eyeshadow by MUA in shade Champagne works fantastically as a highlighter. It's so understated that even I can wear it. Again, a tiny £1.
I use this MUA bronzer as a contour but also lightly all over my face to create a cheek bone depth and an all over glow. It is available in an array of shades and is also just £1.
I am so impressed with MUA products, they are so cheap but still great quality and the packaging is also lovely quality.
This large fluffy brush is from Primark, it costs a ridiculous £1 and it really is a fantastic multipurpose brush. One of my favourites. it can be used to apply all the above products.
Little Tip: Apply in order of colour to avoid mixing your products. Start with your face powder, then highlighter across your upper cheek bone, then lightly dust your blusher, blow away excess colour and then use the brush to apply contour and bronzer.
You can even use your fingers to squeeze the bristles together to create a sharper contour.
Eyeshadow is a girls best friend, so much room for exploration and so many possibilities. This is a palette called In The Buff by W7, it can be bought on Amazon.com for an understated £4.99. It contains 10 highly pigmented nude shades that can be used to create an array of eyeshadow looks, the palette comes with a small brush that can be used to pack on the colour before using your fingers to blend them out to create a natural everyday look. Or you can go for a heavy smokey night time look using the darker colours in the palette. I love this palette, it's such fabulous quality and so cheap you just can't go wrong.
Here we have a liquid liner for creating a perfect cat eye and an eyebrow pencil for filling in your brows which can also be used for a brown eyeliner. The liquid liner is a classic black from Forever 21, it is a very shiny deep colour which applies seamlessly. It was £2. The brow pencil is from Primark, it is a wax texture which I think makes it so easy to smudge out with the spooly on the other end of the pencil. It is also great for a brown eyeliner, it can be used as a blunt line or it can be smudged out with the eyeshadow brush in the palette. It costs only £1 and it comes in a few different colour options.
Lashes! Another MUA product, Lash Boom is really great, it gives long separated fluttery lashes and it doesn't give that stuff feel some cheaper mascara so do. Your lashes are left feeling flexible and feathery. This was £2.
last but not least, lips! Lip products were the first things I ever really experimented with when I was just starting out with make-up, it is so easy to be creative with. A bold lip, a subtle balm or a matte colour. I have provided four options. The lip balm by Zoella beauty is only £3 and it is both moisturising but also has a gorgeous pink tint. The two lipsticks were 80p each from Primark, I have included a light peach shade and a hot pink because they are both beautifully wearable and fantastic quality. The Cream Puff is from Collection, it cost just £2.99 and it really will last all day. It dries completely matte but keeps your lips hydrated while providing a gorgeous dusky rose colour.
So that's everything! I think these items would be a great foundation for any make-up newbie, they are all great quality, cheap and pretty!
The total spend is... £39.82
If you had a few more pennies to spend then I would recommend you getting a small mirror, tweezers for your brows, a fluffy eyeshadow brush and maybe an eyeshadow palette of more outrageous colours. Revolution do some great eyeshadow palettes in a huge section of colours all at insanely small prices.
I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helped you in creating your first make-up kit!
