Weather you wear makeup everyday, on special occasions, or if you’re not really a fan of makeup or don’t know how to use it, this list gives a nice basic idea of what you should have stashed away. You never know when you’ll need to get all dolled up for a day, or night, out. Here’s s few essentials you should have in your home drawers, cabinets etc. It doesn’t need to be expensive but since it’s going on your face it should be a good quality. I’m happy to see a lot of the drug store brands like Maybelline, Wet n Wild, L’Oreal etc are stepping up their makeup game! Honestly the brand doesn’t matter as long as you know what you’re doing!
Concealer-Think of it as an instant eye lift and brightener. Used to brighten any darkness around the eyes, eye bags, and any skin discoloration. If you have great skin with just a few dark spots, redness, and/or darkness around the eyes, just use a concealer that matches your skin, add powder and you’re good to go, skipping the foundation. To highlight the skin or brighten a specific area like under the eyes or even the cheekbones, get a concealer 1 to 2 shades darker than your skin tone and get to highlighting!
Foundation Used to even out the skin, covering skin discolorations, acne, acne scarring and the like, you should have a good foundation that’s good for your skin type.For oily/combo skin use a cream or powder foundation(you can use a liquid but make sure it’s oil free, stay away from light reflecting foundations and use a mattefying cream or powder). For dry skin use a liquid. For mature skin use a self setting, or anti-aging foundation( stay away from powders since they tend to settle in the lines.)
Powder Used in conjunction with your foundation to set it so it doesn’t melt off mid day, powder is pretty essential especially if you have oily skin. Powder can help suck up excess oil on the skin. There is a wide range of powders on the market. There are pressed powders, which usually are blot powders, and loose powders that are usually finely milled into a dust like consistency. There are shimmer powders that give an iridescence to the skin, there are matte powders. Those with mature skin should skip powders altogether because they can settle into fine lines and look cakey on the skin.
Eye Shadow– Keep a few different shades on hand to glam up your look. At least 4 basic colors like brown, gold, ivory and black looks good on just about everyone and it’s good to have a variety of shimmer eye shadows and matte eye shadows. OR Just opt for a pre-made palette from Urban Decay or Mac with a nice range of color options.
Mascara used to add volume and/or length to your lashes, whether you have long lashes or not. I used to think because my lashes are long and pretty thick, I didn’t need mascara. But mascara can make or break your look. Your eyes and overall look could be flawless and beautiful but if you skip mascara your look will look half-assed.
Blush will bring color back to your face. If you use foundation, the goal is to have a blank canvas so it’s taking away some of your natural color or your skin just might be pale in general, no matter what your skin color is. There are cream blushes which I love because they make the skin look more natural, giving a more natural glow to the skin. Then there’s powder blush which is also great but it’s easy to add too much which can look too powdery or unnatural. I love both types and its great to brighten the skin as well. What ever texture you decide peachy blushes usually look good on everyone. Corals and pinks are also good. They don’t need to be super bright to look good.
Lipstick, Gloss and/or lip pencil also adds a finishing touch to a look. Gloss or lipstick brings it all together. Even if you opt for a sheer, colorless gloss it just looks good and gloss makes your lips looks fuller too. Again, peachy or pinky tones look more natural and are not so over the top. Lipstick is more pigmented and instantly brings attention to your lips and last longer on your lips. I recommend having one red lipstick or gloss for that special occasion. Lip pencils are good to keep your lip color from bleeding and good to help it last. Not a lipstick fan, fill in your lips with a pencil, add some clear gloss and you’re good to go.
Eyeliner is good to have but I don’t think it’s always necessary. It really depends on who you are and what your makeup type is. If you’re not into makeup, especially eye makeup, eyeliner is look because it adds some depth and detail to your eyes. If one doesn’t wear eyeshadow, mascara and/or eyeliner is perfect.
What are some of your makeup essentials?
Here’s Some of my Favorite Essentials:
Concealer- Makeup Forever Full Cover
Foundation- Sheer, Mac Face and Body; Full Coverage/Special occasion, Chanel Mat Lumiere
Powder Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural
eyeshadow Urban Decay Naked Palette
Lipstick- Mac Viva Glam V
Lipgloss- Nars Dolce Vita
Blush- Powder, Illamasqua Excite ; Cream, Mac Optimistic Orange
Mascara- Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Eye Liner- Mac Feline Kohl Power Eye Pencil
Lady D Makeup 