Jane brand is what really got me into makeup as a young teenager. It’s pretty cheap, but the colors tend to have high pigmentation, a lot of variety, and are easy to play with. Here’s theirstore locator tool on their website. In my area, they’re only found in Wal-Mart.
Hmmm, I wonder if their “Eye Zing” single eyeshadows are the same size as my palette pans from MAC…
I agree wholeheartedly. Even though I don’t wear makeup that often anymore, one thing I do a large portion of the time if I spend more than 30 seconds putting on lipstick (and do nothing else) is to maintain my eyebrow shape and fill in my brows. You don’t need a special brow powder if you can find an eyeshadow that’s the same color as your eyebrows (This is what I do, as I have dark brows that are often neglected as a shade in the “brow powder” palettes of most makeup companies.), you can use it for filling in your brows and (if you’ve got darker brows like me) applying eyeliner.
Zweisamkeit: Is that your natural hair color? It’s gorgeous.
These are all awesome and cheap. I can’t speak to the blushes, but the shadows are awesome. I have the standard, 88 palette and it is super great- great pay off, staying power, etc. Since you’re going more natural, you probably want the 88 warm one. Trust me when I say, you can’t beat the price tag. There are about 90000000 swatches and reviews on Youtube, if you feel like looking. And I mean, Ben Nye is great and all, but you don’t really need to invest in that- seriously.
Ditto this- I just use brown eyeshadow and a small brush + q tip.
Wow! I feel dumb now; I’ve seen people rave about those but I just assumed they were super expensive because no one ever mentioned the price! Holy crap. I am ordering one (I think the 78 combo, since I like to play with colors) right now.
Yeah, they are great. If I buy these as presents for people because they are great for folks wanting to get into makeup. Every so often, they have sales, too- buy one get one free, free shipping, blah blah.
Once I swore fealty to Clinique’s Long-wear mascara. I stand before you a converted woman: L’Oreal’s Double-Extend Beauty Tubes mascara is the only mascara that shall ever touch my lashes again. It does not smear at all, it doesn’t flake off (Clinique’s problem), it doesn’t clump…it is perfect. HOWEVER, I only use the black side. I have long lashes to begin with, and the white (primer) side extends them to drag queen proportions, plus I can’t seem to cover up all the white fibers with the black stuff, thus giving my lashes a strange ghostly cast. If you have short lashes, you might do well to use the primer, but if you don’t need any extra length, the black side is perfect.
It’s also easy to remove. I wash my whole face with Cetaphil and warm water, and the mascara rubs right off with a gentle pressure.
Also, Smashbox’s O-Gloss lip gloss is awesome. It starts out clear and then changes color depending on how much moisture is in your skin and in the air (for me, it’s usually a really pretty, sheer raspberry color). It’s not sticky and it lasts a fairly long time and I love it. It is a little expensive, but I got it when they were offering their 8-color eyeliner palette as a free gift with any purchase (it’s normally around $35, IIRC), so I’d recommend waiting for another promotion like that so you get more bang for your buck. They currently have a promotion where if you buy something online between 9 am - 2 pm PST on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you get a free gift.
I just use the cheap stuff but I love True Match foundation by Loreal it since it came out. It blends so easy.
I have also been using Lash Blast by Cover Girl for years. I like the waterproof.
I am a big fan of Revlon cream blush because it blends in so well. Rosy glow is pretty. I switched from Powder blush once I tried it.
But the mainstay is my cheap Revlon Color stay Lipstick. I have used it for years and if they ever stop making #325 I’m screwed. I have never looked good in light pink lipstick or plain reds. Love the new Color stay Brow enhancer in Blackened Brown. No sharpening and it goes on like a sharpie. The other end is a highlighter for under the brow.
One tip I thought I invented is for putting on liquid eyeliner. I put on a thin line of eye pencil first and then trace over that with the liquid liner. Helps keep things less messy.
Oh, and I swear by bare escuntels (sp?) powder foundation. I found liquid stuff to be so messy and goopy. This is the best.
If you want help with learning more about makeup, I really really recommend going to a MAC store and asking them for help. I never wore makeup at all until I was in my 20s and didn’t know how or what to do. The MAC people showed me a lot and were not at all pressurey about buying stuff.
Plus, going to the MAC store is fun. Sometimes you just want to know what you would look like with bright pink and orange eyeshadow.
I have seen the ads for Bare Essentials. I went out and bought Loreal’s knock off of it. It seemed to accentuate the small lines under my eyes? It had a slight shine to it. It may be to light for my age group? I have trouble with break outs when I use anything made for older skin…
Liquid foundation is messy. I tried the pancake type and had the same problem with it accentuating my problem areas and it made me break out.
My mother (in her 50s) and I both use Bare Escentuals and while it is absolutely the most expensive make-up I’ve ever bought, it’s also the best. My mom feels the same way and hasn’t mentioned any negatives. I wonder if trying that would work better for you than a different brand, if you have the cash to spare. I love how lightweight it is and it evens out my skin without looking TOO makeupy. They also advertise that it’s good for your skin and will make it look nicer, but who knows how true that is.
I agree about trying a different brand. My mother, also in her 50’s, uses Bare Escentuals and loves it too.
I have tried some of the drugstore brands in the interest of saving mone (they’re not really much cheaper, anyway!), but they do tend to settle into fine lines and any dry skin - and they don’t last as long, so you don’t really save money anyway.
The only two I like are Bare Escentuals and Everyday Minerals. I use Everyday Minerals since it comes in a lot more colors, and Bare Escentuals didn’t have a foundation that truly matched my skin-tone.
I think the actual product is worth it. It looks like your skin is even and nice but you don’t see the makeup, which I have had experience with with foundation sometimes. You sort of have that mask feeling/look at times. This–totally different.
In terms of expense it’s $28 for a tin of foundation. You could buy the whole set with foundation and several bronzer/blushers but it’s kind of a rip off. My mom did that and wished she hadn’t. On its own, I don’t think it’s too much more expensive than most other foundations. One liquid foundation I used to buy was about $40, so this is relatively cheap, lasts a while, and is really good.
The set might be worth it if you need the brushes, though. The brushes are good, and I think even if you don’t use half the make-up in the set it might still save money if you’re going to buy them anyway.
I never used the bronzers, but I’m glad I got the brushes, I’ve had them for years.
True. I ended up getting a bunch for free–one tiny one as a free sample that Sephora was giving out along with Bare Escuntel foundation samples, and then my mom gave me a couple of hers that she didn’t use anymore. So I guess I never needed them myself but I could see how people might want them. How much is the whole set, versus just buying a tin of foundation and a brush on your own?
The “starter” kits are about $60, so it depends on how many brushes you think you’d use, but if you get one foundation, and one full-sized brush, that’s nearly $60 right there. They come with three different brushes, so it can be worth it if you’re going to buy more than one brush anyway.
I like the Everyday Minerals brushes just as well though, and they’re only about $10 each, so it really depends on what you actually want.
mine are so fine and thin.
Though the best part? That second picture is from when the color is faded. I lurve my hair stylist and the dye she uses!