First Makeup Kit and advice

Despite it being a loooong time ago, I can remember buying my first makeup... and the next lot and the next lot and pretty much hating it all, I had no idea what to buy, what brands were good/bad etc.  Back then, blogs simply didn't exist, hell, the internet wasn't even used by the public!

My love affair with makeup has really blossomed over the last couple of years and I can't think of a better way to succinctly share with you some products, hints and tips to get you started.

I was having a look through my collection today thinking what would be good picks, if I was buying my first set of makeup, and what (in my opinion) would be the best order to buy it in, looking at how I wear it etc.  So, if you're buying your first makeup kit, whether you're 13 or 30, here's my budget recommendations :)

L-R Revlon Colourstay Foundation £12.49, Maybelline fit me powder £5.99, Maybelline Rocket Volum mascara £7.99

I picked these as my first picks for a few reasons.  Back when I was 13ish, I had terrible skin, so a good foundation would have gone a long way, and this one is buildable too for any blemishes you might have - and with that comes the need for a good powder to help control oil too.  I really like the Maybelline Fit Me powder, but if you're looking for something a bit cheaper, the Rimmel Stay Matte is highly raved about and only £2.99 :)  I picked Maybelline Rocket Volum because in my opinion, it's the best high street mascara as well as an almost exact copy of the Cover Girl lash blast mascara and it's not expensive, so why not get the best for your money straight away?  I also think flawless looking skin and accentuated lashes is a really beautiful look all by itself.

If you wanted to add a concealer if your skin is in need of some extra coverage, I'd really recommend the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer - the stuff is amazing and is only just over £4.

L-R Maybelline Master Drama khol liner £4.49, MUA mosaic blush in English Rose £2.50, MUA gel liner in Fairground £3

The Maybelline master drama khol liner is amazing, it's a really deep dark black and is super soft to apply, probably the softest and blackest one I've ever used.  Next up for blush I picked my MUA blusher in English Rose, this is a really pretty soft shade suitable for a range of skin tones, and it also doubles up really nicely as a highlighter.  Then instead of a liquid liner, I've opted for a gel liner, I picked the MUA gel liner in Fairground as it's a pretty dark charcoal black with a small amount of shimmer in it.  The nice thing about these, they really stay put.  But with that you will need to remove them properly - I'd recommend the Superdrug Naturally Radiant hot cloth cleanser for this.  If you catch it on offer it's £2.99 instead of £5.99 and comes with a muslin cloth.

L-R MUA eyeshadow primer £2.50, Collection Smoky Palette £4.49, MUA Undressed palette £4

You might not need eyeshadow primer to control creasing because of hooded lids, or oily lids, but what primer also does is make colours look a lot more vibrant, and if you can't afford the bloggers staples of the Urban Decay eye shadow primer potion, or the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, or the NARS pro prime eyeshadow base, then this is a good budget alternative.  Next the Collection smoky palette - these are fantastic quality, massively pigmented and it's like a fiver for 9 shadows, one of which is a pink creme shade for highlighting the inner corner of your eye!  Finally, the much raved about MUA Undressed palette.  If this is a bit dark for you, they have also released their Undress Me Too palette which is a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette so much cooler shades if that's what you prefer and also comes in for £4.

 L-R Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick £5.49, Eye Lash curlers £2

Everyone needs a good lipstick, but if you're really young you want to stay away from the brighter shades like reds and hot pinks for a couple/few years.  But if you want to start wearing lipstick, this is a great quality, a great price and a good colour (see pic below for the colour!).  If you don't want to spend £5 on a lipstick, have a look at MUA's lipsticks, they're only £1 each and they're for the most part, really good quality with a good range of shades.

It's up to you if you want to use eyelash curlers, I bought these a couple of years ago and didn't really use them for about a year because I didn't think I could see any difference.  Now, I definitely can!  I bought these ones from Boots for about £2, they were really cheap and they do the trick, they're pretty self explanatory :)

This probably isn't the best picture of this shade as it looks quite dark here!  But hopefully seeing the swatch of it you can see it's a fairly light blush pink colour - it's in shade 08.

Optional Extras - you'll probably need a blusher brush and maybe a couple of makeup brushes, personally I really like the model's own kit you can get in boots for £10, it has a great blusher brush as well as 4 other good brushes including a lip brush, shadow brush etc.  If you can't afford real techniques or eco tools - these will be a great starter set :)

Tips - there's a few important things to bear in mind when you buy and wear makeup.  So here's a few of these things for you to remember :)

• If you have a mascara that you've been using for over 3 months, bin it!
• Eye pencils you can use for up to 2 years
• All powder products (eye shadows, blusher etc) are good for 2 years (creme 1 year)
• Foundation you should throw out after about 18 months

And a few skincare tips

• ALWAYS remove your makeup before you go to bed (and if you do that using a makeup remover wipe, wash your face afterwards too!)
• You're never too young to start using moisturiser and keeping your skin hydrated
• Using a lip scrub and applying lip balm before bed will keep your lips soft
• Try to clean any makeup brushes/sponges once a week (at minimum monthly)

So there you have it, a selection of 'budget' picks to get you started on your first makeup kit and some tips to stand you in good stead for your makeup life :)

This months big pixi3 advertisers are the lovely Laura from A Scottish Lass, Tasha from Belleza Kisses, Gem from Miss Makeup Magpie, Luchessa from Luchessa, Sally from The Human Mannequin - be sure to head over to check out their beautiful blogs <3