An Essential Makeup Collection | Beginners Guide

Tuesday, January 20, 2015



I remember when I was first discovering makeup tutorials, I felt so overwhelmed by the amount of different products featured and recommended! I always wanted to stumble across a blog post like this to simplify what products were and were not necessary to pay out for. 
Trust me you don't need to own draws full of makeup to achieve a variety of professional looks. So here I've complied a list of products I believe are the key essentials, I've also included some tried and tested drugstore alternatives if you're on a budget. 


The holy grail of all eyeshadow palettes. Whether you want a subtle smokey eye or a shimmery New Years Eve look you can achieve both and the in between. I use the shade Buck to fill and shape my brows too. If you're on a budget I'd recommend MUA's Undressed Palette.

A continuous award winner which suits a range of different skin tones. A shimmery golden pink which many bloggers highly rate. Try Sleek's Rose Gold blush for a fraction of the price but an identical finish.

A pencil eyeliner is a far nicer application for the inner eye than gel or liquid liner. It can work as a substitute for black eyeshadow too as it's easy to smudge.

For your skin blemishes it's much better to use a correcting concealer prior to or after foundation, for a cheaper option try Sleek's Corrector & Concealer Kit.

To achieve that Kim Kardashian highlighted look a creamy bright concealer is a must. Apply this under the eye, along the bridge of the nose, and anywhere else you want to bring forward and highlight. Also try Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer, it's a great dupe for the NARS Creamy Concealer.

Some bronzers are shimmered and others are matte, if you would like to use your bronzer for contouring you'll need to invest in a brown matte shade. Be careful not to buy an orange toned bronzer, remember the idea is to draw attention away from the area you're contouring. Also try Sleek's Contour Palette.

This is a beautiful highlighter, a champagne pink which is highly pigmented. Apply on the top of the cheekbones and under the outer part of the eyebrow. Try MUA's Undressed Highlighter.

One of the key assets to your kit, a few coats of mascara will completely transform your look. I don't really bother buying high end mascaras, I find that drugstore brands do a great job at lengthening and thickening my lashes. 

This liner comes with a small brush for application, some girls prefer liquid to gel and vice versa. I included both depending on your preference. 

As above.

Your foundation is key to achieving a flawless base. Foundation is a very personal preference as we all have different skin types and tones. I love NARS and MAC - I've previously suffered from acne so a medium to high coverage foundation would be my choice. Also try Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation if you're after a drugstore alternative.

I chose not to include lipsticks because of the variety of colours involved, however Topshop, MAC and Loreal do the best in my opinion. Of course you can extend your makeup collection even further by including lip liners, and false eyelashes xo


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