Makeup Basics Intro: Products & what to do with them

Ok folks, I’ve had this idea kicking around in my head for a little while. I participate in a couple of makeup & beauty-related forums, and at least once a day someone posts some variation of “I don’t know how this makeup thing works and I’m paralyzed by all the choices and what does this stuff even do and also please tell me what to buy.” I would have thought this topic had been covered ad nauseum, and it probably has. A quick google tells me, though, that it’s not actually easy to find a complete noob’s guide all in one place.

I will undertake this task.

One thing I won’t do is tell you what to buy. Clearly everyone is different and likes different things, otherwise we’d be living in some sort of sci-fi dystopia where there’s only one brand of makeup and everyone looks the same. Also, I haven’t tried every single kind of makeup out there (yet) so my opinion on some stuff would be completely worthless. I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m operating on theoretical knowledge only. I will mention my personal favorites for each type of product though.

This is the part where I’ll list the topics you can expect to see. When I actually write about them, the words will magically turn into links. Just so you know, it could be a lengthy process – there’s a lot of stuff. Feel free to follow the blog so you get email updates when I make a new post; no need to wear out your F5 key. Without further ado, here’s the topic list-

• Foundation
• Primer
• Concealer
• Eye Primer & Eyeshadow
• Mascara
• Eyeliner
• Brows
• Blush
• Bronzer/Contouring
• Highlighter
• Powder
• Lip Color

And that wraps up the main product categories. Let me know in the comments if I’ve completely left out something vital, or if you still have questions. Next up is a series on brushes – which brush goes with which task, the difference in materials, and how to take care of them. It’ll be in the guides menu at the top of the page.