Starting out, need a kit

[Alexis Flowers]

I want to learn the art of make up from scratch, and for convenience I'm looking to buy a kit that has all the things I need to learn how to turn myself into a girl facially. It would also be helpful if I could get it in the UK, so much easier than having to order from the States.

I've been looking at this, but given my lack of knowledge whatsoever, I don't know if it has all the things I need, and if it doesn't, what else would I need separately?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Urban-Beauty-Travel-Cosmetic-Vanity/dp/B005RF80ZA/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1416345745&sr=1-1&keywords=make+up+kit

Thanks for the advice. =)

[KarynMcD]

For fooling around with and experimenting, that would be fine.
You might also need Foundation though.
I can't really tell. Is there mascara and eyeliner in there? You might want to get some if there isn't.

[spooky]

I started similarly, and though I quickly chucked my beginner kit, I guess I can't really say that getting one is a bad idea.  It will at least give you a chance to play and experiment so that, when you move on, you'll have some idea of what you like.

When you have an idea of what you like, though, I think it's worth it to be more edited with your selection and add more skills, products, and tools slowly.  Trying to learn with poor quality products and tools is also SUPER hard, so yes, play at first, but don't skimp as you advance.

[lilangel]

Hi Alexis! It's cool that you want to learn makeup!! I want to become an actual makeup artist, so aside from obsessively visiting these forums I obsess over makeup products!

First off, I wouldn't get that kit!! Why? Because odds are you won't use all of it! I would also get something a little more well known so you have better reviews to look off of. When I buy products I can go through hundreds of reviews before I make a decision as to whether or not I buy it because I like to see what people with my skin type say about a certain product (not all makeup products look pretty on people with oily or dry skin!) Although it would be nice to have a lot of makeup all at once, you should consider the quality of this makeup at the price. That's fairly cheap for a makeup set, but I would say that makeup has poor quality as well, or has a theater-makeup quality to it, which you want to avoid.

I would start off spending little by little on individual items that you'll absolutely need. I personally like to buy my makeup from higher end brands in Sephora or from designers online (I know that this is not practical for most people), but a good, cheap brand is NYX. I see that you're from the UK and so here is a link for store locations http://www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/store-locator. There are handfuls of wonderful products from drugstores too.

Also, you should look up makeup tutorials on YouTube. I highly recommend these people for starting out:
Wayne Goss
Jaclyn Hill
TheGigiGorgeous (amazing girl, has a lot of helpful videos before she transitioned medically)

Things you should consider buying for starting out:
- liquid foundation and concealer
- eyeliner (preferably gel or liquid, pencils usually don't have good precision)
- mascara
- blush and bronzer
- a good lip gloss or lipstick (you can never go wrong with nude!!)
- a blending sponge for liquid products (i strongly recommend RealTechniques beauty sponge)
- various makeup brushes (elf has some nice ones that are relatively cheap)

Each of the people I mentioned on YouTube have great tutorials for beginners. Wayne Goss also makes a lot of videos talking about his favorite drug store and high end products, specifically the ones I listed above. When you start out with makeup you want subtle makeup that isn't so obvious. It's really easy to start looking clownish when you begin, and working with crazy colors will especially draw attention if you're new at it. This makes us more clockable, unfortunately. You want to have natural makeup that has a soft feminine glow and nothing harsh or RuPaul-ish.


I hope this helped!!