Which highlighters and eyeshadow pallets should I use?

[miakiacello]

I’m 14 and I’m just getting into makeup and I’m not sure which products are good or bad

[ChescaCat]

Morphe makes some decent eyeshadows. They are not the most pigmented, but they blend well and are affordable. For the price point it is very hard to go wrong with their eyeshadows. Some of their shimmers are lackluster, but I am the person who loves a bold sparkle so maybe I am not the leading voice for if a shimmer is enough or not. Nyx has some great liquid eyeshadows that pack a pretty good punch sparkle wise. I honestly love their pigment and glitter, and they stay put all day. They are also buildable which is nice as I can go a bit more neutral or bold.

[ibblej]

Hi @miakiacello! Since you're 14, I assume you're on a limited budget, so I'm going to suggest some products to start out that won't break the bank.

As far as highlighters go, the Wet n Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder is $5 per pan, and they're pretty darned good. They're finely milled, and can be sheered out or built up to blinding depending on how you apply it. I find them similar in texture to Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters. They also come in a wide range of basic shades, which can let you figure out which colors suit you without having to waste a bunch of money on trying things out.

As far as eyeshadows go, I'm afraid there's nothing currently in the drugstore price-range that I'd recommend unreservedly-- I think it would be unnecessarily hard to learn how to do your eyeshadow while having to deal with patchy, unpigmented, or hard-to-blend formulas. Also, in my experience, I ended up spending more money in the long term attempting to substitute cheaper eyeshadows I didn't actually like for the products I really wanted.

To start, I think the best combination of affordable and quality shadows you'll find for a comprehensive basic palette is the Lorac Pro 1 or 2 Palette, depending on your color preferences. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is also a nice neutral, if you like smokier leaning looks, but I personally don't find it as versatile. I've heard good things about the Natasha Denona Mini Palettes and they're a great price, but I haven't tried them myself, I'm afraid. (I'd recommend the Urban Decay original Naked Palette as well, but it's no longer available.)

If you really need drugstore-priced recommendations, I have a few, but I'd be writing out another several paragraphs of disclaimers for what you can expect of them, so I'll skip that unless you actually want to hear about it. I'm happy to recommend non-neutral eyeshadow palettes as well, but I don't want to make wild assumptions about your color preferences.

Additionally, keeping an eye on the Sephora sale section, Ulta's various sales, and everyone's various gifts-with-purchase will help you build your collection without costing too much. Personally, somewhere around 90% of my collection from my teen years was obtained at sale prices!

For example, currently in the sale section is the Fenty Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter Palette, which multitasks as both kinds of products you're looking for: It's a highlighter palette, and it's also pigmented enough that I've seen it used as eyeshadows as well. (That isn't to say you have to, or should, buy that particular item, it's just an example of the sort of thing you might want to keep an eye out for.)

Whatever you pick, I hope you have fun building your makeup collection!

FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA - Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter Palette

TOO FACED - The Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette

Natasha Denona Mini Sunset Eyeshadow Palette Mini Sunset Eyeshadow Palette

NATASHA DENONA - Mini Nude Eyeshadow Palette

[HunterKathleen]

Hi! I remember being 14 and starting to play with makeup! (We won't talk about how that was 10 years ago... oof, I feel old.) Luckily for you the products of today are of a lot better quality than when I was a pre-teen/entering my teen years!

If you like experimenting with bold colors I suggest the BH Cosmetics Take Me Back to Brazil palette. It's relatively inexpensive and has a LOAD of wonderful colors for you to try out! I think it's a great palette for a beginner. I believe I paid $20 for it at my Ulta. I'd recommend getting an eyeshadow primer to use with it (Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Originalis a great one) so your colors stand out as boldly as possible, but it isn't necessary.

If you have more of a budget Urban Decay also makes some great eyeshadow palettes. When I was in high school my girl friends always had a Naked palette in their purses; it was a staple! I don't own any Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes myself but I believe they retail in the area of $50. I recently swatched their Born To Run palette the last time I was in an Ulta and it's BEAUTIFUL.

[MadisonKovach]

hello, @miakiacello ! I would definitely recommend Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz for a brow product, Fenty Beauty concealer and foundation, Huda Beauty setting & baking powder, Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara, the Modern Renaissance palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills, any of Too Faced’s liquid lips, and some morphe brushes! other things I would recommend that are not offered on Sephora are Kylie Cosmetics NICE palette, the James Charles X Morphe palette, and the Alien palette by Jeffree Star. some drug store brands I swear by are Wet & Wild, E.L.F, and Miliani! E.L.F has the BEST primers for cheap! not to mention their beauty blenders are way better than the original one sold at Sephora!!! if you need lashes I would definitely recommend the Sephora brand lashes or Lily Lashes, I put the tarte eyelash glue as well. hope this helps ❤️

[Brutalitops]

@miakiacello Totally agree with GG84 that should/shouldn't are totally about your skin type and your preferences/budget! 

SEPHORA COLLECTION - Vivid Earth Eye Paletteis beautiful! My first "prestige" brand eye palette purchase was the Naked3 from Urban Decay, but the drugstore brands have really upped their game since I was in high school and you can find a lot of great stuff at target/ulta these days

[GG84]

Hi @miakiacello there is no such thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ make up! It’s all about personal preference, budget and finding what works for you. 

If you are just starting out, SEPHORA COLLECTION - Illuminate Palette

is a great highlight palette. 

[miakiacello]

Thank you🥰