When you have to start from nothing...

[theflake]

Or from a random bag of secretly accumulated drugstore buys... Where do you start? I have two trans friends who are finally starting to use makeup more regularly, but there's a lot of things missing. What do you think are the essentials? (tools, product types, palettes, skincare, etc) What multitasking options are there if you're not used to a long makeup routine? What should they splurge on? Thanks and blessings for all your support!!

[AlphaQueer]

I have some trans femme friends who have been wanting to get into makeup too, but aren't out enough to wear it all day. So I'm planning on getting them the 72 piece Ulta kit and a big set of Ecotool brushes so they can practice! The quality won't be stellar, but it'll let them try out different looks and colors and formulas, without making them feel like they're wasting expensive product. The holidays are the best time to find big starter bundles at really good prices, and I'm excited to help them out!

[ELNene17]

Ok so they are going to need tools. Starting out my weapons of choice were elf drugstore brushes theyre affordable & last forever especially the black handle ones. check out bh cosmetics website for brush sets theyre awesome & pretty. Amazon is good for beauty blender dupes or try real techniques sponge (loves it). Later on a needed splurge is the artis oval 7 brush 💕.

[theflake]

What brush do you think is 'the most important' (lol, right)? I guess they'll be doing a lot of concealing and shading/contouring/face shaping. If they got like, a few nicer brushes... what are the ones you want to splurge on?

[hopkinss33]

Honestly, I think the best splurge would be a really good eye palette....one with a lot of neutrals and a combination of mattes and shimmers that blend well (Tarteist Pro and Sweet Peach are both good choices depending on their skin tones). Also probably a good contour palette (UD Shapeshifter is my favorite). After that, there are some awesome drugstore/less expensive products that are as good, if not better, than some high-end brands. I would definitely suggest Morphe brushes....their quality is awesome and they’re insanely affordable. There is also a monthly subscription through LiveGlam that can help them build their brush collection gradually, and it might be a nice idea for a gift. I’m a big fan of Maybelline for primers and foundations, and Wet n’ Wild is crazy cheap but makes awesome foundation and highlighters.

[theflake]

Thank you so much! I was low key eyeing that sephora holdiay release palette with all the nudes, since it'll be hard to mess up. But I'll probably wanna check the quality first, and maybe add in an eyeshadow primer (or concealer that can do double duty)