Beginner looking for major help

[Nikkineedhelp]

Hello! I’m very very new to the whole makeup world and want to start getting Into it but I don’t really know where to start. I know that first you kind of need to have good skincare so that’s on my list of help as well lol. I struggle with very oily skin and large pores. Is there any advice you might be able to give me or product recommendations? Anything would be amazing! THANK YOU!

[RAWRitsRED]

Hi @Nikkineedhelp!

Makeup is one of my favorite ways of expressing myself!  So excited that you're starting!

Skincare is the first and most important step!  I have oily, acne prone skin with large pores too!  My routine in the morning is Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser 8 oz/ 237 mL, Youth To The People Superfood Firm and Brighten Vitamin C Serum and the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid.  I use a cold jade roller to really allow the products to penetrate into my skin.

You can take this quiz here to help you find the best skincare products for you:

https://www.sephora.com/beauty/skin-care-quiz?icid2=meganav_howtos_skincare_finder_med_050118_image

For a more natural base, you can use tinted moisturizer, BB or CC cream.  Or, you can use a light/natural coverage foundation.  Using sunscreen with UV protection is a must!!!!  I like Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector Broad Spectrum Face Sunscreen SPF 42 1 oz/ 30 mL or the Kose Suncut Sunscreen.  Make sure your sunscreen has UV protection since UV rays are the most harmful to your skin.  Sunscreen without UV protection is pretty much useless.  Foundations with SPF do not work!  Recent studies have found that you need 15 pumps of it on your face for it to actually be effective.

To prevent clogging pores or if you want a more even texture, use a primer.  The order would be your skincare routine, sunscreen, primer, and then whatever your chosen foundation or BB/CC cream is.  I love the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Standard Size - 1 oz/ 30 mL since it covers most of my pores and keeps my skin less oily and prevents foundation from oxidizing too much.

Since I have acne and oily skin, I use a medium but buildable coverage or full coverage matte foundation.  I use a beauty blender for the most part.

For concealer, there are 2 ways to use it: covering blemishes like acne and dark spots, or brightening parts of your face like under your eyes.

If you want to cover blemishes, choose a color as close to your foundation as you can.  That will help the concealer blend in with the foundation.

For brightening, choose one that is 2 shades lighter than your foundation.  With brightening concealer, the undertone color doesn't really matter.  My foundation is for warm undertones but I use a concealer with cool undertones.

For eyes: waterproof mascara is best, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, neutral eyeshadows like NATASHA DENONA - Bronze Eyeshadow Palette are a great starter palette and is more forgiving when first starting out.

Getting a good brush set makes a huge difference!  This is my favorite Sephora starter brush set SEPHORA COLLECTION - Ready To Roll Brush Set (face and eyes).  The bristles are nice and soft.  Hold the brush at the end instead of close to the brush head so you aren't adding unnecessary pressure to your eyelids.  Too much pressure will cause wrinkles.  It also gives you more control when holding the brush at the end.

My favorite palettes are SEPHORA COLLECTION MOSCHINO + SEPHORA Laptop Palette  , Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes Eyeshadow Palette – Peaches and Cream Collection  , and HUDA BEAUTY The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette.

My favorite lash products are Sephora Collection Luxe false lashes used with the SEPHORA COLLECTION House of Lashes® Eyelashes Adhesive (super glue for falsies).  Falsies will add an amazing and dramatic look to your eyeshadow that mascara can't compete with.

For brows, the shape is everything!  My eyebrows definitely make or break my look.  I like to get them threaded but I shape them myself, too.  Use the Golden Ratio to shape your brows.

If you're lucky enough to have full brows, you can get away with Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Tinted Volumizing Eyebrow Gel 4 or Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz® Ultra-Slim Precision Eyebrow Pencil Taupe.

If you have sparse brows like me or want that Instagram brow, Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Waterproof, Smudge Proof Brow Pomade Dark Brown is great.  I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Firm Angled Eyebrow Brush #12 with the dip brow to create a microblade effect.

If you're shaping your brows yourself, use the Golden Ratio to draw out your brows as perfectly as you can and fill them in, fixing mistakes using concealer and a flat concealer brush.  Then, clean up your brows by plucking, shaving, and trimming, making sure to only pluck hairs outside your drawn brows.  That way, you aren't over plucking.

If you want a natural lip color, choose a color close to your nipple color (weird, I know).  You can use a lip scrub to exfoliate and soften lips.  I like to moisturize with Vaseline and found it the most effective compared to any expensive Sephora products (and cheap!).  You can use lip liner to shape your lips, lipstick, and liquid lipstick in that order for a glam look.

You can use contour to slim down your face and nose.  For oily skin, I recommend powder contour like Kat Von D Shade+Light or the Too Faced Chocolate Bronzers.  I found that stick and cream contours are too heavy and melt off my oily face.

You can use blush to give your cheeks a healthy color.  I personally don't use blush since it makes my already round face look fat.

Highlighter is used on the highest points of your face to accentuate them.  I use BECCA Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector® Pressed Highlighter Mini Champagne Pop.  I use highlighter on cheek bones, tip of my nose, bridge of my nose (I have a small nose), brow bone, and top of my lip.  Other parts you can highlight are forehead and chin but I don't since it makes my skin look even oilier.

These are just some of the basic tips.  I encourage you to experiment and find what works for you!  Have fun!

[hmorrow85]

Some key ingredients to look for for oily skin and large pores are salicylic acid (BHA) and niacinamide. Salicylic acid helps clean out pores, which can minimize the appearance of pores, while niacinamide can also minimize pore appearance. Both can also help control oil. Paula’s Choice has a highly reviewed 2% liquid BHA exfoliant and a niacinamide booster in both 10% and 20% concentrations. Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner is also highly rated, and both The INKEY List and The Ordinary have highly rated salicylic acid and niacinamide products if you are looking for more affordable alternatives. You’ll also want a gentle cleanser and a lightweight moisturizer, and don’t forget SPF (I personally prefer a moisturizer with SPF so I can cut down my steps). I would recommend avoiding products with alcohol (usually labeled denat alcohol or SD alcohol) higher in their ingredients list or with sulfates as these ingredients can be harsh and cause your skin to produce more oil over time. Good luck on your skincare/makeup journey!