Young and Natural: Shopping For Make-Up

I didn't become interested in make-up until my junior year of high school, and all I wanted was to doll up my eyes. There's nothing special about them; I've just always loved their shape, their dark color and my lashes. I started with using kohl and then experimenting with eye shadows in college. I began going to make-up counters at Macys, MAC and Sephora which I'll admit made me nervous because I've come across people who acted like my skin tone was too difficult to find products for (one of my sisters experiences this sometimes as well, we just have really reddish-brown skin *shrugs*) and I'd run to SP with questions; but eventually I became comfortable asking and found make-up artists who were very helpful. I'm by no means an expert on make-up, but I've been having fun searching for different products I want to use.

I read this article from Coco & Creme "5 Things You Should Know Before You Hit the Make-Up Counter" and I think it's very useful, especially for those who are dabbling with make-up like I still am. I used the suggestions in the article to make my recent purchase. Whenever I'm shopping for something at the make-up counter, I already know what I have in mind because I do a little research beforehand. For instance, when I went to Ulta I knew I wanted to try a powder, with light coverage and for "combination skin" - meaning it can be both oily and dry. I was starting to really notice how shiny my forehead and nose get (or T-Zone) and I had read a pressed powder would help and I also wanted my face to look more even and smooth. So I went to the counter and told the make-up artist about my concerns. The first thing she asked was what kind of skin I had and what kind of coverage I was looking for. We tried two different mineral powders and then I thought about much shinier my face might look in the heat and humidity this summer and since my face is relatively clear, I was interested in trying a matte mineral powder which led to my current purchase. I've been using BareMinerals Matte SPF15 Foundation for two weeks and so far I have no complaints (funny I've always been afraid of using foundation because I expected cakey, gross skin with use, but I stand corrected) Last summer it was all about tinted moisturizer and I think the powder will be a nice change for this one.

These days I'm also experimenting with blush and lip colors. I use a pink blush from ELF purchased last summer, but I'm ready for something more high end - I tend to experiment freely with low end stuff first before I give up my money. I've been eyeing NARS for both lip and cheek:

So here's my intro to some beauty posts. I'll be sharing more of my newbie make-up shopping adventures and reviews soon. Tell me, what are some of your favorite make up brands?