There may be affiliate links in this mail service. If you purchase through these links we may brand a small committee at no cost to you. Please run across our disclaimer, terms and privacy for more data.

If you've never used makeup earlier, it tin be quite intimidating to start. There are many different makeup products, colors, shades, tools, brushes, and techniques. You lot might watch a makeup 101 YouTube video "tutorial" where the dazzler guru has a glitter cut crease done in 2 seconds, while you're still wondering what castor to use commencement.

This is normal. Information technology's totally okay to not know where to get-go! There are a LOT of things you can learn about makeup, but it's very normal to be overwhelmed when you're beginning.

Makeup Glossary

Here are my all-time suggestions! If you want to larn about makeup 101 for beginners and where to start, keep reading.

Why do yous want to wear makeup?

The reason you desire to wear makeup could determine the blazon of products you should use – and could exist completely opposite of what someone else needs.

For example, phase or dance makeup is very different than natural "no-makeup" makeup. These two makeup styles will crave very different makeup products to achieve two singled-out looks.

If you desire to offset learning makeup to be creative, do intricate eyeshadow looks, have bold colors, for total coverage, or for stage makeup, check out these articles after y'all finish reading this ane:

  • 7 Tips for a Perfect Cut Crease
  • $100 Full Face up of (Practiced!) Makeup
  • Best False Eyelashes for Beginners
  • Most Blinding Highlighters

Not prepare for more intense makeup quite yet? That is OKAY!

Most people want to larn the nuts of makeup awarding before jumping into more than "intense" makeup styles. It's totally normal if you only want to acquire a few unproblematic makeup styles to clothing to school, piece of work, or special occasions!

Makeup 101, makeup for beginners. The beginner's guide to get started with makeup!

Understanding your peel type and care

The kickoff step in our mini makeup 101 grade is understanding your pare.

Skin Types

Before you even purchase any makeup products, you should understand your skin blazon.

There are a few main pare types: Dry, oily, normal (neither dry nor oily), and combination (which is a combination of two of the other types, ofttimes meaning you have oily and dry patches on your skin simultaneously).

Your skin type can change over fourth dimension, depending on your age, location or climate, and the time of the year. In the wintertime, most people tend to be more dry than they are in the summer. Likewise, hot summer temperatures often cause your peel to become more oily.

Your peel type is of import to understand considering different makeup products are formulated for different skin types. For example, mattifying products are great for oily skin, and hydrating or dewy products are great for dry skin.

Knowing your skin blazon volition help yous cull makeup products that volition piece of work best for your private needs.

Skincare

It is equally essential to understand the importance of skincare.

Knowing how to properly cleanse your skin and remove your makeup is a key factor and something you must learn. Why? Sleeping with makeup on or wearing makeup for multiple days is very bad for your skin!

Any fourth dimension you wearable makeup, you lot should have information technology at the end of the 24-hour interval. You should come up with a proficient two step cleansing routine to ensure you get all the makeup off your skin, every single twenty-four hours. Aye, every twenty-four hour period. I recommend using an oil based cleanser, then a water based cleanser. An oil based cleanser will remove makeup effectively, and oil cleansing is very hydrating for your skin. The second cleanser will remove any traces of oil left past the first cleanser.

Exfoliating your pare is too important. The procedure of exfoliating (both chemically and physically) removes dead skin cells that are on the summit layer of your skin. If you put makeup on superlative of the dead skin cells, it volition look super patchy, flaky, and overall bad.

Chemical exfoliating tends to be more than gentle on your skin and is recommended by many professionals. If yous must utilize a concrete exfoliant, avert rough ones such every bit apricot or walnut scrubs which cause micro tears in your skin. Instead, opt for a more gentle saccharide scrub. It's recommended that you lot exfoliate your skin 1-3 times a week, but the frequency of exfoliation volition depend on your pare'due south sensitivity, the products you use, and how gentle you are.

My two favorite affordable chemical exfoliating products:

The Basic Makeup 101 Products

Yous can alter this shopping list based on your own comfort level and upkeep. These are my bones product recommendations, which does NOT include every type of makeup product – but this list makes a perfect first "kit" of makeup.

Foundation or BB Foam

Foundation can be liquid, cream, or pulverisation. Information technology covers the entire confront to even out your skin tone and cover imperfections.

If y'all're only getting into makeup foundation might feel very intimidating, and that is normal. It can be hard to find your foundation shade (though it volition help if yous read my guide on how to do that). Furthermore, y'all have to get used to wearing a layer of product on your entire face – if yous touch your face a lot through the 24-hour interval, you'll rub it off.

After y'all get the hang of it, foundation is super easy. At that place are many dissimilar levels of coverage, and so you tin become a foundation that is sheer or fully covers your skin. Foundations come in unlike finishes, allowing you to choose a matte or a dewy stop. There are so many foundations out in that location that you lot tin can choose ane that is perfect for your private needs.

If you're looking for a foundation, I advise checking out one of these:

BB Creams are PERFECT for beginners (or for me when I'm lazy, simply want sheer coverage, or when it'due south super hot outside)!

Using a BB Cream or tinted moisturizer will give you a slight layer of coverage on your skin, without feeling heavy. You typically utilise these products like you would a lotion, using your fingers.

Since BB Creams are sheer, it doesn't thing quite every bit much if the shade perfectly matches yous – this gives you a fiddling wiggle room guessing your shade when ordering online.

My absolute favorite BB cream is this one, but hither are a few more than options as well:

Of grade, if you lot take great skin (or simply don't intendance and don't want to wear foundation or bb foam) yous do NOT have to wearable a foundation. I go foundation complimentary frequently, using concealer to spot-correct any discoloration and blemishes, but not wearing a product over my entire face.

Related articles about foundation:

  • Ultimate Guide to Foundation
  • How to Choose the Correct Foundation Shade
  • xiii Foundation Mistakes You're Making (and how to fix them!)
  • What is Tinted Moisturizer?

Concealer

Concealer, also known equally cover up, is used to conceal parts of your skin.

Information technology masks things yous are trying to hide, similar night circles, blemishes, and secrets. Okay, possibly not secrets.

I use concealer under my eyes to correct the purple-tinted discoloration from sleepless nights. I also use concealer when I break out to cover stubborn acne marks and hyperpigmentation.

Even if you lot don't desire to employ concealer a lot, I propose getting one to take when you wake up with an unwelcome company (aka pimple) on your face.

When I am wearing light makeup, I volition skip foundation and But vesture a little chip of concealer. It's super versatile and easy to travel with.

Here are my favorites and recommendations for beginners:

Concealer hack: Apply concealer to prep your eyelids for eyeshadow! Concealer is a great alternative to a carve up eye primer.

Related articles nearly concealer:

  • Ultimate Guide to Concealer
  • 13 All-time Concealer Tips for Beginners

Powder

Powder is very helpful product that is used to set your makeup in place so it doesn't slide effectually or clothing off speedily.

When you employ a liquid or foam product like foundation or concealer, it can await shiny on your face and motility effectually considering it is flossy. This is amplified when you have oily skin, because your skin's natural oils will crusade more than shine and sideslip.

Dusting a calorie-free layer of pressed powder or loose pulverization on top of your foundation and/or concealer will set it in place and assistance it concluding much longer.

If you have oily skin, y'all might fifty-fifty want to bear on upward throughout the mean solar day past adding a little more than powder in your T-zone (across the forehead and down the center of the face) or wherever y'all tend to be more oily.

Nevertheless, if you have dry out skin, pulverisation might emphasize your dryness in a negative and noticeable style.

Instead of using powder over your entire face, you can try setting only your T-zone. If pulverisation makes your skin await dry no matter what, yous can skip it entirely – only your makeup might not final equally long.

Personally, I don't use powder very oftentimes because I prefer a dewy look to my peel.

Tip: If your peel looks dry and powdery after applying powder, spray your confront with a little setting spray and gently printing it in with a damp makeup sponge to lock the pulverisation into your skin.

Here are a few great powders to try:

Related articles about powder:

  • Ultimate Guide to Setting Powder

Blush

Blush, blusher, rouge – whatever you call information technology, it's pretty.

There was a phase where everyone seemed to recall that chroma was only for sometime ladies. This isn't true! Everyone can wear blush, and a lot more people would love blush if they gave information technology a shot.

Practise you know how you lot wait healthy and happy when you've spent a summery solar day outside and got a little scrap of color flushed on your cheeks? Blush can exercise that for you, every mean solar day.

Taking a fluffy brush with a pocket-size amount of blush and sweeping it from the apples of your cheeks to your temples, and fifty-fifty beyond the tip of your nose, is an piece of cake and quick way to add together some color to your skin. It makes you expect happy, vibrant, salubrious, and glowing!

These are awesome blushes that I honey:

Related articles about blush:

  • Ultimate Guide to Chroma
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills Blush Trio review

Makeup 101, makeup for beginners. The beginner's guide to get started with makeup!

Small Neutral Eyeshadow

You lot don't have to habiliment eyeshadow every solar day, only it'due south probable that you would use a small-scale neutral eyeshadow palette a few times a year, right?

Eyeshadow palettes are a great way to get a few crawly quality eyeshadows for a dandy price – if y'all brand certain you purchase quality products.

Grabbing an eyeshadow palette with a couple shades of brown and a champagne or gold shimmer is truly all you need to glam up your wait, particularly when you lot don't normally wear any eyeshadow.

Colourpop eyeshadows are truly some of my favorite eyeshadow palettes, especially for beginners considering they are then affordable!

If you lot want, you tin likewise lucifer your desired eyeshadow to compliment the color of your optics. I recommend checking out my article about the best eyeshadow palettes for beginners for a more than in depth await at what makes an eyeshadow palette great.

Kailey's picks:

Related articles almost eyeshadow:

  • Ultimate Guide to Eyeshadow
  • All-time Eyeshadow Palettes for Beginners
  • Best Eyeshadow For Every Eye Color
  • seven Tips to become a perfect cut crease

Mascara

If y'all only want to use a single makeup product to transform your look, choose mascara.

Mascara is a dark dark-brown or black liquid applied to the eyelashes. The mascara coats lashes, making them appear darker and bolder. Different mascara formulas have different goals, such as making your eyelashes appear longer, curled, or more voluminous.

You can go to the drugstore, grocery store, or look online and be overwhelmed with the endless unlike mascara options in front of you. There are at least 50 different mascaras in my local Walmart solitary!

These are my summit two mascara recommendations for beginners:

If you want to learn more most why I recommend these detail mascaras, I take an unabridged post near the best drugstore mascaras for beginners! They are both affordable, accessible, and piece of work for a lot of people.

Related manufactures most mascara:

  • Ultimate Guide to Mascara
  • Best drugstore mascaras for beginners

Brow Production of Option

If you've never done your eyebrows before (shaped them, filled them in, etc) you probably recall you lot don't desire to.

Until you do it. Then y'all always have to "have your brows on" like me, haha!

Brows are super important. They truly frame the face more whatsoever other feature, and the appearance of your eyebrows volition transform the rest of your confront and makeup.

I have a lot of data almost brows, including shaping, products, and more than in this post: The Ultimate Guide to Brows.

For beginners, I definitely recommend brow gel every bit the easiest production to try. Using tinted brow gel will keep your eyebrow hairs in place, add a bit of volume, and add together colour which will make them seem more than total and groomed. Brow gel is applied with a tiny applicator that looks like a miniature mascara wand. It's pretty fool proof, and whatsoever production you accidentally get on your skin tin be easily wiped away.

If you have sparse patches in your brows that y'all want to make full in, a brow pencil or powder is the answer for you. Use a light hand and a shade lighter than you think you lot demand – your brows will be more shaped, symmetrical, and look the fashion y'all want them to look.

Some people love using a brow pomade (a gel-type formula you apply with a brush), just in my opinion it's a lot harder to get the hang of using a pomade. Because of this, I recommend starting with a pencil or pulverization before trying out a pomade.

Here are some of my favorite affordable brow products:

Lip Products

Lipstick is the nearly popular lip production, but at that place are many types of makeup items you can employ to your lips. Here are the main ones:

Lipliner: Used to line the outer perimeter of your lips and as a base for other products, merely tin also be worn alone. Helps preclude lip products practical on meridian of liner from smudging and feathering. Comes in a pencil form and typically lasts much longer than lipstick, making an awesome base of operations for your lip products.

Bullet lipstick: The classic, twist-upwards lipstick in a tube. Ofttimes a satin terminate, merely available in more sleeky or matte varieties. Transfers onto other objects (straws, glasses, people) when your lips touch on them.

Liquid lipstick: Practical with a doe foot applicator every bit a liquid that dries downwardly on your lips. Longer-lasting than a traditional bullet lipstick. Usually matte, and transfer-proof (or at least somewhat-transfer-proof). Can be drying on your lips.

Lip gloss: Shiny, glossy, and sometimes gluey. Lip gloss tin be clear or tinted, with or without glitter. Typically more hydrating on your lips.

There are so many colors and types of lipsticks out in that location; your favorite will depend a lot on your personal preference.

Awesome products to go you started:

The Bones Makeup 101 Tools

There are and so many makeup brushes and sponges out at that place, merely you really only demand a few to start!

Makeup Sponges

For foundation and concealer, makeup sponges are the best way to alloy information technology out apace and effortlessly. You can use a brush for these products, only I find sponges to be easier to chief.

Crawly sponge recommendations:

Related manufactures near makeup sponges:

  • How to employ a makeup sponge
  • 10 Reasons why you should apply a makeup sponge
  • How to clean a makeup sponge

Makeup Brushes

Brushes are where yous tin can easily become carried away and buy mode more than than you need.

Truly, you lot could selection out a few individual brushes designed for the few products you have. This is a nifty style to go if you know what shape brushes you like.

However, brush sets tend to be more toll effective than individual brushes – particularly when yous have none to begin with.

Just there are so many sets – what should y'all look for?

Because you accept an eyeshadow palette and a few powder products (blush, powder, brow powder) to apply, you will desire a variety of confront brushes and small eyeshadow brushes. Find a set that includes both and you'll exist fix.

I personally really like BH Cosmetics brush sets, as well every bit elf cosmetics and moisture due north wild brushes. Here are my recommendations for beginners:

This prepare has everything you demand for the products in this post, plus some extras (like the eyeliner brush!) for branching out in the hereafter. They are very soft and expert quality, besides!

Here's another option: a small eye brush set, and a small confront brush set. Bonus! The face set comes with ane of the sponges listed in a higher place.

If you don't want to buy a whole brush set, I understand that as well. Check out these private brushes; they should cover the few powder items listed in this post.

Elf cosmetics and wet n wild have some of the cheapest (yet nonetheless good quality) makeup brushes on the market.

Related manufactures well-nigh makeup brushes:

  • Ultimate Makeup Brush Guide for Beginners
  • All-time Rated Makeup Brushes on Amazon
  • How to Wash Makeup Brushes with Dish Soap

Of import Tips and Things to Learn

I think nosotros can all agree that this makeup 101 post is getting long enough! Hither are some other awesome posts I've written that beginners should read:

  • The Correct Gild to Use Makeup – this postal service walks you through the orders in which you can utilise makeup products.
  • Cheapest Total Face of Makeup (only $55!) – this mail service has more suggestions for all the products above, every bit absolutely cheap as you lot tin can get!
  • $100 Full Face of (GOOD!) Makeup – this post has slightly better suggestions than the one higher up. If you lot have a bit more money to spend, I suggest going for these ones for sure!
  • Ultimate Sanitization Guide – makeup can get really dirty! It'southward important to disinfect it every now and again.
  • Makeup Expiration Chart and Tracker – unfortunately, makeup expires. This will help you keep track of when you bought your makeup and when it will need to exist replaced.
  • Cheque out the makeup glossary – definitions for all the dazzler things you didn't even know existed.

If y'all want or need help choosing any makeup product, reach out to Kailey.

Yes, seriously.

I run this blog and I love helping people! Why else would I have written a 3,000 discussion mail service well-nigh where to start with makeup?

Ways to ask me questions:

  • DM on Instagram
  • DM on Facebook
  • Email at kailey@beautybrainsblush.com
  • Comment below!

I hope you lot found this makeup 101 guide helpful! If you accept any questions or comments, get in bear upon with me and get out a note in the comments.

Makeup 101, makeup for beginners. The beginner's guide to get started with makeup!

What did you learn from this article?

xoxo, Kailey