How to Start a Makeup Collection

Co-authored by Janet Miranda

Last Updated: December 23, 2021 Approved

Are you ready to start experimenting with your look, but you don't know which makeup products are essential to a collection? Learn how to shop for your basic makeup needs, plus some fun extras that can enhance your collection.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Buying Basic Makeup

1
Choose a foundation that matches your skin tone.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist
Expert Interview. 11 February 2021.} Most brands will sell foundation in light, medium, and dark shades. Some companies also sell foundation based on skin undertone: warm, neutral, and cool. These will match your skin color even better; wearing the wrong undertone can make your face look "off." You can purchase foundation in cream, liquid, or powder form.
- Cream foundation will give you the most coverage and is best for normal or dry skin types.
- Liquid foundation can give you light to medium coverage. It is great for all skin types and easy to apply.
- Powder will give you the least coverage. It is not recommended for those with dry skin, but it is great for those with oily skin.
- Consider investing in a couple different foundations: powder foundation to use on days when you want light coverage, and liquid or cream foundation to use when you want more coverage.
2
Purchase blush to bring color to your cheeks. Most foundations will even out your skin tone and conceal any redness, but can make your face look plain and one-dimensional. Bring a little life back into your face with some blush. It comes in either powder or cream form.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist
Expert Interview. 11 February 2021.} Here are some tips on choosing blush color:^{[3]
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Research source}
- If you have fair skin, go for rosy pinks. Some peaches may look good on you too.
- If you have medium skin, go for pinks and peaches. A slight mauve tint will look great on cool skin undertones.
- If you have dark skin, try berries, corals, oranges, and rich bronzes.
- Try getting a lighter shade for daily wear, and a darker shade for evening wear.
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3
Find an eye shadow that works with your eye color. Eye shadow can make your eyes appear larger and brighter. Consider buying two or three different sets of eye shadow. That way, you can wear different colors with different outfits. Be sure to have a lighter set for daily wear, and a darker or brighter set for nights out. Here are some shades for you to try:^{[4]
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- If you have brown eyes, you can wear almost any shade, including: aqua, bronze/copper/gold, browns, blues, greens, purples, and silver.
- If you have hazel eyes, stick with: brown, bronze/gold, green, and purple. Avoid blue.
- If you have blue eyes, go for warm colors, such as: dark brown, gold, and orange. You can also wear cool colors, such as blues, silver, purple, and pale pink.
- If you have green eyes, try: beige and tans, bronze/copper/gold, browns, purples and peaches, and green.
4
Add black and brown eyeliner to your collection. Black eyeliner is classic, but brown eyeliner makes a great addition to any kit; it is subtle and great for natural, daytime looks. You can buy eyeliner in liquid and pencil form; it is entirely up to you. Pencil eyeliner is the easiest to apply, but you may find that you like the look of liquid better.
- Try brown eyeliner pencil for a natural look, and a black, liquid eyeliner for a dramatic evening look.
5
Enhance your lashes with mascara. Like eyeliner, black is the most classic. Brown will give you a more subtle look, especially if you have light-colored hair. Look for mascaras that add volume, lengthen your lashes or both!
6
Find the right lipstick and lip liner. Consider getting a dark shade to wear on those special nights out, and a lighter/natural shade to wear during the daytime. Be sure to match your lipstick and lip liner shades.
7
Get some concealer for hiding blemishes. If you suffer from pimples, want to cover dark circles, or hide a mole, concealer can be a life saver. You can purchase them in liquid, cream, or stick form.

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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Buying Other Essentials

1
Get some makeup remover. If you plan on wearing your makeup on a daily basis, you will want a good quality makeup remover. You will need a basic remover for your face, and a gentler remover for eye makeup.
2
Purchase toner and moisturizer. The toner will help make the pores appear smaller, and the moisturizer will hydrate your skin. Moisturizer is especially important for those with dry skin, which can look flaky under foundation.
3
Invest in quality makeup brushes. You will need a small assortment of brushes to apply your eye shadow and powder. You can buy the brushes individually, or you can buy them as a set.
- Lipstick can be applied straight out of the tube, or it can be applied with a lipstick brush.
- Eye shadow will require several brushes: a fluffy brush, a crease brush, and a blending brush.
- Powder brushes are great for applying setting powder, powder foundation, and blush.
- Foundation brushes may be used to apply liquid foundation. You can also apply liquid foundation and cream foundation using makeup sponges.
4
Consider buying a makeup case or bag. This will help keep your makeup clean and organized. It will also allow you to bring your makeup with you if you are going on a trip, or need to apply it on the run.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Buying the Extras

1
Consider face primer to make your foundation last longer. While not necessary, face primer can help your foundation appear smoother by filling in all those tiny pores and imperfections. You can get primers with different finishes, including matte.
2
Give your lashes a curl with an eyelash curler. These are especially useful for those with straight lashes. Curling your eyelashes may make an even more dramatic difference than using mascara.
3
Get fuller lashes with false lashes. Make sure to buy some eyelash glue as well. False lashes are great for those special nights out, and will lend you a more glamorous look. Keep in mind that most false lashes can only be worn a few times before having to be replaced.
4
Try an eyebrow kit for fuller, more dramatic brows. They usually include a brush, powder, and a cream or gel. You can use this kit to tame and groom your eyebrows, and to fill them in.
5
Purchase tinted moisturizer for the days you don't feel like going full-out. Moisturizer is an important part of skincare and should be used every day. There may be days, however, where you don't want to put on a lot of makeup. Tinted moisturizer is a great option for those days. It will give you enough coverage to even out your skin, but it will also be light enough to leave your face feeling makeup-free. Best of all, it will leave your face feeling hydrated and replenished.
6
Give your lips some sparkle with lip gloss. You can use lip gloss directly on top of your lip stick, or you can use it alone for days when you don't feel like wearing much. Lip gloss does not have to be matched to lipstick, since it is translucent. Try getting a few different colors; most lip glosses also come in different flavors.
7
Buy some setting powder or setting spray. While not absolutely necessary, setting powder an setting spray can help your makeup last longer, especially on a hot day.
8
Look for free samples. This will help you decide which brands you do and don't like. Look online or ask at a department store for any free samples you can try. Be sure to keep a list so that you will remember what to buy next time (and avoid buying).
9
Buy some nail polish. Nail polish always is some bling for your nails. If you don't want to buy a large collection of nail polish, use beige or nude colored polish and clear, but don't forget nail polish remover! If you're on a budget, try to buy used bottles.

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Community Q&A

Question

What are the essentials for a beginner makeup collection?

Janet Miranda
Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist
Janet Miranda is a Professional Hair Stylist, Makeup Artist, and the Founder of Be.NYLA. With over 15 years of experience, Janet specializes in makeup and hair for advertising, commercial, editorial, runway, special events, television, and videos. She was trained at Vidal Sassoon Academy and with top hair and makeup artists including MAC Cosmetics and Redken. Janet has worked five seasons of New York Fashion Week and one season on Project Runway. She continues to add brands to her growing client list including Armani Exchange, Neutrogena, and Pantene. Janet’s work has been featured on CBS, Brides Magazine, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Ireland Image Brides Magazine, and Elle Japan.

Janet Miranda

Professional Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

I would recommend getting an eyeshadow palette, a good foundation, some lipstick or lip gloss, and a cream or powder blush.
Question

What color blush is best for pale skin?

Luxuryx

Community Answer

Light pinks and coral compliment pale skin.
Question

What are some good and affordable drugstore makeup brands?

Community Answer

Hard Candy, Maybelline, Revlon, NYC, E.L.F., and Covergirl are all good, affordable choices. E.L.F. is very affordable, so it's an especially good choice if you are building a collection.
Question

What are good pale foundations, and nice eyeshadow palettes?

Community Answer

If you are planning on starting your collection with more inexpensive products, you can get the Milani 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer in the shade Creamy Vanilla, which sells for $6.99. Or you can go to a makeup counter and have them find your shade. Some nice eyeshadow palettes that I reccommend are the Maybelline 24k Nudes Eyeshadow Palette and the Too Faced White Chocolate Chip Palette.
Question

What eye shadow colors can I wear if one of my eyes is hazel and the other one is brown?

Community Answer

Wear a lot of light browns, gold and light pink.
Question

What shades of eyeshadow compliment brown eyes?

Community Answer

Personally, I think brown eyes look great with nude, bronze, coffee, purple, or even green eyeshadow. (Purple and green especially can make brown eyes pop.)
Question

Where can I find a concealer and blush?

Community Answer

You can just find concealers and blushes at drugstores or local make up supply stores.
Question

I am broke and have been influenced by all of the makeup YouTube videos. How can I get decent and quality makeup on an extremely tight budget? The only makeup I can find are at drugstores and big shops.

Community Answer

I would recommend watching LivLovesHerMakeup Drugstore Gems video. You can get really nice makeup on a very tight budget! Try WetNWild eye shadows and highlighters. The shadows are just a tick below my favorite brand, Anastasia Beverly Hills, but the WetNWild highlighters are even better than the ABH ones. If you're going to shell out cash for anything makeup-related, get a good brush set (not including sponges, because spending $20 on a little pink teardrop is not worth it); you could have the most luxurious makeup, but if the brushes are crappy then the application will look sloppy and bad.