When I was younger, I hated makeup. Given the title of this article, this is a bit hard to believe, but I truly refused to wear makeup on a daily basis. I only really wore it on special occasions where I needed to elevate my look. Otherwise, I never saw the point of wearing makeup frequently. It was heavy and uncomfortable, and it stained my vanity, my clothes, and my hands. I never had the time or patience to do makeup. I was also heavily self-conscious and, combined with my shade and my oily, greasy skin, I never thought I actually looked good in makeup. How could I look good if my pimples would still show through, if my oily skin would make my makeup look really cakey and gross, and my huge pores were visible every time I wore foundation? How could I look good if I could never find my shade? I had no idea what an undertone was, so every foundation made it seem like I had put yellow or orange face paint over my naturally tan skin. For years, I could not stand wearing makeup, and I thought I’d never have any interest in it.
That all changed when I experienced a horrible friendship breakup last year. To cope, I watched makeup videos and hauls. I loved art, and I loved taking care of my curly hair, so I was intrigued. That led to a rabbit hole of me doing research into makeup and skincare: months and months of me going to Sephora, Ulta, and every drugstore makeup section I could think of, trying things and torturing my wallet to find products I liked. In the small amount of free time I had, I binged a lot of makeup videos, and realized that maybe it could help me relieve the stress I was feeling at the time. That’s when I began to practice doing my makeup, and I realized I absolutely loved it. It made me so much less stressed, and I actually felt good about myself. It didn’t completely click yet, but it was slowly helping my self-esteem.
I remember the exact day it clicked for me. It was my cousin’s wedding, and my mom and I were getting our makeup done by some makeup artists our mall’s MAC store. I had a makeup artist who was incredible, blended like a champ, and overall, made me feel the most beautiful I had ever felt. I cried tears of joy when I looked in the mirror because I had never felt so beautiful in my entire life. That’s when I decided I should wear makeup more often.
Since then, I have tried to do my makeup a hundred different ways until I found something that satisfies me. I had some interesting phases, to say the least. I wore foundation way too dark or too light for me at points, I had major blush blindness, I wanted glitter all over my eyes (you can never have too much glitter), and these phases came and went until I found routines that worked for me. Now, you may be wondering: how do I know what works for me? Some of you may have struggled to find products that worked, and some of you may be completely new to makeup. Here’s my advice about how you can discover makeup and skincare that works for you!
Find MAKEUP products that suit your skin type
I have a hormonal disorder that makes parts of my skin extremely oily. something I had to keep in mind when searching for makeup. In high school, I would get a lot of breakouts, so that was something I also had to consider. Make sure you find products that work for your skin, since some can cause acne or dry skin. Stores like Sephora and Ulta will even give you samples if you’re unsure.
Finding the correct shade is hell
If you’re a brown woman like me, or have any amount of melanin whatsoever, finding the correct shade of foundation and concealer is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. However, it’s all about perseverance. The best tip I have is, if it’s your first time and you don’t know how to shade match, ask an employee to help you. If you’re simply looking for a new shade, apply a dot to your face first so you can make sure it’s going to match your face and the rest of your neck. There’s nothing worse than having your face be darker or lighter than your neck. While it is a struggle, you will eventually find your perfect foundation shade!
Invest in products you like
I find that both high-end and drugstore makeup products have amazing quality and work for so many different people, so invest in whichever ones you like! Even if it is a pretty penny, it’s much better to work with products you like and finish them all the way than to keep stocking up on ones you don’t like and end up throwing them out after they expire. Once you find the product(s) for you, you’ll never want to put them down, and will repurchase them instead. I’ve done that many times with so many of my favorites. Invest in what you love and what looks good on you!
Down below, I have some products that are perfect for those of you who want either new products to try or want to get into makeup. It’s a journey, but it has become therapy for me.