I have a confession: I hate wearing makeup. I have never gotten that beauty guru rush of excitement when I dash into Sephora or Ulta. I’ve never forced myself away from the eye shadow palettes lining the shelves of Target. I just hate wearing makeup, plain and simple.
Going back to the horrific middle school years, I can still remember the first time I brushed some eye shadow on my eyelid, complete with matching blue eye pencil. I looked like a young Madonna-gone-wrong and was thus immediately turned away from any and every sort of facial “luxury”. Every year I tried applying makeup again and again, rarely achieving success. Even when my mom and my friends helped me with my makeup application, I still felt unnatural.
Throughout high school I rarely wore makeup, relying on it only for special events. However, my senior year of high school, something magical happened: I finally found my quintessential makeup routine. I gradually found a few select beauty products that worked and I perfected my simple beauty routine.
Although I still don’t wear beauty products every day, the following items have helped me further embrace makeup and feel more natural in my “beautified” skin.
1. The Urban Decay Naked On the Run Palette
Urban Decay’s On the Run palette is the perfect starter for any less frequent makeup-wearer. Complete with bronzer, blush, eye shadow, eye liner and lip gloss, the palette has everything a simple makeup-wearer needs. Its price may be steep, but each product’s quality is unbeatable, making it the quintessential neutral palette for any makeup beginner.
2. Clinique Oil-Free Stay Matte Foundation
I have struggled with acne for years, but Clinique’s foundation covers blemishes without drying out my skin. It’s also oil-free, so it won’t cause any breakouts.
3. Beauty Blender/Beauty Sponge
I’ll admit that I was skeptical when I first heard about this blender. How could a sponge make my face look better? But after using the tool for the first time, I experienced its magic—it really did give my face an airbrushed look. Although the original Beauty Blender is pricey, Forever 21 and Target sell similar items for a much lower price, making the tool a cheap necessity.
My eyelids are rather oily, but Target’s e.l.f. primer keeps my makeup in place all day. I have tried Urban Decay’s eyelid primer and I can honestly say that e.l.f.’s primer works just as well, costing a fraction of the price.
Although I don’t wear makeup everyday, I always use my Babylips lip balm. Not only does it smell amazing, but it applies incredibly smooth. Babylips is the perfect cross between a chapstick and a lipgloss, giving my lips a perfect shine and tint of color.