recommend makeup brand for me?

[Anonymous]

pretty ladies and girly-girls, i need your help. i am basically a makeup virgin but am in my mid-thirties and decided what the hell, i should start looking more put-together. i have the standard white-person of british descent coloring - dark hair, blue eyes, pale skin. looking to shop at sephora or bloomies, but the choices are overwhelming. thanks, pretty DC ladies!

[Anonymous]

Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier. Both specialize in the "you, only better" look. Not to say that you can't achieve that look with say, MAC or Lancome, but to a newbie, their counters of crazy colors might be a little off-putting.

[Anonymous]

Trish McEvoy - go to the counter at Nordstrom or Neimans and have a makeover and have fun!

[Anonymous]

I went to MAC and asked for help choosing colors. I love what the woman picked out for me. Sometimes it's easier to just get some personal help. You can make an appointment, but I just walked in and got help.

[Anonymous]

I like clinique. They have some very natural looking foundations and lipsticks. And it's not that expensive.

[Anonymous]

Love Bobbi Brown. Easy to use. Colors are not overwhelming.

[Anonymous]

Second Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown. LM has a great lightweight lotion/foundation, natural looking colors.

[Anonymous]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm in the same boat as OP. Do any of the recommended brands work well for sensitive skin? Every time I try getting more into wearing makeup, I break out.

[Anonymous]

I've recently started using Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals and I love it! I too am (was) a make-up virgin and was hesitant at first. It's great stuff though. Idiot proof and very light-weight and natural looking. Go to a retail store instead of ordering online though, as they will match the right shade for your coloring.

[Anonymous]

I like/use different brands for different products: La Prairie for foundation, Lancome for pressed powder and mascara, Chanel for lipstick, Dior for lip gloss...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've recently started using Bare Escentuals/Bare Minerals and I love it! I too am (was) a make-up virgin and was hesitant at first. It's great stuff though. Idiot proof and very light-weight and natural looking. Go to a retail store instead of ordering online though, as they will match the right shade for your coloring.

I love it too! I could never find the right foundation color, even with having professionals try and match it for me. The best thing I did was go the the Bare Escentuals store and have them do a "make-under." I can do my make-up in about 5min in the morning and it always looks great. It lasts a long time, too.

[Anonymous]

I am awful at makeup! Go to Sephora and ask one of the sales people for a demonstration. I went in just to ask about brow powder (I fill in my brows) and ended up with a whole face of makeup! She did a gorgeous job (and I could almost certainly do nearly all of it myself) but she was putting Dior makeup on me, and I couldn't bring myself to spend so much. It was good to see the colors she was using though! I might end up treating myself later on when I need new makeup.

[Anonymous]

clinique is supposed to be really good for sensitive skin.

[Anonymous]

Third Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier. Though I do agree with PP re mixing and matching. But it might be overwhelming so those 2 brands are a great start:

You need mascara (I personally only buy drugstore since you have to throw it out. I like Physician's Formula or L'Oreal. Go for brown--will go better with your coloring

Concealer.

Great lipsticks--BB and LM are fab for this. As are Chanel...a daytime neutral and then a fun one. A good red is a classic and would probably look great with your complexion. For a nude, I recommend Mac Viva Glam.

Lip gloss. Also get Rose's Salve. Gives you a very natural subtle tint.

Blush. Nars Orgasm is universally beloved. This is worth trying on at the counter.

Eyeshadows. Sephora is perfect for this.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP, No advice on mkeup brands per se but it sounds like we have exactly the same coloring. My recommendation is that you really work on figuring out the undertones of your skin (that is what the makeup counter ladies are for!).

I know that if I wear a product that is pink or peachy undertones, it looks orangey and fake in natural light.

Any base you try, wait 24 hours and take a good look at it in several different settings (outdoors, the office, florescent lighting) before you buy it.