Beauty Must-Haves for Beginners

Hey there gorgeous human beings of planet Earth 

Just a couple of days ago, I uploaded my May Favourites 2014.

If you are yet to check it out, here it is:

Products mentioned (in order):

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey Douce

Benefit They're Real Push-Up Gel Liner

Garnier Whitening & Pore Minimising Duo Cleanser

LUSH Honey I've Washed The Kids Soap Bar

and... THE LEGO MOVIE!!!

I am not any makeup expert but I do know tips and tricks that have proven useful to me. When I started using makeup, I was lucky enough to have the guidance of my dear momsie ^_^ and since most of my readers/viewers are teens, I thought I do a blog post about Beginner Beauty Must-Haves!

1) A Good Ol' Concealer 

Definitely, number 1 on my list. According to a study by makeup brand - Clinique, 50% of women said that dark circle and puffiness around the eyes are a major beauty concern. A great concealer can make you look 10 times more awake! It can also be used to cover hyper-pigmentation, acne scars, redness and any other imperfections! 

My personal favourite concealers are:

(right) Collection 2000 - Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer (in 02 Light) blend beautifully and after blending, it sets and doesn't budge! I provides a light to medium coverage, great for under eyes and covering pimples! The best concealer I've ever used! 

(left) Garnier BB Roll On (in Light) was my first ever concealer. It provides a light coverage that's build-able. It feels really light and glides across the skin like a dream. Great for beginners because of its easy application! Also, it's a light coverage so it's quite forgiving to mistakes haha! 

2) A Handy Dandy Cheek & Lip Tint

After ensuring you look more awake, it's time to bring some life back into your complexion. I have always loved that healthy pinkish glow we all get after a workout. The most natural way to recreate it is with a cheek and lip tint! It stays on FOREVER and looks soooooo effortless!!! To be honest, I don't use them much for lips. I would just use a lip balm stain :X 

My personal favourite tints are:

Of course, Benefit's Benetint! I purchased this in Hong Kong and just fell in LOVE. Before this I had been using The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain, which is pretty similar just maybe not AS pigmented. Being quite light makes the Benetint easy to blend, so you don't have to worry so much about streaks. Benetint lasts the WHOLE day and gives the most subtle flush (like Fluttershy below hehe) which I ADORE!!!!! 

(most to the left) I got my mini MODEL CO.'s Cheek and Lip Tint from a Bellabox a few months ago. It's waaaay more pigmented than the Benefit. It also dries faster so you need to blend QUICKLY or you'll end up with streaks! This is sooo lasting and just a little bit will give you amazing colour. 2 thumbs up! 

3) Lip Balm Stains for yall Lazy Gals

One word:
Lips 
In my opinion, a bright pink lipstick can spice up any simple makeup look. Between you and me, it's my secret weapon to looking so put together! I don't usually pile on eyeshadows and eyeliners. I just swipe on a vibrant lippie and I'm ready to go.

Lip Balm Stains like these Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm + Stains are perfect because you hardly need to reapply it. Oh and I also love the 3 Concept Eyes Lip Marker! It stays FOREVER just that I'm scared the tube dries up and it's also super drying.

ps, let me letcha in on a little secret:
Sometimes, I use my lip sticks/lip balm stains as "cream" blush! It gives a really nice tinge to your cheeks and also stays really long - cuz well, it is a stain after all! 

4) Mascara for your Peepers! 

When you finally feeling more adventurous, please come and join the rest of us in the magical land of long voluptuous lashes. Mascara was the first makeup product I ever tried! I remember my mom curling my lashes with a Phillips heated curler and then helping me apply coats of mascara! Seriously, who doesn't love long lashes?! 

Since we're living in hot and humid Singapore, I ONLY recommend using waterproof mascara. Don't even try smudgeproofs. Waterproof or nothing. Above is one of the MOST waterproof mascaras I've ever used. 

Presenting the Majorlica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus (mine's in some limited edition navy colour but the black one is just as awesome). This is the very mascara that I used while shooting the Okto drama - After School! 

Filming hours were long (7am to 6pm every day) and this mascara really just stayed put! Made me think that it would be hell to remove... It was... BUT I found an awesome remover... (bringing me to my next point.....)

5) The Most Thorough Makeup Remover Ever! 

Repeat after me:

"I will never go to sleep with makeup on" 

It's one of my biggest no-nos. No matter how tired I am, I will always remove my makeup. It clogs pores and gives you pimples! And if that isn't bad enough.. it also ages your skin!! In a recent study conducted by dailymail.co.uk, a woman named Anna applied makeup as normal and never took it off for a month. 

The results? 

Credits: dailymail.co.uk

Lesson learnt, always make sure your skin is as clean as can be before hitting the hay. 

My favourite removers are:

I use a couple of different products to remove my makeup. I used the Bifesta Cleansing Wash (the pink bottle on the right) or the Bioderm Cleansing Water for removal of face makeup.

The Biore Cleansing Oil and the Bifesta Eye Makeup Remover (the blue bottle) are for removing tough waterproof eyeliners, mascaras and stained lips. Remember to cleanse your face after using them though because they are oil-based and will clog your pores if not cleansed off. 

6) Last but not least, your Sun Protection Factor aka SPF!

As you can tell by my somewhat fair skin... I'm not a huge fan of tanning.

Always remember your SPF! Whether you are tanning or just going out to run errands, remember to slab on something with at least SPF 30. Yes, there are tanning oils with SPF by Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic which are easily available at drugstores. 

I think the habit of working sunblock in your daily skincare routine is crucial. Exposure to the sun not  only gives you a bad burn and tan line, but also hyper-pigmentation, wrinkles, sagging and a whole lot of bad stuff. 

In primary school, I'd go out and run on the fields every recess and this caused freckles to develop on my cheeks :( So ever since I entered secondary school, I made sure to apply sunblock every day without fail. The freckles didn't go away but it's not getting worse and I'm thankful for that!   

I am very picky about sunblocks and over the years, I emptied countless bottles.

The Biore UV Bright Face Milk SPF 50+ PA ++++ is amazing. This is my favourite sunblock to date and I'm waiting for the rest to finish so I can get this baby again. It melts into your skin and gives a matte powder finish in mere seconds of application. Just the perfect sunblock. 

That's pretty much it! 6 pointers to help all your newbies out! 

Just a messages for all your girls trying out makeup for the first time:

There are NO rules. No one ever said eyeliner was ONLY for eyes. Go ahead! Use them on your brows or to draw stars and hearts on your face hehe. Be creative! And most importantly, have fun! Don't let other people's judgements bring you down or affect you. You are beautiful *cues Christina Aguilera's female anthem* 

xoxo Miranda

Just a little note: 

Did you know that Zalora sells make up products too now?! I just saw it on their site a few days ago. 

They sell brands that cant be found in physical stores like Gorgeous, EyeMazing Cosmeline and much more! Out of all the online stores, Zalora is still one of my favourite because of it's "Cash On Delivery" option. I never liked bank transactions. They confuse me. Paying the cash to an actual person is way more comforting hehe.