Starting out with makeup - Tips and Tricks

*This is going to be a series of posts as I have so much to say! My apologies if you are not interested in these kinds of posts, but there won't be too many! Posting will resume as normal afterwards!*

When I first started my makeup collection, I turned to friends, my mother and youtube videos as a guide of where to start and what to buy. I began with no brushes or any other tools whatsoever, and I actually didn't buy any brushes for about a year. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and as a result tended not to wear any makeup at all.

So, I thought that I might do a post of starting out with makeup - what you need, things to remember, brands to buy and where to learn more. Of course this post will not be helpful to most of you because you are all experienced beauty bloggers, but hopefully someone will find this helpful.

I personally don't think there is a particular 'age' that you have to be to wear makeup, but I do think that when you are young less makeup always looks better. Always. Try and stick to neutral shades of everything - eyeshadow, lipstick, blush, bronzer etc. Apply your makeup lightly and keep everything as natural looking as possible. As you get better and become more experienced try out new products, fun colours and bold looks.

Purchase most of your makeup from cheap brands when starting out so that you don't waste a heap of money on products you find to be useless. BYS and Essence have some really cheap products and really good quality products too. Saying that, every brand has its dodgy products so don't give up if you happen to pick up a dud. As you learn what you love, branch out into the more expensive brands that are well known for their quality products, like Maybelline, Rimmel London and Revlon.

Look up reviews on products before you buy them. Online reviews are incredibly helpful and an determine whether you end up with an incredible Holy Grail product or the worst waste of money you will ever come across.

Know what makeup looks you like. Look at makeup styles celebrities wear and try and imitate that. Make sure that they suit you - if you have light skin and blonde hair, makeup on a dark skinned brown-haired celebrity may not suit you.

Look up tutorials and makeup looks on youtube. There are so many incredible beauty gurus who can tell you everything about products and applying your makeup. Watch and learn!

Keep an eye out for sales at Priceline and other makeup stores. I have bought some pricey items so cheaply, just by watching out for sales and making the most of "three for the price of one" kind of deals.

Next post I will list makeup products to start out with, and brushes or other tools you can use should you feel the need.