Beauty and Style

5 things beauty blogs have taught me

February 11, 2015

A few months ago I became fascinated by reading about, browsing online and in shops, purchasing and trying out make-up. Make-up was not a hobby that impacted my earlier life – looking back, I think this was due to a combination of my personality (ever.so.serious), the fact that I had pretty much perfect skin throughout my schooldays, and not having a clue how to apply it so that on the odd occasions that I tried to get on board with it I would end up looking ridiculous and taking it all off.

A few months ago, I properly discovered beauty blogs and YouTube channels and got hooked. Since then, I’ve learned new words (spooly; dofer), discovered the difference between dry and dehydrated skin and found myself at the Shu Uemera counter earnestly asking the saleswoman if the foundation I was inspecting had SPF as I didn’t want to look too pale in pictures. I’ve bought my first powder, eyebrow gel and eyeshadow palette. I suddenly had two sets of Real Techniques brushes. I was applying a full face of make-up just to chill out at home. I had a problem.

The obsession waned, as my obsessions invariably do, but I’m still more interested in make-up than I was before, and I think I’ve learned some useful things worth sharing:

Everyday30//5 things beauty blogs have taught me

1. Budget make-up can be pretty darn good…

‘Drugstore’ brands is a term imported from the US – once you realise this it becomes much less irritating; here it means the cheaper brands found in Boots and Superdrug. The foundations, bronzers and eyeshadows I remember my peers wearing in my younger years probably put me off cheaper make-up for a long while. Because of these memories and my limited appetite for make-up (I used base and blush only), I’d always been able to splurge a little bit on brands – Clinique City Block and Benefit’s Benetint were my staples from my late teens until my mid-twenties. But one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learnt from the online experts is this: budget make-up is actually good now. (Or maybe it always was and I just didn’t know it.) Either way, a make-up habit suddenly became an affordable aspiration for me.

The best bit about having beauty bloggers as your online besties is that they not only tell you that cheaper make-up is fantastic; they also do the testing for you and point you towards the right gear. The sheer number of products available can be overwhelming – let these women take the tyranny out of that choice. It is from these oracles that I discovered the Soap & Glory bronzer which saw me downgrading from NARS Laguna and saving me £11 every nine months or so.

2. …But high-end stuff generally still wins out

You might disagree with me here (and please leave a comment if you do) but I still think the best version of any product is always going to come from a luxury brand. There may well be products where there’s a high-street version that’s better than a particular brand’s offering, but the ultimate version of any item – foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, whatever – is invariably going to come from the higher end of the market. This does come through from the experts’ videos: sure, they all rave about the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, but the NARS Radiant Creamy always wins the day. Soap & Glory ARCHERY works well, but wouldn’t they choose the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz given the choice? I came to this conclusion  myself after weeks of testing out foundations under £10. But more on that in a future post.

3. With these women on your side, shopping for make-up is made easy

When it comes to topics on which I am not expert, I don’t want to do loads and loads of research. So having beauty blogs in my life is like having a an extra circle of friends whose opinion you really trust. Women who test out products then provide me with a shortlist. Want a new foundation? Watch a couple of YouTube videos, google ‘Sali Hughes foundation’ and you’ve already narrowed down your choice from hundreds to a handful. Filter by price and availability and I bet you don’t have to choose between more than three when you hit the shops. There is pretty extensive list of make-up I’ve selected using this method and that I highly rate, which includes (but is not limited to); a bargainous and highly effective powder; the easiest to apply and longest lasting lipstick I’ve ever tried; a good-quality cheap foundation; the ultimate eyelash curlers; and the thing I use to set my eyebrows almost every day. The only downside? Once you’re so empowered in the make-up aisles of Boots, you do suddenly have less cash for other endeavours.

4. You’re gonna wanna get some concealer

Maybe because I thought I didn’t need it (in addition to foundation? Really?!), or maybe because I couldn’t get the application right, until six months ago I never wore concealer. Don’t be like me: buy some. It really does make a noticeable difference to dark eye circles, scarring and permanent blemishes if you get the match to your base/skin shade right. It also reduces the amount of foundation you need to use. There are loads of great cheap ones (shout outs to these ones from Rimmel and Maybelline). Although I felt a little let down when I did not get along with every beauty blogger’s favourite: Collection Lasting Perfection.

5. Eyeshadow isn’t so scary (but I still can’t get along with eyeliner)

As with concealer, I didn’t start wearing eyeshadow until last year. This was more to do with my inability to perform proper application (resulting in clown face) than with any belief that it didn’t work and/or look good. I had long lusted after Alicia Florrick’s smokey daytime eye but didn’t know where to start. Turns out if you watch enough YouTubers applying their eyeshadow, and invest in a Mac 217 brush and a basic palette, you can achieve a passable eye make-up ‘look’ with minimal effort. I’m not saying I’m a pro or anything, but someone did compliment my eyeshadow at a party last weekend so, you know, I’m getting somewhere. Sadly, the same is not true of eyeliner, with which I still struggle. Although I can just about draw a line with a gel or powder and a tiny brush, mastering a kohl pencil or liquid pen remains a distant dream. So I should probably keep watching…

In case you’re wondering, my favourite YouTubers are Anna, Essie and Lily, and for beauty blogs I like those women again plus Nouvelle Daily, Into The Gloss and a little opulent.

What make-up tips have you learnt from YouTube? Who are your favourite beauty bloggers?

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8 Comments

  • youbabymemummy@gmail.com'
    Reply You Baby Me Mummy February 13, 2015 at 8:25 pm

    I recently found out that using primer makes a massive difference! Who knew?! Well probably everyone apart from me! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

    • Reply Rose February 13, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      Thanks for your comment. You know I’ve just done a complete about-turn on primer and stopped using it. I’m sure I’ll change my mind and be back on it before long though xo

  • Laurakaybates@gmail.com'
    Reply Laura February 14, 2015 at 9:56 am

    I’m with @youbabymemummy the real thing I have done difference I have done recently is wear primer. I think once you concert from ‘drugstore’ make up to higher end, it is really hard to go back. I love eyeliner though and it is often one of my daily staples as liquid eyeliner stays put better on busy days than eyeshadow.

    • Reply Rose February 15, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Have you got a primer recommendation? I was in love for a while (and loved the Smashbox and Laura Mercier ones) but I ended up having issues with ‘rolling’ (especially with the Max Factor one Rachel loves http://everyday30.com/2015/01/primers-won/ ) and so I went to not using it but setting concealer with a powder and a sprat of Mac Fix+ instead. Want to be good at eyeliner so bad! xo

  • laurakirkwood@hotmail.co.uk'
    Reply Laura February 15, 2015 at 9:33 am

    I have also recently become obsessed with beauty blogs. Watching bloggers test products and demonstrate how to use them has helped me (finally) update my plenty of kohl but not much else make up look (which had remained unchanged since c.1996…) Maybe try Pixiwoo, Caroline Hirons & A Model Recommends, they’re brilliant.

    • Reply Rose February 15, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Jealous of your ‘plenty of kohl’ abilities! Thanks for the recommendations and thanks for commenting xo

  • j.diwell@hotmail.co.uk'
    Reply Jo March 21, 2015 at 10:31 pm

    Love this one too

    • Reply Rose March 22, 2015 at 11:47 am

      Thanks Jo! xo

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