The Normal Girl's Guide to Makeup

$11.99, http://www.ulta.com/superstay-better-skin-foundation?productId=xlsImpprod12651005

While not everyone agrees with me, I think that drugstore/affordable brands do foundations really well. This one, especially, performs better than many that are three times the price.

As someone with the textbook definition of "oily/combination" skin, I am always looking for the perfect foundation: looks flawless and smooth, looks like real skin while still providing good coverage, doesn't emphasize dry spots, doesn't make my t-zone super oily and shiny, doesn't break down when I do get oily...and the list goes on. While I can't say I have ever found a foundation that does absolutely everything perfectly, this one has come pretty close. It is smooth, easy to blend, and very skin-like in appearance, it is kind to dry skin and holds up fairly well on oily skin, and it lasts much longer than many other foundations do, even in the hot South Carolina summer.

Other perks:

     1. It has a pump - Oh, what a beautiful thing! So many inexpensive foundations out there do not have a pump, and it's such a pain. Pumps make for easy, clean application, less wasted product, and happier makeup lovers.

     2. It has SPF 15. This is enough SPF to get you through a normal day (when you aren't spending a ton of time in the sun), but not so much that it will give you the weird white cast on your face in photos.

     3. It is oil-free. Oily-skin girls everywhere, rejoice.

 

$16.00, http://www.ulta.com/one-heck-of-a-blot?productId=xlsImpprod13801017

Did I mention before that I get oily? As someone who is constantly battling this issue, I love a great powder that will help combat the shine, but won't look caked-on as I reapply throughout the day. This powder by Soap & Glory is one of the best I have ever tried. On my fair skin, it definitely performs as a "translucent" powder, but it may be a little light for darker skin tones. I would recommend trying out the tester product at Ulta. The sleek packaging of this product makes it ideal to carry around in my purse, and that is exactly where this one is currently living. The cherry on top is the perfectly sized mirror for on-the-go application. PLUS, it's not going to break the bank! Bravo, Soap & Glory.

 

$28.00, http://www.sephora.com/amazonian-clay-12-hour-blush-P278610?keyword=tarte%20seduce&skuId=1851443&_requestid=340315

I have been a big fan of the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes for a long time. However, my very favorite shade, "Exposed," was one of the only neutral/nude shades in the line. Recently, though, Tarte released a "Naughty Nudes" extension of the collection, adding several similar shades to the line. This one, "Seduce" is so great that it comes close to contesting "Exposed" for the top blush spot. They are very similar in color, so if you have "Exposed," you may not also need "Seduce," but for those who want more neutral-toned blushes, it's a great rosy-nude color. It is a tiny bit rosier and a tiny bit darker than "Exposed," but it has the same long-lasting formula and beautiful natural-looking finish. It is completely matte, leaving you room to add as much or as little sheen to your cheeks with highlighter as you might want. If you've had your eye on the "Naughty Nudes" line, this is the one I would recommend, especially for fair skin.

 

$13.00, https://www.ofracosmetics.com/products/lipliner?variant=8994543875

I don't think I have mentioned this on the blog before, but I am subscribed to one makeup subscription box, Ipsy. I'm a big fan of Ipsy, mostly because it focuses more on makeup than skincare or haircare (unlike some of the other popular subscription boxes), and it's one of the cheapest, at $10 a month. This gem, the OFRA Cosmetics Lipliner in "Silk" came in my July Ipsy bag, and I didn't think too much of it before trying it. I haven't always been a huge lipliner girl, mostly because I felt like every lipliner I had ever tried simply made my lipstick darker. This one, however, is a shade or two lighter than my natural lip color, making it the absolute perfect base for any nude or light pink lipsticks. It doesn't darken the lipstick color, but it intensifies it, and it makes it last so much longer. The formula is tacky enough to allow the lipstick to really cling to it, but not so tacky that it will bug you. I haven't tried anything else from OFRA, but this lipliner has made me want to try a lot more!

Sometimes products are so good that they deserve a spotlight all their own. The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is that kind of product. 

I was always a little wary of liquid eye liner. It seemed rather impossible to apply and I was worried that it would always look severe. After trying these a few years ago, though, I rarely use any other kind of eye liner. While intense, extremely "winged out" eyeliner is very trendy right now, Normal Girls can also use liquid eye liner to achieve a more naturally defined look. The thing I love most about liquid eye liner is that it is able to get closer to your actual eye lashes than any other kind of eye liner, so you don't have that awkward bare space between your eye liner and your lash line.

This specific product is so great because it lives up to all its claims. Once it sets on your eyes, it really does "stay all day," and it really is "waterproof." It goes on so smoothly, and the felt tip applicator is just firm enough but not too firm, allowing you to get the exact kind of line you want. It can be used to create a very thick "cat eye," "barely there" definition, or anything in between. It really does it all! 

I first tried "Intense Black," also called "Jet Black," and was so impressed. But it wasn't until I tried the shade, "Dark Brown" that this product became a true holy grail. I loved the look of Intense Black, but felt that black eye liner on my fair skin was a bit much for every day wear. Enter "Dark Brown." It's the perfect shade for daytime and it gives you the "lined" look but in a softer way than any black eye liner would.

If you have any interest in using liquid eye liner for adding a fun pop of color to your makeup look, this line has TONS of really interesting shades as well. Personally, I have my eye on the "Midnight Blue" shade next.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner

$22.00

http://www.ulta.com/stay-all-day-waterproof-liquid-eyeliner?productId=xlsImpprod1840049

 

Intense Black:

 

Dark Brown:

 

I am very lucky to have very kind and very easily coerced friends, and you get to see a few of them featured here today! While on a beach weekend with three of my closest friends, I decided to take full advantage of their kindness and their beautiful faces. Keep reading to find out how to get the three looks they are so wonderfully modeling!

Victoria is the kind of Normal Girl who is semi-terrified of makeup. She doesn't need an ounce of the stuff, but she also doesn't own a lot of makeup or know how to use much of it. I had to assure her that we would do a very minimalist, natural look, and I think it turned out great. If you are the kind of girl who doesn't want a heavy makeup look, or you're like Victoria and makeup seems daunting to you, this is for you!

I decided that we would go base-less for Victoria's look, since she has beautiful skin and also might be scared away by foundation. With that in mind, I just applied a little bit of clear primer (Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer) and translucent powder (Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder) to take away any unwanted shine. Then, I added a little natural flush to her cheeks using the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in the color "Exposed." I gave her a bit of natural highlight on the tops of her cheekbones with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette in the shade "Radiant Light," a color that is a little dark to be a highlight for me but was perfect on her tan skin. I applied some eyeshadow primer (Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion) and used the Lorac Pro Palette 3 on her eyes. I laid a base color all over her lid ("Canvas"), blended a neutral brown into the crease ("Cool Taupe"), and added a shimmery mid-tone color to her lid ("Rose Bronze"). I skipped the eyeliner, since we were going for natural, and went straight to mascara (CoverGirl LashBlast the Super Sizer). Then, on her lips, I started with a base (NARS Lipstick, "Dolce Vita") and then gave her a little shine and a tiny pop of color with the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick in the shade "7". 

     

Taylor is more comfortable with makeup, so I wanted to give her an everyday look for someone who enjoys makeup but doesn't necessarily want to rock a smoky eye daily. This could also serve as a "night out" look for makeup beginners. It's bronzy and summery, but would look great in the winter as well!

We started with the foundation that Taylor had with her, Covergirl Outlast Stay Luminous Lasting Natural Foundation. To give the foundation a more natural finish, I sprayed her face with the Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray. The base was a little too light for her since she got a tan on the beach today, so we bronzed it up a bit with the Bare Minerals Ready Bronzer in "The Skinny Dip." We also added warmth to her cheeks using the Milani Baked Powder Blush in "Luminoso." I filled in her eyebrows with the NYX Micro Brow in "Taupe," and set them in place with the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel. After applying the same eyeshadow primer that I used on Victoria, I used the Lorac Pro Palette 2. I used the bronziest shade, "Mocha" all over the lid, and a dark brown, "Cocoa," to smoke out the outer portion of the lid and carve out the crease. It's a simple, two-shadow look, but it looks much more difficult than it is! I lined her upper lash line with Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ("Dark Brown"). Then, she used her mascara, L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Miss Manga, on the top and bottom eyelashes. We finished the look with the Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in the shade "Honey."

         

Larissa was very clear that I could do whatever kind of look I wanted on her face. With that in mind, I went for an easy, realistic "night out" look for Normal Girls. I love this look because it's purposefully not perfect; the smokiness works best when it's a little messy. It's the fool proof night out look!

I used one of my favorite bases on Larissa, the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream in the shade "Light." Larissa gets oily like I do, so I gave her the full oily skin treatment: a few spritzes of the spray I used on Taylor, topped by the translucent powder I used on Victoria. Then, I used the same brow products from Taylor's look to define her eyebrows. For her cheeks, I used the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade "True Love," as well as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette shade, "Incandescent Light." I used the eyeshadow primer from before, and then used shadows from the Lorac Pro original palette. I used "Pewter" all over the lid and into the crease, "Sable" to define the crease and outer third of the lid further, and "(Black)" on a pencil brush to roughly line her upper lash line. Then, for more definition, I used the same liquid eyeliner that I used on Taylor. I also took the same "Black" shade with a pencil brush and lined her lower lash line. Adding in that last step is a great way to add some smokiness to your look and take it from day to night! She added the same mascara that Victoria used, and I chose the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Glossy Balm in "Lovely Mocha" for her lips.

          

It's daunting. If you click on the "eye palettes" tab on sephora.com, you get 111 results, and those are just from brands sold at Sephora! Some of those can be eliminated for us "normal girls" because they are made up of crazy colors, but there are still hundreds out there for the girl looking for natural, neutral shades. Choosing an eyeshadow palette can be really intimidating; it's an expensive purchase, and you want to make sure you're choosing the one you will use most frequently. 

If you have ever found yourself wondering, "Which of these 25 neutral eyeshadow palettes would I like best?," this post is for you! I'm going to go through my favorite neutral eyeshadow palettes and give you my opinion on who they might be best for. 

Some points of clarification:

1. I am only considering palettes with more than four eyeshadows in them. To me, four is a "quad," three is a "trio," two is a "duo," and one is a "single." I consider every one with more than four to be a palette!
2. Most of these are high-end and thus more expensive. I generally find that eyeshadow is the category of makeup that drugstore and cheaper brands just can't seem to get right. Plus, these recommendations are truly, in my opinion, worth the splurge! However, I have included one cheaper alternative that beat the odds and really does measure up to the more expensive brands. 
3. No one needs this many palettes! I am super aware of how crazy it is to own all of these. But what can I say, I'm an addict.

Without further ado, here we go!

 

The best for bronze lovers: Too Faced The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette

The best if you're on a budget: Milani Everyday Eyes Eyeshadow Collection (01 Must Have Naturals)