(Part 2) Top products from r/Makeup

You want to get her Fude brushes. It’s beloved by many make up artists, and probably not talked about quite as much as other “popular” youtubers, because they don’t promote. Fun fact, HAKUHODO and Chikuhodo brushes are actually commonly speculated to be the manufacturerers for more popular brushes such as Wayne Goss, Tom Ford, Sonia G etc. Buy directly from the source, instead of being swayed by popularity and brand names. Did she say whether she wanted face or eye brushes?

I also suggest you combine her present with either a makeup book, or a makeup app. Rae Morris has an app that is $6 or a book that is like $75 on Amazon here is a link. I don’t know your age or that of your gf, but I’m in my late 20s and that book alongside HAKUHODO or chikuhodo or fude brushes in general is a timeless, ageless gift that is good for younger to until you’re dead. It covers makeup techniques for every age/situation/ethnicity and the brushes will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Adding a book will help guide her excitement of makeup, and you obviously reap the rewards. If you are going all out on luxury brushes, you don’t want her applying basic or inaccurate makeup techniques. We’ve all been there thanks to YouTube beauty gurus (no disrespect) but it’s not the same as learning from a true trained artist/professional that works with royalty, movie sets, runways etc. If you want to go all out, get her a book on color theory too unless she already has an art background.

Also something I have learned about giving gifts is you always want to prolong the experience. Once you look at brushes and use them, the Christmas Day thrill is very short lived. Sure, every time she uses them she can get a kick out of it, but why would you give someone a Bugatti without giving them racing lessons or making sure they properly know how to drive? Hopefully this analogy makes sense, I assume you are into cars, which is sexist of me but oh well. If you also give her the book, it will take months to get through all of that information, and every time she uses her brushes she can try something new in the book. The app is less expensive and has videos, so I recommend that unless you have money to burn and want to get her both. I own both but I’m not sure how much you want to splurge.

I do not recommend going to sephora or ultra or whatever is being mass marketed to teenagers. Buy something high quality once so it will last a lifetime. I also disagree with Sephora/morphe/real techniques, because she can buy these herself, it’s not special. I disagree with Wayne goss, because it’s more cost effective to get them from the manufacturer as mentioned earlier. I disagree with MAC, because you are not an expert and their quality has declined for some of the brushes over the past several years, and as you are not an expert you would not be able to determine which brushes have changed in quality and which haven’t. Also, like I said, MAC is not manufacturing their own brushes, Unfortunately for you, r/Fude is on a break, but that’s ok because I got your back! And, if she is unfamiliar with fude brushes, she will be able to learn about them and appreciate them even more. They need to be cared for in a certain way, and that all comes with the brushes once purchased so you needn’t worry about that.

A gift should be special, and luxurious, something she would never get herself. It’s the difference between getting something that is fast fashion vs. buying something designer that is well crafted. The Japanese know their makeup brushes, and I can assure you any higher end brushes you might buy, they’ll be manufactured from one of those Japanese brands I mentioned. I do not think YouTube is helpful, because most of that is indirect advertising, or younger beauty gurus who are not actually make up artists, and fail to take into account peoples face shapes, color undertones etc. It’s well intentioned, but the difference between what an expert like Lisa Eldridge or Rae Morris has to say, versus your run of the mill beauty/glam guru, is rather remarkable. I will likely be downvoted for saying this lol

These brushes are the Bugatti of makeup brushes, and might not be mentioned as frequently because people not into makeup either don’t know about them or haven’t splurged on them. A fact about makeup that is seldom mentioned is that the brushes are more important than the product. A lesser quality makeup will automatically look better if applied with a good brush. Brushes are the foundation.

Email Hakuhodo, they have incredibly thorough customer service (as one would expect with high end products) and will guide you in selecting the correct brushes for your girlfriend. I also recommend taking pictures of the makeup she uses the most, so you know if she is using liquids or powders on her face. That will help determine brush selection as well. They have sets but you will get more bang for your buck if you create your own set. Select a price point, email them and explain what are are trying to create and your price point, and they will help you create one. I think 2 eyeshadow brushes, a foundation brush and a powder brush is sufficient. Good luck and PM if you have questions! She’s lucky to have you!

I do not recommend watching specific Youtube channels (called gurus) because they are often given products that they will promote on their channels. People on specific brand channels (such as maybelline, realtechniques, MAC cosmetics, etc.) are advertising for their brand or product, and it's important to keep in mind that one single brand does not excel at every item of makeup. It's perfectly fine to have brand loyalty, and there is nothing wrong with having favorites, but, objectively, you’re better off trying multiple brands to see what works for you.

I would instead figure out what you want to do, and start with one thing at a time. Rather than overwhelming yourself and your budget with a bunch of things that you might not like, focus on one area. You said you use eyeliner, mascara and brow coverage.

A good general start would be reading through websites like this one.

Otherwise I would suggest googling specific things you find interesting or want to learn more about:

• Videos like this one show how to apply liquid or cream foundations
  
• This shows how to apply powder based foundations
  
  Searching for specific things can help you narrow down on which type of item you might want to try. If you’re using liquid foundation, some people like to have a cream blush, others would rather use a powder blush. Searching google for “cream blush vs powder blush” yields websites that focus on results, pictures, products, and how to apply. Searching youtube for the same thing will focus more on people often showing off specific products they have purchased. Makeup geek offers a decent tutorial that shows how to apply cream blushes to the face. I linked her video to start at 3:05, but you can scroll back to have it play from the beginning as well.
  
  As someone who started wearing makeup later in life, I found books such as Makeup Makeovers by Robert Jones to be TREMENDOUSLY helpful and easy to understand. See if your local library has that book if you don’t want to purchase it. He goes through and explains what terms like Dewy, Contour, and Stippling mean in layman terms. And he includes photos of beautiful models he has applied makeup to. A particular advantage of his book is that there are many ethnicities and a variety of face shapes that he has worked on. I really liked that he applied classic looks to the women (who without makeup, look like everyone else, and not like they won the genetic lottery!) that flattered their face types, rather than fads that will look dated in the future.
  
  I’m happy to help with more advice if you have any specific question, (that is, “I’m interested in concealer, I don’t have much acne, and I would like to use it for undereye darkness and circles, what do you recommend?”), but keep in mind that whatever I (or anyone else) am suggesting you try is based on my opinion, and ultimately may or may not work for you (YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary). I hope this helped though. :)

There are a lot of really good books out there written by professional makeup artists and people in the industry. They are a good source of information for anyone interested in learning more about technique. A lot of makeup is hands on and practicing what works, but there is the side that also needs to know what would work for someone different than your usual test subjest (yourself) and how to fix problems as they happen. Here are a few I really like, but there are so many great ones to choose from, so ask her to looks and see which ones sound the best for what she already knows or knows she wants to learn. Other than that, I think the fact that you are asking here is great and a show of support like that will help her succeed in any endeavor. Best of luck!

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3

Edit: Fixed broken links.

My first advice to you, before you try to cover up blemishes, is to get rid of them! It takes some dedication to a routine but it CAN be done! Check out /r/skincareaddiction for help with that! They can help you choose products for your specific skin type and the types of blemishes you have.
There are many things you can do to make your eyes look less sunken in- ice masks like this, cucumber slices, Preperation H (I know, its for your bum), cold soaked tea bags... The list goes on and on! It's really all about what works best for you. If you're looking to go the concealer route there are concealers specially made for under your eyes. I'd suggest doing a bit of research to find a product that works for you!
As for choosing a foundation to match your tone- I personally like this guide!
PS- Remember to patch test your products before applying them! You don't want to end up breaking out worse! Hope this helped :)

I've never personally tried it, but one of my favorite beauty YouTubers recommended this!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000POYVHY?cache=4ef8b1010fbe02112ab823f7fa56f948&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1411150008&sr=8-2#ref=mp_s_a_1_2

These are amazing! Good looking eyeliner has never been so easy for me. The stick "screws" up and down so there's no need for sharpening either. And they work great if you have make up allergies.

Why don’t you buy some cheap, plain tackle boxes? You don’t need the full makeup kit to seem professional, you just have to be professional. Show up on time, with all your products and cleaning supplies, do a good job.

Some fold out boxes will look just as professional as a made-for-purpose makeup kit.

It’s just to be organized and know where everything is! Good luck!

Earth Science cleanser
ES toner
Little to no scent in both of these. At most it'll smell like a bland/plain lotion. The cleanser will leave your face feeling soft with no residue but also clean without stripping any oils out. Honestly - I have not tried the toner yet but if you already have one that works for you just stick with it! You don't have to buy the same brand for both products.

I personally don't see results with sheet masks. I've tried a lot and I think the peel off ones or even scrubs work the best! I've tried this and I like it. You do need a lot on for it to peel off nicely

https://www.amazon.com/Freeman-Cucumber-Facial-Peel-Off-Mask/dp/B00005NFBJ

You can use long wearing/waterproof makeup if you know you're going to wear contacts. Some things that would help: waterproof mascara (Better Than Sex Waterproof), really long wearing eyeliner (Inglot AMC Gel Eyeliner), cream shadows (Maybelline Color Tattoos or MAC Paint Pots). I've actually rubbed my eyes wearing the Inglot eyeliner and it didn't smudge or come off. You could also get some theater makeup sealing spray, I've personally never tried it but heard really good things about it.

I love it, I use it before doing my makeup and throughout the day. I have the aloe and rose spray, and the heritage store spray. I find the heritage store one works better with my makeup b/c of the glycerin in it, but I like the mario badescu one throughout the day cause it's lighter on your skin. I find myself repurchasing the heritage store spray more often than the mario badescu

I have this [Jerdon mirror] (https://www.amazon.com/Jerdon-Tri-Fold-Two-Sided-Lighted-Magnification/dp/B0000AFUT3/ref=sr_1_10_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1510602870&sr=8-10&keywords=lighted%2Bmakeup%2Bmirror&th=1) and since Amazon is telling me I've had it since 2014 and I haven't had any issues I would recomend it. It's not pretty, but it works, and I like that there's an outlet on the mirror if you want to use a heat styling tool.

If you have any bumpy texture to your skin Olay has an awesome exfoliating product. I only use it once or twice a week, so it lasts a long time. Olay Microdermabrasion Kit you can basically get it anywhere but the link is for amazon.

Cold Cream is made of mineral oil, so any mineral oil based cleanser would be about as effective. I personally use this one, it even emulsifies in water so you can rinse it off properly.

It's because you have combination skin.

Try oil absorbing sheets throughout the day, or maybe just carry a powder compact.

This one

This was my FAVORITE, however, I used the wand from this. Lashes that hit my eyebrows, and a curl (without a curler) that legit lasted all day. I was HEARTBROKEN when this was discontinued.