Buying makeup and beauty products isn’t an easy task...

Have you ever bought a makeup or beauty product, taken it home and never used it? Or have you bought one that didn’t work well with your skin type? Or discovered that the texture or color wasn’t what you were expecting? I’m sure this has happened to you, because it’s even happened to me, a makeup pro!  So, today I’m going to teach you a system for buying beauty and makeup products and it will make sure you stop wasting money, time, and space!

What are we going to talk about today in this bulletin?

When you buy a product, always test it first

AN INFALLIBLE SYSTEM IN 5 STEPS
TO KNOW WHAT TO BUY
AND WHAT NOT TO BUY
IN BEAUTY AND MAKEUP PRODUCTS  

FIRST STEP: Have a plan in mind

You know I’m all about systems.  I’ve decided to create one for success in beauty shopping too.  The first step is to have a plan in mind, that is, ask yourself these questions: What do I really need? If you know what you need, you won’t waste money on other attractive-looking things in the makeup stores. Once you know, make a list of the stores you’d like to visit to find that product.

What mistakes have I made in the past? For example the other day I bought a mascara I didn’t like at all.  I followed the recommendation of a friend and didn’t try it first, and when I went to use it.....uh-oh, I didn’t like it and I thought, “I can’t believe it!” This actually happened to me, who always recommends trying beauty products first...but I assure you it won’t happen again. Mascara is a difficult product to try because in the majority of brands they don’t have disposable brushes.  However what you can do is bring your own brush or take the brush from your old mascara and use that.  You can also ask the company representative; they usually have clean brushes for trying mascara.

SECOND STEP: Look at what products you have and what you need.

This is also important: at least once every three months (although ideally once a month), do a review of your makeup case.  Look at the product expiration dates.  These days the majority of products come with indications of how many months you can use it once it’s open.  Throw out old products and buy just the ones you need.  Makeup and beauty products go bad so there’s no point in storing them at home.

Before you go shopping it’s a good idea to take a look on the Internet for the product you want, to see what you can find out.

THIRD STEP: It’s time to go shopping

Once you have a plan in mind and you know what you need, it’s time to go shopping.  You’ll already have saved a ton of time. When you enter the store, keep this in mind:

• The professionals in the store are there to help you, but if you don’t know exactly what you need it’s possible they will recommend things you don’t need.

• Take your time; you don’t have to decide right then.  If it’s expensive and you’re not sure, don’t buy it right away.  Think about it for a day and if you keep thinking it’s really worth it, go and buy it.

• Use your senses of smell and touch when you are looking at products.  Some creams don’t have a nice smell (and some are even rancid).  No matter how good the cream is, if you don’t like the smell don’t use it! This doesn’t meant that if you like the smell the cream is good.  In fact creams should not smell like perfume...

• Ask the store professionals to give you recommendations, but keep in mind that you should tell them exactly what you are looking for so they can give you the best help possible.  For example, I’m looking for an eye shadow to wear with a blue suit for a party, or, I’m looking for a moisturizing face mask...

FOURTH STEP: What to look for when you are buying beauty products

This step is very important because if you make a bad lipstick choice the only thing that can happen is that you won’t use it and you’ll have thrown away your money.  If, however, you make a poor choice on a treatment product, you could have a bad skin reaction or worse, it could make your skin change texture.  For example, if you use a cream for oily skin and your skin is dry, over time your skin will start to change texture.

So when you go shopping for treatment products keep the following suggestions in mind:

• Be sure of your skin type

• Be sure of what you need (just as in step 1)

• Be sure of the texture you prefer, and if you aren’t sure, test them in the store to be sure you like them.  For example I prefer a gel texture for makeup removers, but in the winter I always use a cream texture because my skin dries out too much with the cold of winter.

• If your skin is sensitive, test the products on the underside of your arm, not on your face.  This way, if you have a reaction it will be in a place it can’t be seen.

• Buy day creams with sun protection.  You already know that the sun is the primary cause of skin aging (and as you know that’s not the worst side effect of the sun...)

FIFTH STEP: What to look for when you are buying makeup products

I think we spend the most money on makeup products and they are what confuse us the most.  This is what you should know:

• Always test foundations on your face.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, foundation is meant to unify the tone, not to give color and your hand and your face are two totally different colors.

• To stop making mistakes with lipstick colors, the best thing for you is probably a color that’s a darker or lighter version of your own natural lip color.
  
• If you are tired of buying eye shadows that have little color, touch the shadow with your fingertip and if the shadow color stays on your finger, it has a lot of pigment (it’s of good quality).  If it doesn’t, it has low pigment content and that’s the color that will stay on your eyes, or it will last a shorter time.  Note that shadows with glitter usually have less pigment because they have glitter.