College/Uni makeup essentials!

I know, college has already started for all of you in USA, but university doesn't start until later for us
Canadians, so onwards with this post! I've written this guide for those of you who are beginners are makeup, to those who you who might own a large stash and need to figure out what to leave at home and to everyone in between.

If this is too long for you, just scan the article for bolded and large text. Those will be the items I'm suggesting as makeup essentials for college/uni students. 

First, let's start with the ultimate basics. If you rarely wear eye makeup and need somewhere to start, mascara is a good essential. With mascara, you can really open up your eyes and make you look more awake/alert.

I'd recommend something waterproof, as this make it unlikely to smudge over time. In addition, I'd also recommend a eyelash curler.  This really helps to open up your eyes. If you don't feel confident using one, practice makes perfect! 

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler (my personal recommendation)

Next eyeshadow! As a college/uni student, most of us are not going to go crazy experimenting with colours an hour before classes begin. If that is your thing, then you probably don't need my help anyways! I prefer doing neutral eyes because those are quick. You can do a swipe of two/three colours and call it a day (one lighter colour near the corner of the eye, a darker one on the outer, and a matte brown in the natural socket of the eye to give dimension). I recommend something like Urban Decay's Naked Palette (all of them are good; just go for the one you like better) or Too Faced's The Chocolate Bar Eye Palette. I'd go for something with a mix of mattes and shimmers.

Advancing forward, eyeliner is the next essential! There's different types to choose from: pencil, gel, liquid, and felt-tipped gel. If you've never used eyeliner before, I'd suggest starting with pencil and then working your way up to either gel or liquid when you feel you've got a good feel for it. Kat von D's Tattoo Liner is a fave for many beauty bloggers and is liquid. For gel, many people like Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. I haven't used pencil eyeliner in a long time, but I do like Nars' Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner.

That's about it for eyes, so let's move onto eyebrows! Eyebrows really frame your face, and they help to add dimension and alertness to you. I know a lot of people like Anastasia Beverley's Brow Wiz, but that one runs out quickly if you use it to fill in your brows everyday. It's better suited to be used in conjunction with their dipbrow pomade (use the brow wiz to create the shape, and then use the pomade to fill in colour). I'd recommend using a brow gel at first just to add colour to your existing brows and then work your way up to a full fledged brow routine. Figure out your brow shape and your brows will be on fleek eventually!

Now onto the face. If you are not a foundation type of person, BB/CC cream would be a good place to start. There are several recommendations out there on the internet, so I'd suggest doing your research and deciding if you want to go with Western BB/CC creams, or East Asian BB/CC creams. Both are two different things. I personally prefer Asian BB creams, so I recommend the Laneige BB Cushion. Otherwise, bring your HG foundation with you to college/uni! Remember, seasons change so your skin tone might lighten up during the winter.

If you really don't want to slather something on your face everyday, then concealer is the next recommendation. Personally, I think that foundation brings your look together but if you don't like the heavy feeling of foundation, then just use concealer to hide your blemishes at least.

To be honest, these items would be my very basic makeup essentials. Now, if you're like me however, and enjoy indulging in makeup, then I'll continue onwards with the "unnecessary" products.

Blush is not an item everyone needs, depending on your needs, but if you find that your face gets overly pale, "boring", or colourless after putting on foundation, then I'd suggest putting a little colour back in your face to balance things out. For college/uni students, I'd suggest a blush palette. A palette would have multiple colours so you can play around with shades and intensity. I own the Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette (is that even the correct name? I forget), but that was a Christmas LE and won't be coming back. HOWEVER, Hourglass is coming out with another Christmas LE that is even better and combines both the Ambient Lighting Palette and Ambient Blush Palette. What a good way to try out highlighters and blushes for a decent price (~$80).  Something like Urban Decay's Naked Flushed would be a good starter blush/contour palette.

For your lips, I'd suggest just going with what you like. Prefer au natural lips, and just lip balm? Go for it. Like lip gloss? Do it. I'm not particularly helpful in the lip area, because my standard go-to colours are very opaque and dark. When I first started with makeup, I didn't do any lipstick/lip gloss at all. Do what you feel is comfortable. As a student, you often have more creative freedom than professionals do, so experiment while you still can, and find a colour or formula that you like best. I'd say lip balm would be the absolute essential for your lips.

Do you find that your foundation/face/eye makeup slides off your face after a few hours? Then a primer may be helpful for you.  Face primers are different from eye primers though, so experiment with what works best for your skin type. A lot of people like the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion while others like the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. For face primers, I'm really liking the MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer in #3 (hydrating formula).  Smashbox's Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer is also a popular one.

All in all, these would be the makeup items I suggest bringing with you to college/uni. Of course, there are other things out there and there may be things you don't like to wear. College/uni is a time of fun and exploring one's self, so don't be afraid to try new things! Remember to stay within budget though, as makeup can be an expensive hobby.

If you are looking for something that's a bit more of a comprehensive kit, there are palettes out there that may help. For instance, Smashbox recently just came out with their #SHAPEMATTERS PALETTE. This palette has nude eyeshadows, contour/highlight powders, and brow powders. Of course, this palette is kind of a "one shade fits all" palette, so it may not actually be suited for your skin tone. Urban Decay's Naked On The Run is also a good choice. It's fairly small, includes a blush/contour/highlighter, eyeshadows, mascara, lip gloss (in its own packaging/tube!), and a black eyeliner. There are many options out there, ranging from high end to drugstore, so do your research before buying anything! I'd avoid palettes that include lip glosses/lipsticks with eyeshadows. Loose eyeshadow will get everywhere and eventually end up contaminating your lip colours.

Good luck with your studies everybody!

Author's note: None of the links are affiliation links. I make nothing from the links above.