The best products to put in your makeup starter kit

For a newcomer, the beauty world can be a scary and overwhelming sphere to enter into. Aside from the constantly changing makeup crazes that range from time-saving techniques to downright bizarre trends (think non-touring and draping), there are also thousands of products that beginners have to sift through to find the ones that work best for them.

Thankfully, Reddit is here to help. In a thread titled 'You have 200 dollars to make a makeup starter kit for someone else, what would you get?' users shared their top recommendations for every beauty kit, and to help you out even further, we’ve sifted through and found the most popular and commonly mentioned products for your beauty pleasure.

Foundation

The top foundation choice was the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, with users loving the hydrating formula that melts into the skin to leave a dewy, light-to-medium coverage. And it seems like our members agree, giving it an average star rating of four out of five.

Concealer

The overwhelming concealer favourite chosen to cover unwelcome imperfections was the Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer. Just to further prove it’s cult status, this concealer has not only been crowned the top choice in this thread, but has also been raved about in another Reddit thread about the one makeup item that people would repurchase over and over again.

Lips

The preferred lip products were in the higher price point with the overwhelming favourite choice being MAC Cosmetics lipsticks. Users loved the extensive range of shades and finishes MAC provides, enabling everyone to find their perfect colour. However, most recommended a pinky-nude shade suitable for everyday wear.

Eyeshadow

Throughout the Reddit thread the general consensus was that for the most part pharmacy available brands were the way to go for beginners except when it came to eyeshadows, with most willing to spend a sizeable chunk of their budget to ensure shadows were highly pigmented and creamy.
The top picks were unsurprisingly the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (1,2 or 3) but also the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette, which has become one of the Internet’s most loved eyeshadow palettes.

Mascara

Mascara is always a tricky product to recommend to people as what may work amazingly for one person might deliver lacklustre results for another. That being said, a popular favourite among Reddit users was the L’Oréal Paris False Lash Telescopic Mascara, as it leaves lashes looking long and fluttery without clumping.

Brows

There’s no doubt that eyebrows have become one of the biggest makeup trends we’ve seen for a long time (with there being no hint of the trend slowing down any time soon). Consequently, when compiling a makeup starter kit, the majority of Reddit users would opt for the cult eyebrow brand Anastasia Beverly Hills. Several users throughout the forum thread recommended the entire brow range, however it was the Brow Wiz that received the most love.

Brushes

Whilst your fingers are a brilliant tool when it comes to makeup application, a little help from some staple blending brushes is always welcome. Across the board Real Techniques was the most recommended brush brand.