Top Makeup Tips from Bee

We’ve been very busy at the blog lately with recent competitions, activities and courses. We have also been getting lots of positive feedback from our readers. One Jeddah Blog subscriber Saadia Fatima, wrote in to us recently with a very practical question for Bee, adviser to all lost souls in this modern metropolis. Here is what she said:

Hi Bee,

I’m a 15 year old girl and I am no beauty geek. However, last few days I have given make up a stand and wanted to check out a few products on myself.

I have Indian skin. I’m not fair. And I was looking for some products to start with. Coming to the point, could you suggest me some products which would fit into my budget of 250-300 SR.

I will prefer only branded products such as Bourjois Paris, L’Oreal Paris, Sephora, Avon, Dior and Maybelline. Also, note that foundation and compact powder is a must for me.

I just need a simple, elegant and edgy look. I live in Jeddah, so if you give me references to the shopping malls where I should shop I’ll be very thankful.

Please reply me at the earliest possible.

Lots of good wishes.

With Anticipation,

Saadia

About Bee

Bee is a 30 something mother, wife, corporate consultant and a bona fide prodigy in the art of shelling out unnecessary, unsolicited and often useless advice. The kind people at her office actually pay her for doing this on an hourly daily basis and she returns the kindness by making them lose sleep over random pointless issues. She currently lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with her very sane husband (he takes after his mother) and her two not very sane children (they too take after their mother). Her own personal hell would be to have nothing to do with no-one paying her for pretending to have nothing to do.

Dear Saadia,

I like to describe myself as: “Classy, Sassy and a bit smart-Assy”

But I have a dirty little secret. I am classy in a cheap kindda way. Not cheap as in a penny-pincher, but I am a sucker for a good deal and when it comes to make-up, there are many good and budget friendly swaps to be had in Jeddah.

In response to your query, I will give you a breakdown of makeup products with their cost and sourcing details for my own daily look. I personally am a huge fan of the ‘no-makeup makeup look’. I mean, if you look like you are wearing tons of make-up, it defeats the whole purpose of makeup, n’est-ce pas?

So here goes, behold the makeup secrets of the great Bee:

The first think I recommend is that you splurge on the foundation, and the one I found works best for daily wear is MAC. It keeps the skin looking neat and non-blotchy throughout a long day of much head-banging and hand-wringing stress. This is not to say that you cannot find the same quality in cheaper brands (see below for other great options) but I have personally found MAC to work wonders on my own brown, tired and often sleep-deprived skin. The foundation will take a big chunk out of your budget, but since we are going for a simple look, you will have enough to spend on other stuff.

Another must-have item is the translucent powder to fix the foundation. You said you will need a compact, but let me tell you that when you use a good foundation and a good fixing powder, all you will need is a little dab of powder on your nose during the day and you will continue to look impeccable. Compacts on the other hand can make you look cakey as the day goes on. And the NYX powder is so affordable, you can keep one in your purse too for touch-ups.

Here is a breakdown of stuff I use on a daily basis, and people in my office wrongly assume that I am naturally gorgeous 😉

PRODUCT	SAVE	SPLURGE
Foundation	Bourjois Healthy Mix FoundationSAR 85Centre Point	MAC Select SPF 15FoundationSAR 150 MAC Stores in Red Sea Mall and Tahlia Mall
Translucent powder	NYX Loose powder in Soft BeigeSAR 70Centre Point	MAC Mineralize Skin Finish PowderSAR 150+MAC Stores in Red Sea Mall and Tahlia Mall
Eyeliner	Maybelline Eye Studio Long lasting Eyeliner gel ORRevlon ColorStay Eyeliner PencilSAR 60-75 Citimax and Center Point stores	MAC Fluid LineSAR 150MAC Stores in Red Sea Mall and Tahlia Mall
Blush	Rimmel Blush in 131 Madeira(great for Asian Indian Skin tones) ORMaybelline Dream Mousse cream blush in Rose PetalSAR 30- 45 Citimax and Center Point stores	Clinique Soft-Pressed Powder BlusherSAR 150-180Paris Gallery
Mascara	Maybelline Great Lash MascaraSAR 75Citimax and Center Point stores	Maybelline makes the best mascaras so I don’t suggest splurging on these.
Lip Colour	Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 630 Velvet Beige ORRevlon colorstay Lip-gloss almost all shades are great ORMaxFactor Color Elixir Lipstick in SAR 40-60 Citimax and Center Point stores Centre Point	Estée Lauder Classic Color Lipstick in Caffe Latte (a great nude/ brown shade)SAR 200+Paris Gallery

I hope this helps you take the first tentative steps into the world of makeup. Take it from me, experimenting is half the fun, so please take my recommendations as a guide only and get products you feel complement your own looks. You can also check out What Not To Do While Shopping for Makeup in Jeddah for more details on how to get the most out of your makeup shopping experience in Jeddah.

Good luck!

Bee

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