(L-R) Nordstrom’s beauty stylist, me and Julie talking about best products for my skin.

Since I was rewarding myself for losing weight with a wardrobe and hair makeover, it made sense to ask my Glam Squad – Julie and Claire, the makeover pros – for some makeup advice too.

Confession Time
I never really wear that much makeup.  I don’t prefer going barefaced, but I never felt confident on how to put it on.

But before I could attend Julie’s makeup master class, I needed to actually buy makeup.

Skimping and Splurging
I don’t know about you, but I always find the department store makeup counters overwhelming. If I don’t know what I need, how do I shop for it? And which products are the best?

The good news: Julie went with me to take some of the mystery out of the experience.

Julie knew exactly what I needed. Her big challenge – staying within my $225 budget! Now that may seem like a lot, but keep in mind we were starting from scratch. I needed to invest in certain specialty items. Other things I could pick up on the cheap at my local drug store.

Our list included the basics:

• Face – coverage makeup
• Eyes – eyeliner, eye shadow, eyebrow liner and mascara
• Cheeks – blush, bronzer
• Lips – lipstick, gloss, liner

And if the budget supported it, an eye cream and Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair (I’ve used this and it rocks!).

Glam Squad’s Makeup Master Class: Learning how to apply concealer to get rid of those dark circles under my eyes.

When I arrived at Nordstrom’s makeup counter, Julie was already working with the beauty stylists pulling different products for me to test.

Julie recommended we splurge on a tinted moisturizer (Laura Mercier) for my dry skin and to help tone down my naturally very rosy cheeks. Also I needed to invest in a good concealer (Estee Lauder) for those dark circles under my eyes.

We both loved the Laura Mercier Colour Wardrobe. It had everything I needed for my eyes and cheeks. The colors perfectly complimented my skin color and green eyes.

We also picked up brushes at Sephora.

As for my lips,  the Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Trio tempted us. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make the budget work.

It was an educational shopping trip, completely took the fear away of visiting the makeup counter, and best of all Julie stayed within $2.00 of my budget – how’s that for awesome!

The master at work! Julie touching up the eye makeup as we take a brief pause during the photo shoot.

Makeup Master Class
Sunday morning I met up with my Glam Squad for a makeup master class.

Julie walked me through step by step – how much tinted moisturizer to put on (a nickel-size drop); best way to apply the concealer (pat it on with the ring finger!); simple motion for applying blush (backwards “C”); and lots of little tricks for my eyes and lips.

She went over what each brush is for and how to care for them (wash once a week in baby shampoo).

She was incredibly patient with my questions. And she had great little tips for turning mistakes into great looks.

The best thing about makeup class: Julie crafted me a look that was amazing, quick to put on (90 seconds folks!) and felt like I’m not wearing makeup.

Now I just need to practice, practice, practice.

So ended the morning portion of Day 3 of my weight loss makeover. Up next, putting it all together for the photo shoot!

Related Articles/Links

• JuliePage Makeup Artistry (website)
• JuliePage Makeup (Facebook Page)
• Weight Loss Makeover: Time For A Fun And Sassy Hairdo (Dot2Trot)
• Everyday Beauty Makeover: Creating A Stylish Weight Loss Wardrobe (Dot2Trot)