newbie in desperate need of help

I want to go for a 50s style look....kinda pin up girl but a tad more subtle. I've worn makeup maybe a few dozen times my entire life and I'm totally clueless. Seems every tutorial and guide is for betty page lookalikes and here I am with lizard lips, deep set teeny eyes, straigt sparse eyebrows, a redhaded complection....also I have horrid horrid horrid vision in one eye so when I apply, say, liner to the other eye I can't even see what I am doing. Oh and my lashes are so short a curler can't even grab their straight stubby little hairs. After a life time of au natural I want a 5 min or less very natural, any decade look for daily wear....need pointers! And a dressed up special occasion 50s style look. I am so clueless though to makeup please help me with specifics...so "highlight the browbone" is like speaking sanskrit for me. Honestly my husband knows more about makeup, sad t say. But I totally apreciate any help I can get . Preferably specofic to my features. Thanks!

I think make up should be fun.

Just try things!  Think you have thin lips?  Use a lip plumping lipgloss.  Your eyelashes are short?  Look for a lengthening mascara.

Start slow with a few products.  Maybe start with less expensive ones too in case you find they are not for you.  Find what you like and build a look from there.  I wouldn't start out with a whole "pin-up 50's style" routine yet.

Remember it's just make up, if you don't like the way it looks, then wash it off.  Good luck and have fun.

Welcome!

Youtube has a lot of step-by-step howtos. Maybe if you type in something specific you're looking for "50s makeup with ____ eyes" or something like that you can find a video. A lot of videos from lesser known bloggers are in-depth and give you a very good feel/vision of what you're supposed to do, rather than just purely promoting products.

If you need any help, don't hesitate to contact me or another moderator!   

I definitely second what everyone else has said, especially about YouTube tutorials. I think there might be a favorite YT beauty guru thread on here you can check out for a starting point. As for a few tips for doing eyeliner since your sight isn't perfect: you can take a business card and cut a curve into it that would suit your eye have and use it as a stencil for shadow or gel liner to get the perfect line and flip and then use the other side on the other eye! Or you can try the eyeliner stickers like these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ANYDC7G I'm not sure how well they work though. Good luck and have fun!!!

Welcome to MakeupTalk!  Great responses, members.

Practice makes perfect. The "pin up" look isin't so hard to achieve, I think it's more of a natural face make up with bold eyeliner and if you want bold lips. Once you get the eyeliner down it's easy from there. Then you add your own touches. Good Luck

I will try later to post a pic of my attempt. It wasn't success exactly but being such a newbie, I was pleased if that makes sense. I have a long way to go but at least am making progress. My hair....I tried to back comb it a bit and ended up with crazy cat lady hair as it seemed to get fuller as it left my roots so it was kind of like an afro but yet laying on my head. Some day.....someday I will get this.....I gotta remember I might be in my 30s but beauty wise I am in 5th grade.

For the first time doing you eyes, they look good! I'm kind of in the same boat as you. We'll get the hang of this together.

That looks goood!

Thank, I hope to perfect it but even a magnifying mirror won't help my bad eye see to out makeup on my good eye....smoky eyes are my friend, rub In the mistakes

Thank, I hope to perfect it but even a magnifying mirror won't help my bad eye see to out makeup on my good eye....smoky eyes are my friend, rub In the mistakes

Click to expand...

I'm not super experienced, I don't play around as often as i should. I just throw on some eyeshadow before work (if I have time) after mascara & face powder. I like to use a dark eyeshadow instead of a pencil or liquid eyeliner because its more forgiving, I can blend or take some off, depending on how I messed up, haha. I wear glasses (because I can't see without them, not for hipster style points--they're even polarized & transitions! I love my spectacles) & so it has taken trial & error to figure out what shades look best with my frames & eye color. Also, work lighting is gross, so I have to factor that in. A nice silver in my bathroom might look blue or yellow at my job. YouTube has helped a lot, there is so much content for hair, skincare, & makeup tips.

I think your look is a fantastic start! Haha, I totally hear you on the short eyelashes, they can be such a pain, especially when trying to curl. Mine are not only short but ridiculously stubborn. I think yours look fantastic in your pic, though! If you're going for a 50's look, I'd recommend trying a simple black cat eye wing with eyeliner. I prefer liquid eyeliner to achieve that 50's vibe but if you concerned about having a hard time with the liner, my best suggestion would be to start with a neutral eyeshadow, maybe blend in a slightly darker nude/neutral shade in the crease, then use your eyeliner to draw small dashes/dots as close to the eyelashes as possible and if you feel comfortable enough, wing it out slightly from the outer corner of your eyelid and up towards the outside end of your eyebrow. Since you like a smokey eye for smudging and covering any possible mistakes, what you can do for the wing is use a small angled brush with black eyeshadow and lightly brush on the shadow OVER the cat wing eyeliner so the line isn't as sharp and to even out any smudges/mistakes, etc! It's a much more forgiving method if you have a hard time with eyeliner. Pair that cat eye wing with a bold lip and you're set with your 50's pin-up look!

Please do share more pics if you have them and good luck! Also, welcome to Makeuptalk!

Looks good! I also agree with the others liquid eyeliner is definitely the way to go especially for the cat eye/wing. I use mac liquidlast eyeliner and love it, it's really easy to work with. As far as the lips maybe try a lip plumper before you apply your lipstick.

I can't speak enough for how great a liquid eyeliner is for doing nice clean vintage cat eyes. It takes a little practice but it really isn't hard. I use the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner and the point is really fine so it makes it REALLY easy to use IMO.

Also experiment with different types of mascaras! Maybe try buying two differen kinds, one that lengthens and one that thickens, and build them up on your eyelashes together.

Also if you're interested in lip sticks Stila 24/7 liquid lipstick is awesome, and their pure red is great for a vintage look imo. I've also heard wonders about Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lip tars for vibrant lips - haven't gotten a chance to try them myself.

I'm not sure what image you have in mind image wise, but to me, vintage style makeup is more about bold lips, exaggerated eyelashes, and bold eyeliner. With those three things eye shadow doesn't even matter IMO.