I'm a model myself who just recently entered the world of makeup artistry and am eager to learn more. Even though I'm a beginner, I have a wide variety of products in my kit and have tried many that aren't in my kit... for good reasons.
I've had great success using Smashbox Cosmetics products, including their shadows. They have many, many beautiful colors all of which I've found to be pretty highly - pigmented, especially when using a primer underneath (I also really like Smashbox's under eye and lid primers... though I can't vouch for their foundation primers). There are many other awesome shadow brands too, it's all about experimentation and finding what works for you - I've also used a couple shadows from Cinema Secrets and have always been satisfied with them... they also have a large variety, though I usually stick to more "neutral" colors. You can also check out Ben Nye, they have some nice "color wheels," I like the Fireworks wheel.
When it comes to mascara and liner, I use Maybelline (and Smashbox). My favorite go-to product is Maybelline The Falsies (Black Drama) Mascara - it gives you the appearance of having false lashes without all the drama and mess, I love it... I've also used L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara with great success, it really defines and separates your lashes. Smashbox has a great line of mascara too, though it can be slightly more expensive... I like their Hyperlash and their Full Exposure mascaras... both can be found in my kit. When it comes to eye liner, I use Smashbox's Limitless Eye Liner Liquid Pen... it's very precise and smooth, I love it... For Gel Liner, I use Maybelline's... it even comes with a little brush for application and I've always been pleased with my results using it.
That's just what I've used so far, if I think of anything else... I'll post!
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