For someone just getting started with makeup, the number and variety of products out there can certainly seem daunting. This is a quick guide to the starting essentials in your makeup collection for general face makeup.

Concealer isn't really terribly necessary, unless you either have a lot of facial blemishes, or are obsessive about not having any of them show at all.

When you pick the shade of your concealer, choose one that is the same color or slightly lighter than your foundation, since it's easier to blend lighter concealer than darker. Avoid thick concealers. While they may cover things easier, but you end up with serious cakey buildup.

There are differing schools of thought for foundation and powder. I use a powder-based foundation, so I generally don't feel the need to use a separate powder. Some of my friends use non-powder foundation, and powder is used to set the foundation, preventing it from running off your face.

The most important thing when selecting shades is to not use foundation to change your skin tone. Pick a foundation color that matches your skin tone, or else everything will end up looking disastrously unnatural. Remember this when you head to the makeup counter to figure out your foundation shade.

If you have oily skin, you might also benefit from powder on top of whatever foundation you use, to try to cut down on your skin's shine. On occasion, I use this to subdue oil levels and shine on my forehead.

Blush is also pretty much a staple of a basic makeup collection. Use blush to give a slight hue to your cheeks, as the name suggests. Most everyone seems to have at least a pink and a peach blush, and those will cover most basic makeup looks.