The kosas try at home kit is not talked about enough. For 45 dollars they’ll send you a whole set a makeup in your shade family so you can pick your best shade. You can then put that same 45 dollars toward anything on their site. They have a great shade range so even if their formula isn’t your favorite you can then go on findation.com to find color dupes for other formulas.
I would start with powder- as in buy powder and try it out. Sephora microsmooth is affordable and high quality. Gives a subtle glow and minimal coverage. It’s a easy quick addition to what you’re doing now. Get used to that before going for more.
Second you’ll probably want to try a concealer. There are so many to choose from! Get one that matches your skin so you can cover blemishes, dark circles etc. have a sales person help you but don’t buy right away! Put some on your face and let it dry. Go outside and look in a mirror, take a photo. This will help you pick better and not waste money. If your concealer looks orange, try some with a cooler undertone. If it looks too pink try one with a warmer undertone. If neither are quite right try neutral.
Your next step would be to branch into foundations. You can get something light coverage while you get used to it. Don’t go for medium or full becise it takes skills in contouring and highlighting to bring dimension back to the face when you cover too much. You’ll be shopping for a bb cream, skin tint, or tinted moisturizer. I really like the rare beauty one and the fenty skin tint stick.
Primer isn’t necessary! Lots of people use it but you don’t have to. If you’ve found powder and concealer and light foundation you like- and you notice it’s not lasting as long as you need it to you can try it out. Get one that matches you skin type. If you’re oily skinned try a blurring or mattifying one. If you’re dry, get a hydrating one. Look to the brand of foundation you’re using first because they’ll be formulated to work together.
Remove lipstick by Blotting before eating. Use a straw when drinking. Eat smaller bites if possible. Just know you’re gonna reapply if you eat a burger or something like that.
Get foundation samples to try. I recommend the Kosas starter kit because they send you like 12 shades to try for 40/45 dollars then you trade in a code for a full bottle of foundation.
You can use your kosas shade on findation.com to find other formulas if that one isn’t your favorite.
I have a neutral leaning cool undertone, a warmer overtone (olive) and I’m a med-dark skintone. I wore warm colors for years because to be warm at a glance. It looks ok but I’d need to really go full coverage to cover my blemishes and dark circles etc.
When I switched to neutral cool makeup, I found I need much much less product to look much much better. When you’re close to the middle undertone wise, it’s easier to get it wrong. It’s not super obvious thr colors are wrong. Especially when the shade selection for darker skin is poor to begin with