Okay, so all that out of the way, i'll start. a lot of these steps you can skip, or do some days and not others, it doesn't really matter. it's all versitile. sometimes i won't wear makeup, other times i'll spend the 5-10 minutes doing this whole routine, or sometimes i do just foundation or just eyes. anyway.

pre-makeup.
1.] have a clean face! rinse your face at least, and then pat it dry (which helps it from drying out). also use moisturizor, to keep it from drying out. a few guidlines for washing your face: follow the instructions on your product, don't overwash it (this will lead to drying out or more oil production in your face), and wash it somewhat regularly. i don't wash daily, but i aim for every other day or so. i use Mary-Kay velocity, which again i got cheap from my mother.
2.] spf. totally mandatory, but i live in florida, which is basically skin cancer capital of the world. so i recently started applying sunblock a few minutes before my makeup, especially when i know i'll be in the sun.

the foundation.
you'll notice i didn't mention any foundation. now, i do have it and use it sometimes, but i don't really prefer it. it can easily get cake-y or be the wrong color or make my face feel gross or whatever. it isn't totally mandatory, at least from my point of view. so i just use the term foundation to mean your general face. 1.] the powder. i don't usually apply powder over my whole face. i hit the 't-zone' and the darker parts of my face. T-zone? that's the t shape your chin, nose, and forehead make- the areas most prone to being oily. powder generally absorbs the oil or... something. it works somehow. i'm not an expert. anyway, my nose (you'll notice throughout that it's actually rather large too) can get pretty oily, so i'm use to put it there, and lightly on my forehead. my chin isn't usually a problem. you know your skin, so do it how you need to. i also use the powder (which is a little lighter than my skin tone, but not too noticably) for the darker spots on my face. you can choose to use the conclear here instead (just the brown own, keep the green one for red spots!),i sometimes do, it just depends on my mood. usually it's just easier because i already have the powder out. 2.] the bronzer. my boyfriend calls this "man-cancer" because (at least mine) is almost glittery. i brush bronzer on my entire face after i use the powder (sometimes my ears if they look too pale lol). just be careful not to go too overboard- with mine it's hard to oveapply, but it can be done. and when it is, it just doesn't quite look right. anyway, i use bronzer mainly because cameras hate my face. without bronzer, camera flash makes my face look incredibly (and disgustingly) pale, but the flash picks up the pigments in the bronzer and keeps that from happening. this is why i usually use bronzer more often, because i never know when pictures will be taken. there are a few other reasons. i think to think that because my bronzer has the word minerals in the name, it's good for my skin, but who knows. also, bronzer evens out your skin tone (at least superfically) and provides an overall "glow."

lips.
i do this probably least often, and i prefer to play up my eyes. i can do both at once, but as a general rule: one or the other. lips or eyes. or you'll look less "natural," unless that's the look you were going for. as a beginner, i don't suggest it, but after a while you should be able to get it just right if you want to. 1.] chapstick. i'm quite addicted to this stuff, so don't use it, skip it. it's really easy to get the point where your lips feel dead without it. unless you need it (lips dry/chapped from cold weather/wind or sun/sunburn), skip it.
2.] lipliner. this is also often skipped, but i use it to make my lipcolor look more defined and last longer. first, outline your lips along the edge. you can play with the few millimeters of space to get the right look. my lips are small, so while i have the liner right on the edge, it's closer to the outer side. if your lips are fuller and you want to make them smaller, do the opposite. i then also fill it in, so that my color has more of a "base."
3.] lipcolor. put it on your lips? this is where the lipliner comes in handy, it keeps you from getting off your lips with the color.
4.] gloss. almay has the duo set i use, so i wait for the color to dry and then brush on the gloss, which really keeps it in place all day. this may need to be reapplied, so handily, almay sells refills of just the gloss =].
5.] alternative: skip all of that and just use a sheer gloss. this is easily applied and looks natural too. i like covergirl's wetslicks fruit spritzers, but anything will do. i've found more bronze tints make you look like you jsut came from the beach.

eyes.
eyes are my favorite part. with eyes, you can really do a lot and change it day by day. again, keep in mind the lip/eye idea. most of my makeup is waterproof (trust me, i've tested it with tears, rain, and preschoolers). or a side note, i wear contacts and i've never had any problems between eye makeup and contacts. if you're worried about that, some products state "contact safe"on them. but just because they don't, doesn't mean they're not.
1.] the base. if you haven't already, apply some powder here or something. i'd found it makes it last longer.
2.] curler. if you choose to use a curler, always use it before putting on your mascara, or you can harm your pretty lashes. play with it for a little while, it may take a while to be able to use the curler just right. the curler makes your lashes look longer and opens up your eyes, making them look bigger and brighter.
3.] mascara. i love mascara. you can buy some with a "primer" that you apply beforehand, or just the top coat. a lot of people i've found don't like it, which baffles me but whatever. it took makes your lashes look longer and fuller, and your eyes bigger and brighter. this part is hard to explain: when holding the wand, start close to the base of your lashes. sort of "squiggle" it back and forth through the lashes to the end, from base to tip. i usually do it in sections, do i'm not rubbing the wand back and forth over all my lashes at once. this helps seperate lashes and prevents clumping. you can apply a few coats, it depends on how obvious/dramatic you want to be. i sometimes use a little bit on my lower lashes too, but that's just me.
4.] eyeliner. you can do eyeliner a ton of ways. it's also very versitile: it can be as think and bold as you want or almost undetectable. it can be black or your hair color or even bright blue. it can be liquid, and you can extend it past your eyes for a "cat-eye" or almost clepatra effect. you can smudge it to make a smokey-eye look, or keep it defined. you can do it the same way every day, or play with it.
i usually just use my almay pencil eyeliner, and i start from the inner corner and work my way out. be sure to keep the line steady and even. towards the outer edge you can make it a little thicker, which also makes your eye look bigger.
you can also apply underneath. try to be as close to the lash-line as you can. this you can play with less.. you can't make it too thick, unless you're going for the "gothic" look. i generally try to apply it almost on the base of my lower lashes, so it's less dramatic but still there.
i then use the other pencil (i've found it's much better this) on the inside. if you want it to be darker and more dramatic, blow-dry it for a few seconds (not too long, don't let it melt!). this makes it more liquidy so it almost dries on the inner eyelid and lasts longer. on the other hand, if your pencil doesn't seem to be working, heat it up- it could be too cold to really rub in!
liquid eyeliner. i used to use this a lot, so i dug up an old one i had. i don't know what brand it is though, sorry. liquid is much darker and bolder than pencil. some people apply the pencil first, to keep the liquid more in place. DON'T APPLY LIQUID EYELINER INSIDE YOUR LID- it will sting. also, liquid tends to come off easily with water. otherwise, you can apply it much the same way as the pencil.
5.] eyeshadow. i don't use much eyeshadow. i sometimes use the golden jane shadow, which i've found brightens my eyes when i'm not wearing very much other makeup. this part i may work on later, as there are a few ways to do it and i'm not very familar with them.

cheeks.

1.] blush. i am really not a huge fan of blush. my mom loves it, and i've never really used it, except when my face looks colorless as if i'm sick. my mom prefers to just dab some of her lipstick on her cheekbone and rub it in, which keeps the colors the same. i use a mary-kay blush (in 'wild rose'- it's a cute pink shade) and brush it on, but that's a rare occasion.

upkeep..

1.] take care of your makeup. it can and will last you. try to keep it out of extreme heat (lipsticks and liners will melt) and extreme cold (to keep them from being brittle). some lipsticks will last longer when stored in the fridge. with mascara, avoid pumping the wand in and out, as with will dry out the mascara inside.
2.] reapply. i usually dab on powder throughout the day, especially on my nose, which will get shiney. lipglosses will been to be reapplied, and sometimes eyeliner in the inner eye.
3.] removal. while you can buy special make up removers, a neat trick is probably something you already have. body lotion can be rubbed on your makeup and then wiped off with a tissue. also, remember to wash your face or at least remove makeup before bed. sleeping with makeup on is bad for your skin/face.
4.] practice. even if the look you tried didn't come out right the first time, keep trying it until you get better.
5.] HAVE FUN.