In a similar vein to last week's update, I've been a little bit busy as of late! I've been in work all of this weekend and I had a packed week last week. Not that it wasn't fun (I can't mention how fun as that info would be woefully incriminating!) but it certainly kept me on my toes. I discovered, entirely by accident as I was getting ready one day, that I'd started to stockpile some old reliables and kept them close to hand. Given that sleep was a commodity, I found it easier to remove the usual deadened look off myself this way.
Let me preface this by saying that I don't own a set "make up bag" as such. I do have preferred products but seeing as I've amassed a bit of a collection my face tends to be different every day. It was kind of a surprise to me when I ended up keeping the items I'll mention below in a small case on top of my desk. I'll be honest, I found it adorable. Every morning it greeted me with the same reliability as public transport would in any other country on Earth bar our own. Who wouldn't find their day bolstered with that kind of sweet routine amid daily chaos?
I'm not saying that I used all of these products every single day, I chopped and changed depending on my humour. On inspection when I decided to make this post, these were the items tucked inside the small acrylic case. I'm gonna go through each one and explain how I use it, why I like it and where appropriate, who I might recommend it to. Got your popcorn? Good. Away we go.
No. 7 Brilliantly Bare Beauty Enhancer: I've talked about this product in a primer post before. I love this because it's a lightweight, silicone based primer with a yellow tint. This brightens my skin alone, but I mix this with a concealer and use this all over as my base.
M.A.C Prolongwear Concealer; This product forms the colour in my pseud-foundation. I mix this with my Brilliantly Bare all over and then use it alone under my eyes. It's a fluid with fantastic coverage that sets down and forms a film on the skin. My undereye area will always be a problem, but this is definitely the most flattering product I've ever worn. I find that using this with a silicone based primer gives a long wearing but natural coverage suitable for oily skin. Some Face & Body products are gorgeous on the skin but far too moisturising for me.
M.A.C Full Coverage Foundation; This product was the topic of debate online for a while, but essentially this is M.A.C's Studio Finish concealer in a larger pot. Unless you want to be finicky about ingredients then both products do exactly the same thing. The upside is you save yourself a ton of money buying the larger version. I have a couple of colours I mix and apply to match my base. I use this for blemishes, never under my eyes. It's far too creamy.
M.A.C Studio Fix Podwer Foundation; Can you see where I'm going with the whole base routine? I use small amounts of products with decent coverage to create a natural looking, even skin. I press this foundation over my T-zone to keep my oil at bay. On super quick days I'll use my primer by itself and layer this on top. This products is honestly a Godsend for oily skinned folk.
M.A.C "Harmony" Blush: I promise I don't only use M.A.C products. I went on a serious spending spree at one point and still use most of the products that I bought. This blush is a brilliant contour colour for me. I have very fair, neutral to cool toned skin. The grey tone of this products gives me a natural looking shadow without being too warm.
Illamasqua "Lover" Blush: See? See?! Proof that I'm not a one brand man. I got this products on sale and I'm more than delighted with it. It's a peach blusher that blends amazingly to add a natural flush to the cheeks. This is perfect for lifting my complection without adding too much colour. It's so soft in the pan and smells divine as well. I'm dying to try more blushes from this company.
M.A.C "Lightscapade" Mineralize Skinfinish: This is a pale coloured highlighter with cool undertones and a soft, satin finish. This gives a subtle but noticeable highlight without being too shiny. Again, those of us in the oily clan will like this because it won't make us too luminous later in the day. For all my pale folks, this is a must. It won't deposit any colour on the skin so you'll end up with a gorgeous highlight that actually lifts your features without making you look either orange or like you've run a mile. Aka; pink and shimmering.
M.A.C "Painterly" Paint Pot: I'm starting to look like I lied at this point, but anyway! Bear with me, they're so worth it! Painterly is a cool neutral cream shadow that sets to a matte finish on the skin. This makes it the perfect product to use alone to brighten the eye or as a really good base for eye shadow. Anyone with a warmer undertone could try "Soft Ochre", it's much the same but with a yellow base to it.
Illamasqua "Fidelity" Eye Pencil: A medium to deep brown eye liner. Simple sounding, but I've actually never found a colour I like as much as this. It has all the impact of a black pencil, can be used as a base for darker shadows but won't leave a muddy or grey tone that some products can.
Benefit Rollerlash Mascara: This gives me the length and definition that I want without it being too dramatic. The smaller bristles on one side of the curved wand make doing your lower lashes a whole lot easier. This doesn't clump, create spidery lashes or go crispy once it sets. An A+ in my book.
Illamasqua "Strike" Precision Brow Gel: Now, I do like the Dipbrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills. However, by comparison the Illamasqua gel doesn't dry as quickly which gives me plenty of time to play. It also means the product stays nice and fluid in the packaging itself. I know that Illamasqua do more colours in this particular brow gel. I'm happy enough with the colour for the moment but once I'm out of it I might look for something more along the lines of my (clearly dyed) red hair.
Smashbox Full Exposure Palette: This has been a firm favourite of mine for a while, so much so that I bought two. One for myself to use and one to use in my kit for freelance work. It has a cool toned and a warm toned side, both consisting of matte and shimmering shadows. This is a basic set of shadows that anyone entering make up artistry should have, all in one place. The centre shadow on the shimmering row is a gorgeous highlighter for the skin as well. Multi purpose products always catch me in the end!
M.A.C "Flesh-pot" Lipstick: A pale pink lipstick that's just nude enough to be swiped over the lips and it's good to go. This gives me enough colour that I look like I have something on my lips but it's so easy and effortless that I'd genuinely be lost without it. This, mascara and some highlighter on the skin is one of the lowest maintenance but instantly brightening "faces" that I have in my arsenal.
As I said, I don't use all of this loveliness on my face at once. I'd be an eternity getting it all in place. I did find that whether I wanted to vary my make up or keep it simple these were never far from my reach. I'm contemplating investing in an actually make up bag, one that was purposed to carry cosmetics from its very creation. The novelty is a little bit addictive.
See something you like up above? Let me know if you use it differently! If you have any suggestions for bits and pieces that I might like then please let me know. Any excuse to obtain more make up is justifiable in my eyes.
Until next time,
J x
No comments:
Post a Comment