Today’s post is a little different from my usual as I am going to be talking a a little bit about what I use for makeup these days. There is no doubt that I love skincare (I have a whole blog on it!) however, I am not sure if many of you know – I also love makeup. My biggest issue and problem is that I am just far to lazy to sometimes use or apply certain make-up products. I find that however long I take doing a skincare routine, my makeup routine seems to take just a moment of my time.
Its not that I don’t enjoy makeup, I actually love purchasing items to add to my collection (I have so many palettes)! It’s just during the week, I love a quick and lazy routine that doesn’t require so much effort as I do not have the patience (or skill set for that matter) to apply my makeup. I also believe that makeup should be use t enhance your natural beauty and is not there to completely cover it up and conceal it.
I love keeping my makeup quite light and my complexion looking as natural as possible as I hate caking on product. If anything was to look ‘dramatic’ it would most definitely show in my lip colour of choice.
Overall, my makeup routine literally takes about 10 minutes from start to finish! Here’s a little snapshot of what I currently using and loving.
***Please note that there are three products mentioned in this routine which has been kindly gifted to me, these are marked with a *. However I actually do use these (and love them too!) in my make-up routine which is why they are getting a mention. My opinions (and how badly I use them hahaha) are all my own honest opinions and experiences.
Ace of the Base
If there is one thing that is really important for me with make-up, it is finding the right base. I am incredibly fussy with foundation like I am fussy with my moisturisers. The texture, coverage and finish has to be just right. With my foundations/tinted moisturiser I like the coverage to be either light or if I am going out a light to medium coverage. In terms of texture, foundation need to feel weightless – like nothing is on my skin and in terms of finish I like a really natural ‘satin’ finish or something I little bit more dewy. I am all about that glow.
In the past I found myself buying a lot of different foundations (I had 15 different types at one stage) but now I think my collection is a lot more manageable. These days I vary between 4 different types of ‘bases’ – the Perricone No Foundation Foundation Serum (review here), The Makeup Factory’s Vegan Skin Perfector Liquid* and my current two favourites – NARS Charlotte Gainsbourg Hydrating Glow Tint (Medium) and Chantecaille Future Skin (Shea). The use of these all of these vary on my mood, how my skin is looking/feeling and of course my plans for that day/evening.
These days I find myself regularly reaching out for the new NARS Charlotte Gainsbourg Hydrating Glow Tint. This comes out of the tube like a whipped mousse and spreads so easily into the skin giving it a glow and a dewy finish. I find that the coverage of this is minimal – it is a tint after all and works quite well to even out the skin tone and give your skin a little oomph. It feels like nothing on the skin to me and I absolutely just love that extra tint and finish to make my skin look that little bit more acceptable.
For a better coverage, I have been mixing the NARS Hydrating Glow Tint with Future Skin. These two combined give a dewy, natural, your own skin but so much more better look and feel which is a big thumbs up for me. Best thing about these foundations – they can be so easily applied with the fingers, quick and easy with no brush (or brush cleaning required), oh and did I mention, they last almost the whole day for me!
Oh There She Glows
To avoid looking like death, I often add a little bit of colour to my routine. My colour generally comes from bronzer and a little bit of highlight at near the top of my cheeks. For bronzer, I am currently giving Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Bronzer some time to shine as I have recently ran out of cult favourite NARS Laguna. The Hourglass Bronzer is lovely, it has a beautiful warm toned colour to it that works so well to give my complexion a bit of lift and colour.
There is some ‘shimmer’ to it but nothing that would make me look like a disco ball. Hourglass is one of the very few brands that get ‘shimmer’ right as it is so fine that it ends up giving the skin a really subtle glow. In terms of pigment and ease of use, there is no doubt that Hourglass have perfected their powder game.
The bronzer itself is beautifully pigmented and the compact powder feels silky and glides so effortlessly with my brush making bronzer application a breeze. I simply just pick some of this with my brush and sweep the colour on to the cheeks. This whole process takes a whole of twenty seconds and gives my complexion a bit of lift.
I recently added a new step to my make-up routine (something pretty unheard of for me) and this is quite simply due to a product that was sent to me from Algenist late last year. The Algenist Reveal Concentrated Luminizing Drops in Champagne* has completely changed the way I feel about highlighters/illuminators. This creates a beautiful soft ‘lit from within glow’ and the formulation and texture of this is just so lightweight and easy to use. The Reveal Concentrated Luminizing Drops imparts a beautiful finish that is neither glittery or too shimmery, instead it gives a really natural glow that can be intensified with a little bit more product. Since discovering thisproduct, I have happily used it as an everyday highlighter.
I find that just applying a little bit (half a drop for both sides) and working it into the the top part of my cheekbone gives my skin a lift without looking too done. Its super easy and super quick to apply and I absolutely love the finish it gives.
All About the Eyes
This is the part that I really am terrible at, both in skill set and with patience/time. I have Asian eyes which sometimes makes eye makeup a little difficult for a novice like myself. I rarely play or use with eyeshadow (too hard basket) and normally I just use liquid eyeliner with a flick. This flick can look a little bit out of place when I am wearing jeans, t-shirt and sneakers (and sometimes a hoodie…yes I do love my comfortable clothes).
However, I was recently introduced to By Terry’s Blackstar range (thank you/no thank you @skinmusings) and I feel that this has slightly changed how I do my eyes. With the recent release of their new Stylo Blackstar range, I have been enjoying a less ‘done’ or ‘harsh’ eye look. The Style Blackstar is a great multi tasking ‘eyeshadow’ stick. Its premise is that is is a 3-in-1 eyeshadow stick that can be used to shadow, liner and contour the eye due to its blendable formulation.
It is supposed to be waterproof, transfer-proof which gives it some brownie points as my lids are very oily. I have been lining my eyes with this in Bronze Green and experimenting with smudging it out a little to give it more a ‘lived’ in look. It’s quick, its easy and its product where the overall results doesn’t have to look perfect for it to work. I also love the fact that this just stays puts, it really is quite transfer proof and does not budge.
Living a Little with Lips
The final piece to my relatively quick and easy routine is the lips. I find that this is probably what makes my makeup appear more well put together as it finishes the look quite nicely. I like lipsticks that have a matte or creamy texture – NARS Audacious Lipsticks and Hourglass Girl Lip Stylos are generally some of my most favourite formulations (I don’t dare jump on that Charlotte Tilbury train…I know I will fall in love). Glossy or sheen textures are just a little bit too girly for me and generally if I am not wearing a nude lip, I go for strong bold colours – red is actually a personal favourite of mine.
These days I find that I am either wearing a nude lip – a favourite of mine at the moment is actually Beauty Pie’s Futurelipstick Matte in Cowboy Nude* (a pinky browny nude). This matte lipstick is quite hydrating and Cowboy Nude is a colour that flatters my skin tone quite nicely. It is a perfect easy everyday nude. The other colour of choice that I am currently loving is Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo in Warrior – a deep burgundy/berry colour for a slightly dressier or dramatic look. I find this dresses up jeans and t-shirt perfectly! This colour looks amazing once it has worn in a little so I like to apply a thin layer of this and rub my lips together to replicate this look. It definitely is a striking colour but I love the bold pop it gives to my generally very safe makeup look.
And there you have it – my general day to day makeup routine. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s super quick (generally takes about 10 minutes!) and most importantly perfect for the lazy girl in me. I mean…I use primer and Glossier’s Boy Brow for special occasions hahaha!
What is you makeup routine like? How long do you on average spend on doing your makeup in the morning? I am really interested in finding out! Let me know in the comments section below.