For my first post in the beauty category, I thought it might be a good idea to just run through my daily make up regime. This is the make up that I would wear to work Monday to Friday, the kind of low key, “everyday make up” as the title suggests. I am definitely an eye person, so put most of my effort and focus in that area- especially as I wear glasses around 75% of the time now, so focus kind of gets drawn to the eyes!
Skin
After my skincare regime (I think that requires a whole different post!) I moisturise using a Clinique moisturiser. I’ll be honest, I am currently using a different one to what I usually use because I just got overwhelmed Christmas shopping in Macy’s at the beginning of December! I usually use the Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator which is £34 for 50ml in the UK or $38.50 in the US but at the moment I am using the Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief which is also £34 for 50ml in the UK or $38.50 in the US. The Extended Thirst Relief is more of a gel and suitable for all skin types. The Fortifying Hydrator is oil free and suitable for the Clinique skin types 1 and 2. It’s better for dry skin, which I really suffered from during the winter in Chicago and when I travel on planes. (FYI- the size pictured is actually the 75ml)
After this, dependent on how red my face may be that day, I use the L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream for Anti-Redness. This is a drug store product and I used to buy it in Walgreens for $10.99. It’s available here on Amazon.com for $7.99 in the US. The product actually has a different name in the UK and is called L’Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream for Anti-Redness and can be found here on ASOS.com for £9.99. It comes out green, but then turns into a skin colour when applied to the face.
Then I apply a small amount (1-2 pumps) of Mac’s Pro Longwear Foundation/Fond de Teint to the back of my hand (£25 in the UK here or $32 in the US here) and then I use a Mac 130 brush (£31 in the UK here or $42 in the US here) to apply it to my face, using a Beauty Blender (in the UK I’d buy from Amazon for £15.50 here but in the US I buy from Sephora for $19.95 here…I miss Sephora!) I then blend the foundation in. With the Beauty Blender, there are a few products that look similar on the net, but I would recommend sticking with the original and the best. I found out about them via a YouTube tutorial and thought I would give them a try- they are excellent and really help to improve the blending of foundation.
Once I have blended in the Pro Longwear Foundation, I then use the Mac Prep + Prime (£18.50 in the UK here or $26 in the US here) as I was taught by the guy in Macy’s! I use it under my eyes, in the cheek line either side of my mouth, and in a semi-circle over my chin. (He exclaimed “you will look like you have slept forever!” to me in the store, probably a reference to how I looked at the time…) I then use the Beauty Blender again to blend this all in. In the summer I use a Mac Bronzer on my cheeks, but in the winter I use Benefit’s Posie Tint (£24.50 in the UK here and $30 in the US here). So, that’s the skin done!
Eyes
For eyes, I start with the eyebrows, using the Mac Veluxe Brow Liner (£15.50 in the UK here and $20 in the US here) and then move onto the eyeshadow. I am not really loyal to eyeshadows, but I prefer powdered eyeshadow. I am currently using Sonia Kashuk for Target’s eyeshadow palette “Eye on Neutral 02” which is $19.99 here. Sorry Brits. Target don’t ship international, which is such a shame! I do also have a Clinique eyeshadow palette like this one for £32 in Sahara Sand-Nudes. I apply the eyeshadow with a Sonia Kahsuk for Target brush No. 106 which is $4.99 and can be found here (it looks slightly different now…). I’m not going to do a tutorial for it because, I’ll be honest, I learned how to do it from YouTube and there are people who are much better at teaching this stuff than me. I then blend the eyeshadow with a Mac brush No.224 (£23 in the UK here and $32 in the US here) and curl my eyelashes. My eyelash curler is this one from Sephora at $17.00. I then run a line of black eyeliner (Mac Pro Longwear Eye Liner £16.50 in the UK here and $20 in the US here) along my water line and use Mac False Lashes Extreme Black (£19 in the UK here and $22 in the US here) and I’m done!
Tidying Up
I spritz my brushes with Sephora’s Daily Make Up Brush Cleaner which is $8.50. A quick Google shows The Pro Hygiene Collection Make Up Brush Cleaner for £9 on feelunique.com.
I also give them a “proper clean” every 10 days or so using the Blendercleanser Solid which is $15.95 from Sephora but Net-A-Porter.com also sell it in the UK for £14 here.
Soundtrack to writing this post
Just some of the tracks…
1. Comin’ Home Baby, Mel Torme
2. Baby I Need Your Loving, Four Tops
3. Feel the Need in Me, The Detroit Emeralds
4. Sexx Laws, Beck
5. Got to Give It Up, Marvin Gaye
