WSS Beauty: Everyday Makeup Essentials
I was recently asked by a few readers about my makeup routine and I will let you in on a secret, I have a very simple and basic makeup kit. I truly believe less is more when it comes to makeup. I know I don’t want (or have the time) to spend an hour doing makeup in the morning and end up looking like a Kardashian anyway. A daytime look should be natural looking but if you are the full makeup type of person, all the power to you. I believe you run with anything that makes you feel good.
This is my daytime look below, as you can see I have enough makeup on to look natural but enough to highlight my best features:
My everyday makeup essentials are:
1. Tinted moisturiser. BB or CC cream is a must in my makeup bag. As I have said in previous posts, I have been wearing a SPF15+ tinted moisturiser for over fifteen years now and I see it as an essential to all women (well either a SPF moisturiser or a sunscreen. Either way, you need to be protected by sun damage. Which leads to ageing skin, pigmentation and wrinkles). The SPF 15-30+, moisturiser and a bit of colour are part of my daily skincare routine, even in winter. I don’t like the look of heavy foundation, so a BB/CC cream is perfect.
I have tried many, many brands but the two I use the most are the Garnier BB cream ($13.95) and La Roche-Posay Uvidea XL Tinted UV Protection BB Cream ($35.95).
. Both products have great coverage, moisturisation and sun protection.
2. Mascara. I wear glasses most of the day, so I need a really good mascara to bring out my green eyes. I have found cheaper mascaras tend to flake and irritate my eyes, unfortunately. I love Benefit’s ‘They’re Real’ mascara ($42), Estée Lauder Sumptuous Rebel Length + Lift Mascara ($54) and Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara ($52).
The mascaras mentioned above lengthen and darken lashes without clumping or flaking and last all day. I’m lucky I have long lashes, so mascara is the only eye makeup I wear during the day. To give the look of wearing eyeliner, wiggle the brush along the bottom of your lashes for instant eye definition. It gives a softer look than eyeliner, which is better for those over the age of 40. Heavy eyeliner tends to age women. Look at Pamela Anderson’s recent make under. She looks ten years younger with out the heavy 90’s eye makeup.
3. Bronzer. Adding a bit of contouring and colour is essential to a polished look. The bronzer defines your face shape and adds a subtle summer glow. My favourite is Benefit’s Hoola ($54), which comes in a cute box with it’s own brush included.
4. Blush. I add a touch of soft luminous pale rose pink Chanel Blush (Chanel Joues Contraste in Rose Bronze . $45) to the apples of my cheeks for a bit of colour. Otherwise I tend to look a bit washed out. The Chanel blush last all day and is well worth the price. Because you don’t use much, it lasts for months too.
5. Lip colour. I have been using Revlon’s Overtime Colorstay lipcolor in Always Sienna ($27.95) for years now and I love how it lasts all day and you can get different looks from one container of lip colour. At one end you have the Colorstay colour and the other end a clear balm. During the day, I like to go with a light tint of the Colorstay lip colour (using the brush, dab a couple of spots across your lips and lightly blend with your finger and then top with the lip balm). For a night time look, I use the Colorstay on its own and build it up to a darker lip colour.
The extra’s:
Sometimes the BB cream doesn’t cut it with covering dark rings around my eyes (Hello Possum eyes) and my weapon of choice is Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles ($19.95). This amazing cream instantly smooths, brightens, illuminates and corrects dark circles. I’m not sure how it does it but the cream provides natural coverage that adjusts to match your skin tone. Very clever, isn’t it?
If I need to define my eyebrows a bit more, I will use Benefit’s Brow Zings ($68). An amazing little container with everything you need in it to make your eyebrows stand out. How cute are the baby tweezers?
Quick tip I have been doing for years now: I get my eye brows waxed and tinted every few months and maintain the shape myself in between sessions with tweezers. The tinting defines brow hairs and you don’t need to use a pencil or brow kit for at least a month afterwards (unless you really want stand out brows or full makeup look, of course).
If I have a work or daytime event (ie lunch out with friends/ family), I will use Benefit They’re Real! Duo Shadow Blender Kit ($41). The palette contains three beyond easy eyeshadow duos and a custom Shadow Blender. These budge-proof neutral eyeshadow duos last up to 12 hours and the custom Shadow Blender ensures expert application every time.
For night time glamour, I swear by the Revlon Photoready Primer, Shadow + Sparkle ($25.95). This fantastic pallete features a primer, 3 highly pigmented shadows, and a sparkle top coat. You can use it wet for more intense colour. Add sparkle top coat for a multi-dimensional, intensely shimmering effect. The kit is absolutely fool proof, as the instructions are on the back of the palette. Easy, sexy, glamorous eyes in under 5 minutes. We love that!
Sometimes you need a little more coverage and you want flawless skin for an event like a night out or a wedding etc, this is where my Chanel VITALUMIÈRE Satin Fluid Makeup SPF 15 (around $91) comes in. I use my BB/CC cream as a base and pop this fantastic foundation over the top. No caked on, dry foundation look. Just dewy, natural looking skin. This product is THE best foundation I have ever used.
So there you go, my essential makeup items. What are your essential make up items?
