As I was away this weekend I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to tell you what makeup I'm loving enough to take with me. My current everyday makeup routine has changed quite a lot since I last posted about it and most of it is included in this post, but as I have more time on weekends I tend to put a bit more effort in so there are definitely more product on my weekend list than my working weekday list!
At the moment I'm loving using Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue tinted Hydrating Gel Cream (Review Here) which is a product I pretty much always go back to at this time of year. It feels lovely and light on my skin. The coverage is definitely light but at the moment it's working nicely for me with a little bit of concealer where I need it. I'm in the shade Vanilla 02 which matches perfectly at the moment, but it may be a little too light for further into the summer, although I won't be going abroad so that may not be an issue. The only problem I have with this is that it doesn't sit very well with the Primer I have (BareMinerals Prime Time) so I haven't been using one. I may get the TooFaced Hangover Primer and try it with that though as the primer texture is apparently very different (no silicon feel) and it sinks in to the skin better so it may work more nicely.
I recently changed up my concealer and brought the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer instead of replacing my BareMinerals Bare Skin because that just didn't wow me and wasn't sitting right anymore (it may just be that the tube had got a bit too old to be honest). I'm really loving the Urban Decay Concealer so far. I've been using it for a week now and it sits beautifully and isn't too drying for my under eye areas. It also blends nicely with my Foundation which makes a change from the BareMinerals Concealer. I got this in the shade Fair Neutral which is perfect for lightening and brightening my under eyes but may be a touch too light for covering blemishes so I'm seriously considering getting it in the shade darker too. I really have been loving it that much.
I've got very close to finishing my BareMinerals Mineral Veil Finishing Powder recently and while I like it, I just don't think it's worth spending £21 on again so until I decide what I want to try next, I shopped my stash and pulled out the No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Translucent, the only other finishing powder I had to use. I think I will try and use it up before I buy anything else but I really don't feel like I'm loving it. I like that it comes with a lot of powder so it's better value than my BareMinerals powder, but it is also more drying on my skin. I don't find it unbearably dry but it is noticeable. I also find the packaging quite bulky and the sifter a pain to use as you can't close it separate to the lid like you can with BareMinerals products so it can go everywhere. I'm very interested in trying the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in a shade like diffused light but as it contains a slight sheen I want to swatch it before I pay out those sorts of money for it just in case the finish it gives isn't right for me. At the moment I can't get to a store which stocks Hourglass to do this so I will wait and see when I eventually do.
Every now and then I find a little gap appears half way along my left eyebrow, it seems to be just the way the hair sits sometimes, but when this happens I use Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil. This is perfect for what I need, the colour match of shade 6 is good for me and when used gently it blends in nicely to the look of the rest of my eyebrows. I got this as a free sample last summer and I don't use it a lot so I don't think I could justify full price when this runs out but I may look at replacing it with something more reasonably priced for the amount I use it because I do think it's worth me having for times when my eyebrows just aren't quite right.
As always, I'm using the Collection Colour Lash Clear Mascara which works well enough to keep things in place but I may try something a bit different next time. I'm quite interested in trying some Eylure eyebrow products next, but we will see what takes my fancy when I get there.
This is a recent purchase of mine, I finally finished my Urban Decay Primer Potion samples (only 2 years after I brought the palette they came with…) and I liked them but I don't think the sample was enough for me to buy the full size so when I saw the travel size last week while I got my new concealer, I decided to get it and have a proper chance to try it with the applicator but not having to spend out for the full size. So far I like this, the eyeshadow certainly sticks to it and I would say it lasts better and doesn't crease but it does also make blending a lot more difficult. I'm going to keep trying it to see how much of an issue that will be compared to how much it improves the overall finish and lasting power before I decide if it is worth buying this, or any eyeshadow primer, again.
It's not the most travel friendly of palettes, not in the slightest to be honest, but I am completely in love with it at the moment and that's the TooFaced Natural Love Palette. I wrote a first impressions when I first got it and there will be a full review with swatches on the way soon so I don't want to say too much now, but since I got it just over a month ago, this is the only palette I have used. It's perfect for the sunny spring days with the ability to go darker and smokier for the evenings if you want to, I just can't leave it behind in favour of a smaller palette, I would miss it too much.
For my eyeshadow on an everyday basis I tend to just use a neutral base colour to stop my foundation creasing on my eyelid and for this I use either Heaven or Lace Teddy from this palette or White Chocolate from the TooFaced Chocolate Bar palette which I have now hit pan on. I do think I need to get a good single eyeshadow in a similar shade to one of these otherwise I will run out of my blending shades way too quickly on these palettes so I am looking at either a Mac or Urban Decay single eyeshadow or maybe one of the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette as those neutral, matte shades are the sorts I like for weekdays at work and I think they are very good value for money next to the singles.
I've recently brought a couple of new colourpop eyeliners which I'm very excited to try out but until I do, I've been using three different liners depending on what sort of eye look I'm going for. If I want a crisp line or a wing I have the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner. This is nicely opaque with one swipe and the point is very fine for a thin line which I like. It can also be used a bit flatter for a thicker line without the need to go over too many more times. For a softer smoky look I have a small sample size of the Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Pencil Liner which is ok, but I don't tend to reach for as I struggle to get this near the lash line and it isn't a look I go for too often. On my waterline I like to use the Pixi By Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen in Opal Overcoat which works well to brighten and open up the eyes, it doesn't always cover the redness there though so I think there are better products for this purpose.
Since Revlon discontinued my all-time favourite mascara, I have been on a hunt for a new favourite and so far, I haven't been wowed by anything. The closest I have got to the finish I desire is with the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. It's still not quite there as I don't get that wow volume but I do love the length, separation and curl I get. I'm starting to think that volume just isn't possible with my lashes, but never mind. This is lovely for my everyday look, I only really feel like it's lacking when I'm going for something a bit more special and my eyelashes get lost next to my eyeshadow look so I may just have to start using false lashes for that.
You should be able to guess from my last post that I've been reaching for the BareMinerals Loose Mineral Powder Blushers, specifically the shades Kiss and Velvet which are very pretty shades for this time of year with Velvet being a bit deeper and better for an evening look and Kiss being a perfect light, spring daytime shade. I won't say anymore because I covered a lot of this on Thursday!
This is another newer addition and sample product that I absolutely love, I got the TooFaced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer free with the order of my Palette and I have used it quite a lot since. Aside from the gorgeous chocolate scent, it's a really nice shade that isn't too much for my light skin tone and it blends beautifully with the other products I use to add a bit of sun-kissed colour to the skin. At the same time, it isn't too warm toned meaning I can also use it as a bit of a contour if I feel like I need it.
This is a product that I was definitely made aware of by other bloggers and loved from the first swatch in Debenhams. For a long time though I just couldn't justify the price of TheBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter but when it was 32% off on FeelUnique I snapped it up and have been ignoring all other highlighters in my collection since. For a more subtle highlight I use this with a fan brush which leaves a nice diffused glow on the skin without obvious sparkles. I can also use this with a denser brush if I want an obvious, bright but not glittery highlight for an evening look, this makes it very versatile and currently my perfect highlighter.
I'm not going to talk about my lip products at the moment because I also got a lot of new colourpop lipsticks which I was trying and I want to put that in it's own haul so I'm going to let you wait on that one. What I will say though is that I ALWAYS bring 5 times the amount of lipsticks I actually need for two/three days but I just can't limit my choices to just one or two, what if I don't actually want to wear those on the day!
I would love to hear what's in your makeup bag at the moment and what you think of the products and my routine! Let me know in the comments below!