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| Please excuse my fading henna tattoo, I was on Spring break last week! LOL |
1. Face Primer: I am OBSESSED with this Mattefying Face Primer from Tarte! One of my biggest problems/pet peeves when it comes to face makeup is when my face starts to get oily a couple hours after application. I love this primer because it alleviates that problem and makes my makeup last all day! It also does a great job at minimizing my pores and providing a smooth and even skin base before I apply my foundation.
2. Foundation: I never started wearing face makeup until towards the end of high school for special events like Prom and Graduation. I swear by Clinique’s skin care products so trust me when I say that their makeup is just as great. I love this foundation because it is matte and and provides light to medium coverage. Super lightweight, buildable and it essentially looks like my skin, but better! I wear the shade “Ginger”.
3. Concealer: This Nars concealer is the first concealer that I purchased when I first started wearing makeup towards the end of high school and the only concealer that I have ever used since then. The consistency is amazing and I apply with a damp beauty sponge. I will say, that while it is a little bit pricey it is definitely worth the splurge because the coverage is excellent! I wear the shade “Caramel”.
4. Setting Powder: Setting powder is a must for a flawless face! I recently switched to using this one by Laura Mercier a couple months ago due to the fact that the one that I previously used left MAJOR flashback in photos. This one is perfect! I apply this product with a dry beauty sponge and it goes on goes on so smoothly and leaves zero flashback. They offer two finishes and the Medium Deep is too dark for me so I am ok with using the regular translucent shade.
5. Face Powder: As I mentioned earlier, I love Clinique’s products! I use this matte pressed powder in the shade “Stay Spice” as a finishing powder with a powder brush all over my face. It does a great job of absorbing oil, is super lightweight, doesn’t clog my pores and works perfectly for touchups during the day. On days when I want to wear a little makeup as possible, I can also get by with wearing just the powder itself. One thing to note when purchasing powder or any foundation or face product alone, be sure to do some research on your undertones so that you can get the best shade match! I have neutral to slightly yellow undertones so I have to shy away from skin makeup that is very warm or for red undertones or else I will end up looking very orange.
6. Contour/Bronzer: Besides highlighter, contour is one of my favorite makeup products. My mom actually asked me other day why I contour my cheekbones and I said to provide more dimension to my face. I used to swear by the Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette, but they discontinued the Medium/Deep shade. (Sidenote: I feel like when it comes to face makeup, Too Faced does not do a great job at offering products for WOC and if they do, they end up discontinuing them; such a shame!). I prefer using a cool toned contour because it works better with my undertones, but lately I have been using this bronzer from Bare Minerals in the shade “Dark to Deep” instead.
7. Blush (I mix this one & this one): I used to never wear blush because being a WOC, I felt as if it did not do anything to my face. However, I bought an amazing blush palette from Becca (they no longer carry the trio palette I use, but I linked the individual shades) that features these two colors and they do show up on my skin and I find that it really brightens up my face!
8. Highlighter: Hands down, my favorite makeup product ever! It gives the perfect amount of glow! I used the shade in “Golden Mosaic” but Sephora no longer carries it and only carries the shade “Peach Mosaic” which would work amazing for lighter skin tones. Two of my favorite things about this product is that it offers four colors within the compact and that it is super buildable. Before applying this product, I spray a little but of setting spray on to my setting brush. If you want to purchase the shade I use, I was able to find it on the Laura Mercier website which is where I guess I will have to go to purchase another one when I hit pan. Again, this item is a little pricey, but definitely worth the splurge!
9. Eyeshadow: This is a great eyeshadow palette staple to have in your makeup collection and would be an excellent starting palette for someone who is just getting into makeup. The majority of the eyeshadow palettes that Tarte sells have cool undertones and end up looking grey and ashy on someone like me with warm undertones, but this one is an exception as it has warm undertones. The pigmentation is amazing and it smells like vanilla! (even better!) I also like that it is super portable and offers natural colors that are practical for an everyday eye look. I use the matte orange shade everyday on my lid, the darkest shade in my crease and I mix the gold and brown glitter shades on my lid. This is my favorite eyeshadow primer.
10. Liquid Eyeliner: When it comes to liquid eyeliner, I do not care about brand names and do not want to spend a lot of money so I love this drugstore liner from L’oreal that my best friend Olivia introduced me to a couple years ago. It draws super sharp and pigmented lines and it doesn’t dry up on you!
11. Mascara (I mix this one & this one): When it comes to mascara, I have gone back and forth between drugstore and name brand mascaras. Essentially, I just want something that does it’s job. Typically I stock up on name brand mascaras during promotions like “Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty” where I can get them for half the price. I have been using the Tarte mascara for a little while now and it doesn’t clump your lashes and does a great at separating and lengthening your lashes. One thing I will say is that it doesn’t really volumnize your lashes. However, I also use the Benefit Mascara which is one of my FAVORITE mascara’s at the moment and that one does an amazing job at that! One thing that I will say about the Benefit mascara is that while it does an amazing job, you have to be careful with application because it can get clumpy at times but my eyelashes have never looked better.
12: Eyebrows (I use this pomade and this powder): For me, eyebrows are a must to my makeup routine AND my morning routine. My parents did not allow me to start getting my eyebrows threaded until my junior year of high school, so after surviving years of bushy and unruly eyebrows I take my eyebrows VERY SERIOUSLY. You will NEVER catch me out of the house without them being filled in! Anyways, I love all of the brow products from Anastasia Beverly Hills, they are seriously the best! I use the pomade in the shade “Chocolate” and apply it using this brush. It is waterproof and literally does not budge. I then apply the powder in the shade “Ebony” using a different brush (here is a brush similar to what I use). I only use the lighter shade of this duo because the darker shade is too dark for me.
13. Lip Color: Lately when it comes to lip colors, this shade by ColourPop has been my go-to shade. You all know that I am a huge fan of ColourPop’s lip colors! This shade applies evenly and dries down to a beautiful matte finish. Most of the time I will wear it matte and sometimes I will top it off with some lip gloss. I do not know the shade of the Buxom gloss that I used as it was a mini and I received it as a gift, but it has to be one of these shades.
14. Setting Spray: I used to spend a lot of money on setting sprays and I would go through the bottles fast they would not make my makeup last as long as it should. I love this one by NYX because being under $10, it is super affordable and it does an amazing job. This spray comes in a few other finishes, but I like the matte one the best because I have oily skin.
