I recently got some new makeup and naturally was eager to play with them so I thought what better than to do another Face Du Jour. So if you you’re interested in how I got this look, then read on.
Base
After I moisturised with the Caudalie Vinosource Moistursing Matifying Fluid, one of the goodies I picked up during my recent French haul (here), I primed my face with the Deborah Milano Perfect Face Primer- matifying which provides an oil-controlled, shine-free base. I opted for a tinted moisturiser and the one in question was the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturisier. I had a sample of the shade Tawny which is described as for medium skin with yellow tones. It definitely has a yellow undertone to it and might even be the slightest bit too dark for me but blended in well (with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush of course), I think can just about get away with it. This tinted moisturiser gives a light coverage with a matte finish, which is becoming my preferred type of finish recently.
Brows
I’m still loving using Sleek’s Brow Stylist to shape and define my brows. I find the dark shade to be a good match for my dark hairs and the spoolie at the one end makes the whole look really natural so you really can’t go wrong with this product. Then as per usual, I set my brows with Collection Colour Lash Mascara in Clear. What I need ideally is a brow product that defines and sets the brows without having to use two separate products. One to think about Sleek?
Eyes
I primed my eye lids with Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray before applying Mac Naked Lunch over the lids and up to the crease with a Mac 239 Eye Shader Brush, and Mac Satin Taupe on the outer third of the lid and into the outermost part of the crease with a Mac 217 Blending Brush. Then taking a clean blending brush, I blended out the top edge of the eyeshadow to ensure that there were no harsh lines. I also took Satin Taupe with the edge of the 239 brush and ran it very tightly along my lower lash line.
Then I used one of my new purchases, the Charlotte Tilbury Rock ‘N’ Kohl in Verushka Mink which is a very dark, dark grey almost like a muted black, along the upper lash line and ended it with an ever so slight flick.I then, with a very light hand, ran the pencil along the lower lash line and blended it out with a Mac 219 Pencil Brush.
I then used my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers to give my lashes a quick curl before applying several coats of Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara in black. To further define my lash line and a step that I do religiously nowadays, is to tight line my upper waterline. I am currently using Maybelline’s Eye Studio Master Drama Kohl Liner in black but I am on the look out for a pencil that does not transfer onto my lower lash line because at the moment I’m finding a couple of hours in, it can get a little smudgy in the under eye area.
For the final step in the eye department, I took Mac Pigment in vanilla, and gently dotted it onto the inner corner of my eyes with a Zoeva 230 Luxe Pencil Brush.
Concealer
To conceal the darkness under my eyes, I used Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Concealer in True Ivory, and Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Ginger to cover the redness around my nose and on some of the persistant scars left behind from the breakouts I’ve had earlier on in the year (nice, NOT!).
Cheeks
So I recently bought the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder in the shade Medium and found it disappointingly muddy and patchy upon application. I had tried it with various different brushes but the results were all the same. I was feeling slightly disheartened because this product isn’t cheap. Thank God for Lisa Eldridge. This woman is a genius. I picked up one of her tips from her recent video “How to Wear Bronzer Beautifully” where pre bronzer and post foundation, she used the tiniest amount of loose translucent powder over her cheeks (the area where she would apply the bronzer). This is to provide a smooth base for the powdered bronzer to go on top without it going patchy. So I did as Lisa does and applied a light layer of the Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder before going in with the sculpting powder. Such a simple step but it actually works. I’m so glad I didn’t have to reside my Kevin Aucoin Scultping Powder to the back of my drawer (which is where most of the things that don’t work on me usually ends up). I also think the perfect brush for applying the sculpting powder is the Real Techniques Blush Brush due to it’s tapered bristles.
For blush, I used Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in the shade Exposed which is a recent purchase I made at Sephora online, which has now started to ship to the UK shores (hurrah!). I would describe the shade Exposed as being a warm, dusky pink and gives the most natural flush to the cheeks. I’ve been pretty much wearing this for the last week. Any guess as to what I used to highlight the tops of my cheekbones and my browbone? Yep you got it in one, the Benefit Watt’s Up, their “soft focus” highlighter.
Powder
To set my base and concealer, I used Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder (in the shade 1 Transparent) with my Real Techniques Powder Brush down and across my T Zone, and with my Real Techniques Setting Brush under my eyes.
Lips
After moisturising my lips with Nuxe Reve De Miel, which is another product I snapped up in my recent French pharmacy haul, I used the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade San Paolo, which is a matte finish, mid-toned pink. I like to use this by swiping the product onto my lips with the doe foot applicator and then taking my index finger to blend the colour out evenly. This gives a slightly softer look to the lips.
So that’s all. Have you bought anything recently that you are loving at the moment?