Beauty posts are nothing new for me. I’m always trying out new products and I love sharing makeup and skincare finds with you. This post, however, does feel like a foray into new territory.
SHARING MY MAKEUP FINDS
Typically, I share makeup products with you and tell you what I like about them, but I don’t actually get in front of the camera wearing the makeup. Today, I’m doing just that. I spent some time looking at other lifestyle bloggers who dip their toes in the beauty vertical to see how they approach makeup on their blogs, and while I’m not a vlogger, so a true tutorial is out of the question, I can share with you how these products I love actually look when you use them.
AN EVERYDAY MAKEUP LOOK
The first thing I wanted to take into account when sharing a makeup look with you is that it needs to be practical. Most of us are not makeup artists and most of us probably don’t work at Sephora, so makeup needs to be natural, easy, and quick. This look is exactly that. It’s polished and pretty, but subtle. Plus, it takes about 5 minutes start to finish – and you can’t beat that. This is what I would do before work or for any weekend day activity when I want to looked pulled together, but don’t want to look overdone or spend too much time getting ready.
THE PRODUCTS
Most of the products I used in this look are from It Cosmetics. I discovered their products several years ago at The Blog Societies Conference in Charleston and I’ve been hooked ever since. They have a reasonable price point, they make every product you could possibly need in your repertoire, and they wear beautifully. It Cosmetics also makes great skincare products and if you’ve never checked those out, I definitely recommend the Confidence in a Cream and Confidence in a Cleanser.
For this everyday look, I used the following products:
- Clarins SPF 50 Anti-Pollution Sunscreen
- Clarins SOS Primer
- Marc Jacobs Highlighter
- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer
- It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Perfecting Powder with SPF 50
- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Blush
- It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
- It Cosmetics Superhero Volumizing Mascara
- It Cosmetics Superhero Liner
- It Cosmetics Superhero Transforming Anti-Aging Eye Palette
- It Cosmetics Your Lips But Better Waterproof Lip Liner Stain in Buff/Nude
- It Cosmetics Blurred Lines Smooth-Fill Lipstick in Naturally Pretty
- Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray
THE STEPS
I begin by mixing a bit of the Clarins sunscreen with the Clarins primer to create a slightly pink tinted moisturizer that also has sun protection – don’t ever forget your SPF! I then blend it in with a Beauty Blender.
Next, I apply the under eye concealer in an upside down triangle shape underneath my eyes and let it set for a few seconds before blending that in with the thin end of the Beauty Blender. I add a swipe of highlighter to the top of each cheekbone going towards the brow before setting the concealer and highlighter with a bit of SPF powder – getting in that SPF wherever I can!
A swipe of blush to the apples of my cheeks adds a bit of rosiness and then I move on to lips. I absolutely love this lip liner and lipstick combo from It Cosmetics. They’re a pinkish nude that’s perfect for everyday.
Then it’s on to brows and eyes. I fill in my brows with short strokes of the brow pencil before taking the brush end to blend it all together and give them a slightly undone feel. For my eyes, I do something different almost every day, but I always use a combination of browns, neutrals, and golds, with a darker shade at the outside corner of my eye and a lighter one on the inside. I’ll then use the darkest brown or black to add a bit of accent to the outside bottom lash line. A subtle black liquid liner on my top lash line – not an obvious cat eye, but something leaning in that direction – and two coats of black mascara finish off the look.
Lastly, I always do a few spritzes of setting spray to make sure my makeup stays fresh from morning to evening.
