Makeup Routine – March 2020

#1. PRIMER || The very first thing I use is this Dior Dreamskin Care & Perfect. I have been using it for a year now and love how it takes care of my skin and provides a lovely smoothing base. On easy makeup days I wear just this with no foundation, that’s how good it is! If I want to really fill pores for a full glam look I use Tatcha Silk Canvas [also this e.l.f primer is a pretty great dupe!]

[Also, I have to mention that good skincare is really the BEST way to prime your skin for flawless makeup application! I would never apply makeup without my skincare routine. Updated post with more details on this coming soon, for now check out this post.]

*SIDE NOTE: I have been using these HAIR CLIPS to keep my hair out of the way for makeup application! They are great for fly-aways and don’t leave a crease!* See some of my other fave hair accessories, here.

#2. FOUNDATION || My tried and trues are Kat Von D True Portrait foundation [Shade M027] and IT Cosmetics CC+ with SPF ([Shade Neutral Medium, LOVE this for summer!]. Both of these have a natural/satin finish. Lately I have been trying out Bite Beauty’s Supercharged Micellar Foundation [Shade M65, but I am also close to L40] I have been applying both of these with my fingers (pro MUA tip from Scott Barnes, J.Lo’s makeup artist!). Use a tapping motion and don’t just smear it on. Make sure your hands are freshly washed too, so the oil from your fingers doesn’t impact the foundation formula.

If you prefer, I love this beauty sponge– Tarte Multitasking Sponge. If using the sponge make sure you have run it under water and squeezed out the excess! I also like to spritz this glowy spray on when applying foundation for a dewy look.

*FOUNDATION APPLICATION TIP 1: Wherever you tend to crease do a VERY light application. For me that is my smile lines and near my nostrils where I crease or can tend to look dry/cakey. Once you apply the full face you can go back and try to lift some product off these spots using the other end of the sponge.*

*FOUNDATION APPLICATION TIP 2: For lighter coverage, I mix in one drop of this serum from The Ordinary (super moisturizing ingredient), which makes your skin look more hydrated throughout the day. If I want to add a glowy dimension I also add one small drop of these custom enhancer drops [shade Candlelight or Celestial].* These two tips give the PERFECT natural glow up look!

#3. EYESHADOW || The three palettes I have in my rotation are ABH Modern Renaissance, Tartelette in Bloom, and Too Faced Just Peachy. If I had to pick ONE overall fave it would be this one, because I can do eyes, cheeks, brow, bronze, and highlight for a super quick look! All 3 of these palettes are versatile like that though, which is why I love them! For shadow brushes, I love all of the ones from this set.

#4. UNDEREYE/ LID PRIMER || My usual is the Josie Maran Concealer, but lately I have been trying the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer and LOVE it. It is my new holy grail! Its powder-like luminous finish but so natural looking and not drying at all. I have dark circles and undereye texture and find both to be medium-high coverage and a natural finish without being drying or bunching in my creases.

For eyeshadow primer I like to use my Tarte Shape Tape, which I only bust out as concealer for when they’re really dark because it is SUPER high coverage.I dot a little bit on each lid and tap it out with my finger all over, or use the concealer brush from this set. I’ve also got a sample of this undereye brightener and correcter, so I will report back on my thoughts but it is well reviewed!

*WEIRD TIP: After curling my lashes [this is my fave lash curler!] I brush a little bit of concealer through my upper lashes, I have a bit of concealer on the tip of my finger and then just blink my lashes onto my fingertip then brush with spoolie. Once it dries a bit I tap a little bit of powder on them, using a shadow, and brush out again. This acts kind of like a lash primer, making them a bit thicker (That’s another J.Lo tip!)*

#5. SETTING POWDERS || Next, if I want to set the undereye– lately I have been skipping this step– but when I do I love the Hourglass Veil Translucent Powder. I have tried the much hyped Laura Mercier, among others, and found others really dried out my undereye and showed alot of texture, so once I found this one it instantly became a holy grail! It’s pricey but a little goes a long way, and its the only one that works for me. I apply it with that same dampened beauty sponge and later just sweep it off with a small domed powder brush. When I apply I very gently tap it on loosely so it just sits on top of the skin. Sometimes I mix the Hourglass and Fenty Lavender shade to get the right colour for me since I am in between shades. Then I lightly dust with whats left on my brush onto my chin, smile lines, forehead, and lightly tap my nose [but only after contouring/blush].

#6. CONTOUR || I use the Fenty trio in shade Light, and I also have the Medium Shade which is great when I have more of a tan. I use the shae Amber to contour my cheekbones, nose, forehead, and jawline [Using the contour shader brush from THIS set to blend the contour]. If you are going for a glam chiselled look, MUA Pro Tip is to apply and blend out contour after priming but before foundation and THEN again after foundation to give it more depth. It definitely works best when you use two different shades of creamy contour for this hack! If you are going for full greek goddess angles, set that double contour with the KVD Shade and Light palette.

#7. BRONZE || I like a bronzer that is matte and not shimmery, so my faves are the HOOLA Bronzer [Shade Natural Bronze, I have had the mini for YEARS!] and the NARS bronzer [I like this duo set here!]. If you are looking to skip all that high maintenance contouring but still want to shade a bit, I like to BRONTOUR (made up word, lol), using the HOOLA or using the brown shades in any of the eyeshadow palettes above. I love the fluffy and large angled blush brush from this set for bronzer and cheeks!

#8. BLUSH || It lives up to the hype — I LOVE the Nars Orgasm Blush. Perfect amount of gold shimmer and it’s the most beautifully flushed shade. I love it in this duo set with the bronzer. I also love this cheek palette since it has a nice mix of matte and shimmer blush shades. Like I said above, in a pinch I love an eyeshadow palette that has a versatile shade range so I can use one for blush– like the Just Peachy Palette, which is my fave for spring/summer. Like I mentioned above, this brush set has a great fluffy brush and angled blush brush!

#9. HIGHLIGHTER || I am obsessed with the ABH x Amrezy highlighter, which is limited edition and sold out everywhere. My next in line is Becca [shade Champagne Pop} or Benefit [shade Cookie]. I apply it with my fave domed powder brush from this set, or the fan brush in the same set, and if I want a more intense beaming highlight I will spritz the brush with this setting mist first before dipping into the highlighter. I use this on my cupid’s bow, top of the cheek bone, tip and bridge of the nose, brow bone, and inner eye. Your girl loves a total glow!

#10 BROWS || I am SUPER particular about brow products. Mine are dark blond and lighter in parts, very thin, and super unruly (the hairs like to point every which way and it ain’t cute, LOL). After years and TONS of products, this is my line up. I dip my my fave angled brush/spoolie into some Wunder Brow product [shade blonde] [side note: this is a gel and gets better as the tube dries out a bit so its more of a putty, like the ABH diprbow but BETTER. TRUST ME], that I dab out onto a reusable palette (don’t use your hand because this is LEGIT and difficult to remove!). I brush the brows down first and then I use small and gentle strokes into the brows to get the desired shape. Then I brush the brows up with the spoolie end and fill the under arch area. I go in light at the inner part of the brows so it is more of a gradient, natural look.

I wipe the angled brush off and then use a light powder to lightly touch up the tail end and the inner brow. I like this Naked mini palette for the very cool tone browns, most brow powders out there are too warm for me! I finish by brushing through with the ABH Brow Gel[shade blonde].

If I don’t have time for my full perfect brow routine I will whip through them with the ABH Brow pencil [shade Blonde] OR this e.l.f brow pencil [shade Blonde] which is an AMAZING dupe for cheap– seriously it’s only $2!

#11 EYELINER || I rarely line my waterline with black unless I am going for FULL DRAMA. When I do I use the Fenty Beauty Flypencil [Shade ‘Cuz I’m Black]. For everyday I use a nude pencil, this nude gel liner makes my eyes look bright, awake, and bigger! For liquid liner on my top lash line, this black liner [shade Trooper] has been my go to for a few years now. It stays on my greasy outer eye corner to rock a cat eye and doesn’t bleed!

#12 MASCARA || My go to mascara day to day is the Voluminous Original Mascara, [shades brown and black, I have both!]. When I want extra oomph I grab the Buxom mascara, and for waterproof [and on really humid days/climates] I love this Tarte mascara. To add drama I like these magnetic accent lashes. I’ve used them a few times and like them so far! I still have yet to find a false lash glue that doesn’t pop off on my inner corners [I have very watery eyes!!] so if you have any recommendations post them in the comments for me to try! The only one I like for using on individuals is this one by Duo, with these individual lash sets for a fuller but natural look.

#13 LIP || My go to combo is a quick lip liner and gloss. To add some colour back to my lips I love the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lip liner. Its my lips but better and looks beautiful on. This gloss is universal and gorgeous. Its moisturizing and not sticky and I love using it over matte liquid lips to keep it from looking dried out. To vamp up my look my two fave lipsticks are: this soft red plum is a splurge but worth it [shade casablanca], and this is my go to nude [shade Amaretto].

#14 SETTING SPRAY || Lilah B. Aglow Face Setting Mist is my go to mist for makeup application and spritzing on my brushes and sponge. My absolute fave from the drugstore, and OVERALL winner for that perfect dewy look, is Pixie Glow. For days when I want it to be longwearing, or humid or rainy days, I also layer this mist as well. I love my face mists and NEVER go without, it makes a HUGE difference in the finish and wear of your makeup!!

#15 MIST || To freshen up my makeup throughout the day and rehydrate my skin I love the Caudalie Grape Water.