I remember when I was 15-17 years old, I was so upset and disappointed that I wasn't allowed to use makeup. All my beautiful classmates were covered in foundation, they used a few good layers of mascara, that made their eyelashes so long and curly, lipgloss and lipstick made their lips look juicy and plump, but all that was just a dream for me at that time.
When you are a teenager you have so many doubts about yourself, the way you look, the way you walk, the way you talk, you just try to figure out who you are and of course, you want to be the best or coolest version of yourself. You learn every day something new about the world and about yourself. You just want to look good, have trendy clothes, clean face, be popular among your friends. At least that was what I wanted, and makeup was a big deal at that age. Girls were talking makeup, they were reapplying it during the breaks, they were shopping or saving for some particular items. I wasn't a part of all that. I felt like I was missing out on something big.
So, when finally I got into University and turned 18 that was a moment when the whole world of makeup opened up for me.
And I was ruthless. I got it all: foundation, blush, mascara, eyeshadows, eyebrow pencils, lipsticks, and lipglosses... I put it all on my face at once.
Honestly, looking back on those photos of me, hah, I looked hideous and hilarious. The wrong color of foundation, I was as orange as an orange, eyeshadows touching my brows, the color of lipliner is darker than the lipstick... Oh, gosh, I made all possible mistakes. But enough of that. In the past 15 years, I've been using makeup almost every day, and I got a chance to try a lot of products. So, here is my list of the most favorite goodies that work wonders on my skin. A little disclaimer, my skin type is mostly normal, I get a bit dry on my cheeks in winter and a bit oily on my forehead in hot summer days. I tend to go for a "natural look" during most of the days and a bit of "drama" if I am going out.
MAKEUP
Needless to say, that your makeup will look amazing if the canvas is flawless. So, first thing first I make sure that my bare face is clean, well-moisturized and has a thin layer of SPF. You can read all about my current skincare routine in the previous blog.
After I gave my face 10-15 minutes to absorb the moisturizer and additional 10-15 minutes to absorb the SPF cream, I usually apply the primer.
PRIMER
GUERLAIN Météorites Primer Perfecting Pearls is my primer of choice. I am not going to lie, it's pricey, in the US it costs approximately 74$, but I only need one pump to cover the whole face, and it lasts me typically for 8-12 months. I don't use it every single time I apply makeup, but if I need to look extra good, and I know that it's going to be a long day, I'll use it.
From Guerlain, I also tried GUERLAIN L’Or Radiance Primer, the same price, but this one doesn't feel right for me. It smells like alcohol, and it does dry my cheeks out. Skin feels tight, but not in a good way.
FOUNDATION/TINTS
As my foundation, I either go with GLOSSIER Perfecting Skin Tint, I love the way it looks on my skin, it's like my skin, just better, smoother. It's almost invisible, but it is still there or NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 it's also very lightweight, natural-looking and has additional sun protection, which is fantastic.
GUERLAIN Météorites Baby Glow Sheer Liquid Foundation, again, very light foundation, that cheers up my skin, refreshes it.
CONCEALER
I have three favorite concealers, I use them depending on the day, mood or the occasion.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is for the nights out or special occasions.
YVES SAINT LAURENT All Hours Concealer my everyday choice. In Sephora, I was told that it's full coverage, that lasts up to 16 hours, in my opinion, it's lightweight, it doesn't cover dark circles as good as NARS, and that was the whole reason why I bought it, it's not as heavy.
GLOSSIER Stretch Concealer is for the days when I go for "no makeup" face. Just makes me look alive, healthy.
POWDER
GUERLAIN Météorites Highlighting Powder Pearls, I've been using this powder on and off for more than 10 years, and I like it.
I don't see much when I apply it, but the second I go outside I see all the glow and sparkles from the pearls. I, literally, "shine bright like a diamond."
LA MER The Powder - I still have mixed feelings about this one. I guess, at some point, it was too hyped, I had my expectations so high when I bought it. I think I wanted a miracle, but instead, I got just a good powder. It gives your skin a nice satin finish. It's okay, but not spectacular.
HOURGLASS Ambient® Lighting Palette made my skin look so beautiful, soft, smooth, sparky, but not in an overpowering way. Beautiful. Got it as a little present from my husband and generously used for almost 18 months.
The Trio consists of 3 colors Dim Light, Radiant Light, and Incandescent Light, I used Dim light alone or the mix of all three as a powder, and Radiant Light and Incandescent light as a highlighter.
EYESHADOWS
My discovery of 2018 was eyeshadow palette from NATASHA DENONA. I own a few mini palettes.
NATASHA DENONA Mini Nude/Star/Sunset Eyeshadow Palettes. I love how pigmented those are, they have both shimmering metallics and mattes, perfect for traveling, easy to apply. You don't have to be makeup Guru to create beautiful eye makeup. I really like all of them.
HOURGLASS Scattered Light Glitter Eye Shadow, so shiny. Apply this only in the evenings or on special days, as the shine is real, people!
URBAN DECAY Naked Heat Palette, all you might need in one palette. Stunning amber-hued neutrals. Loving the quality.
EYE PENCIL
BOBBI BROWN Long-Wear Eye Pencil, I can add that it's also long lasting, I mean, I've used it for a year or more and still have a long way to go. Easy to apply, lasts the whole day and not that difficult to wash off, which is a big plus for me. I really don't like to rub my eyes and wash the product off again and again, that's the reason why I normally don't go for anything "waterproof" or "long-wear". So, I got lucky, with this product, I suppose.
MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner, I like this one as it comes in so many colors and finishes, very smooth, lasts the whole day, a bit complicated to wash off though.
MASCARA
HOURGLASS Caution™ Extreme Lash Mascara, one of the best mascaras for me. It has it all, infinite length, crazy volume, the lift, the curve, gives you that dramatic look. Easy to apply, stays the whole day in place and easy to wash off.
TRISH MCEVOY Lash Curling Mascara, what a fantastic product. It's like a curling iron for the lashes. Does the job and the most interesting is the way you wash it off. You kind of taking it off like a sock, it has fibers that you just take off from your lashes, instead of smudging it all over the place.
EYEBROWS PRODUCTS
I have tried so many eyebrows products you wouldn't believe. BOBBI BROWN, ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS, GIVENCHY, DIOR, MILK MAKEUP, BENEFIT, STILA, TARTE...
And nothing is as good as HOURGLASS Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel. It just does something wondrous with your brows. It's like you have more than you actually do, but at the same time, it looks very natural, you can't tell that there is a product on your brows. You have the definition, you have color, you have volume, and everything stays in place, it's genius!
BRONZER
BENEFIT COSMETICS Hoola Matte Bronzer, this one is iconic, I don't even know what to add, besides the fact that I've been using it almost every day for the past 2 years and still can't see the bottom, it's endless. I like to use it as my eyeshadows as well, save tons of space when I am on the go.
GUERLAIN Terracotta Bronzing Powder gives me a very natural, sunkissed glow. Doesn't get into pores, makes skin very smooth, I like that. A bit pricey compared to Benefit.
BLUSH
PERRICONE MD No Makeup Blush, It's a liquid blush, and I absolutely love the ingredients in this one. It has Vitamin C, with all its benefits, Chinese Ginger that brightens the skin and it's also free of all bad stuff, which is a win for me. Easy to apply.
LANCOME Cushion Blush, I absolutely loved it. So easy to apply, the color was really natural, I've had 025 Sorbet Grenadine, it was such a great purchase, but unfortunately, it might have been discontinued, as I haven't been able to find it anywhere but Amazon.
GLOSSIER Cloud Paint, like any other product from Glossier, very subtle, easy to apply, I usually do that with my fingertips, creamy, smooth, great colors, my favorites are Beam and Puff.
HIGHLIGHTER
To be honest, I like a subtle highlighter, I don't want my cheekbones to be seen in the dark or from space, that's just not me. So, as you can see my choices are very gentle and delicate, natural.
PERRICONE MD No Makeup Highlighter, the name speaks for itself. Again, like the blush from Perricone MD, ingredients are good, clean. The highlighter is dewy, it adds subtle luminosity, the skin glows naturally.
I can add a tiny bit of it to my tints to make the whole face glow.
HOURGLASS
Ambient® Lighting Palette, love the ingredient list, very subtle glow.
GLOSSIER Haloscope Duo, same, same. Comes in a stick, has a beautiful, not glittery sheen.
LIPSTICK / LIPGLOSS / LIP BALM
In my humble opinion, I have good lips, they are big and juicy, but they are also very sensitive, so I can't just apply any product. Some glosses or lipsticks make my lips very red, itchy, flaky, irritated, even inflamed. So far I have 2,5 brands that keep my lips in good condition. Half goes to HUDA BEAUTY ( I like it, and I can use it, but if I use it too often, let's say 3 days in a row, my lips chap)
GIORGIO ARMANI BEAUTY Ecstasy Shine Lipstick, loving this lipstick, it feels just like a balm. Soft, very gentle on my lips, look beautiful. It doesn't last long, so I have to reapply it quite often, but it feels and looks terrific.
My colors are 100 Smile-nude and 602 Night Viper-plum.
CLARINS Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, this one is the most complimented product I've ever owned. Almost every other day I get questions about what is on my lips. CLARINS nailed it, I always have 2-3 different colors in my beauty box. Never ever I want to run out of this product. Love and own every color.
CLARINS Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm, this one is my favorite lip balm. Again, I used/tried so many different brands. Costly one 70$ plus or cheaper ones, but Clarins lip balm is the one I always have in stock, I actually have 2, one for me and one for my husband.
I would say that's it for my favorite makeup pieces at the moment.
I've tried so many brands and so many products over these years, but seriously, some I only remember for their high price tag, but not for the way they performed.
As my previous blog, this one isn't sponsored. All products I mentioned I genuinely love to use.
Thank you for reading, and I sincerely hope it was useful.
#strongeryou #beautifulyou #makeup #skincare #healthy #mychoice #clean #loveyourbody #loveyourself #lips #lipstick #lipgloss #highlighter #blush #concealer #tint #foundation #mascara #powder #primer #blush #eyebrow #hourglass #clarins #armanibeauty #beauty #georgioarmani #glossier #lamer #brows #perriconemd #lancome #bobbibrown #urbandecay #guerlain #primer #natashadenona #marcjacobs #marcjacobsbeauty #trishmcevoy #honest #myopinion #myfavorites
Comentarios