This week, we have been asked to recommend our top 5 beauty products! I don't wear makeup on a daily basis, and like to balance a good product with a good price, so I have included an overview of the basic 'essentials' that can be used to create a finished look.
To begin any look, the 'blank canvas' must be primed, ready for work. A good skincare regime will give a natural glow to any complexion; and any beauty editor worth their salt would firstly recommend cleansing, toning and moisturising. Along with drinking plenty of water, eating as much fresh fruit and veg as possible without fear of turning into a carrot, and ALWAYS removing makeup before going to bed, you will give your skin the best possible chance of achieving a great base, not to mention feeling generally fab and fresh!
Foundations can be used to provide an even skintone and create a great base, however great care must be taken to match the correct shade against skin tone, as you don't want to end up looking like an Oompa Loompa, nor do you want the effect to look trowelled on.
I prefer to use a TINTED MOISTURISER, with added SPF to give a healthy glow, and promote my youthful complexion! An excellent, entry-level product is the Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser from the Boots No 7 range;
"Achieve natural, skin perfecting colour with this sheer, light defusing tinted moisturiser. Created to help your skin look beautiful now and have a more youthful future."
This product is available in three skin tones, containts Ultra UV-Ageing Protection and SPF 15 - it might as well wear a cape and fly! (Boots, £12, 50ml)
My next products are actually my most 'essential' of all; you know the questions - if you were stranded on a desert island, what makeup product could you not live without? - these are mine. EYEBROWS. Do not leave them at home! Eyebrows are very personal - everyone has their own preference as they grow differently, look different, are styled differently and can absolutely change the look and shape of your face. Framing your eyes, the brows should always be cared for; unkempt stray hairs contribute to an unsightly unibrow, however over-plucking can make you look like constantly surprised - just ask Bert and Ernie!
There are many products to create your desired look - I like to use Tweezermans Slant Edge Tweezers, approx; £12 from most drugstores (in purple, of course), and a Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel for daily wear to define, sculpt and comb (£2.99, most high street retailers - Boots, Superdrug etc).
For a more dramatic look, I am a fan of brow cakes (not to be confused with cupcakes, yum!). Illamasqua's Eyebrow Cakes come in a fantastic 7-shade range and, like all their products, are beautifully presented in a glamourous, shiny black case with a matching outer box to give a very luxurious feel. Retailing at £14.50 (10g) from department stores such as Debenhams and Selfridges, I get the impression that Illamasqua will be featuring regularly on my blog in future - I might just be a little bit in love!
The Illamasqua website also offers application techniques:
"For a soft enhanced effect apply Eye-Brow Cake dry using a lip brush applying in light feather like strokes following the natural brow shape. For a more defined look, apply with an eye-brow brush following the natural brow shape, thickening the brow closer to the nose area, and thinning and extending it on the outer end. To create sharp, dramatic eye-brow shapes, use an eye-brow brush and mix with water or Sealing Gel."
Whether you want to achieve a full, bold statement brow like Elizabeth Taylor, or pencil thin arches like Pamela Anderson, this product is superbly versatile - also suitable as an eyeshadow or liner - fantastic value for money!
The eyebrow cakes also introduce my next essential products / tools - BRUSHES. A poor workman always blames his tools, but in this case, it really makes a difference. A good set of brushes will contribute to the overall look, as products can be applied precisely and correctly. As the Illamasqua website suggests, most brushes have multi-purpose capabilities to ensure the makeup is applied exactly as you intended.
I love the range of MAC brushes available, however the pricetag allows me to own just a few of these. Ranging from around £7 - £37 per brush on the MAC website, a set of 4 or 5 'kit essentials' retails at £39.50. I can only be jealous of the set below!
I also have a range of brushes from Charles Fox - my favourite is the Big Papa brush from the Illusion range - a large, flat head brush suitable for body painting. It's super soft, and with a hot pink handle - I can't wait to give it a try!
Back to the eyes, and I'm loving Max Factor's 2000 Calorie Dramatic Look Mascara - it creates fat lashes (up to 300% more volume, apparently!) and doesn't flake or smudge easily. At only £7.99 from Boots, it's perfect. Stepping out for an evening, I also like to apply some falsies (lashes, that is!) and bat my way through the crowds. The Mister Mascara Full Lashes Kit does the trick (approx £8-£10 for two pairs).
My final tip for a makeover is to adhere to the old adage "Less is More" - it really works. I love to glam up my eyes to the max, however to keep things under control, I'll choose a clear or very slightly tinted LIPGLOSS to complete my look. If I went for big eyes and big lips, I'd look more like a panto dame than a pretty damsel, so at the moment, I'm using Accessorize's Rockstar Lip Gloss in VIP Purple (a thoughtful gift from a friend who obviously knows me very well!). At only £3 for 14ml, it is a bargain and a half! Not too strong, but with just enough colour to suggest!
Since I can't resist, I also want to share my love for Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss in Fierce, a blue, purple tone (23 shades available in the 'Intense range', and 15 'Sheer' colours - definitely something for everyone). £13 for 10ml of lush in my opinion! The colour is really strong (Fierce, one might say!), but can be applied lightly for a more subtle tone.
At the counter in Debenhams, Glasgow, Alexandra showed me how to mix some of the gloss with their Pure Pigments to create an altogether more dynamic product that can be used on eyes and cheeks too. Just fab!
So that's me, in a face! I'm now in the mood to go home and recreate some of the looks I've been thinking about whilst considering my favourite products - yipee!
Love, Love! x
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