I have been asked SO many times to do this! Sooo, here we go!
First and foremost, you have to start with a clean base. Make sure your face is washed and has no dry skin patches. If I have any dry/ peeling skin, I take a washcloth with a small dab of Vaseline moisturizer and exfoliate the area.
Primer... so I am not a primer fan for day to day. I have never noticed it being worth the money so I usually never use any unless I have a free sample of course!
1. Foundation. I am currently using Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme in shade Buff. I love pump foundations because it's easy portion control. I use one pump for my entire face and spread it out using my wet black beauty blender. Beauty Blenders are life changing! I personally like the black one best over the pink. It's MUCH softer.
I usually use KVD powder foundation and a Kabuki brush from Rite Aid. It's my absolute favorite but I can't find a good match with my skin tone while I'm so pale. I will switch during summer.
2. Conceal... don't feel! Don't let them knowwwww. Well now they knowwwwwww
.. that I use NARS radiant creamy concealer. Not the best concealer ever for coverage but it is very luminous and the applicator is like a lip-gloss, which I LOVE! It's great for under the eyes. If you have really dark under eyes, you will need some color correcting and concealer with more coverage. Whatever you do though, do NOT pack on product! It clings to the under-eyes and makes you look older. My favorite sephora employee ever, the gorgeous miss Allison at Ross Park Mall, also told taught me that you can use eyeshadow primer UNDER your eyes if you have a lot of creasing throughout the day! Pretty cool huh?
To cover any dark spots/ marks from acne I use the Smashbox color correcting stick in peach.
3. Set. I use a basic clear setting powder with a giant brush. You can use anything here. I am currently using Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder only because it doesn't bother my super sensitive skin! A lot of setting powders are itchy on my skin.
First and foremost, you have to start with a clean base. Make sure your face is washed and has no dry skin patches. If I have any dry/ peeling skin, I take a washcloth with a small dab of Vaseline moisturizer and exfoliate the area.
Primer... so I am not a primer fan for day to day. I have never noticed it being worth the money so I usually never use any unless I have a free sample of course!
1. Foundation. I am currently using Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme in shade Buff. I love pump foundations because it's easy portion control. I use one pump for my entire face and spread it out using my wet black beauty blender. Beauty Blenders are life changing! I personally like the black one best over the pink. It's MUCH softer.
I usually use KVD powder foundation and a Kabuki brush from Rite Aid. It's my absolute favorite but I can't find a good match with my skin tone while I'm so pale. I will switch during summer.
2. Conceal... don't feel! Don't let them knowwwww. Well now they knowwwwwww
.. that I use NARS radiant creamy concealer. Not the best concealer ever for coverage but it is very luminous and the applicator is like a lip-gloss, which I LOVE! It's great for under the eyes. If you have really dark under eyes, you will need some color correcting and concealer with more coverage. Whatever you do though, do NOT pack on product! It clings to the under-eyes and makes you look older. My favorite sephora employee ever, the gorgeous miss Allison at Ross Park Mall, also told taught me that you can use eyeshadow primer UNDER your eyes if you have a lot of creasing throughout the day! Pretty cool huh?
To cover any dark spots/ marks from acne I use the Smashbox color correcting stick in peach.
3. Set. I use a basic clear setting powder with a giant brush. You can use anything here. I am currently using Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder only because it doesn't bother my super sensitive skin! A lot of setting powders are itchy on my skin.
4. Contour and STROBEEE! Yes, contouring can definitely go wrong and you can end up looking like you rubbed dirt on your face... Lesson one, don't over do it! It looks great in an insta pic but in real life it can look clownish. Start subtle and make sure you have the right brush. BLEND. BLEND. BLEND. I use KVD shade light palette for my "contouring" on my cheeks and jawline.
Strobing. AKA the new fancy word for highlighting. If you are not comfortable with contouring, try strobing instead. Hit all of the points of your face the sun would hit first... high cheek bones, cupids bow, forehead, etc. Think of the old What Not to Wear episodes when Carmindy would "Camindize" the face.
Hourglass strobe lighting powders are THE "it" product for this but you can use ANY highlighter. On Instagram the most popular BY FAR is the Anastasia Glow Kit which Sephora is FINALLY carrying! Just popped up online within this last month. Another wishlist highlighter of mine is the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick - SUPER COOL.
This is also when you would add any blush if you want some color.
5. Eyes. This is a free for all! I use KVD color correcting primer in Light. For eyeshadow palletes, anything you have works. The key is the brushes! When I worked at the makeup counters at Macy's in college I learned that it's truly not the product itself most times, it's your brushes! I worked with expensive product that I could usually recreate with drugstore NYX or physician's formula at home! So if you want to pump up your eye game try investing in brushes before adding to your bag of shadows. Mac is always great for brushes. Ask any of the girls at your Sephora or Ulta for their favorite must have brushes and go from there.
For my winged eye liner I ALWAYS use KVD tattoo liner. It's simple and the applicator is just like a fine tip marker. If I mess up, I clean up my lines using baby wipes, just holding it tight over my nail and wiping upward. The key is to take your time and avoid the Amy Winehouse look.
6. Brows on Fleek. I currently use Anastasia Dipbrow in Ash Brown and their #7 Duo brush. Dipbrow is more an instagram trendy product than anything - lots of other products work great too (including their powder duos). I am convinced it is 90% the brush's doing that makes the look. Like I said, It's usually your applicators/ brushes that need the real update in your makeup routine. For brows, PICK THE RIGHT COLOR! This is so important so make sure you ask for help at the store to get the right shade. Easy way to know if the color is off is the selfie test! Check if your eyebrows look too red, etc. by looking at your selfie (you can REALLY tell using other filters, etc. if it looks way different than your head hair).
Perfect the brow line/ fix any mess-ups using their pro pencil OR just use a concealer brush and take a skin shade powder to clean up your edges.
7. Lips, Finishing Spray, THEN mascara. Everyone knows I love a bold lip. My faves are KVD and Kylie so I usually pick from those collections. After this I spray with my holy grail product - Urban Decay All Nighter Spray. Once that dries, I finish with the new Marc Jacobs mascara - AWESOME product. DONE!
Okay. Hope this helps! This takes me about 15-20 minutes to do in the morning and trust me I am a slow mover in the AM... Let me know if you guys have any questions or want more specific info.
Strobing. AKA the new fancy word for highlighting. If you are not comfortable with contouring, try strobing instead. Hit all of the points of your face the sun would hit first... high cheek bones, cupids bow, forehead, etc. Think of the old What Not to Wear episodes when Carmindy would "Camindize" the face.
Hourglass strobe lighting powders are THE "it" product for this but you can use ANY highlighter. On Instagram the most popular BY FAR is the Anastasia Glow Kit which Sephora is FINALLY carrying! Just popped up online within this last month. Another wishlist highlighter of mine is the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick - SUPER COOL.
This is also when you would add any blush if you want some color.
5. Eyes. This is a free for all! I use KVD color correcting primer in Light. For eyeshadow palletes, anything you have works. The key is the brushes! When I worked at the makeup counters at Macy's in college I learned that it's truly not the product itself most times, it's your brushes! I worked with expensive product that I could usually recreate with drugstore NYX or physician's formula at home! So if you want to pump up your eye game try investing in brushes before adding to your bag of shadows. Mac is always great for brushes. Ask any of the girls at your Sephora or Ulta for their favorite must have brushes and go from there.
For my winged eye liner I ALWAYS use KVD tattoo liner. It's simple and the applicator is just like a fine tip marker. If I mess up, I clean up my lines using baby wipes, just holding it tight over my nail and wiping upward. The key is to take your time and avoid the Amy Winehouse look.
6. Brows on Fleek. I currently use Anastasia Dipbrow in Ash Brown and their #7 Duo brush. Dipbrow is more an instagram trendy product than anything - lots of other products work great too (including their powder duos). I am convinced it is 90% the brush's doing that makes the look. Like I said, It's usually your applicators/ brushes that need the real update in your makeup routine. For brows, PICK THE RIGHT COLOR! This is so important so make sure you ask for help at the store to get the right shade. Easy way to know if the color is off is the selfie test! Check if your eyebrows look too red, etc. by looking at your selfie (you can REALLY tell using other filters, etc. if it looks way different than your head hair).
Perfect the brow line/ fix any mess-ups using their pro pencil OR just use a concealer brush and take a skin shade powder to clean up your edges.
7. Lips, Finishing Spray, THEN mascara. Everyone knows I love a bold lip. My faves are KVD and Kylie so I usually pick from those collections. After this I spray with my holy grail product - Urban Decay All Nighter Spray. Once that dries, I finish with the new Marc Jacobs mascara - AWESOME product. DONE!
Okay. Hope this helps! This takes me about 15-20 minutes to do in the morning and trust me I am a slow mover in the AM... Let me know if you guys have any questions or want more specific info.