“I believe all women are pretty without makeup – but with the right makeup can be pretty powerful.”

I made it a point to change nothing in terms of my skincare and makeup during this entire pandemic/lockdown time. I love makeup way too much to have put it away and not use it just because I was home for 8 months; So everyday, I shower, do my skincare and do my makeup. It’s been even more fun actually because when I’m working, I’m in more of a rush. Having nowhere to go, I’ve been experimenting with makeup tutorials and doing full glam makeup at 10am! lol so fun. In my last blog I mentioned that I owned makeup I didn’t use because I considered them part of my “collection”. I’ve started using them this year (no point in just saving things for whatever occasion I was waiting to use them for). This post is about having fun so if you love makeup like I do, you’ll enjoy this post and if you’re not into makeup or just getting into it, maybe you’ll see something you’d like to try out. I haven’t gone on some crazy expensive shop for this post. All of these products are things I’ve had for a while and most likely purchased on sale.

I’m not going deep into explanations on why I love each one of these. This will be more of a photo essay. All the products mentioned below have beautiful coverage, the colour payoff is well worth the price, they blend and work well with other brands and don’t pill or crease or sit in wrinkles.

Here we go:

Primer – Charlotte Tilbury wonder glow 

Under foundation, this primer has soft golden shimmer undertones that make skin glow from within.

Foundation –  Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup

Medium to full coverage. Wonderful for oily skin. A classic.

Concealer – It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye

Really creamy and radiant. Does a great job at covering darkness and under eye bags. It is shiny so setting powder is a must with this one.

Cream Bronzer – Chanel Les Beiges Bronzing Cream

Applied with a stippling brush or wet Beauty Blender, it’s very natural looking and blends beautifully.

Powder Bronzer

Dior Backstage Contour Palette & Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze and Glow

The Dior quad is great for a more dramatic countour. The Charlotte Tilbury is a very subtle bronze and the cool tone doesn’t make you look tanned (or orange, so bad). I use these in the hollows of my cheekes, temples, across the forehead, to contour the nose and along the jawline.

Cream Contour – Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand

This product diffuses into the skin for a beautiful natural contour. Cool toned brown creates a shadow effect which is what you want when contouring. Contouring should never be too brown or orange. Leave that for bronzer.

Cream Highlight – Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Glow

A little goes a long way with this one. It’s quite bling-y so I buffer it down with a bit of moisturizer. Mixed into body lotion will make decollotage and shoulder glimmer over a tan in the summer.

Powder Highlight – Estee Lauder Heatwave & Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit

Use the Estee Lauder Heatwave for serious gold sparkle. The Hourglass Highlight is a soft focus candlelit shimmer, better for day time.

Blush – Guerlain Teraracotta Light & Chanel Les Chaines Blush

The Guerlain Terracotta Light wheel is a mixture of blush and bronzer. It goes on like a light flush and can be brushed onto cheek and temples. I’m using it as a light bronzer that give just a kiss of sunshine to skin. The Chanel Les Chaines is a blush/ highlight, deep pink yet bright and golden. Defines cheekbones and makes skin glow.

Setting Powder – Laura Mercier Transluscent Loose Setting Powder

A staple in every makeup artist’s bag, press under the eyes to set concealer. I also dust a little along the side of my nose where I get oily to conceal pores.

Face Powder – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

This one doesn’t look like much in the pan but it’s really gorgeous on the skin. It never goes on cake-y or powdery. It mattifies skin but still allows the skin to glow through.

 Eyebrows – Anastasia Beverly Hill Clear Brow Gel 

Simple. Once brows are done, one swipe on each brown to set them in place for the day.

Eye Shadow – Nars Afterglow and Natasha Denona Glam Palette 

I can’t stop looking at these palettes. They’re so versatile and gorgeous. The Nars Afterglow is for Holiday Party time or for Summer with glowly bronze skin. The Glam Palette is so easy to use, she even named them for where to put them on the eye: Inner Corner, Crease, Brow Bone.

Mascara – Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme

This one’s a new one for me and it’s growing on me this year. It does a great job at separating and making lashes look really long. I like it for daytime. For night time mega-lashes I still like the Bad Girl Bang mascara by Benefit.

Liquid Gel Liner – Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen

If you haven’t been able to master a cat eye and really want to, this pen is your new best friend.

Eye Lining Pencils – NudeStix  Metalics For Eyes

I’ve learned that using a softer colour eyeliner like one of these in bronze, taupe or gold still give you the definition of liner without the harshness or a stark black line. I use the gold in my inner corner as a highlight. These are super creamy and easy to blend. They can also be used as eyeshadow blended out with a soft brush.

Setting Spray – Urban Decay All Nighter

Spray all over the face once makeup is done, fan to dry and your makeup won’t budge. Like hairspray for makeup, without the crunchiness.

Lip Liner – Huda Lip Countour in Bombshell & Trendsetter

I’ve tried many lip liners. Huda has it down. These pencils are creamy, don’t dry out yet somehow don’t budge. I’ve gotten to the end of the day having lost my lipstick hours ago and my lips are still lined. Perfect for overlining. The shade Bombshell is my go-to. So natural looking and Trendsetter is a perfect 90’s grunge brown shade. Dream nude lip shades.

Lipstick – Dior Rouge Golden Nights Set & Pat McGrath Blitz Trance in SkinFlixx

The formula of the Dior lipsticks are creamy even in the most matte shades and are embossed with snowflakes; they’re almost too beautiful to use! + they feel luxurious on the lips. Pat McGrath SkinFlixx lipstick is a new discovery for me in 2020; a rosey peach shade with subtle gold flecks in it, it’s my lips but better. Paired with the Huda lipliner in Bombshell, this combination makes my lips look like I got a “little work done” without the needles.

 Lipgloss – Fenty Beauty in Fussy & Estee Lauder in Dolled Up

I wore the fenty lipgloss every day this past summer, it suits my natural lip shade perfectly and adds just a hint of colour. For a more dramatic look, a simple cat eye and this Estee Lauder hot pink gloss will be a nice Spring 2021 look.

Thanks for joining me today and hope you enjoyed a little frivolous entertainment 🙂 With everything going on, playing with make up has been a fun distraction.

Stay healthy and beautiful!

Love,

Jennifer