How to keep looking fresh throughout the day!

Have you ever looked looked in a mirror come midday and suddenly see yourself looking very tired and dull and you find yourself wondering what happened to your freshly applied make up that looked oh so pretty in the morning? Happens to me all the time. 

As the day continues, your make up will inevitably start to wear off. Also pollution, air conditioning etc will draw out moisture so if you're not keeping yourself hydrated, this will also take part in making you look tired.

The best way to keep yourself looking presentable all day is, of course, by drinking lots of water and also by topping up your make up. I'm actually very lazy when it comes to reapplying my make up halfway through the day, I've already spent a good half an hour or so in the morning applying it so why should I spend MORE time on it? However, I finally decided that spending an extra five or ten minutes to make myself look brighter and perkier isn't actually that much effort...plus I want to look pretty all day, not just part of the day.

Of course this poses the question 'What should I carry with me to top up my make up?', and this post will answer exactly that question ^^

The kit!

These are all your essentials:

1) Blotting sheets

2) Concealer

3) Blush

4) Blush brush

5) Highlighter

6) Lip Colour

The two items shown in the photo above should always be available in a lady's bag!

It doesn't have to be those brands exactly (duh) but they do come in extremely useful.

Okay, here we go!

1) Sanitise your hands

Firstly, you should ALWAYS make sure your hands are clean. Nothing spells gross better than using dirty fingers to apply make up. The thought just makes me shudder ^^" Also, please use soap. Water alone isn't enough to cut through the grime that accumulates on your hands throughout the day. If there is no restroom near by, clean your hands using an antibacterial wipe instead. 

2) Blot away excess oil

Next, your skin will most probably have accumulated a little oil. You don't want to apply make up over that. Take an oil blotting sheet or simply a tissue if you like, and dab off the oil by rolling the sheet onto your skin to pick up oil but not move your base. I use the sheets by Boots simply because they were the only ones I could find when I wanted to buy these sheets, but they do contain salicylic acid to help prevent spots.

3) Rehydrate your skin

If your skin is looking dry and your fine lines are showing, use a little moisturiser. Take a small amount, rub it between your palms and press your palms onto your face. By pressing on the cream, you won't risk smudging your base and wasting your early morning efforts and your skin will immediately look more plump and fresh. I like to use Nivea's Soft moisturiser because it's suitable for every part of your body, smells fresh and doesn't irritate my skin.

4) Clean up any smudges

If you have a little smudging underneath your eyes, take a cotton bud (I forgot to photograph these but you all know what they are anyway. Always keep a few in your bag, they come in very handy!) and dip one end into your moisturiser, wipe off any excess and use to clean up any smudges. Then use the clean end to remove any greasiness that may be left behind. Voila! Bright eyes again!

5) Conceal your flaws

Now for the make up! First, take your concealer and apply it to your your under eye area to instantly brighten your eyes; use your finger to dab and blend the concealer. You can also apply the concealer to other areas such as the inner corner of your eyes, nose bridge, chin, laugh lines etc to brighten those areas too or onto any flaws that may have revealed themselves.

This Bourjois Touche Healthy Mix concealer pen is my favourite to carry around as it doesn't take up much room in my make up bag and does a decent job concealing any imperfections and brightening my complexion. Also it's built-in brush applicator make it easy to apply concealer where I want it.

6) Add some colour

Now take your blush and brush and apply it to your cheeks. I like to apply blush about an inch below my eye next to my nose in a circular motion before blending it out towards my temples.

This blush is by L'Occitane and was part of their peony range so it's probably not available anymore. The colour is actually a little more dusty in real life, but it adds a lovely pop of pink to instantly perk up my complexion. It also smells beautiful ^^

You can apply blush using your fingers, but I actually prefer a brush. Application is just less messy and more accurate and the results more pretty if you use a brush. I carry my Bare Ecsentuals tapered blush brush. It's soft and fluffy and it's size makes it a great space saver. I photographed it next to a Bourjois blush for a size comparison.

7) Add a little luminosity

Time for highlighter! Although it almost always appears invisible, highlighter adds a lovely glow to your skin, especially when the light hits your face.  I use Too Faced's Candlelight face powder which claims to 'softly illuminate' your complexion with it's shiny gold pearls. I use the same blush brush to apply my highlighter. I dust it onto my forehead, nose bridge, chin and under my eyes. 

What I love about this compact is that it's golden pearls will brighten your skin without any obvious sparkle, and as it's actually supposed to be a face powder, I can also use it to set the concealer I previously applied. It also comes with a decent sized mirror so I can beautify myself when not in a restroom. The only downfall is that it's actually a rather chunky compact, but never mind. The chandelier motif more than makes up for that XD

Another viable highlighter is Bourjois's eyeshadow in Citron Givre (not shown in the main photo at the start though as I don't actually carry it with me). I know, what am I thinking right? Well it's small size makes it great for travel, also it offers more of a sheen on the skin than a sparkle which may be more suited to other people's tastes. Isn't it's lid design just so pretty? ^^ The pot also comes with a little mirror, points for that :D

I couldn't capture a very good picture of the eyeshadow but you can immediately spot its lack of sparkles compared to the Too Faced powder.

 Just a swatch of the highlighters. On the left is Bourjois and the right is Too Faced. Sheen or sparkle? Your choice : )

8) Colour your lips

Finally, lip colour! Apply as little or as much as you like to leave you looking polished. I love Sleek's Pout Polish in Scandal. I think it's a limited edition colour but check out their other colours from their permanent line. I actually want more of these but am forcing myself not to buy them as I already have too many lip products ^^" This one is extremely pigmented, moisturising and can leave a shiny finish depending on how thickly you apply it.

Sorry, gross picture! Just showing you how red it is in the pan! Even though its shockingly bright, I never apply it to the point where full pigmentation is achieved. A bright red lip is too extravagant for me but when you apply just a little to your lips with a fingertip, it leaves a beautiful, just-bitten red tint. Of course you won't all be using this, so please remember to use a lip balm before any lip colour, or if you're using a lip tint, make sure to use a balm after! (I do love lip tints but they have such an immediate drying effect ¬_¬)

Swatches! Buildable pigmentation = love this product! ^^

And now you have finished! Just eight simple steps to looking fresh and wide awake ^^ I know this is a very long winded post (just like all my posts ^^") but this really doesn't take more than five minutes. Even less if you're quick! I'm just a very slow person in general ^^" I hope you found it informative! Or if you already do this, I hope you had fun reading my rambles anyway...:D

Until next time!

Jia

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Face Make up, Lesson 2: Foundations

It's been an extremely long time since I did my first post these 'lessons'! I decided I should stop slacking and get on with it. So here is my second installment to this series: foundations.

One of the first things a beginner to make up would consider purchasing would be a foundation, after eyeliner and a lip product of some kind of course. It's daunting enough knowing there are so many different formulations to choose from, but then you have to choose a correct shade as well. I've been buying make up for a good few years now and I must say that matching myself to the correct shade of foundation is still a pretty difficult job.

Today I will just be talking about the types of foundations available, I will cover shade matching in a different post.

There is no one popular foundation formulation, each person will have their own reasons, needs and skin types hence you will have to question yourself what you would like out of your foundation. Perhaps you'd like to cover up acne scars or uneven pigmentation? Maybe you have dry skin? Maybe you don't need any coverage but would like to try out foundation anyway. Here are the most common types of foundation and their pros and cons.

Liquid Foundations

Liquid foundation is usually packaged in a bottle fixed with a pump or a squeezable tube and although named as liquid, the viscosity of the foundation can vary. Some are runnier than others, and these generally have a lower coverage, and others are slightly thicker hence offering higher coverage. Due to the varying textures of liquid foundations, they are suitable for both dry, combination and oily skins. You just need to choose the right formulation. I would recommend you read the information on the bottle and search for reviews on the internet before purchasing.

Application techniques: pretty much anything! Foundation brushes, stippling brushes, fingers, sponges..whatever works best for you : ) Try a range of different methods until you are satisfied with the finish or a certain method. I actually prefer using a stippling brush or a damp sponge.

The two I have shown here are both by Bourjous (my favourite drugstore brand!) and both are very popular budget foundations that deliver. The 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation has a runny texture that offers low coverage, so you may need an extra layer of the foundation or a concealer on problem areas, however it does offer your skin a healthy glow. I guess the 10 hour sleep effect claim really is true!
The Healthy mix foundation is creamier and heavier and hence offers more coverage. This one also offers a dewy finish but I have noticed it tends to cling onto flaky patches of skin, so remember to exfoliate!

On the left is the Healthy Mix foundation and on the right is the 10 Hour Sleep Effect.

You can clearly tell the 10 hour foundation is much runnier as it's already seeping into my skin lines.

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Cream Foundations

These can either be quite light in coverage or have a decent amount of coverage depending on the formula. Cream foundations generally are considered more moisturising for drier complexions, so these may be unsuitable for oiler complexions.

Application techniques: just like liquid foundations, you can use anything to apply cream foundations. All depends on your preference. I like to use a damp sponge or my fingers with creams.

Again, I have shown two cream foundations. The Maybelline Dream Creamy foundation is actually one of my favourites to use. It has a very smooth texture, blends easily and feels cooling on upon application to the skin. As it has a thinner texture, coverage is slightly lower but is buildable.

The Lancome Ideal compact is a little dark for me so I prefer to use it as a contouring shade. Nonetheless, it isn't a bad foundation. Its texture is much thicker than the Maybelline foundation so its coverage is higher but it also feels heavier on the skin. I wouldn't say it's worth the price tag, luckily I bought it during a sale for half the original price : )

I'm sure you've noticed the Maybelline foundation pulling away from the edges of the pot a little. The terrible thing about these cream foundations that have a higher water content is that they tend to dry up faster in the pan, especially if you're exposing it to the air everyday when you use it. I can't speak for other cream foundations but the Maybelline one has stayed creamy even though the edges are pulling away a little : )

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Powder Foundations

Powder foundations are not your loose mineral foundations. They are pressed into cake form and are applied using a flat brush layer by layer. Its powder formulation makes it more suitable for oiler skins to help absorb excess oil and often offer buildable coverage. Take care not to apply too much though, as with all powder formulas, too much can look cakey.

Application techniques: As mentioned above, these are usually applied with a flat brush. I see no problem with using a kabuki brush to buff it into the skin in circular motion though.
Traditional foundation brushes, stippling brushes, finers and sponges won't work quite as well with powder formulas as they will apply the foundation like a setting powder, so you won't get very much coverage out of them.

I don't own any of these powder foundations, but I have included my RMK pressed powder which basically shares the same appearance as the powder foundation from the same brand.

It isn't very clear but the bottom two thirds is a matte powder whereas at top third is a shimmery powder. You apply the powder version and foundation version using the same method: use the brush to apply the matte powder over your skin then layer the pearly powder over areas that you would normally highlight.

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Mineral Foundations

These were all the rave a few years ago. The whole idea of using foundation made from literally ground rocks was pumped up to its maximum potential through adverts and hype, and you'll notice that pretty much every brand offers its own mineral foundation. Again, it's powder formula means it's suitable for oily skin, but I have one by Collection 2000 that doesn't dry out my skin. In fact it offers a lovely glow when buffed into my skin with a kabuki brush. Just goes to show really that what society says isn't always true, only you will know what works for your skin through trial and error.
The Maybelline one isn't actually very good in my opinion, whenever applied it makes my skin feel extra tight and I can see a layer of foundation just lying on my skin. I'd say give this a miss ^^"

Just a quick swatch of these mineral foundations. Collection 2000's Perfecting minerals is on the left and the Maybelline mineral powder on the right.

Application technique: kabuki brush to buff in circular motions, it'll offer better coverage. I do sometimes use a small eyeshadow brush with natural bristles to apply the foundation in more concentrated layers on problem areas such as my under eye circles. This method stops other areas of your face from looking too made up.

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I've come to the end of this second installment of make up 'lessons'. Ehhh I feel this post isn't that great but maybe it'll be of some use to make up newbies :3

Word of wisdom from someone who has been using foundation for too many years though, if you haven't started using foundation and don't actually need it, please don't bother with it. If anything skin make up has caused me more problems than I had before I started using them. I'll talk about this in more detail in another post but for now, really think about if you actually need foundation : )    
(I know me saying this probably won't do very much anyway in stopping you from buying foundation, I know the feeling of wanting to try some new piece of make up really badly and the happiness from finally buying it XD)

Have a good night!

Jia

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