MAKEUP STARTER KIT

If you are someone looking to start wearing makeup, you may find it intimidating. There are so many products and techniques out there, which can be overwhelming for someone just starting out. Here are a few products that will help you get the ball rolling! These will help you achieve a simple, everyday makeup look.

CONCEALER / FOUNDATION

I suggest starting off with a concealer if you are not used to wearing any makeup at all. This will provide coverage for those troubled areas without it being too heavy. Once you are comfortable with that, you can work your way up to a foundation. Finding a good foundation to work with your skin type is really about trial and error, so don’t fret if you don’t get it right in the first attempt!

POWDER

This will lock in your foundation and concealer. If you choose to stick with only applying concealer, this is a great lightweight option to add some extra coverage.

BLUSH / BRONZER

Now that you have a flawless base, you want to add life back into your face. Blush or bronzer will give you some colour and definition. Bronzer will help you achieve that sun-kissed glow whilst blush will give you that pretty, rosy cheek.

MASCARA

This has to be my favourite part! Adding mascara will open up your eyes and make you look awake. To enhance this process, you can start off by curling your lashes to lift them up and out. Then apply your favourite mascara. When mascara is the only product on my eyes, I apply a few coats to make sure they are as long and as full as I can get them.

There you go! A simple everyday look anyone can surely pull off. Take a trip to your local drugstore and scope out the products. There are a ton of great products you can find, especially if you are just starting out. Be warned, this post may be the first steps towards a very unhealthy obsession with makeup. It is inevitable.

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

I have been experimenting with a few products last month and thought I would share my thoughts; enjoy!

MARIO BADESCU DRYING LOTION

I have been breaking out a lot on my chin due to excessive holiday treats and this has definitely been my saviour! It is a spot treatment formulated with salicylic acid to help decrease the appearance of pimples. I put it on all the troubled areas before bed and when I wake up they are noticeably smaller. It has worked quite fast for me, which also prevents them from scarring as much. It does have a rather unpleasant smell when first applied, but as soon as it dries it’s fine!

THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE SKIN CLEARING TONER

This is a great product for those of you with oily acne prone skin like myself. It helps wipe away any left over makeup and impurities, leaving your skin feeling clean and fresh. It has a bunch of great ingredients that help with minimizing the appearance of scars and evening out your skin tone. I scar quite easily when I get a pimple so pairing this toner with the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion has been working great!

NIVEA LIP BUTTER

This is the perfect lip product to have for those cold dry months to come. It is a creamy balm that does a great job of hydrating your lips. If you are someone that loves Vaseline then you will likely enjoy this product as well. It has a similar consistency as Vaseline but feels a bit more luxurious. I picked up the vanilla and macadamia lip butter, which smells delicious!

MAC RAZIN BLUSH

This blush is absolutely gorgeous! It is a matte dusty rose colour that is perfect for the fall and winter season. It is a warm earthy tone that will give your makeup that sultry feel. Because it is such a deep colour, it almost gives my cheekbones definition, similar to that of a contour. It’s a great colour for those of you with a dark skin tone. I think it would look especially stunning on those deep dark beauties out there. It is definitely highly pigmented so apply this with a light hand; a little goes a long way.  

MAC MINERALIZED SKIN FINISH IN DARK DEEP

I have no clue why I haven’t picked this up earlier; it is beautiful! It gives your skin that bronze glow without being too harsh. I find that some bronzer’s can either look quite red or ashy on my skin, so I was quite pleased to find a product with a happy medium. This is the perfect colour for bronzing, especially for brown skin. I am in love!

LOREAL TELESCOPIC MASCARA

This has been my go to mascara lately. It has quite a unique applicator, which works well to coat and define each lash, giving you that long and separated effect. I enjoy pairing this with a volumizing mascara to really give my lashes that long and full effect.

Try out these products and let me know how they work for you! What have been your favourite products to use lately?

NUDE LIPSTICK FOR DARK SKIN

It can be quite challenging to find that perfect nude lipstick for dark skin. Some lipsticks wash you out making you look sick, while others make you look like you’ve been eating powdered donuts all day long. What works on one skin tone may not work on another so let’s find one to match you! I’m in the colour NC45 at Mac Cosmetics, which should help you gauge what range my skin tone is in. Here are 3 of my go-to nude lip colours for you to rock all year round!

MAC CREAM IN YOUR COFFEE

This was the very first nude lipstick I purchased, and thank god I did. It has a brown undertone with a crème sheen finish. The formulation is super creamy and glides right on. This colour does a good job of adding some dimension to my lips without it being too overpowering. This is definitely the perfect nude tone for my skin.

MAC FAST PLAY

This lipstick is more of a pink nude. It’s one of those colours that is similar to your lips but better. Again, it has a creamy formulation and applies well. It’s a great every day lipstick to rock if you want to add a little colour to your lips without going over the top.

MAC WHIRL

This is more of a recent purchase for me, and I am absolutely in love with it! It is a mauve, taupe colour with a matte finish. It applies on smooth and isn’t overly drying which is great for a matte lipstick. This would be the perfect colour if you want to rock that Kylie Jenner inspired lip. It’s a great colour to transition into the fall, and I can definitely see myself wearing it a lot next season.

TIP: The trick to wearing a nude lip when you are a darker complexion is to use a lip liner. Mac’s Chestnut and Cork are great colours to use for any lip combo. Using a lip liner will give you that natural transition from your skin to your lips.

Hopefully this has given those of you with darker skin some options of what colour to try out next!

CLASSIC & FLIRTY: VALENTINES DAY LOOK

This is a classic and timeless look, perfect for Valentines Day! It’s clean and simple, but definitely makes a statement when paired with a bold lip. I wanted to do a neutral eye with long lashes for a super girly and flirty effect. For the lips, one can never go wrong with a daring red, which pairs perfectly with this eye makeup. This look is super easy to recreate and you’ll surely impress your date!

STEPS:

1. Prime your eyelids to give the eye shadow a nice base.
2. Apply a matte brown eye shadow in the crease and pat on a cream colour shadow to the lid. Go into the crease and blend the colours to create a seamless transition.
3. Draw a line along the lash line and flick out to create a cat eye effect. I prefer a thicker line for a bolder look.
4. Apply black liner to the bottom waterline starting from the middle to the outer corner and blend out. To brighten up the eye, use a shimmery pearl colour and apply to the tear duct and brow bone. Lastly to get those eyes looking really flirty, pop on a pair of long wispy lashes! If you prefer mascara, grab something that will lengthen the lashes. Don’t forget to put mascara on the bottom lashes as well!

Use your favourite face products to complete the rest of your makeup. To finish off the look, apply your go-to red lip! This is a natural look so you can definitely pair it with any lip colour.

I’ve listed all the products I used below for your reference. Remember, you don’t have to use the exact same products I did. Find similar ones that work for you to recreate this look! Hope you guys enjoyed!

EYE PRODUCTS:

• Base:Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Crease:Mac Eye Shadow in Saddle
• Lid:Morphe’s 35W Palette Cream Eye Shadow (1^st row, 4^th from the left)
• Winged Liner:L’oreal Felt Tip Liquid Eye Liner
• Water line: Maybelline Eye Shadow Stick in Blackmai
• Brow Bone: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Eye Shadow in Bootycall
• Tear Duct: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Eye Shadow in Bootycall
• Lashes: Ardell Lashes in Wispies

FACE PRODUCTS:

• Foundation:Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC45
• Concealer:Mac Pro Longwear in NC45
• Powder:Mac Pressed Powder in Medium Dark
• Blush:Morphe’s 9B Blush Palette (1^st in 3^rd row)
• Highlight:Mac Global Glow
• Lip Liner: Anabelle in Cherry
• Lip Stick: Bite Beauty Crème lipstick in VIB ROUGE

CHOCOLATE KISS MAKEUP LOOK

I was rummaging through the aisles of Sephora when I came across the Cognac Matte Crème Lip Crayon from Bite Beauty. I didn’t have any similar lip colours and I adore dark lipsticks, so I decided to pick it up. It is a deep brown with reddish undertones. It is definitely a unique lip colour but I think a lot of people can pull it off. It gives off that 90’s vibe and I’m completely obsessed! I wanted to create a brown smouldering eye look to pair with this rich vampy lip. Follow the steps below if you want to learn how to get this delicious chocolatey look!

STEPS:

1. Prime your eyelids to give the eye shadow a nice base.
2. Apply a matte brown eye shadow in the crease.
3. Use a bronze colour and pat all over the lid. Go back into the crease and blend the colours to create a seamless transition.
4. Draw a line along the lash line and flick out to create a cat eye effect. Apply black eye liner at the upper waterline as well as the lower waterline.
5. Add a little black eye shadow just at the outer corner of the eyelid to create some depth. Smoke out the bottom waterline with the same matte colour used in the crease.
6. Apply a soft champagne colour as a highlight under the brow bone. Add your favourite mascara or lashes, and your done!

Use your favourite face products to complete the rest of your makeup. I like to do my eye makeup first so I can touch up the edges using my concealer. Also if there is any fall out from the eye shadow you can simply brush it away. Of course the last step is to apply this chocolatey lip colour. I used Mac’s Chestnut lip liner and then applied the lipstick overtop.

I’ve listed all the products I used below for your reference. Remember, you don’t have to use the exact same products I did. Find similar ones that work for you to recreate this look! Hope you guys enjoyed!

EYE PRODUCTS:

• Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Crease: Makeup Geek Eye Shadow in Chocoa Bear
• Lid: Morphe’s 35W Palette Bronze Eye Shadow (4^th row, 3^rd from the left)
• Winged Liner: L’oreal Felt Tip Liquid Eye Liner
• Water line: Maybelline Eye Shadow Stick in Blackmail
• Outer Corner: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Eye Shadow in Blackout
• Brow Bone: Mac Global Glow Highlighter
• Lashes: House of Lashes in Iconic

FACE PRODUCTS:

• Foundation: Makeup Forever HD Foundation in 173 Amber
• Concealer: Mac Pro Longwear in NC45
• Powder: Mac Pressed Powder in Medium Dark
• Cheek Contour: Mac Blush in Blunt (Matte)
• Bronzer: Mac Blush in Format
• Blush: Mac Blush Plum Foolery
• Highlight: Mac Global Glow