It feels like forever since I last wrote a makeup-themed blog post so don't mind me if this post goes a little downhill. However, this year has definitely caused my staple makeup bag products to just change and change again. With the amount of new makeup coming out constantly and the great publicity, those makeup products get, of course, I was going to wind up buying them and loving them. Saying that some favourites have been here for a while that will always be favourites so I thought I would bring them all together for this one post. I really tried to narrow down these products so that you know what really are essentials in my collection. These are the sorts of products that just have to be in my collection.
Firstly, the only tool in this post is obviously going to be the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This sponge is just great, it's affordable so therefore you don't have to fork out a bunch of money on the real BeautyBlender and it does a great job of blending in cream products. I use this sponge for basically all of my cream or liquid products, from foundation to cream contour to liquid highlighter. The shape of this sponge is really unique as you have curved edges, a pointed edge and a completely flat edge, and I actually find that I use all three of these to helps blend out my makeup. The number one reason I love a sponge so much is that It just makes my base look so natural. When it is damp, it soaks up loads of excess which allows your base to look like skin while wearing foundation which is always an aim of mine.
Next up is my favourite liquid highlighter ever! It is the Iconic London Illuminator Drops in Original which is so hyped about over social media, but it definitely deserves it. I won't lie, initially, I didn't think that this product was worth the hype but now that I have played around with it, I have found what works best and now, it's a dream product. As much as I love powder highlighter, I think a liquid highlighter is great as it can intensify the powder but also just work great for a more glow-from-within look. I find that liquid highlighter is a little more flattering as it doesn't pick up as much texture as a powder but the intensity remains the same as a powder. Particularly this shade, I love, because of its neutral undertone, however, I do find that this works best when I have a bit of a tan, otherwise, you can sort of see the colour on the skin which can look a little weird sometimes. To summarise though, my favourite way of applying this is by picking it up on a damp sponge and just slowing building up the intensity on the high points of my face, making sure that I blend out the edges. I know some people like to wear this mixed in with their foundation or before their foundation, however, this way works best for me as it gives the most intense finish. It definitely is more of an investment purchase, however, it will last a very long time and will give you the most gorgeous highlight.
The next product is marketed as a concealer but this is not something I could wear under my eyes on its own and I will get into why. This is the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer and mine is in the shade Ivory. This concealer is so thick which is why I wouldn't wear it under the eyes to conceal without mixing it with something thinner. However, this concealer is my favourite ever for priming my eyes and carving out my eyebrows as it is so full coverage. Personally, I have a lot of veins on my eyelids and I also get loads of freckles there so for me to get a clean canvas, I need something heavy duty. My favourite way of using this is by applying the concealer with a flat brush, carving out the brows and taking some all over my eyelid and then blending it out with a damp sponge. This maximises the coverage but also prevents creasing, which I won't lie, this concealer can do so just be aware of this. I think that this concealer would work best on oily skin but that isn't to say it would look bad on dry skin as it does work on my dry patches, however, too much of this can make it feel very dry on the skin. I have been known to mix this in with a more lightweight concealer for my under eyes, just to add coverage and it does make a difference, it is a very flawless looking concealer. Sadly, I don't think that this is easy to buy from the UK so if anyone is ever in the States, I would definitely pick it up, especially because it is less than $10.
For eyeshadow, I didn't really know what to include as I love so many eye palettes but I did conclude with the MUA Matte Essentials Eye Shadow Palette which, yes, it probably is the most boring, but I also think that it is my most useful palette. I say this because these shades allow me to not only create a simple eye look, but I can also set my under eyes, my eyelid base and also fill in my eyebrows with these shades too. Even though this palette is crazily affordable, the powders themselves are pretty good and work really well. They are all matte shades which I think is super important when creating an eyeshadow look but they blend nicely and apply pigmented which is all I really look for in a matte shadow. You can get this six-shade palette in a bunch of different colour schemes however this is my favourite as it just contains the bare essential shades for me. I really don't here enough people speak about these little palettes but I would definitely recommend them.
This is my favourite mascara full stop so it had to make this list. It is clearly the Collection Volumax Waterproof Mascara as I really struggle to not mention this in any makeup-themed blog post. Waterproof mascara is generally all I wear because it lasts longer, holds a curl and obviously, it's waterproof so my collection does only consist of waterproof mascaras but this one is my favourite. I would be lying if I said I knew why this was my favourite mascara but all I know is that it is super black, lasts ages and makes my eyelashes so much longer and a little thicker which I love. This mascara, I can wear all day and it will still look great, plus it is so affordable so there is no reason not to try it. One this I will say though, this mascara is a pain to remove but it's totally worth it for how it looks during the day.
As for lips, I really struggled to identify what products I use religiously but I think I did a good job of choosing these two. The first one is the Misslyn Lip Liner in Rosewood. This was the biggest impulse purchase ever, however, I am so glad I bought this because it is so good. Not only does this shade take me back to Pretty Little Liars but it is the perfect nude shade. Ever nude lip I own matches this, trust me I've used it with nearly everything but the formula is great too. I find that it is super easy to apply, it is creamy feeling and it gives off a generous amount of colour. I love lip liner because it is so easy to wear and I find that I can no longer do my makeup without wearing one so clearly a lip liner had to make this list. You do have to sharpen this liner which can be a bit of a chore, but I find I use less product with a regular pencil than a retractable one. This is definitely a product I would recommend to anyone, especially this shade, as I think it would look so good on so many skin tones.
To conclude this post, I am finishing off with a gloss I love, the Buxom Full-On Lip Creme in White Russian. I love lip gloss, I think it looks so much better than a matte lip and it is more comfortable in my opinion too. However, some glosses I really can't get on board with because they are either too thick, sticky or pigmented. My perfect gloss would have a little pigment, an intense glossy finish but it would also be super comfortable to wear which, all of those things define this Buxom gloss. The shade itself is a pale nude which just looks good layered over anything, or even on its own. It does give off a little colour so it does help to lighten a lipstick underneath it but the finish is also very intense, which I love. Something to point out though is that, if you don't like mint or a bit of that tingling sensation, you probably won't like this, as it does contain plumping properties which are done through this tingling sensation. This is more of a luxurious gloss but I have tried other high-end glosses and this is my favourite but also the most universal, as you can wear it in so many ways.
Comment below your makeup staples as I would love to try them for myself!
Grace xx
Firstly, the only tool in this post is obviously going to be the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This sponge is just great, it's affordable so therefore you don't have to fork out a bunch of money on the real BeautyBlender and it does a great job of blending in cream products. I use this sponge for basically all of my cream or liquid products, from foundation to cream contour to liquid highlighter. The shape of this sponge is really unique as you have curved edges, a pointed edge and a completely flat edge, and I actually find that I use all three of these to helps blend out my makeup. The number one reason I love a sponge so much is that It just makes my base look so natural. When it is damp, it soaks up loads of excess which allows your base to look like skin while wearing foundation which is always an aim of mine.
Next up is my favourite liquid highlighter ever! It is the Iconic London Illuminator Drops in Original which is so hyped about over social media, but it definitely deserves it. I won't lie, initially, I didn't think that this product was worth the hype but now that I have played around with it, I have found what works best and now, it's a dream product. As much as I love powder highlighter, I think a liquid highlighter is great as it can intensify the powder but also just work great for a more glow-from-within look. I find that liquid highlighter is a little more flattering as it doesn't pick up as much texture as a powder but the intensity remains the same as a powder. Particularly this shade, I love, because of its neutral undertone, however, I do find that this works best when I have a bit of a tan, otherwise, you can sort of see the colour on the skin which can look a little weird sometimes. To summarise though, my favourite way of applying this is by picking it up on a damp sponge and just slowing building up the intensity on the high points of my face, making sure that I blend out the edges. I know some people like to wear this mixed in with their foundation or before their foundation, however, this way works best for me as it gives the most intense finish. It definitely is more of an investment purchase, however, it will last a very long time and will give you the most gorgeous highlight.
The next product is marketed as a concealer but this is not something I could wear under my eyes on its own and I will get into why. This is the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer and mine is in the shade Ivory. This concealer is so thick which is why I wouldn't wear it under the eyes to conceal without mixing it with something thinner. However, this concealer is my favourite ever for priming my eyes and carving out my eyebrows as it is so full coverage. Personally, I have a lot of veins on my eyelids and I also get loads of freckles there so for me to get a clean canvas, I need something heavy duty. My favourite way of using this is by applying the concealer with a flat brush, carving out the brows and taking some all over my eyelid and then blending it out with a damp sponge. This maximises the coverage but also prevents creasing, which I won't lie, this concealer can do so just be aware of this. I think that this concealer would work best on oily skin but that isn't to say it would look bad on dry skin as it does work on my dry patches, however, too much of this can make it feel very dry on the skin. I have been known to mix this in with a more lightweight concealer for my under eyes, just to add coverage and it does make a difference, it is a very flawless looking concealer. Sadly, I don't think that this is easy to buy from the UK so if anyone is ever in the States, I would definitely pick it up, especially because it is less than $10.
For eyeshadow, I didn't really know what to include as I love so many eye palettes but I did conclude with the MUA Matte Essentials Eye Shadow Palette which, yes, it probably is the most boring, but I also think that it is my most useful palette. I say this because these shades allow me to not only create a simple eye look, but I can also set my under eyes, my eyelid base and also fill in my eyebrows with these shades too. Even though this palette is crazily affordable, the powders themselves are pretty good and work really well. They are all matte shades which I think is super important when creating an eyeshadow look but they blend nicely and apply pigmented which is all I really look for in a matte shadow. You can get this six-shade palette in a bunch of different colour schemes however this is my favourite as it just contains the bare essential shades for me. I really don't here enough people speak about these little palettes but I would definitely recommend them.
This is my favourite mascara full stop so it had to make this list. It is clearly the Collection Volumax Waterproof Mascara as I really struggle to not mention this in any makeup-themed blog post. Waterproof mascara is generally all I wear because it lasts longer, holds a curl and obviously, it's waterproof so my collection does only consist of waterproof mascaras but this one is my favourite. I would be lying if I said I knew why this was my favourite mascara but all I know is that it is super black, lasts ages and makes my eyelashes so much longer and a little thicker which I love. This mascara, I can wear all day and it will still look great, plus it is so affordable so there is no reason not to try it. One this I will say though, this mascara is a pain to remove but it's totally worth it for how it looks during the day.
As for lips, I really struggled to identify what products I use religiously but I think I did a good job of choosing these two. The first one is the Misslyn Lip Liner in Rosewood. This was the biggest impulse purchase ever, however, I am so glad I bought this because it is so good. Not only does this shade take me back to Pretty Little Liars but it is the perfect nude shade. Ever nude lip I own matches this, trust me I've used it with nearly everything but the formula is great too. I find that it is super easy to apply, it is creamy feeling and it gives off a generous amount of colour. I love lip liner because it is so easy to wear and I find that I can no longer do my makeup without wearing one so clearly a lip liner had to make this list. You do have to sharpen this liner which can be a bit of a chore, but I find I use less product with a regular pencil than a retractable one. This is definitely a product I would recommend to anyone, especially this shade, as I think it would look so good on so many skin tones.
To conclude this post, I am finishing off with a gloss I love, the Buxom Full-On Lip Creme in White Russian. I love lip gloss, I think it looks so much better than a matte lip and it is more comfortable in my opinion too. However, some glosses I really can't get on board with because they are either too thick, sticky or pigmented. My perfect gloss would have a little pigment, an intense glossy finish but it would also be super comfortable to wear which, all of those things define this Buxom gloss. The shade itself is a pale nude which just looks good layered over anything, or even on its own. It does give off a little colour so it does help to lighten a lipstick underneath it but the finish is also very intense, which I love. Something to point out though is that, if you don't like mint or a bit of that tingling sensation, you probably won't like this, as it does contain plumping properties which are done through this tingling sensation. This is more of a luxurious gloss but I have tried other high-end glosses and this is my favourite but also the most universal, as you can wear it in so many ways.
Comment below your makeup staples as I would love to try them for myself!
Grace xx
I really want to try the Iconic Illuminator Drops, I literally see this everywhere and it looks so cool :)
ReplyDeleteAnika | anikamay.co.uk
They are, definitely worth trying out!xx
DeleteGreat post! I have to say I never used any of these makeup products which is good because now I have some new products to try out from your recommendation.
ReplyDeleteSamara // The Marshall Wardrobe
I hope you like them!xx
Delete