GracexKate: Current Base Routine - Full Coverage & How I Bake

My last base routine went down really well, and even though it was a lot simpler than today's I wanted to do an updated one. I thought that I would also tell you how I bake my concealer because I have been getting into baking recently, so I thought that some of you might find it useful to hear my application process and the products I use. This is quite a high maintenance base routine, but I only do all of this if it is a super glam or a special occasion, so don't think I do this everyday, because I am writing this post currently with nothing but concealer on. I am also going to be mentioning beauty tools and brushes in this post just so you all can get a proper feel for my application.

To prep the skin, after moisturizing of course, I am spraying my face with some of the PS. Primer Water which you can get from Primark as part of their beauty range. I am currently trying this out but it just helps to wake up my skin and prep it before foundation. After spraying a few pumps evenly across my face, I will take the Seventeen Cheeks Brush and just buff some of the excess product into the skin, this just makes sure that there are no droplets sitting on my skin and everything has sunken in.

I will then go in with a more smoothing primer just around my t-zone and where I get texture the most. Currently I am using the Urban Decay Self Adjusting Complexion Primer because it does a great job at smoothing out the skin while making it look more even straight before foundation. I like to focus this product around my nose, centre of my forehead and my nose but eventually it will be blended across my whole face. I do blend this out with my finds just because I find it the easiest and most effective. In terms of how much product I use, not a lot at all, a pea sized amount does enough for the whole face.

A little bit of colour correcting is my next step, even though I don't do this all of the time, when I have a nice red mountain on my face, I like to include this step. Saying that, if my skin is having a good day and looking clear, I will quite happily skip this step. To cancel out the red tones in my face, I like to use the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Green. I apply this directly onto the red areas of my face and then I like the just blend that out with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. When I apply foundation, my skin just looks a lot more flawless and even but I don't find it a step I have to include every time I wear makeup, or even when I go glam.

Now for foundation, I have been loving this little combination. The LA Girl Pro Coverage Foundation and the L'Oreal True Match Foundation make a great combo. I mainly use this combo just to get the perfect colour to match my neck but the thickness of the LA Girl Foundation quickly goes thinner when I add in the L'Oreal one, which just makes it a little bit more comfortable to wear. I do not recommend the L'Oreal foundation just because it is tested on animals but other drugstore foundations like the Collection one I reviewed (link at the end) would also make a great foundation to mix with this but I am using the L'Oreal one just to use it up as quickly as possible. Anyways, I use a pump of each of the foundations and mix them on the back of my hand, I will then evenly dot the mixture across my face and go in with my damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and just bounce and blend it in until I have an even base. I also like to just take whatever is left on the sponge just down my neck to make sure that there are no lines and everything blends together nicely. When it comes to blending in my foundation with a sponge, I always like to over-so it just so that everything has definitely sunken in and no excess is left sitting on my face.

Onto concealer, I have another little combo for this. I will first go in with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer under the eyes, chin, centre of the forehead and a little on the cupids bow but then I will take the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and put that in the furthest part of my under eye where it tends to be the darkest, a little on my chin and a little one my forehead. I do this because the UD Concealer is a little too dark on its own and the Collection Concealer is a little too light on it's own so by putting the Collection Concealer right in the darkest part of my under eyes and the UD Concealer just throughout my under eye, it creates a nice gradient effect and the same goes for my forehead and chin. It's just to make everything look more naturally highlighted, so hopefully that part made sense. After I applying the concealer, I will go straight back in with that damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and leaving the under eyes until last, just bouncing and blending all of the concealer in until everything looks blended and flawless.

Now for the baking, before I even get my powder, I like to use the damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and just go over my under eye concealer to make sure that nothing has creased and all of the excess product has been absorbed. I will then grab my damp Mini Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and take my RCMA No Colour Powder, tap some of the product into the lid or the lid of a compact and soak the sponge in powder. Making sure that there is no creasing just pack it directly under my eyes making sure covers the inner part to the outer part of the under eye. This sometimes takes a few dips into the powder we emptied out before but it is all worth it for a flawless complextion. I will repeat that underneath both eyes and then take a little bit and just pack that on my smile lines, chin, cupids bow and forehead.

That is how I apply the bake, but while it is doing it's job I will cream contour just before setting the rest of the face. For cream contour, I like to use the LA Girl Pro Concealer Concealer in the shade Toast, it is the perfect shade for me to contour with and it is an amazing formula to work with. Since this product comes with a brush applicator, I apply it directly onto the face just with a line of product on my cheekbones either side, a little on my temples and a little under my jaw. I like to blend this out with the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Contour Brush keeping the product in the the right parts of my face and not letting it get too crazy. Once most of it has blended in, I will take my trusty damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge again and just go over the places where I have applied the cream contour. the excess foundation and concealer on the sponge will just help to blend in the cream contour to make it look more natural and seamless.

I will now set the whole face with the RCMA No Colour Powder, but I will just do a light dusting with the Real Techniques Multitask Brush and while I am patting that in across my whole face, I will also wipe off the bake and work the into the skin too. Sometimes, if the cream contour got a little out of hand, I will go in with the damp Mini Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge again and the RCMA No Colour Powder and just pack on more powder but underneath the contour to make it look extra sharp. I will only let that sit for a little bit until wiping it off.

Onto the powder products. I usually go for bronzer first and at the moment, it has been the Makeup Revolution Ultra Bronze Bronzer, it is an amazing colour for bronzing, it looks super natural, blends like a dream and it buildable which is what I love most about it. I apply this with the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush, which I like because it is a little tapered and fits perfectly under my cheekbones. I am usually quite messy with the way I apply this but I focus it on where I put the cream contour so the cheekbones, temples and the jaw. Sometimes, I will also just dust the left over product on my neck just so it matches everything.

Next up is blush and I use the Too Faced Sweethearts Blush in Candy Glow, just to give me a super natural but luminous flush. I love this for summer as it just makes your skin look so fresh, and I did mention this in my July Favourites so I will link that below as well. I apply this with an angled face brush, mine is from Germany by the brand Barbara Hofmann which I don't think you can get hold of so any angled face brush will do. I really like this brush though because it fits perfectly on my cheeks and it disperses the product really nicely. Even though this is a three striped baked blush, I tend to just mix the shades for an all over peachy blush.

Finally for the glow, I have been living in the Ofra X NikkieTutorials Everglow Highlighter. It is super intense, metallic and reflective, so super beautiful for an intense base look. I apply this with the Morphe B13 brush and I usually mix the two lightest shades. With the brush, I apply this onto the tops of my cheekbones, a little above the eyebrows, on the brow bone, some on the cupids bow and on the tip of my nose.

Hopefully that gave you some tips or recommendations for your base routine and I hope you enjoyed. Do let me know if you want to see another base routine for lighter day-to-day maybe and I will be sure to do that.

What is your most important step in your base routine?

Grace xx

Links Mentioned:

Last Base Routine - http://gracexkate.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/current-base-routine-no-foundation.html

July Favourites - http://gracexkate.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/july-favourites.html

Reviews Of The Products Mentioned:

Urban Decay Primer -

Collection Colour Correcting Concealer - http://gracexkate.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/colour-correcting-collection-lasting.html

LA Girl Foundation -

Urban Decay Concealer - http://gracexkate.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/5-products-5-first-impressions.html

RCMA No Colour Powder -

Too Faced Sweethearts Blush - http://gracexkate.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/day-18-early-christmas-present-first.html