MAC Studio Fix Archives

My 5-minutes Makeup Routine

March 9, 2017 Leave a Comment

Lately I’ve been having many early mornings, when I literally have next to no time to get ready. So the usual luxury of standing around pondering which foundation to wear, which eye shadow palette to use has, under the circumstance, been thrown out the window. Replacing it is a very quick and super simple routine that requires the least amount of faffing and blending effort. The key to a quick yet effective makeup routine as I’ve discovered, is to choose your products wisely. Despite spending less than the average time it would normally take to do my makeup, I can look just as put together and polished as I would when I have more time to spare.

Step 1 Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

I hate the packaging of this; it comes in a pump bottle (concealer in a pump bottle? mind boggling), but the result is amazing so I accept this as being a small price to pay. It gives ‘incredible’ coverage and sometimes I even consider this to be a hybrid between concealer and foundation. If you are short of time, just use one pump and blend under your eyes and on any blemishes and imperfections, and that is enough to give you an even, flawless canvas ready for the next step.

Step 2 Powder Foundation: MAC Studio Fix

This is practically my life saver and what really saves me the most time. When you have next to no time to get ready in the morning powder foundation is your best friend. You don’t want to be faffing with liquid foundation, what with the blending and the messiness that come with it. Mac Studio Fix Powder foundation is my ultimate favourite, and it’s just a matter of pressing your brush in the powder compact, swirl it around to gather the product, and then just blend all over your face. Fuss free, mess free, done in seconds, and you get the same flawless coverage as you would with a liquid foundation.

Step 3 Eyebrows Gel: Blink Brow Build

One of my biggest pet peeves, when it comes to a makeup routine, is doing my eyebrows. It’s my least, least favourite thing to do, and what I waste the most time faffing with. So a brush-on eyebrows gel is a very quick, easy, and foolproof alternative to create a natural-looking fullness and definition without the need to be precise. My current favourite is the Brow Build from Blink, which contains miniscule fibres that mimic the appearance of thicker fuller brows with just a few brush strokes, perfect for a 5-minutes makeup.

Step 4 Mascara: Maybelline Falsie

This is an old school, cult classic mascara that I’ve fallen back in love with. Rightly called the Falsie for the reason that it really gives your lashes that va-va-voom effect akin to wearing false eyelashes. And when you have no time for eyeshadows, having a full and luscious lashes and let your eyes do the talking really does compensate a great deal.

Step 5 Lash Line: Stila Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner

A step that you can skip altogether, but spending extra few seconds on this can make such a huge difference. Lining your upper inner waterline makes your upper lashes appear thicker and more voluminous. And as mentioned if you have no time for eyeshadows, this quick and simple step is all it takes to oomph up the definition on your eyes, making you look more polished and sophisticated.

Step 6 Blusher: NARS Orgasm

A universal blush colour that looks good on just about everybody and will suit anything and everything you wear. It’s a gorgeous peachy-pink shade that also has a golden shimmer so it can be doubled up as a highlighter, for those of us who can’t go a day without that extra boost of glow.

Tips for Fresh, Long Lasting Summer Makeup

July 2, 2015 Leave a Comment

For those (myself included) who always moan about the cold and rainy English weather, well this week the said weather has made a 360 degree U-turn to laugh in our faces. Yesterday was the hottest summer day in a decade (35c in London). Plenty of sweltering sun we always complained we don’t get enough of. Well you know what they say, be careful what you wish for.

Although it was great that a ‘full blown’ summer had suddenly and unexpectedly graced us with its ever so powerful presence, I found myself literally unable to cope with the overpowering heat and humidity. So I thought in today’s post I would talk about how I keep my makeup on and melt-proof during hot summer days.

Of course applying a good SPF is integral and should be the first thing you do before moving on to your makeup. I’m currently using Ultrasun Face High SPF 30 Anti-Aging formula, which is also catered for sensitive skin and is so lightweight and non sticky, always a plus in my book. Before applying makeup I always use a primer to prep my skin and to make foundation goes on nicer and lasting longer. I’ve been using Benefit Porefessional for years because it’s incredible at smoothing out your complexion, erasing any noticeable pores, adding longevity to your foundation, which is what you need most during the hot weather, and at a price that is still affordable.

When it comes to foundation, I personally think during the summer the lighter the better. I can’t imaging caking on heavy foundation to brave the glaring sun and have it melting off my face throughout the day. So keeping it barely there and light is key and at the moment I’m alternating between an all time favourite BareMinerals Complexion Rescue and Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation. Both have extra SPF 30, which is great to top up on your existing SPF, and both are super light weight and give you an amazing glow and dewy complexion. The BareMinerals one feels more comfortable and hydrating on the skin, whereas the texture of No Foundation Foundation takes a bit of getting used to but I still love it for injecting that boost of radiance. However if you want to opt for a proper foundation, the one I’m currently enjoying for the summer is Burberry Fresh Glow Luminious Foundation. It feels very lightweight, gives light to medium coverage, and as the name suggests, gives a beautiful luminious glow to your complexion.

Because I’ve been keeping my base light but I still want my makeup to look flawless, the next integral step for me is to add a setting power ‘that has some coverage’. Don’t worry, your makeup will not look cakey, as long as you don’t apply too much and always use a light hand. What this does is to set everything down, whilst adding extra coverage to make your complexion looking more even and flawless. My current favourites for this purpose are MAC Studio Fix and BareMinerals Original Powder Foundation, and I apply either with Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder brush or Sephora Pro Airbrush no. 55, both of which are perfect for a light dusting job.

As for eye makeup, the only set rule I have to keep everything looking fresh and long lasting amidst the heat and humidity is to always opt for waterproof mascara. The one I currently enjoy using at the moment is Maybeline Lash Sensational WP Mascara. It’s great for separating and fanning out your lashes, making them look full and fluttery.

Finally the last, and most important step is to seal everything in with a few spritzes of Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. This is a miracle in a bottle; it keeps your makeup last ‘all day’ if not longer and nothing will budge it, not even the sweltering heat. It also freshens up your makeup so if you feel like everything is looking a bit dull or out of control during the day, a few spritzes will bring all back to live again.

What are your tips for a long lasting summer makeup?

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This Week What’s on my Face

April 6, 2015 7 Comments

Putting my makeup on is something I really enjoy doing. I know there are some people (my boyfriend included) who think wearing makeup everyday is unnecessary and I do agree to a certain extent. Personally my reason for wearing makeup is not because I’m incredibly vain and don’t want to be seen with a bare face. I enjoy the process of it, I even look forward to putting my makeup on every morning so I can play around with my products, I don’t see it as a chore. Besides, I do think we are entitled to do whatever we want to make us feel good and confident about ourselves. I’m not sure about you but I feel more tired and not so awake when I don’t have any makeups on. Having said that, I don’t wear heavy makeup at all and most days I just put some makeup on to make myself feel abit more awake and abit more equipped and ready to face the world.

Anyway so I thought I would do a weekly thing where I blog about what I’ve been wearing on my face and what products I’ve been using and loving;

This Week:

Base –> BareMinerals Complexion Rescue and MAC Studio Fix in NC 30. Still loving this combo. BM Complexion Rescue leaves skin feel hydrated, brightened and dewey, while a light dusting of MAC Studio Fix gives that little bit of extra coverage.

Eyebrow –> Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in Sable and MAC 166 angle brush. On days that I just want very natural looking brows. BB Sable eyeshadow is a perfect warm tone brown shade for me and MAC 166 angle brush is very thin and precise for making light feathering strokes.

Eyeshadows –> MAC All that Glitters all over the lid and MAC Cork to define the crease.

Eyeliner –> Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. This is hands down the best eyeliner EVER. I was put off from using eyeliner for a good few years because I just couldn’t get the hang of drawing a perfect line and perfect flick. This has totally got me back to enjoying using eyeliner again because it is just so so easy to use.

Mascara –> Fairydrops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara. A ViviannaDoesMakeup induced purchase. The uniquely shaped brush does all the work for you; lengthening, volumising and with zero clumping or flaking. It just makes your lashes look incredible and if you love waterproof mascara but hate the job of taking it off every night, this also has an extra benefit of being the easiest waterproof mascara to remove ever.

Blush –> MAC Mineralise Blush in Dainty. I’ve really been loving this blusher. It’s very similar to the Hour Glass Ambient Lighting Blush and the Max Factor Cream Puff Blusher that are being raved about so much at the moment. It has abit of shimmer but very very finely milled so you get the intense colour of the blush as well as the brightening glowing effect. It just perks up and brightens your skin immediately and I absolutely adore it.

Lipstick –> NARS lipstick in Blonde Venus. A corally nude shade that is very similar to the popular NARS Barbarella. But I find Barbarella is more nude and muted whereas Blonde Venus gives out more colour and is a really lovely everyday shade.

“What makeup products have you been loving recently?”

Current quick & easy foundation routine ft. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue

March 17, 2015 Leave a Comment

I am and have always been a massive fan of BareMinerals. I know for a fact that it has made such a huge difference to my skin and I am all for a make up brand whose main ethos is to first and foremost look after your skin. So when I saw that they came out with a new base product, I couldn’t wait to get my hand on one. Luckily my boyfriend was recently on a business trip in the US and was willing to venture out to Sephora for me (BM Complexion Rescue will only be available in the UK in April and let’s face it I couldn’t wait that long).

The Conplexion Rescue is supposed to sit somewhere between a BB or CC cream and a tinted moisturiser. It’s very ligh weight and completely disappears into the skin so in a way it also feels like a moisturiser to me because once you put it on your skin instantly feels super hydrated. The Complexion Rescue is in no way a foundation and so if you are looking for a good coverage you won’t get it from this product. What it does however is improve and brighten your complexion, making it look and feel like what healthy skin is suppose to be naturally.

The consistency of this product is pretty much what you would get if you manually mix your foundation with your moisturiser. It has a texture of a gel or light moisturiser with pigment of colour in it. In terms of colour match I got mine in Ginger 06 and it matches my skin colour perfectly (FYI I’m using ‘Golden Medium’ in the Original mineral powder foundation, and ‘Bare Nude’ in the Bare Skin foundation).

As I mentioned this product does not really give you any coverage so what I’ve been doing is dusting a bit of MAC Studio Fix powder on top using my beloved Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder brush and this give me enough coverage while still retaining that healthy brightening effect from the complexion rescue. The two products just work so well together and the finish is so lightweight and comfortable on the skin, absolutely stunning and last all day. Not to mention this routine takes no time at all so it has been my absolute go to at the moment.