Starting at the very foundations(heh) literally today. Get the base right and the rest of your face just sits perfectly, am I right ladies?
Something I am hugely appreciative of is great make-up.
I've said it before and I continue to say it as, I think its so easy to think that maybe I naturally have good skin from the photos I post here on the blog. But I want to be honest with you, I do not have great skin and therefore have to work at it.
The photos you see are always me fully made up with my war-paint on.
For me its not spots so much that I have to deal with but uneven skin tone. I don't have a beautiful clean palette to work off. I have prominent reddish undertones (rosacea) and dark circles, so getting a good base is absolutely imperative to my make-up routine.
Its something I have worked hard on for years and trialled many, many products to only feel let down or like its just not quite what I wanted.
So if you are looking for high coverage without feeling caked in makeup this may help you. I hope it does.
Starting with the very base.. primers
I recently saw the new No7 colour balancing primer in a magazine and thought it looked like it had potential. The green colour balancer works as a neutraliser against the redness of my skin, and even though I can still see pink hues, I have to say it does help take the severity off the redness, especially if I'm having a particularly bad flare up (read : stressed/drank to much coffee..so all the time then really). Now, beware, it comes out bright green, like Kermit the frog green and you think to yourself, 'Am I really gonna put this on ma face and not like a giant frog??' But rest assured, it blends down beautifully. Not only is it a colour balancer, it is also a primer which helps keep my make-up in place much longer than when I go bare back.
So this is my first step(after cleansing and moisturising earlier that morning), please take in to consideration i am stood in good lighting here and in real life the redness is more apparent.
Another product worth mentioning is the Benefit Porefessional to minimize some of my rather prominent and unwelcome obvious pores. Again, using a little of this across my cheeks where its needed to help with a lovely smooth base. I apply this after I have applied the primer and fairly sparingly as it could be a little greasy if you over did it.
Next up the all important Foundations
Now I need a high coverage foundation. I am currently using the Chanel Perfection Lumiere after feeling the Lumiere Velvet wasn't giving me enough coverage. I'm really interested in trying the Estee Lauder Double Wear as I've heard such good things regarding its maximum coverage (Have you tried it? Id love to hear what you thought if you have!)
What I am also really enjoying is the Bourjois Air Mat. For a daily foundation the coverage is superb, the price tag is small and it lasts majority of the day. When you apply it, it has a very yellow tone which again helps to settle any redness. It is also extremely matt, so it does what it says on the tin basically, but for me that's great as I love a matt base. I feel if I want to add some 'glow' i can do that with highlighter if I require.
But today I went for the Chanel Perfection Lumiere.
As you can see the coverage over all is pretty decent with just a hint of redness on the cheeks still, but its definitely very comfortable to wear and gives me the clean base i require to then apply the rest of my face.
Concealer and Highlighter
For any redness that's seeped through the above processes I then take to them with the Collection Lasting perfection concealer, which is just ace. It has such high coverage and is literally a few pound. I finish with the L'oreal La touche Magique under my eyes to rid those dark, dark bags.
Tools
Because I layer up my make-up its really important to have the right tools for the job. The real technique brushes are my weapon of choice but what I love to death is my Real Technique mircacle sponge.. It blots away any excess make-up, leaving a lovely natural well blended finish on the face. Do you use one? I honestly can't recommend it enough.
And then the completely finished look, with uh, soft focus I might add..because that helps EVERYTHING.. if only life was soft focus.. oh wait it is when I take my contact lens' out maybe I should try that more often, the world would look all peachy and fuzzy all the time, ha!
But yes, this is my face (hello) with all the make-up. Complete with eyes, cheeks and lip make-up.
If you'd like to know more about any of the other products I'm enjoying at the moment then let me know in the comments.
I love to talk beauty products so any tips or products you'd recommend I'd love to hear.