After raving about hair & face products I decided it was time to talk a little about one of my main obsessions : Make up !
Through my years as cosmetics fanatic & make up artistry student, I've used A LOT of different products, brands & techniques. I thought it would be a good idea to share my favorites with you guys.
Whether you're a complete newbie or a seasonned make up artist, you probably know that make up is an art of illusion. The illusion of perfect skin, impeccable eyebrows, ideally proportionned mouth...etc.
Creating an "ideal face" is like painting a masterpiece. The "canvas" need to be as perfect as can be for the most beautiful results & that's exactly the same for your skin. It's the canvas that can either bring your features up.. or down. That's why complexion is the most important step for make up.
Here are my all time favorite products to achieve that flawless skin look :
Primer:
Mac prep+prime face protect spf50 is a must have for any make up fiend during summertime ! I hate the look & feel of thick & oily sunscreen that makes your make up look awfull. I use this to keep my face protected from the dangers of over exposure. I never had sunburn while using this & I feel it mattifies my skin a little which is nice when it's super hot. It has silicones that makes the foundation & powder glides on your skin easily.
"green option" primer :
Meow cosmetics Premiere Puss primer powder is a great first step for mineral foundation. It act as a barrier between moisturizer & foundation so that it doesn't get absorbed my the pores. It makes the skin silky & smooth for a better foundation application & makes it stay longer. It's very cheap & eco friendly too.
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Foundation :
from left to right: Mineralize spf15 cream foundation, Pro Longwear spf10 liquid foundation, Studio Fix powder foundation (all MAC)
Mineralize spf15 is a compact CREAM foundation that has a light to medium coverage. It has a very blendable creamy texture that's nice to work with. You can have a very suble finish but building up some coverage is still possible. I'd say it's best suited for dry to normal skin type as it's not oil free & has a satiny finish. It'll need setting powder to stay put throughout the day so you can achieve a matte look with this too. This foundation is very luminous & makes the skin look radiant. It would be a great pick for mature skin. This is my favorite during the wintertime.
Pro Longwear spf10 is a LIQUID foundation that has a medium & very buildable coverage. The texture is a bit trickier to work with at first because it's thick & dries quite quickly so you have to work fast or do each part of your face separately. That said, it's my HOLY GRAIL foundation. I bought this 3 times already & that's the first time for me. It really is longwear. I love that you put it on & 10/12 hours later my face still looks fresh & nearly as good as right after I applied my make up. This is incredible. During the colder months I don't do any touch ups at all during the day. During the warmer months I do blot a little BUT the foundation doesn't slide or wears off like most do when you have an oil/sweat break. The finish with this is natural... not TOO matte but not satiny either. It really looks like skin. You can build a pretty decent coverage with this & it looks great "thinned" with moisturizer when you want a more natural look. You don't really need to apply setting powder after but I prefer to do so because it'll be slightly sticky to the touche otherwise. GREAT foundation.
Studio Fix is a powder foundation that you can use different ways. If you're really on the rush you can use it with a sponge all over for a medium to full coverage powder foundation. But what I prefer to do is to use it with a powder brush as a finishing powder on my foundation to create more coverage & a very sophisticated & very retro matte finish. A versatile product, great for normal to oilier skin because of the powder texture.
"Green option" Foundation :
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss mineral foundation is hands down the BEST mineral foundation I've ever used. Sure it's easy to get a little confused with all the cat breeds as foundation color families but you can buy pretty large samples for a dollar each which makes finding your correct shade much easier & fool proof. The pampered puss formula is my favorite amongs the 3 they have because it's medium buildable coverage & it was created for sensitive skins. You'll never get itching from bismuth or anything like this. The ingredient list is very short & nothing harsh is used. You don't feel like you're putting paint on your face & I like that feeling. It has a matte finish that's not chalky but not glittery like some other mineral powders. It looks perfectly natural. It comes in a HUGE jar that is so cheap that's almost a steal ! ^_^
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Concealor :
top left to right :Bobbi Brown corrector in light peach & bisque
bottom : Mac pro longwear concealor spf15 (here NC20)
Bobbi brown corrector is a thick opaque cream concealor which shades are especially created to neutralize the green/blue/purple of dark circles. I have sometimes pretty damn dark circles which look a fantastic shade of tealish blue. I need somethings that works better than plain beigy concealor to make the color vanish. I use both bisque (salmon) & light peach & I find both work great. Maybe the peach one looks better when I have a tan.
Mac Pro longwear concealor is a fantastic product ! It's a thick liquidy formula, even thicker than it's foundation brother.It has the same property has the foundation BUT with a lot more opacity. This is HEAVY coverage yet it's the most natural looking concealor I've ever used. I never got any cakiness under my eyes no matter how much I applied ! AMAZING ! Sometimes I even mix a little of the concealor in the foundation for added coverage : works like a charm ! You don't even need to powder after applying this so your undereye will look fresh, not all dry & wrinkly :).
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Powder :
Make Up For Ever HD powder
Ran out of it. Bought this powder 5 times in a row. It's my favorite & I'm very picky about powders. I love to have a silky soft skin to the touch, a well set foundation, a matte but still luminous skin. This does exactly all that so I love it. The white cast it can leave under the eye you can see on some celebrities pictures is due to over application because I NEVER had that problem & I use it on pictures all the time.
from left to right (clockwise): Mac blot powder compact, Mac mineralize skinfinish natural, Studio Fix Mac, Ben Nye banana luxury powder
Mac blot powder compact is the perfect powder for touch ups during the day. It's formula is perfectly matte & translucent so you don't cake up you face when repowdering. It just absords oil & make the skin look fresh & sophisticate. I always have one in my handbag. I use it sometimes to set my foundation & it works fine.
Mac mineralize skinfinish natural is a "baked" dome shape compact mineral powder. It has some coverage to it that evens out the skin nicely. You can use it after foundation for a soft matte look or over naked skin if you have no blemishes & want to even out your skintone & mattify your skin a little. I use both. I love that sometimes when I'm in a rus I just use this with a kabuli brush & my skin looks "ready" :).
Mac Studio Fix : see above for description.
Ben Nye banana powder is a loose powder that is a light yellow color. You can use it as a higlight especially on tanned or dark skin color. I personnaly like to mix this with a little HD powder from makeupforever & apply it overall. It's amazingly cheap for a quality product.
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Contour/bronzer :
from left to right: Bobbi Brown bronzer in 1(natural)& Nars bronzer in Laguna
Bobbi Brown "natural" bronzer is a matte bronzing powder that is absolutely great to contour the face. This shade is a soft rosy brown that's very pretty & flattering & blends nicely with pink toned blushes.
Nars Laguna isn't matte & not shimmery either. I don't know how to describe the finish but it looks GORGEOUS on the skin. I use this mostly as a bronzer... to warm up my skintone a little. It doesn't look orange at all, it's almost translucent & doesn't make the skin look all muddy. My favorite bronzer ever.
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Higlight :
from left to right: Benefit Powderflage, Meow cosmetics crystaline cat & Mac pigment in Vanilla
Benefit's Powderflage is a super pale pink powder that is very light & silky & is meant to be use right under the eyes to brighten that area. It gives a "soft focus" effect that's very flattering when you are tired.
Meow cosmetics Crystaline cat is a super fine & shimmery powder that has a cool/almost silvery tone to it. You only need a tiny bit of this to higlight you cheek bone or underbrow. I think this works best on cool or light skintones. beautiful & very cheap for a great amount.
Mac pigment Vanilla is a multipurpose shimmery off white powder that has a golden pink duochrome shimmer to it. Works great as a higlight on every skintone.
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Blush :
top left to right: NYX cream blush in Natural & Nars Orgasm
bottom left to right: Well dressed, Fleur Power & Margin (all Mac powder blushes)
NYX cream blush in the shade Natural is my favorite cream blush ever ! I really ADORE that product very much because it looks just like its name says : natural. I love how pigmented & blendable it is. It gives my cheek a super natural flushed effect that's between pink & coral. Very pretty. Thisproduct is super cheap to top it all !
Nars Orgasm powder blush is know for a cult product since many years for a reason : It's super pretty, easy to apply & looks good on everybody. It's slightly shimmery but no so that you'll look like a disco ball & it's color is a salmon pink with a golden sheen : beautiful !
Mac blush in well dressed is the perfect pink blush for those cute but still wearable doll cheeks. It's mostly my "to go" blush , it has a satiny matte finish & look very good with blue based red lipsticks ;).
Mac blush in Fleur power is a lovely coral color that's pretty pigmented & has a satiny matte finish. It looks super cute during summetime with coral lips & brigthens the face.
Mac blush in Margin is a warm deeper peach color with golden shimmer. This color looks AMAZING on the skin... much better than it appears in the pan. It's very flattering especially when you have a little tan.
Shue Uemura glow on blush in M soft mauve 225
Now THIS blush is a very interesting & peculiar one. It's color is a pale LAVENDER that looks a little scary in the pan but absolutely STUNNING on the cheeks. It gives a very light purplish pink color that look incredible with purple/magenta toned make up. It's definitely cool tone so that's very flaterring on pale skinned blue eyed ladies the most but I've seen medium warm complexion pull this off. It brightens the face & gives a very nice mauvy flush to the cheeks... it's beautiful.
Shu Uemura's blushes texture is absolutely flawless, pigmented light & blendable. This one is on the matte side but it doesn't look flat at all. If you like purple eye make up &/or mauve lips you should get it !
"green option" blush :
Everyday Minerals blush in All Smiles
Whether you're a fan of mineral or not I think this one is a must have, especially durng summertime. It's an orangy coral that appears very bright but you only need to apply the lightest amount to get a nice healthy flush because it's very pigmented. The texture is completely matte, no shimmers or glitters at all but the finish is beautiful & super modulable. Because it's so pigmented it's a great pick for every skin tone & this one definitely shows up on dark skin colors. But if you're pale don't freak out, My skin is pretty light & I use this too. If you have blue/green eyes like me orange type make up brings out your eyes & make them pop so you definitely should try it. It's pretty cheap too & you can get a sample on Everyday Minerals website.
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I hope you enjoyed my complexion's favorites & it was helpful to some ^_^
What are YOUR favorite face make up products guys ?
Viola
