Firstly, before you begin purchasing any make-up products you need to establish two vital things:
1) What look am I trying to achieve?
2) Will this product suit me (and the look I'm aiming for)?
To answer 1, you should have a clear idea of what you want out of your make-up: which elements of your face are you intending to highlight? Are you going to accentuate your eyes or your lips? Is your look inspired by anything that you can use as a template? These questions are some of the many you can ask yourself when you are looking for your essential daily products.
Question 2 ensures you are purchasing things that will work in harmony with your skin, and allow your make-up look to achieve it's full potential. This could be in the form of ensuring your foundation is the right match for your skin colour, or making sure you don't purchase products which will irritate or harm your skin. Sometimes this is achieved on a trial and error basis, but to save money on buying unwanted products, spend a lot of time in the 'tester' areas of your local cosmetic store, or don't be afraid to ask a consultant for help! Certain products and/or stores now offer services in order to 'colour match' foundations to your skin, so this can be a useful service if you are unsure of what you should be buying. Even if you've used a foundation for years, I'd recommend going to have this test done just to see if you've been using the right product to get the best out of your look. You might be surprised!
Once you have a clear understanding of what you want out of your make-up, you ensure that all purchases are necessary, and this way you avoid spending money on products you won't use just because they're on offer. Remember, when it's TimeToFaceTheDay in life's daily grind, you deserve to look and feel your best! Finding your handful of essential daily products is so beneficial in enabling you to achieve this; you won't have to worry about experimenting with new products when you're in a rush, and the more you use a product the more familiar you become with it so you'll be able to achieve your beautiful Daily Look quickly and easily!
For my own Daily Look here are my objectives:
1) What look am I trying to achieve?
I'm very inspired by vintage styles, and particularly love the 50s inspired eyeliner flick, giving a sultry cat-like appearance. My eyes are my most prominent feature on my face, so I aim to accentuate these with bold eyeliner strokes and long lashes, whilst playing down my lips in a neutral tone.
2) Will this product suit me (and the look I'm aiming for)?
My colouring is very much a cool tone - I have dark hair, pale skin and light blue eyes - so I can use black products on my eyes as it works harmoniously with my face; alternatively, dark brown products suffice but they don't quite give the dramatic look black achieves.
As I intend to keep my face pale and accentuate my eyes, I don't want to appear washed out so I've incorporated some blush into my daily look in order to give me a splash of colour, whilst also helping to contour my cheekbones. Bronzer is normally used for contouring but because my daily look is so pale this doesn't really suit me, so I forgo using bronzer in this look.
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Now that I've established what I'm hoping to achieve, it's on to applying the make-up!
I have separated my products into two sections: face and eyes. This is to make things easier when explaining this tutorial but I also find it helpful as it enables me to work on and complete one area of my look at a time, without trying to take on too much and once and neglecting certain aspects.
Part 1: Face.
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Products.
Listed in order of picture. Colours of products given parenthetically.
1) No7 Airbrush Away Primer. RRP £19.50
2) Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2-in-1 Tinted Eye Roll On, (Fair). RRP £10.49
3) No7 Stay Perfect Liquid Foundation (Calico) RRP £14
4) Bourjois Je T'Aime Blusher (34, Rose d'Or/Golden Rose). RRP £7.99
Also in picture:
No7 foundation brush RRP £14
Bourjois blusher brush (came free with a blusher I bought a while ago so unfortunately no idea of the price!)
Note: Recommended Retail Price is based off the results of boots.com and is subject to change depending on store/limited product offers.
[I am aware that these products are not exactly cheap, but after testing numerous different products over the years I find that these are the best for my skin. They also last a very long time so despite them being the medium end of the scale price wise, they are a good investment.
Also I have to laugh over the very limited brand choice in my products! Basically I must admit I'm quite stubborn in the fact I find what I like and I stick to it! Also No7 and Boujois often have offers on in my local cosmetic store (3 for the price of 2, for example) so I tend to buy a variety of their products to try when I can to save money!]
** Before applying make-up make sure you have cleansed your face! You need a clean canvas!**
Step 1.
Primer.
This primer is amazing! As you're aware by now if you're a regular viewer of my blog, I'm very particular about skincare, and despite me looking after it every day and ensuring I have a hydrating and gentle foundation, I still believe you should go the extra mile to protect it. Make-up (despite the claims on products) can, and often will, clog your pores, so it's best to put a protective barrier between your make up and skin. This primer is very expensive for its size, but it's quite a liquid consistency so a little goes a long way! It comes out clear and doesn't leave your skin feeling too dried out. I ensure to cover my entire face with it before applying my make up.
Step 2.
Under Eyes Concealer.
Despite looking after my skin I always have (and unfortunately always will!) suffer with dark circles under my eyes, mainly due to the colouring of my skin. Therefore I ensure that my daily product includes caffiene to give my skin that little bit of a boost and wake it up in the mornings! The roll on applicator gives a soothing sensation to tired eyes, and enables you to apply the product liberally and easily. I focus under my eyes and then blend outwards into my skin using my foundation brush.
If I was going out I would tend to use a heavier concealer but for my Daily Look this one is just perfect.
Step 3.
Foundation.
This foundation is very hydrating and its liquid consistency enables you to blend it perfectly.
I apply it in four main parts (cheeks, forehead, and chin) and then using my foundation brush blend outward from my face in order to get a clear complexion.
Step 4.
Blusher.
This smells gorgeous! It's such a lovely compact little product to own! It comes with it's own applicator brush too which I use to initially put the product on but then blend it with my other Bourjois brush.
I'm going to look a bit silly next but it's a trick which really works...Do your best pout! It allows your cheekbones to stick out more prominently so you have a better idea of where to apply the blusher.
I put it on very lightly with the brush provided in the packet,and then blend it with the Bourjois blusher brush.
I now have a healthy glow about my cheeks which breaks up the pale cool tones of my skin and subtly accentuates my cheekbones.The colour isn't too obvious - I'm going for a healthy, natural glow.The best type of Daily Look is when people think it's effortless! Who said natural beauty can't be faked? ;)
Face complete.... it's on to part two, the eyes!
Part 2: Eyes.
Products.
Listed in order of picture. Colours of products given parenthetically.
1) Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer. [The reason this is so small is because I bought it in a 'primer tester pack' which also included foundation primer. The pack was £14 so I don't know how much this product would be on its own. It's very good for keeping your eyeshadow/eyeliner in place! I hope I'll be able to find it as a stand alone product once I run out of this one. I'll keep you posted.]
2) Bourjois Paris Little Round Pot Eyeshadow (Colour number 90, Blanc Diaphane) RRP £6.99
3) No7 Exceptional Definition: Mineral Enriched Mascara. RRP £11
4) Bourjois Liner Feutre Black RRP £6.99
5) Soap and Glory Archery: Brow Tint and Precision Shaping Pencil (Brownie points). RRP £10
Step 1.
Eyebrows (Soap and Glory Pencil).
This product is double ended, with a wet pen nib on one side and a dry muted pencil on the other. You use the product by starting with the pen end, filling in your eyebrows with small, delicate strokes, following the direction of your hair growth. This fills out the eyebrows naturally and the strokes of the pen give a hair like appearance. Then, switching the pen around, you use the pencil to fill in your eyebrows to give them a more even coverage and better colour.Be careful not to put too much pressure on the pencil as it will come out really dark! I'm not personally a fan of the scouse brow!
Because I'm naturally dark anyway, I only use this pencil mainly to get my eyebrows looking more shapely. The colour pencil I use is called 'Brownie Points', which is the darker of the two colour options the product supplies (the lighter colour being 'Love is Blonde'). I bought the lighter colour pencil for my mother as she is a much fairer complexion than me, but it is very faint so I would recommend the darker colour for most people - the strength of the colour depends how thickly you apply it.
To get the shape of my eyebrows I follow their natural shape, but move the pencil outwards from the beginning of my eyebrows, thinning it out towards the end to get a nice arch.
Step 2.Eyebrows continued (Bourjois eyeshadow).
This is ultimately an eyeshadow but I bought it primarily to help accentuate my brows.
Using the applicator provided, I follow under the shape of my eyebrow with a bit of this product, being careful not to use too much. It looks ridiculous when you first apply it, but it blends in seamlessly!
The light colour of the product enables it to act as a light reflector, so it accentuates the arch and definition of your brows. It also covers up any stray hairs giving you a smooth, perfect eyebrow look.
Step 3.
Lid Primer.
Cover your eyelids with this product and blend it into your skin. This serves as a base for your eyeliner.
Eyeliner.
This bit is tricky, and I've had a lot of practice! Don't panic, the more you attempt it the better you'll get at it. I can't really give step by step instructions on how to do this because everyone does it differently!
I tend to start at the outer corner of my eye and try to follow my lashline as closely and as evenly as I can, with a very thin stroke.
The product has a solid pen nib so it makes drawing a line much easier than some of the wet, flimsy brush ends you get on some eyeliners! I find the solid state of the product allows for an easier and more effective line. I then flick outwards on the outer corners of my eye to get that 50s inspired look!
Step 5.Mascara!
For the final touches to my face, I get my trusty No7 mascara and apply liberally to my lashes. The brush is split into three sections, with a thicker brush on the top, a thinner underneath and a spiky ball on the end.
I start with the thinner brush to spread my lashes out evenly, thicken them out with the thicker end and use the spiky ball to get the corner lashes to stand out, flicking them outwards in the same direction as the eyeliner flick in order to get that cat-like appearance.
I also use the thin side of the applicator brush to do a quick stoke over my bottom lashes to give them even separation and a splash of colour.
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And that is my step-by-step to my daily make up routine! Sorry for the lengthy post, it only takes about 10 minutes in total to complete this look in real life - perfect for a busy morning rushing to get ready! I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, and stay tuned for more updates!
For my finished Daily Look:
Love Sophie; x.
