Soft makeup for (almost) every day

Wow, it really has been a long time since I’ve done one of my makeup posts. But in all honesty, since I have gotten my skincare routine down, my need for lots of makeup all the time has become less and less. It definitely is one of the perks. I will do a separate post on what has worked for me. So in the meantime, I’ll show you one of my easy breezy everyday looks – what I like most about is that depending on how casual or dressy I need to be, I can easily add or take away elements without complicating things. My makeup like this, takes 15 minutes tops (when you want to add a complicated eyeliner or a really defined lip, that’s when it can take more time).

We’ll start with four photos of small changes
Top left – bare faced, but washed and moisturized.
Top right – eyebrows lightly filled in, under eye concealer making me look alive again, and foundation/makeup if needed.
Bottom left – an easy lined eyeliner with a thick and bright color pencil.
Bottom right – just some mascara.

Good enough to leave the house if you had to! And I often times can and do. But this is where I think you can make big changes – contouring with blush and adding color to your lips.

A blush that compliments (but doesn’t overwhelm) your face can be a BIG change to the whole look. It took me a long time to figure out which worked best for me. Which is why I loved going to places like Sephora and Ulta to find a good match while testing products. Let the counter people help you, they are great at helping you find things that definitely don’t work (or find a great make-up artist that can). I broke my last blush, so I went budget for this one, but it has proven itself quite well.

I could have added a bold red lip here, but didn’t because I was just going to hang out. So I chose a soft glossy pink that complimented the gold tones of the eyeliner. But I have some orange hued lipcolors that I think could work well too. Life is too short, have fun with your lipstick.

Below, I’ll share and discuss the products I used.

Previously, I had been using a small Milani eyebrow kit. It works well, but I found the eyebrow colors a little too strong for every day. I trusted their brand for brows, so I decided to try their eyebrow pencil – and I’ll say, it does everything I wanted it to do! It’s easy to apply and looks more natural than the brow shadows. Purchase HERE

Benefit Boing duo has been the only undereye concealer that has worked for me (I’d love to hear if any of you have any other recommendations). Purchase HERE

This makeup is special and was definitely a splurge (when I’m not wearing a more basic BB cream, I wear this). I visited Korean beauty store The Face Shop for a mask, and walked out with a sample of this amazing CC cream. I was shocked at how well it worked! It was more expensive in store than it was online, I should have checked online first, but now I know for next time. Purchase HERE

Like I mentioned, I had another blush, it fell and broke, and I needed another quickly. I was bummed, and didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I had heard a lot about NYX products from my sister, so I gave this one a try. I only have good things to say about it – great color and staying power. I also don’t have to worry about looking like I’m from the 80′s – the colors so far have been natural. Purchase HERE

Having a sister that is a beauty junkie (sorry if you’re reading this Diana) has it’s perks – I get her makeup when she upgrades. I had griped to her about hating all mascaras (after wasting a free mascara coupon from Sephora with a bad one that shall be kept nameless) she gave me this one to try. I like it so far, even though the wand is a little wonky. A few people proclaim this one is on par with Dior mascara (haven’t tried that one so I can’t compare). Purchase HERE

A friend that is a makeup artist gave me a tip about these Nars eyeshadow pencils, and now I’m hooked. They last a long time and have great colors with lots of dimension. The gold color is so shimmery and bright! Purchase HERE

I have been wearing and raving about these Revlon balms for quite some time. I LOVE them. It started with their Twilight line, which they’ve renamed, cause you know. Then came a matte line. And now they have this metallic/glossy line. I like them all. They moisturize your lips and have great color. The lasting time could be better, but you can’t beat the price. Purchase HERE

I hope these posts, even though few and far between, inspired