Make up is one of my secret obsessions and throughout Fashion Weeks in September I must have brought the kitchen sink with me! Particularly because if you are working in different climates or you’re not sure what the day might bring I always like to be prepared I suppose. My go-to makeup is definitely a mix of the luxury to the budget friendly and bargain finds. I aim for practical pieces and tones that work day to night quite easily and so for today I decided to concentrate on my budget favourites that I loved using at Fashion Week and a topic I know many of you asked about who follow me on Instastories and Snapchat. Everything I’ve mentioned today is really accessible and easy to find in pharmacies, larger beauty stores like Boots and of course online.
The new basics & skin prep
1: A nourishing mask:
Skin prep especially when you’ve been travelling is really important, but in daily life dehydrated skin types are on the rise becoming more common than ever before- think coffees, teas, environmental factors all those things we may not realise can give dull, tight skin or lines can appear where they may not normally. One of my essentials for when I’m away are travel friendly pockets – less mess and easy to pack. I also notice more and more makeup artists are using this style on set for photo shoots because of its nifty practicality. In New York I used a combination of the Kiss NY Pro masks ; Nourishing mask (honey based), Moisturising mask (Aloe) or their Soothing mask (cucumber base) were my favourite go to’s for that fresh faced look before you start your day. Literally just ten minutes while you’re blow drying your hair or getting ready and your done. Price range €3-€4.
2: The Contour
Contouring palettes and I have a love hate relationship. Some can be overly complicated so while normally I go for something minimal, I came across the Cream Contour Palette by Kiss while I was in New York ( you can get it in Ireland / UK too ) it came with a face map and colour chart which is essentially a paint by numbers ‘you can’t mess this up’ approach that suited me perfectly! The packaging was really light so packing is not an issue and the colour selection was brilliant ( it definitely felt more premium than it is). How to use it: After I’ve moisturised I picked one of the coloured shades ( blue, green, red) depending on what my skin needed that day ( covering red marks , pigmentation etc). Then I applied my base foundation in a light layer as I would normally. Use the contour palette again to go over key areas you want either more coverage or brightness and highlight in Use one of the dark tones to create definition in areas recommend on the face map. Then dont forget to blend!
Price range: €18
Eyes
The Eyeshadow Palette:
This trip I had a few eye shadow palettes with me as I like to have options of colour ranges that will also be handbag size friendly too if its going to be a long day. Regardless of how long or short a trip might be if I could only choose one – neutral tones and soft golds are first and foremost my favourite for reliability day or night. Sleek makeup is a brand I’ve been using for over a year now and their quality in pigments I find to be really good ( plus I find all their pieces to be really handbag friendly too!). This particular one was sent to me and I’ve repurchased one again since. In the palette you’ll find a nice balance of mattes to shimmer shades and I found the matte browns doubled up really well to fill in brows if needed while on the go. Price: €11.99
Mascara:
Wet N Wild’s Max Fanatic Cat Eye Mascara: I’ve used this particular mascara for possibly two years now – I mix between this and Lancome’s Hypnose but for €3.95 this Wet N Wild mascara is a great find, particularly in mixed weather and humidity I find it always stays in place! I tend to look for mascara that will give both volume and length or just overall umph in general and this does just that.
False Lashes:
When it comes to false lashes I prefer those that 1) Has a barely there line where the band of the lash begins – thicker heavier bands tend to weigh my eyelids down! 2) Fine feathered lashes that blend and give more of a natural effect to the eye because I find this style works best for me for either day or night. The lashes I’ve mentioned today are the Kiss “Blooming Lash” range which I’ve been using over the past three months because it has more of a 3D angled lash effect meaning the lashes look natural from every angle. As they are so light and airy it would be a good introduction for those who either don’t like too much fuss with their makeup but love a wide eye effect or for those who want to start using a stripe lash instead of individual lashes. While most false lash brands come with their own eyelash glue, some people can be more sensitive to them than others ( me) which is good to look into alternative glue options that don’t have heavy chemicals in them – the Kiss Adhesive with Aloe extract can be bought on its own either in a translucent effect or a black options for those who tend to use black eyeliner on the lid as it blends in perfectly without having to layer up product again.
Kiss lashes price range €6.99 – 9.99 Eyelash adhesive price range €3.99 Cheeks :
As my face doesn’t tan well I do like to stick to pinks and corals shades for blushers to give more glow of a sunkissed effect to my skin. For the month of September I alternated between this Sleek trio palette called “Lace Blush” and a Kiss NY Pro rose gold shade ” Before Sunrise” from their “This Moment” blusher range. Both gave a great sunkissed effect and doubled up really well as eyeshadow too! Sleek blusher trio price range: €13.50 Kiss NY Pro “This Moment Blush” shade Before Sunrise price range: €8
Lips:
I tend to play it safe in the world of lip colours of peaches and pink tones especially for day time, however, I did embrace a hint of red at Fashion Week this year which I don’t tend to wear that often. The Luxe Creamy range from Kiss NY Pro (which I wore in the peach shade “Mango Lover”) gives a lipstick and lipgloss effect in one. Their red version “Redilicious” in particular lasted really well and I found I didn’t feel like I was constantly aware of having something on my lips which is a big thing for me. Also a favourite was this Wet & Wild gloss which had brilliant staying power with just a hint of rose to it.
Price range : €4.99- €6.99
Finishing touches:
Setting powder and a highlighter of some kind are always somewhere to be found in my handbag. My go to the last few months has been Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless setting powder but if you want something under the €15 mark this mineral Powder by Note Cosmetics is one to consider which was sent to me a while ago. It contains Coral Seaweed properties which helps to both nourish the skin and give a natural healthy glow. Price range for setting powder €14.
For highlighters I do tend to be quite picky. Highlighting as we all know has been a huge trend for the last year and a half and it’s certainly not going anywhere soon. Because of this you have every kind of highlighting texture, powder to liquid on the market at oftentimes increible high price points. A lot of people will have seen this particular gold palette on my Snapchat over the past few months from Sleek. it consists of both two powder shades and two cream shades all fitted into a neat light palette for day to day use very easily. Where a powder shade on its own or for an evening out you can apply the cream highlighter and complement it with a powder highlighter over it for extra definition. Sleek highlighter price range: €12.99
As I mentioned at the start of the post all the items today are really easy to come across but just in case I’ve added stockist information below for each brand – some are either a website or a Facebook page with the details that appeared to give better details.
Sleek Makeup stockist info here
Wet N Wild Cosmetics here
Note Cosmetics here
Kiss NY Pro here
Lou xx
