Showing posts with label naturalbeauty. Show all posts

OCTOBER

Keep it simple, stupid.



October arrived far too quickly for my liking this year. That said it was probably because October saw me submitting my thesis, my brain baby, a piece of work ten months in the making, without doubt one of the biggest, hardest things I’ve ever done.

So why oh why would I complicate one of the trickiest times of my year by having an overly complicated beauty routine?

By October I’d perfected the ‘I’m-maybe-wearing-a-bit-of-make-up-but-it’s-so-minimal-I-could-also-not-be’ face for uni, days in the library, and days where a full face wasn’t immediately needed.

For all my skincare picks, flip back to the last post of blogmas.
Following my Too Faced Hangover Primer (ultra hydrating coconut-water based make-up prep) I usually turn to the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette. 












Sometimes I’ll prime, sometimes I won’t; I go for a mix of the two matte shades, Heaven and Nudie, as I find they colour correct my purple-toned lids and the Heaven shade (a light cream) brightens my eyes so I look awake. Then it’s time for brows – lightly filled in with the Hourglass Arch in warm brunette. A waterproof wax pencil that makes them look a little less sparse and a little more Brooke Shields. 





The one thing I refuse to give up or compromise on, even on days off, is mascara. Nope, not happening, NOT TODAY SON – the bigger and bolder my lashes, the more doll-like, the better. Lately I’ve been favouring the Perversion Mascara by Urban Decay (star of blogmas July), as it is the blackest black mascara imaginable.

















After eyes, I use my fingers to apply Bare MineralsComplexion Rescue in vanilla. The formula is an oil-free gel cream that gives medium coverage with SPF 30+ UVA/UVB protection, and a really dewy finish. 

Always followed by an under eye concealer – my pick being the Smashbox CameraReady BB Cream with SPF 15 (all the SPF possible) which brightens and colour corrects under the eye. The amazing thing about Smashbox is that all of their products – even the ones with SPF – don’t give a flashback when photographed. 



If I’m having a bad skin day (common in times of extreme stress, like thesis submission) I’ll conceal with Nars Radiant Creamy concealer in vanilla. It contains turmeric which helps any blemishes to heal, as well as tone down any redness.







For cheeks, I pop on a little Stila Convertible Colour inPetunia. A bright, happy pink that always makes me smile. Over the top of this I blend – you guessed it – Josie Maran Argan oil Illuminiser along my cheek bones, a tiny bit on my cupid’s bow and the tip of my nose.














Everything is set with Luminous Light by Hourglass and that’s it! My simple face, daily, easy-as, glowy, hydrating and all-round “Yes I do that Natural Beauty Thing” appropriate.

If you can’t do something simply you can’t hope to master it!

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SEPTEMBER

Skin4theWin



This is a beauty blog (obviously) but aside from real beauty coming from within, real beauty also comes from what’s underneath your make-up – your skin! If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know these three commonalities of my skin to be true;

1.      It still breaks out, despite the lack of adolescence
2.    SENSITIVITY OUT THE WA-ZOO; if there’s a way to freak out about something, my skin will find that way and ACE it (I’m nothing if not a high achiever)
3.    It likes to be dry, and not the good kind of martini dry, just plain dry
So by September this year I’d managed to settle myself into a routine that my skin actually not only tolerated, but seems to still thrive from.

DAYTIME
First things first (I’m the realest) I use a creamy cleanser (Swisse is still a fave, as is Kate Somerville Goat’s Milk) to wake myself up and get my skin ready for the day ahead. I then use a nourishing eye cream (Kate Somerville AgeArrest, ah!) followed by a hydrating serum, Dr Dennis Gross’s HydrationBooster. So, so good. I then pop on my moisturiser of choice (September, Darphin Hydraskin Rich, today, Drunk Elephant La La Retro Whip Cream) and to seal in all that skin-fun-time-goodness, a beautiful oil. My pick? Goldfaden MD Fleuressence. A blend of eight different oils designed for acneic, pimple-prone skin, that dries into the skin super quickly but leaves it luminous and fresh. Topped off with an SPF and ta-daaah! Skin is ready, prepped and excited to greet the day!

NIGHT TIME
Firstly – take off the mask. AaaaaAAAaLL the make-up. All the SPF. All the good stuff from the morning. Take it OFF with Nude Perfect Cleanse Omega Jelly. It’s amazing to smear your face like a Picasso and then rub it all off. Following this, I’ll either use Dr Dennis Gross Ultra Gentle Peel Pads or Sunday Riley Good Genes serum – NOT together. That’s a triple exfoliation. Dat’s bad.
If I’ve used a peel pad, I’ll be popping on more Dr Dennis Gross Hydration Booster (more water less problems). If not, I’ll follow with my moisturiser, or sometimes as a treat-yo-self, La Mer Concentrate (AH!) because it’s regenerative, hydrating and just beautiful. Following moisturiser – all of the oil. Ok, well, not all of it, but enough to make a lovely little barrier for my skin and to keep it lush.

Gotta tell ya, this routine hasn’t changed much and my skin is all the better for it. I’ve swapped out my serums as the weather’s changed this December, but this routine – cleanse, gentle exfoliation, hydrate, moisturise, nourish – it hasn’t steered me wrong yet!
#skingoalsalways


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