The Contents of my Face: My Daily Makeup Routine (Or 'Dash Out the Door' Look!)

So, you go to bed with good intentions; you will wake up early, so you can spend more time on your makeup, right?  And what happens?  You either oversleep or spend too much time checking the internet or eating breakfast!

I seem to do all of the above!  Therefore, I thought I would share my makeup routine if I'm dashing off to work.  I must say it varies slightly depending on what products I use, but I've managed to get it down to 11 minutes - & that is quick for me! 

So, here goes...

After my skincare, I apply my base.  Currently its a BB cream instead of foundation, as for day to day & for work I generally prefer a lighter base during these summer months.  So, at the moment I'm using Dead Sea Spa Magik Diamond Range Beauty Balm in Natural with an SPF of 15.  I apply this with my Real Techniques stippling brush & buff it in. 

Then, I apply & blend in my NYX dark circle concealer (sometimes I do this before my base) with my fingers under my eyes to hide my horrendous dark circles & scar by my left eye.  I sometimes also add & blend in some of my Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer too. 

I then run some mineral powder under my eyes to set my concealer in place.  My current fave is by Primark! (see why here)

Next, I mattify my face with good old Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in 001 Transparent (have used this since forever!) with my Real Techniques powder brush.

To brighten up my face a bit, I use various bronzers, but my current favourite is Bourjois bronzing powder in 51.  Perfect for contouring my cheeks & giving me a general glow.  I use, of course, (you guessed!) a fabulous Real Techniques brush to apply this.

For adding a bit of colour to my cheeks I apply a lovely blusher with (currently!) a different brush other than the wonderful Real Techniques - a very pretty brush by Spectrum!  My favourite blush (& now of all time!) & the one I tend to use more often than not is by NARS.  I received it in a beauty box & absolutely loved it, so I will definitely be purchasing a full size version.  I honestly think I won't ever need another blush....ever!!   And I'm sure you have guessed which one!!   

For highlight, I tend to use Golden Lights by Makeup Revolution, which I pop on the top of my cheekbones & under my brow bone. (see my review of this product here)  

Now, as I say, this is a 'dash out the door' look, so I don't spend much time on my eyes, but to make them look alive (other than concealer!), I firstly apply my Hi-Impact Brows brow powder to my eyebrows (I use the lighter shade), then set them with my clear Rimmel Brow This Way brow gel (which is looking truly disgusting right now!).

After that, I skip eyeshadow (no time!) & apply black eyeliner to my inner waterline & smudge.  I usually use Barry M's kohl liner.  My eyeliner I guess, is my signature look & my security blanket - I'm not 'me' if I'm not wearing it!

In the inner corner of my eyes I apply a little white eyeliner by Rimmel.  This is a trick I learnt years ago (you can use nude if you prefer) - it makes you look wide awake! And it definitely does! 

I then add a quick sweep of mascara.  At the moment I'm using a sample of Givenchy's  Noir Couture Volume Mascara in Black Taffeta (it's lovely by the way!).

Last, but by no means least, I grab a tinted lip balm or lipstick.  It could be anything!  Today, it was 'Modesty' by MAC.

And that's it!   

It may sound a lot, but it honestly takes me just a few minutes.

What do you use to make yourself look presentable if you only have minutes to spare?  I'd love to know! 

Bee x 

MAY FAVOURITES!

After a bit of a break, I'm back to blogging & even though we are well into June, I thought I'd share last month's favourites with you all!

So first up...

Soft skin in seconds...

I've used this product for ages now, but since the weather has been turning a bit warmer & I've been getting my legs out a bit more, I've needed my skin to look healthy & moisturised & not drier than the sahara desert! So, I've been reaching for this - Spray & Go body moisturiser by Vaseline.  I have it in the scent Cocoa Radiant.  I absolutely love the smell as it reminds me of chocolate! 

It's super light & not greasy at all. You literally spray it on, give it a quick rub & you are good to go! (Great for people like me, who haven't got the time to spend rubbing thick lotions into our limbs!)

What's not to love?!



Makeup that's cheap as chips!...

Now, I love a good bargain in Primark, but I've never been one for their makeup....until now.

I'm always a bit obsessed with hiding the shadows under my eyes & use various concealers (see my concealer post here) & powders.  So, when I came across a small pot of powder in my local Primark, I thought I'd give it a try.  It's the mineral loose face powder in the shade light.

I must say, I was really impressed.  Its a nice light tone (not orange like some cheap products can be!) & it sets perfectly under my eyes when applied with a small brush.  There is only 8g of product but I'm sure, as I don't use that much, will last for ages & its at the bargain price of £2! Wow!

I may just have to venture into their makeup department a bit more now! 

And while we are on the subject of makeup...

Hiding the shadows...

As I've mentioned, my under aye area is a problem! So, I've recently discovered NYX (see a recent post) & one product I love is their dark circle concealer correcteur.  A lot of beauty manufacturers seem to be cottoning on to the idea of colour correctors & they do work a treat, provided you know how to use them of course!

This corrector by NYX is a lovely peachy tone. Ideal for lightening up & hiding those pesky shadows under your eyes.  You only need to apply a little (or sometimes a lot!!) with your finger in small patting motions & instantly you can fake that perfect night sleep & hide the fact that you are no longer in your 20's!! 

It's another bargain too, so it's definitely one to repurchase!



Keeping your brows in place!...

You know when you have filled in your eyebrows with that perfectly complimentary colour & they look so neat & tidy? Then, at some point in the day, you might get a bit hot, scratch your forehead or flick that overgrown fringe out of the way, & then, yep, your once neat eyebrows, aren't so neat any more!

Well, this won't always be a problem if you buy this stuff - Brow This Way by Rimmel.  I always purchase this in the colour clear, hence why mine looks slightly mucky & beige now from brow product!

This gel sets your brows perfectly, doesn't budge & you don't end up with brow powder all over your forehead!

A great product & one to never go without!

A yummy treat for people like me!...

As you probably know if you regularly read my blog, I'm one of those.  One of those 'awkward people' with food intolerances!

Well, I'm so glad I've discovered these - a sweet treat that I can have without fear of at least one of the ingredients hating me!

It's the range of 'Perkier bars' & they are heaven in a bar!
The flavours are (& I think this is the whole range - correct me if I'm wrong)-
Cacao & Cashew (the BEST flavour in my opinion! Divine!)
Cashew, Chia & Pumpkin Seed
Cranberry & Cashew
Goji & Cranberry 

They are all high in fibre, protein, vitamin & minerals & are gluten, wheat & dairy free - perfect for me!

The bars seem to always be on offer in my local Morrisons too (I must stock up!!), so its a win win for me!
I love them! 

So, thats my May favourites done & I'm off to have another Perkier bar....

What did you love last month?

Bee x

Let the battle of the concealers commence....YSL, Maybelline, Collection & NYX

So, I thought I'd share with you my concealer collection! 

I suffer from very dark circles under my eyes & I also have a scar on the side of my left eye which I have due to a traumatic birth.  I have noticed that, unfortunately, my scar is becoming more pronounced as I get older & I will do anything to hide it! 

I do sometimes use 'correctors' as well, which make the concealing task more effective, however, here is the low down of what I think of the concealers I have at the moment when used on their own....

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch...

I have purchased this on & off for years.  I mainly buy it at duty free as it's cheaper!

I always thought Touche Eclat would be a bit of a let down even though there was so much hype around the product, but I took the plunge anyway & I've always been really pleased! 

I really think it 'wakes up' my under eye area & it's great for touch ups too.  It's the perfect colour for me & yep, I will be purchasing again! 

Maybelline The Eraser Eye...

Now, this product I love!  (I saw the youtuber Kaushal Beauty recommend this & she was right!) 

The first time I used this I really found that this was doing something for my skin.  It contains goji berries & Haloxyl & felt really tingly.  I've not noticed it tingling as much the more I wear it, so not sure if the ingredients are wearing off, but in any case, I find that the coverage is good & I have the shade light, which I don't think is too pale for me.  I find for me, this is more for concealing & not for highlighting.  I'm sure it would be perfect for highlighting if you have a darker skin tone.

The only drawback though, is you do seem to go through the product very quickly.  It does produce good results so it's definitely worth it.

Collection Lasting Perfection...

Everyone on Youtube & in the blogging world seemed to rave about this, so of course, I gave into the hype & purchased it.

Yes, it's really good for highlighting & brightening (I have the shade Fair 1) but for directly under the eyes I find this a bit drying & it does tend to crease after a long day, so it makes me look as though I have more fine lines than I had to begin with! 

It's not the worst concealer in the world - I can understand why so many people like it & at about £4.00 it's great value for money, but I doubt I will be buying it again.

NYX HD Concealer...

This is a recent purchase.  In fact, I only bought this about 3 weeks ago.

I was on a day out in Bath, when I popped into their local (& big!) Boots & was stunned to see that they were finally stocking NYX!  I've heard so much about this brand, so I had to buy a few bits.

Anyway, I picked up this concealer & so far I can say that I'm very impressed.  I have the shade CW01 Porcelain.  It's high definition, photogenic, mineral enriched & free of talc & parabens.

It feels lovely on the skin & not drying at all.  It's light enough for highlighting & great for concealing.  A really good coverage.

It will be interesting to see how long this product lasts before I have to repurchase (& I'm sure I will!).


So, that's my round up on my current collection of concealers & I hope it has helped you if you fancy purchasing any of these.

What's your favourite concealer?  Is there one I need to try?  Let me know! 

Bee x