Family genetics have blessed me with some persistent, dark circles under my eyes. Even when I've had those crucial, eight hours of sleep and I'm hangover-free, those eye bags still linger. It can be difficult to banish shadows for good, considering they're caused by blood vessels showing through the thin skin, but I've discovered a collection of products that have really helped to reduce the look of them, both short and longer-term.
Usually, I switch up my makeup on a daily basis, choosing different products to cater to my change in mood, the weather or how my skin is feeling. Falling into bad habits recently, the cooler climate has made me want to stay in bed past my regular, 7am wake-up call, so I haven't had as much time to rifle through my collection every morning. Instead, I've filled my makeup bag with a variety of staple products and, for once, I've been happy to stick with them for longer than a week.
Who wants to waste any precious minutes of a chilled Sunday, by spending hours in front of the mirror, piling on a tonne of makeup? Not me. Unless I'm having a make-up free day, wearing my comfiest pjs and embarking on a Netflix marathon, then I want fuss-free, five minute routine, full of products that do all the hard work for me. But, I have a few rules. No liquid foundation. No contouring. No bold lipsticks. All I want is a fresh complexion, bright, defined eyes and a flush of colour on the cheeks and lips.
As soon as the time comes to switch-up my cement-like foundations for sheerer formulas, or even no base at all, I rejoice, but seeming to sense this change in my summer makeup preferences, my skin often likes to put a spanner in the works and misbehave. When blessed with a beastly break-out, patchy pigmentation or raging redness, it can be tempting to reach for a trusty bottle of Estee Lauder Double Wear, safe in the knowledge that it can erase every single 'flaw'. Stop right there. Instead, a high-coverage concealer is your secret weapon to hide any naughty nasties, whilst leaving the rest of the face looking as natural as possible. My most-recent discovery is the Becca Ultimate Coverage Concealing Creme and, boy, it's a game-changer!
After wearing thicker foundations, darker eyeshadows and berry lips for the past, six months, I'm so excited to pare my makeup back and give myself a fresher, glowing look. Spring makeup is all about radiant skin, rosy cheeks and some brighter hues and I've found a great selection of affordable products to deliver just that.
I always think that A/W is my favourite half of the year, until Spring arrives. What's better than the crisp air, warming sunshine and beautiful dainty flowers appearing everywhere? Unable to wait before cracking out the pinks and pastel-tones, my berry lipsticks and navy nail polishes have already been shunned to the back of my collection. Soft dewy makeup is what I'm currently loving and my March favourites include some products that help to create that fresh glow that everyone's after.
Always on the hunt for products that will give me a perfect base, I can't stop myself from adding to my already overflowing, concealer stocks. Thinking I'd found my holy-grail in the form of Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, I hadn't felt the urge to try anything new for months. But, after the influx of hype about the Clarins Instant Concealer, I couldn't resist getting my hands on a tube. Shade 01 was sold-out everywhere, but I finally managed to track it down in Sephora, whilst in Dubai.
Unfortunately, there are some products that just don't live up to their claims, or just don't float your boat. Obviously it's not as nice to talk about products that you've found disappointing, but it's only fair, after raving about so many others. It's always important to remember that what doesn't work for me, may be the best thing since sliced bread, in your eyes. Everyone has their own, individual taste, skin-type, hair-type etc and that makes such a difference to your opinion on a product. These are just a selection of products that haven't got my seal of approval, recently.
In my makeup routine, coverage tends to get ramped up in Autumn/Winter. But, when my skin is dried out from the bitter weather, I don't want to cover my whole face in layers of heavy foundation. It only ends up making me look about twenty years older than I am, by clinging to any rough areas and exaggerating an uneven texture. Instead, I like to use moisturising bases and choose thicker, full-coverage concealers to do the hard work, hiding any bits that need some extra help. There's a lot of options out there and I've been putting a selection to the test over the past couple of weeks. Bear in mind that I have dehydrated skin that can get quite dry, so if your skin-type is normal or oily, the products will probably perform very differently. But, I have mentioned which skin-types I feel each concealer will work best with and why. So, which do I rate and which do I slate?
May was all about brightening and lightening, for me. I've been really concentrating on getting my skin looking as good as possible, ready for Summer, by tweaking both my skincare and makeup routines. Of late, my makeup looks have mostly consisted of a flawless, but natural-looking base, bright eyes and a defined lip, which these products have helped me to achieve.
Ok, so we've had my first instalment of holy-grail base makeup staples, which focused on some of my favourite heavy-duty base products. For this follow-up post, it's time to dilute everything down and take a look at the lighter items that I consistently go back to. Whilst I really enjoy going all out and achieving that absolutely flawless, Kimmy K base sometimes, I like to let my skin breathe and still shine through, for the majority. Unnecessary lashings of industrial strength foundation, concealer and powder only suffocate our skin if worn daily. Even if hounded by seemingly never-ending cycles of blemishes, chances are that the majority of skin is beautiful and only minor areas need slightly more coverage. I'm sure we've all been there, though - we apply our foundation and concealer and it looks good. But, a niggling thought tells us that another, tiny pump will suddenly transform our complexion, making it as pixel-perfect as Miranda Kerr's. Step outside into proper daylight and oh no! Skin looks dry, caked and Miranda has aged about thirty years since you last looked in the mirror. Time to tone it down a notch.
I seem to be having quite the love affair with Kevyn Aucoin products, recently. To begin with, the brand didn't really catch my eye, but since trying a couple of their items, I'm pretty impressed. I've just raved about the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in my August 2013 Favourites and I've already briefly mentioned the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. Now, however, it's time to give this little pot of pigment-packing-punch, a real going over.
