Makeup: The Bare Necessities

Hello, lovelies.

Today's post is a little fluffier than usual (and so am I ha ha), I feel like everyone who enjoys wearing  makeup should have a bare bones Look for those days when you've gotten up too late, you don't feel like putting loads of effort into a full face, or for when you want to look low key, but still put together.  

I gotchu. Being of the super pale, super (naturally) blonde variety of human shaped bean, sometimes I tend to look a little erm. Corpse-like. Not that that's always a bad thing, but if I'm dehydrated, tired, or stressed, my skin can look less than it's best (re: super dark circles under my eyes and skin that has the appearance of rice paper).  I also dye my hair dark colours, and with naturally blonde, very sparse eyebrows, I feel like it looks a little odd if I don't fill in my brows. 

Even on days when my skin looks great and I'm feeling myself, I still like to put a little slap on because I just feel a bit more lively and ready to take on the world with groomed eyebrows and a touch of highlight.  

Here's some of my favourite must haves for a super minimal face! 

I know this isn't makeup, but as I get older, skincare is becoming really important.  When I was in my teens and early twenties, I'd use any old face wash, never use sunscreen, and smoke like a chimney.  Now looking after my skin is front and centre! 'Simple' skincare products are great because they're free from soap, alcohol, and artificial colours and perfumes, and I keep going back to this particular face wash every time- cleansing before any makeup application is an absolute must.

After I use my 'Simple' face wash, I use a few drops of this skin oil from Superdrug to hydrate my skin- this non-greasy formula is fantastic and I use it before I go to bed as well! Moisturising creams can be really heavy on my oily, spot-prone skin, so this is a light and perfect alternative for me.  I'm in love with their own brand products, they're both vegan and cruelty free, and honestly for a drug store brand their skincare selection is pretty high quality! 

It's very rare that I cover my entire face with foundation, as for me personally, it feels too heavy, BUT I do need one with good coverage. This Max Factor 'Facefinity' foundation works as a concealer, primer, and foundation- more often than not, I'll use this around my eyes and on any blemishes before blending it out with a stippling brush so that my skin tone is evened out, but my freckles still show through! Sometimes I won't use it at all, but most of the time I will, even with the most minimal face. 

Okay. I don't actually own this, but next time I'm in town, I'm going to pick one up.  I tried this when I went to see a friend, as she had the correct one for my skin tone, and it's incredible stuff! I used it on my eyes and the coverage is fantastic, as well as super matte.  Absolute bargain as well, at just £4.00! I would probably use this on just my eyes, as I tend to get very oily lids, but the coverage is fairly heavy for the rest of my face.  

I top my foundation with a light dusting of Makeup Revolution pressed powder in 'Porcelain' just to combat any shine.  For anyone who's interested, Makeup Revolution's entire line (as far as I'm aware) is now both vegan and cruelty free! I'm becoming very conscious of both my carbon footprint, and of not using any products that contain animal derivatives, so it was very good news when I found this out.  

After I use my pressed powder, it's time for brows.  At this point, I don't use a specific brow product (although I've heard very good things about ABH's Dipbrow and Nyx's Microbrow pencils), so I use the shade 'Magnet' (bottom row, second from the left) from the MUA 'Romantic Efflorescence' palette to fill in my eyebrows, then use a brown MUA eyeliner to deepen the colour and add a little more definition:

After brows are sorted using my Ecotools angled eyeliner brush (Ecotools is vegan, cruelty free, made of bamboo, affordable, and fantastic quality- score!), I move on to my favourite bit...highlighter!

My trusty Ecotools brush set

It seems like I have a million highlighters and blushers, but I can't help it, I love adding a healthy glow!  Recently acquired this little Makeup Revolution beauty from their I <3 Revolution Chocolate range, and it's honestly a jack of all trades- the 'Peach and Glow' highlight and blusher palette: 

This is the star of the show for my minimal day to day face, I use it for my highlight, my blusher, and my eye shadow and it's absolutely perfect. 

The last thing I add before I'm ready to go is Barry M's 'Showgirl' volumising mascara in black- this is a great drugstore mascara and really makes my peepers look wide awake, even if I'd really rather just go back to bed!

The Finished Face!

Can't post about makeup and skincare without talking about makeup removal! I use Superdrug's cleansing wipes for combination skin to remove the majority of my makeup, then wash my face with my Simple face wash- I also never ever sleep in my makeup, and generally take it off as soon as I walk in the door when I get back home.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my routine and my makeup bag! What are some of your favourite products for when you want to look fresh-faced?