In quarantine, I've spent hours upon hours on Youtube. Fifteen 10-15 minute videos compared to a 45 minute-long episode has always appealed to my short attention span. And just like ten-year-old Linds spent all of her time doing, I watch video after video about makeup. I love to try new things, and I crave others' opinions on products before I spend my money on it. I mean, who doesn't want to research a little before they buy a $40 foundation? And who better to ask than a makeup artist? I think a lot of people come to this conclusion, because even the clients who could not care less about what I'm doing to their face are still interested in the products I'm using. I'm here to answer all the questions! I want to make a little series of these posts, but I'll start with face makeup to see how it goes. Let me know if you're interested in more posts like these! I think you all get the point, so I'm just going to get this thing started. Without further ado, here's an Oprah-style favorite things! (Minus the part where it's all hiding in a bag under your chair, sorry).
** Nothing is sponsored in this post, but I'm flattered if you think I'm cool enough for companies to send me things.
PRIMER
The most important thing with primers is to pay attention to the base of the primer compared to the base of your face lotion and your foundation. Although this rule can be broken, if chemistry isn't your thing, try to make all the bases match. For example, water-based primers should be used with water-based foundations. Think of it this way: water and oil don't mix. It can cause your foundation to separate, look uneven or splotchy, and rub off quickly. Silicon-based products are a little more agreeable, but you have to be careful. One day I may make an entire blog post about choosing agreeable products. This is why I always ask clients to have a clean face to start with so that I can use products that I know play well together!
For longevity: Milk Hydrogrip Primer
I know, if you have even thought about dipping into a primer before, you've probably heard of this one. But there's a good reason it is so popular- the stuff is like glue for your face. This is the only primer where I've actually noticed it making my face makeup last longer. It has a very faint scent of formaldehyde that brings me back to cat dissection during Anatomy Lab in undergrad, but if you can get past that, it is worth the flashbacks.
For smoothing: Benefit Porefessional
I've tried just about every smoothing primer on the market. After all, I'm a makeup artist, so about 100% of my looks on other people are going to be photographed, and everyone wants their face to have a real-life filter. Even through all the popular diffusing primers our there, I always find myself coming back to this one for my own face, and for clients who struggle with large pores/texture. It gives a visible difference before I layer any product on top of it. The con? I can't speak for everyone, but I cannot use this primer on an everyday basis, or I get tiny bumps. I save it for special occasions.
FOUNDATION
My universal, go-to foundation is actually a DRUGSTORE foundation! CYO Lifeproof Foundation can I have a home for everyone. Let me be clear- it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea because we all want different things. Coverage, finish, longevity, shade are all factors that really boil down to preference. What I do know is that this foundation looks beautiful on most skin, even if it isn't exactly what you're going for. It's on the glowy side, with medium high coverage that is blendable, and it has very natural undertones. It doesn't stick to texture or dryness. The best part though is that it has the most skin-like finish of any foundation I've ever used. It is basically undetectable. My technique to get the most out of the coverage and still pull off a natural finish is it build the coverage with a stiff, dense foundation brush in a stippling motion, and then bounce out the top layer with a wet sponge.
CONCEALER
On clients, I love the Krylon concealers. I would never recommend this to someone as their day-to-day concealer though- it is heavy duty stuff designed to look nice behind a camera, and it isn't beginner friendly. I have to mention them, though, because they are a magic eraser for your face. My favorite daily concealer, and the one I use most often on myself, is everyone's favorite- Tarte ShapeTape. Don't use it like the beauty gurus do, though- half a dot under each eye and use whatever is leftover on your brush or sponge to tap out any blemishes or uneven areas. This stuff isn't cheap and can be a pain in the butt to find sometimes, so a good alternative that I have used for awhile now are the Elf Camo Concealers; however, to get a finish and coverage most like the Tarte concealer, I recommend mixing a little of the Hydrating formula into the original formula. Even doing that still will save you $15-$20. PRO TIP: If you want even more coverage than these give, do your brows after dotting on the concealer and then go back and blend once it has dried for a minute or two. It will thicken up the formula a little!
POWDER (SETTING)
Ben Nye powders. I can't tell you what color to get because it depends on a lot of things, but I personally reach for the shade Banana the most. Less is more. No flashback. Can't go wrong with these guys!
BRONZER:
This is hard to recommend as well, because it depends on your skin tone. If I had to pick one from my entire collection to keep, it would be Benefit Hoolah bronzer. It is not for the fairest of skins, although I know they have a Hoolah Lite version that I haven't tried myself and can't speak to. Hoolah paired with the right brush just does all the work for me and is a beautiful, natural color on my skin. A bronzer that you don't have to tiptoe around is the best in my book.
BLUSH
These do not get the hype they deserve: Makeup Revolution Matte Blush. I have every shade, and keep backups in my kit. They are pigmented and long-lasting, and only cost $5. Be careful with the darker shades- the pigment can really shake you if you aren't ready for it! luckily, they blend like a dream, so you can correct mistakes easily.
HIGHLIGHT
Cream: Benefit Watts Up. I use this every day in the summer!
Powders: these are my personal favorites, meaning they rock it on my skin tone. They are the perfect mix of pinky vs golden, and align with my personal preference of having little to no chunky glitters. Just smooth, glowy, almost wet, and buildable. I love IBY Beauty highlight in Bubbly and Luna Cosmetics baked highlighter in Electra. If you have deeper skin I think you can pull these off, but very fair girls and guys probably won't like these. For you, I'd recommend Elf baked highlighter in Moonlit Pearl. This highlighter is what MAC Soft and Gentle mineralized skin finish wants to be so bad, but just isn't. It doesn't have the chunky glitters, works best with a fluffy brush (not too dense), and is BLINDING, so be careful if that isn't what you're going for! The only thing to note about this guy is that it swatches horribly on the fingers/hand. I almost threw it out after I bought it. Something about a little brush action transforms this formula, trust me!
PRO TIP: Back when I used to do my makeup in the car on the way to work, I would pop Urban Decay eyeshadow single in Sin on my eyelids and on my cheekbones, tip of the nose, cupid's bow, etc etc and I always got compliments on my skin those days. We love a multifunctional product!
SETTING SPRAY
For longevity: I have yet to find one, although this is my current experiment. I'll put this out there right now, I've never been impressed with Urban Decay All Nighter spray, which has a cult following. I'm in the process of testing the Morphe setting spray, so we'll see how it goes!
For finishing: I continue to repurchase MAC Fix+ because I am a creature of habit, but to be honest, any facial mist or even water can be used as a finishing spray. If I'm in a pinch, I will bounce a damp beauty blender over the entire look once or twice and it does a lovely job. MAC Fix+ does have glycerin as a main ingredient (up there with water), but I don't think it is necessary to get the finished look. What I mean by that is no harsh lines, no area of the face that are over-powdered or dry looking, everything melting together into one skin-like natural finish. On clients I like to use Mario Badescu Rosewater Facial Spray because it serves the "finishing" purpose, has a fine mist, and smells really nice, light and refreshing, which makes having liquid sprayed directly onto your face slightly more pleasant. I usually bounce it into the makeup with a damp sponge after spraying.
Final Note: There is no such thing as a product that every single person loves. That is why I ALWAYS buy travel size products before I buy the full size for the first time. Makeup is an investment, and you never know how it will work for you based on the opinion of someone else. You can get a sample or trial size of virtually any product, and if you can't- make use of that 60 day return policy! I do it ALL the time. You can try more products, and have a concise makeup collection filled with only things you use and love. Experimenting with makeup can be the most fun part, you just have to do it wisely.
Thanks for reading!
Lindsey
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