My (Kind Of) Everyday Makeup | DRUGSTORE + HIGH-END

I'll admit this: I'm not a BB Cream, one-step makeup routine person (if you are, that's honestly great!). Even if I'm not going anywhere, I tend to wear a full face of makeup every day. I actually enjoy the time in the morning I get to apply my makeup, because I just feel so much more put together after that. 

I titled this my "kind of" makeup routine, because I don't use the same products every single day. Below, I'll be sharing what is typical for me to use (give or take a few products). Some of them are recent finds; others I've been using for a while. I don't like to cut corners with my makeup, so it's a pretty well-rounded list. 

1. BASE: WET N WILD PHOTO FOCUS MATTE FACE PRIMER | $4.99

After moisturizing my face (I use the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion) and waiting for roughly five minutes, I prime my face with a pea-sized amount of Wet N Wild's Photo Focus Matte Face Primer. I focus mainly on areas where I get oily throughout the day. 

2. FOUNDATION: BECCA ULTIMATE COVERAGE COMPLEXION CREME IN BAMBOO + MAYBELLINE SUPER STAY FULL COVERAGE FOUNDATION IN SUN BEIGE | $44.00, $11.99

Once my primer has set, I use a mixture of the Becca Ultimate Complexion Crème foundation in Bamboo, and the Maybelline Super Stay Full Coverage foundation in Sun Beige. These are both very full coverage foundations, so I apply them in thin layers and find that I don't need to use a lot. 

3. CONCEALER: MAYBELLINE FIT ME! CONCEALER IN MEDIUM | $6.99

So, it turns out I forgot to include this in the picture! As stated above, the foundations I use are both full coverage, so they can sometimes make my face look pretty flat. I like to use concealer to highlight areas which need brightening. 

4. SETTING POWDER: MAYBELLINE FIT ME! LOOSE FINISHING POWDER IN LIGHT MEDIUM | $7.99

To set my foundation and concealer, I use a damp blending sponge to press the powder into areas of my face where I'm most likely to get oily. 

5. BLUSH: NYX BAKED BLUSH IN IGNITE | $6.99

This blush has a subtle gold shimmer, so I like to sweep this over my cheeks and towards my temples. The nice thing about this blush is that even though it has shimmer, it's so understated that you can also use a highlighter with it.

6. HIGHLIGHTER: BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR POURED IN PROSECCO POP | $38.00

I use this on high points of the face: my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and sometimes my cupid's bow. It also works well as a brow highlight. 

7. EYESHADOW: NYX NUDE MATTE EYESHADOW SINGLE IN BLAME IT ON MIDNIGHT | $4.99

This eyeshadow single from NYX is one that I love using in my crease to give my eyes some depth. You can use it as a way to contour yours eyes, which is what I do every day. Sometimes I'll highlight my brow bone with a matte eyeshadow in a vanilla type shade. 

8. EYEBROWS: ESSENCE LASH & BROW GEL MASCARA & ELF EYEBROW KIT IN DARK | $2.99, $3.00

I comb the Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara through my eyebrows to hold them in place before defining them a little more with my Elf Eyebrow Kit. I already have dark eyebrows which don't need a ton of filling in, so I don't go to town with this stuff. It's just nice to have a little more definition in my eyebrows because they frame my face better that way. 

9. LASHES: ESSENCE GET BIG LASHES! VOLUME CURL MASCARA | $3.99

I use two coats of this on my upper lashes and then a gentle coat on my lower lashes. For an everyday look, I don't do any dramatic eye looks, so I love my lashes to be full and curled. 

10. LIPS: NYX SUEDE MATTE LIP LINER  IN LEON & NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM IN LEON | $3.99, $6.49

I'm a huge fan of NYX's soft matte lip creams paired with their lip liners! I use either this combination or their SMLC in Rome with their lip pencil in Mahogany. The SMLCs aren't long lasting, but they're so comfortable to wear and they smell like cupcakes. :) 

The finished look! Using many products does not equate to an "overdone" face.

REVIEW | Becca First Light Priming Filter

  

I've been warming up to more hydrating products in the past couple months. As I mentioned in my highlighter collection post, my skin is oily/combination – but it still needs moisture!

I recently bought the Becca First Light Priming Filter during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty sale. I wanted to try this product for a while, and it was only $19 on the day the price was marked down. Regularly, it retails for $38, which is way more than I can afford on a normal day. This primer was released last year, and I know it's been a popular product among people who love makeup.

I have many more high-end brands to experiment with, but Becca is quickly becoming one of my favourites. 

PACKAGING: The First Light Priming Filter packaging is classy and elegant, but also has a modern air to it. It's a medium frosted glass bottle, which comes with a glossy cap and a pump to dispense the product with. The top of the cap is metal, and has the Becca logo on it. I love how solid the bottle feels. As with all Becca products I own, there is nothing flimsy or cheap about the packaging (which I would expect from a luxury brand). 

FORMULA: The primer itself is lilac and has a delicate pearlescent sheen to it (I wish I could find a nail polish in this shade, haha). This colour sounds odd to put on your face, but once the product it blended out, it becomes transparent. There is a light citrus scent that lingers until you start applying makeup over it. I would say the consistency is like a thinned out moisturizer. It feels lightweight on the skin, but it's thick enough that it doesn't run everywhere once dispensed. I like that it feels slightly tacky as it is being blended out, because that means it'll hold foundation in place. 

APPLICATION + FINISH: After moisturizing my skin (and waiting at least 5 minutes), I apply one pump all over my face, blending it in with my fingers. It takes a couple minutes to soak in. Although it blends and dries transparent, there is an obvious difference in the appearance of my skin after application. It delivers a fresh and hydrated radiance to the skin. I know that some people like to wear this on its own for that reason; this would work really well for those who have naturally great skin. I personally prefer to wear this with foundation because I have dark circles and acne scarring. In my experience, this primer doesn't help areas of discoloration, acne scarring, etc. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: I like this product. It's a pretty decent primer; it preps my skin well for makeup application, and holds onto my foundation for most of the day with minimal separation, even in my problem areas. It smells lovely and is light, but nourishing. I feel like I'm doing something good for my skin when I use this. I do find myself having to blot a little more than with a mattifying primer, but that's to be expected using a hydrating product with a luminous finish. I think dry skin types, and combination skin types would enjoy using this product. 

My Highlighter Collection (Drugstore + One High-End)

Two years ago, I purchased my first highlighter. My skin is pretty oily, so I initially wasn't keen on adding anything "glowy" to my face. I'm so glad I did, though. If you're anything like me and prefer foundation with a matte finish, you'll know that it can easily appear to be too "makeup-y" and two-dimensional. I love highlighter because it has the ability to add dimension to your face, and make your skin look fresh and naturally radiant. 

While I don't care too much for the blinding highlight that's popular with a ton of beauty bloggers, highlighters have snuck their way into my everyday makeup routine – even the makeup bag I have in my purse. 

The picture above is of my entire highlighter collection. It isn't much, but they are all different brands and different textures. I'll discuss them, clockwise:

MAYBELLINE FACESTUDIO MASTER CHROME METALLIC HIGHLIGHER IN MOLTEN GOLD | $9.99

This is a gorgeous, highly pigmented peachy gold powder highlighter; definitely a well-loved product in my small collection. I have reached for this many-a-day in my makeup routine. I find the feel and texture to be comparable to high-end brands because it's super smooth and buttery to the touch. I like to apply it with either a brush or my fingers onto my cheekbones and on the bridge of my nose. 


BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR POURED IN PROSECCO POP | $38 

My first high-end highlighter! I purchased this off of a sale on HauteLook about a month ago, and I've been using it pretty much every day since it came in the mail. The poured version of Prosecco Pop is a rich champagne shade. This has the most natural looking finish of all the highlighters I own because it has no glitter in it. This highlighter works really well for a subtle lit-from-within glow. I use my fingers to apply this to my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and my brow bone. 


NYX AWAY WE GLOW LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER IN DAYTIME HALO | $6.99

Also a subtle highlighter, Daytime Halo by NYX is a pale gold shade that I bought at Ulta a couple months ago. While it's called a liquid highlighter, the formula kind of reminds me of a lip gloss in the way that it's a tad bit goopy (also could be the packaging and doe foot applicator). The finish is a pretty glimmer on the skin, and is best applied using fingers. 

*MAKEUP REVOLUTION LIQUID HIGHLIGHTER IN LUMINOUS GOLD | $9.00

Makeup Revolution's liquid highlighter in Luminous Gold is more of a rose gold shade. This can be applied on top of foundation, but I find it to perform at its best when I mix it with either my primer or foundation. This is great for when it's the dead of winter and your skin needs some life in it. Even if worn under medium to full coverage foundation, the effects of this highlighter are still visible. My only gripe with this product is that it has an oily feel to it, and there are sparkles in it. 

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*The packaging of the Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter looks different in the picture above because I accidentally ripped the plastic wrapping off of it. :(