I’ve been doing some quick little makeup videos on Instagram and Youtube and thought I’d start to share them here. I love before and afters, the transformation from normal to glam or from washed-out to a bit more lively. And this video just shows you the process in between – a whole makeup look edited down to one minute for those who are impatient and have the attention span of a gnat, which I think is probably most of us these days.
I’ve embedded the video below with a quick run-down of the makeup used and any particular likes and dislikes, product-wise. For those coming over for Instagram who’d just like an at-a-glance product run-down, this is it:
Dior Forever Skin Glow in 2N, here*
Vieve Foundation Brush, here*
Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze & Glow, here*
Rare Beauty Cream Blush in Rose, here*
NARS Voyageur Palette in Suede, here*
Hourglass Gel Liner in Chestnut, here*
Elnett Hair Spray, here*
Rare Beauty Liner in Fun, here*
Code8 Beauty in At The Barre, here*
Benefit Brow Brush, here*
Before and After Beauty: October 2022
I begin with the Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation in shade 2N (online here*) applied with the Vieve foundation brush, £26 here*. This is a long-term face base favourite as it adds luminescence but doesn’t leave any particular residue on the skin. For those who want a more velvety matte finish there’s the Dior Forever – both have great longevity and you need to work relatively fast to blend them in. It’s just a very, very reliable foundation.
For slightly less coverage but similar sort of low-key glow take a look at L’Oreal True Match (online here*). There are loads of shades and it’s marginally easier to work with as it doesn’t set so fast. It’s also a fraction of the cost, if you’re budget conscious.
I don’t use concealer here as the Dior foundation does the trick for me (I need concealer with the True Match) so it’s straight in with my ultimate “instant glamour” product, Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze & Glow (online here*). I use this a lot when I want to create something a bit more grown-up and polished – the cheekbone and chisel. It’s an investment but a little goes a long way and I never fail to be pleased with the results. A bit of the bronzing contour beneath the cheekbones and a touch of the highlighter on top, this is not for your low-key everyday routine if you like to have a completely natural, undetectable sort of makeup look.
The blush here is a Rare Beauty cream one in Rose*, applied with a Jones Road blusher brush. And that completes the skin.
You can see that I very simply brush and set my brows using a spritz of Elnett* on a brow brush (this one is Benefit and has an angled liner brush on the other end, find it here*). It’s a very quick and cheap way of doing brows if you’re not fussed about adding more colour and volume to them – you cannot go far wrong with this technique and even if you’re the most minimal makeup person ever I’d recommend adding this in to your day. It just seems to lift my eyes slightly and make me look more awake.
Eyeshadow is mainly “the top middle one” from the NARS Voyageur Palette in Suede. I think that this is my all-time favourite eyeshadow palette due to its handy size and the fact that I like all of the shades, no exception. They’re all useful and you can create so many looks. The palette is £28 (find it here*) and for a heartstopping moment last month I thought they’d discontinued it but it looks to be in stock with a few etailers so I’ll chill.
I use the slightly darker shades just to run along the lower lashline and then the darkest in the palette to create a small “flick” at the outer corner. You know the drill, you’ve seen this before.
Mascara is an Armani one but that didn’t float my boat too much, the brush was slightly too thick for me and I tend to get a lot on my lids when this is the case! Back to the Telescopic* I go…
I have used an eyeliner here, even though I’m trying to not use an eyeliner these days for low-key looks. There’s just something about it that I think makes me look slightly tired, unless I’m doing a big old smokey eye extravaganza and blending it all in. I’ll have to experiment more on that theory. Anyway this gel liner is gorgeous whether it tires me out or not: the Chestnut gel liner from Hourglass*. It glides on beautifully and then sticks in place for hours and hours.
On the lips? A Rare Beauty lip liner in shade Fun*, ‘cos that’s what I am, and the AM/PM lip crayon from Code Eight in a shade called At The Barre*. I’d forgotten about these beautiful tinted lip balms from Code Eight; so easy to use and very moisturising. As you’d hope.
That’s the whole look. I curled my hair with my Cloud9 wand (this one*, in case you’re interested) and then bouffed it out with my fingertips so that it all felt a little bit retro.
I have some research to do before next month’s One Minute Makeup; I’m trying to find the loveliest high street lipsticks. There seems to be a dearth of nice pinks on the high street – I’m thinking one’s like Clinique’s Peony Pop – and I’m determined to find some nice options. Any ideas, please let me know in the comments…
