My friend Jenn is amazing. She is one of the women that I really look up to and aspire to be like. From the day we met in 2004, I've been lucky to observe Jenn as she breaks glass ceilings, proves that a woman can be assertive and a self-advocate while also being caring and generous. Basically, Jenn is rock n' roll.
On Monday I posted a safe for work look with a long product list. I clearly had briefly forgotten what it was like for me four months ago when product lists like that one would've scared the devil out of me. Jenn reminded me when she posted a comment to Facebook saying that while it looked nice on me, the product list made the whole look inaccessible for a lot of people. Jenn made the perfect comparison to recipes she doesn't try because of of ingredient lists like my product list - too long, too complicated, making the whole recipe not worthwhile to try. Both Jenn and I are busy mothers who just don't have time for lengthy sessions in front of the mirror. I momentarily forgot that in my desire to use
all the things! I'm back, though. :)
I accepted Jenn's challenge to significantly reduce the product list, all while keeping the look fresh, professional and polished. It was perfect timing because I had a job interview this afternoon, so I took some time yesterday to really think about how to achieve what Jenn (and I!) wanted. Without further ado, here is the finished look, after which I'll take you through the steps:
This is seriously the best hair day I've had in...well, I think it's definitely in the top 5 hair days in my life. Let's leave it at that. Splash your face with warm water, pat dry, and put a moisturizer on. Moisturizer will act as a primer instead of needing a sixth makeup product. Oh, and put some lip balm on before you get started.
Product #1: MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NW15
Time: 2 mins 30 secs
Where to get it: MAC stores and counters in department stores (The Bay in Canada), and
online.
Price: $38.50CAD/$32USD
How to Use:
- Make sure your foundation is your holy grail match. I talk about this in BOT's very first video ever; i.e. how foundation matching works. I really recommend getting matched to a MAC shade and from there you can often identify your shade in many, many other brands. Use Temptalia's Foundation Matrix and then go visit your drugstore or department store for samples to take home. Anyway, watch the video. :)
- Apply as normal: Shake the bottle, and then I pump three pumps on the back of my hand and then most of the time use either a complexion brush or my fingers to apply.
- In place of a concealer, build up your foundation (put a bit more on) in places you want to cover. In this look I had a few blemishes to cover, and using a touch more foundation to cover them worked like a charm.
- AN EXTRA INGREDIENT: Powder. I find this foundation doesn't need a powder to set it, but some do. Powdering will add maybe 45 seconds to the process.
Product #2: NARS Blush in "Orgasm"
Time: 1 min each side
Where to get it: Orgasm can be purchased in
Sephora, NARS counters in department stores and on the
NARS site.
Price: $35CAD/$30USD
How to Use:
- Orgasm is considered a universal shade, so there isn't much guess work here. You can get this colour, which looks like you have a healthy, rosy glow, appropriate in both winter and summer, in a stick and in cream.
- Apply with a blush brush, a fan brush or your fingers in an "L," starting at your temples and sweeping along your cheekbone (if you suck in your cheeks and make a fish face, your cheekbones will be apparent) until you are aligned with the outer corner of your eye.
- You can also go old school and touch your finger or brush very lightly with whatever product is left on the bridge of your nose and your chin. This makes it look like you've been out in the sun and the colour hits where the sun would naturally. It's just so pretty and healthy-looking.
- Don't apply to the apples of your cheeks. There are reasons for this. Just trust me.
Product #3: The Balm "The Balmsai" Eyeshadow Palette
Time: 4-5 mins (2-2:30 for each eye, longer if you have less experience)
Price: $29.50CAD (Amazon Canada)/$39.50USD (TheBalm's site and BeautyBridge
How to Use:
*I got this look from Marlena's (the owner of
Makeup Geek)
shadow tutorial, so have a look. I used more toned down colours and a few small adjustments to make it easier and faster.
- Apply shade "Hang 10" all over your eyelid, up to a few millimetres below your eyebrow.
- Apply shade "Epic" in a 5mm line up from the outer corner of the eye to just above the eye crease, and bring the colour into the crease in a windshield wiper like motion all across the crease. You should have a shape like the top and right side of a rectangle.
- Apply shade "Woodie" over "Epic" in a 5mm line up from the outer corner of your eye to the crease.
- Blend the colours together in small circular motions up the outside (where "Woodie" is placed over "Epic") and into the crease.
- Using a very light hand, apply shade "High Tide" in a narrow horizontal line under your eyebrow and over your eyebrow for a highlight.
- For eyeliner, use a liner brush (this kind) with "Woodie," and draw a very thin line along your upper lash line. You can skip this if you want.
Remember, you don't have to use this palette. The same application can be used with any four shadows that are very light with a bit of shimmer, a light shade, a medium shade and a dark shade. I like palettes like this because they take the guesswork out of what colours work together.
Makeup Geek's eyeshadows are divine and inexpensive ($6CAD for a single, and MUG's shipping is very reasonable) and you can email to ask which 4 shades go together well for the "How to Blend Like a Pro" look in the video of the same name. MUG agents are very willing to help.
Product #4: L'Oréal Lash Out Butterfly Mascara in "Brown Black"
Time: 2 mins (1 min for each eye, no eyelash curler used)
Where to get it: Drugstores everywhere.
Price: Around $10CAD/$8USD.
Tip: Enlarge the photo to see the wand for this mascara. I will never use another kind of wand again. I have a few extras that are clean and can be dipped in most mascaras. The formula of this is great, but I am desperately in love with the wand!
How to Use:
- Twist the wand while it is still inside the tube with the product in it. Don't pump your mascara in and out of the tube, as this lets air into the tube with product inside, posing a potential safety problem. As you are putting the wand very close to your eyes, eliminating as many safety issues as possible is important.
- Coat the top of your upper lashes (all the way from inner to outer corners - thank you to a very old friend, Mary Golding-Telford, who showed me how to do this with mascara at age 15! One of the best tips I've ever gotten), then coat the bottom side of your lashes.
- Continue to go over your lashes until they have the length and volume you want.
- If you have an eyelash comb, comb through your lashes to make sure they are separated. Clumpy, spidery lashes are a big no! Most of the time this magic wand does the trick, so you might not have to comb, but it's good practice in order to keep your lashes separated all day.
Product #5: Maybelline ColorSensational Creamy Matte lipstick in "Touch of Spice"
Time: 1min, 30 secs
Where to get it: Walmart (in store and online), drugstores, e.g. Shoppers Drug Mart/Rexall in Canada, CVS/Walgreens in the USA.
**This colour is sold out on CVS' website and I'm finding it hard to find these days.
**Good alternatives are MAC's "Amorous" and "Twig", which are both satin finish, but really beautiful for an understated look like this.
Price: Around $8-10 in both Canada and the USA. The MAC lipsticks are $19CAD, and I think $16USD. If you know the US price, please let me know in the comments!
How to Apply:
- Wipe off the lip balm you put on before you started with foundation. Your lips are now ready to receive colour!
- Using the tip end of the lipstick, follow the outline of your lips. For the top, start at the middle of your top lip and line to the outside corner of your mouth, then repeat for the other side. For the bottom lip, line the middle (about 5mm long), then join up to where the top lip line is in the outer corner.
- Fill in your lips with a good coat of the lipstick. Split a kleenex into it's two plies, and use one ply of the kleenex to blot your lips. If you have a foundation powder, either loose or pressed, coloured our translucent, dip a brush in it and swipe across your lips (that should now have one ply of kleenex stuck to them!). This totally doesn't count as a 6th product!!
- Add another coat of the lipstick, and immediately, if you have one, put the lipstick in a small makeup bag for your purse. If you don't have one, you can get them at Shoppers, ipsy.com (a $17 [including shipping to Canada, $10 in the USA] monthly beauty box subscription service; ipsy's hook is that you get a pretty makeup bag each month and the owner [Michelle Phan] is a very popular makeup artist on YouTtube ) all other drugstores with beauty sections, and Walmart.
- You put one of many products on top, but I like the matte look and I found the formula very moisturizing, so I didn't use a colourless gloss or lip balm. If you want more moisture, a clear gloss or balm on top will do the trick and give you a nice sheen on your lips.
In Conclusion...
- This low-maintenance look takes 12 minutes and 30 seconds to put on. I actually think the numbers are generous for people who have used makeup before, but I assumed makeup newbie. It took me about 8 minutes to do, and I'm sure I'll get it down further. I like to fuss with eyeshadow. It's my thing.
- $123 for all products in Canada. Temptalia has a "Dupe List" that show duplicates of these products that are cheaper or more expensive, e.g. this is the list of duplicates for NARS Orgasm blush.
- If you use an eyeshadow palette instead of just four single shadows that work well together, you'll be able to use all the same application techniques here, but you'll have a different look to this basic one. Fun with colours!
- Along that same thought line, you could swap out these pinkish brown lip products for any other that you like. I wore red lips with the shadows (in light to medium beiges and a dark brown) for a "statement" SFW look a few years ago.
This is the look at the end of the day, post-interview, post-doing a bunch of stuff for my grandmother and driving around in the cold! I think it held up. I can see some of my redness coming through, so next time it will be a six ingredient look - this one but with powder!
Questions? Comments? Rebuttals? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from all of you regarding this look, what you think of it, how you would change it, all the things! I promise prompt replies. :)
I hope you've enjoyed this one. I've got the "reviews" bug, it' just a question of filming them or writing. What do you think?
