One makeup hack that I always swear by is the four-product quick save. Some days when there’s a shortage of time but one needs a pulled-together look, the best way to achieve uniformity is to use concealer, cream blush, eyeliner/ kohl pencil, and mascara. Use a concealer that is the closest shade to your skin tone and conceal all the imperfections on the skin by dabbing it over the spots that seem uneven. Blend it out with a beauty blender to even out the skin (do not forget the under eyes and over the eyelid as well to brighten up the face). Next, use a lighter shade of cream-based blush, dab it thoroughly over the apples of your cheeks and use the same for your lips to achieve a neutral shade of lip. Next using the eyeliner/ kohl pencil, line your upper line and if you’re using Kohl, using some on the water line can significantly brighten up the face. Next, use mascara on your lashes to finish off. An extra step would be setting spray to ensure your makeup stays on for a long period of time.
If you know me, you know I don’t usually wear the most elaborate makeup looks. If and when I’m leaving the house, I usually strive for a ‘no-makeup’ makeup look – as minimal and natural as possible. Basically just to cover up the acne and dark circles, and just generally make myself look more awake! But even if I’m looking at having a makeup free day, there is one element that must be done (for me personally, as a highly self-conscious girl in her early twenties…)!
I usually strive for a ‘no-makeup’ makeup look – as minimal and natural as possible
The brows. With my darker hair, bushy brows are the way to go – unless I want to be plucking them every ten minutes! Around three years ago, bushy brows were the new trend, thankfully moving swiftly away from the skinny brow of the early 2000’s. Laminating your brows became highly popular, giving them that feathered look for longer, but at what cost? Literally, the treatment is so expensive and only lasts up to two months! So as a student, not ideal. The way I get the bushy brow look is cheap and, in my opinion, effective. Head to any beauty shop and pick up an eyebrow gel. Sort of looking like a clear mascara, just comb out your brows in an upward direction. The gel will not only give you that laminated look, but also stay that way all day until you take your makeup off! I highly recommend it, and it can cost you much less than £5!
I'm not someone that wears makeup often since it can take me several hours but the days I do, I like to go all out! For a good makeup look, I feel like a flawless base is really important, so this is what I like to do to achieve that!
Firstly, I like to dust my T zone with some setting powder to get rid of the oily shine since I have combination skin. After that I spray on some setting spray before I start with everything else (it's really weird but it works!). For foundation, I usually apply with a brush and remember that a little goes a long way! My favourite part is the concealer: for this you need your skin tone shade then one that is maybe two or three shades lighter. I go in first with the skin tone concealer and apply it on my T-zone, under my eyes and on my chin. After that, I use the lighter one underneath the skin tone shade. Leave it for around a minute for more coverage and then with a damp beauty blender, I blend it all out then top it off with some setting powder. Using two concealers helps me to create a lifted but natural look, especially since I have darker skin, skin tone concealer helps to mute the lighter one, so it doesn't look too bright!
For me, doing my makeup before a night out is my favourite part of the getting ready process, but it isn't something that can be done on a daily basis, as it takes me forever. So, I have a couple of tricks that I do most days to make myself look a little bit more alive and feel more confident. For starters, I use a very lightweight tinted serum for a bit of coverage and to even out my skin tone.
For me, doing my makeup before a night out is my favourite part of the getting ready process
I then blend out cream blush over the bridge of my nose, on my cheeks directly under my pupils (which is a great hack for people with round faces that I picked up from @rachelocoolmua on TikTok), and on the tops of my cheekbones onto my forehead in a C-shape to tie the look together. Finally, just to brighten up my very basic everyday makeup, I pop a little bit of glitter eyeshadow in the corners of my eyes and then on the bridge and tip of my nose. It takes no time at all and makes me look as if I haven't just rolled out of bed.