Long time no blog! The last two months have been nothing short of chaotic, as most university students will understand, and I had no time to even sleep let alone blog. I enjoy posting too much to let another day go by, and so I come to you today with my stay-all-day make up routine - this routine actually stays on, too, no touch-ups. I should also note that all of these products, bar two, are from the drugstore. So great. Let's begin!



In my experimenting with make up I have come to learn that a good primer really can do wonders for the staying power of your make up; I emphasise the word good though, because unless you find one that works for your skin it can have the opposite effect. For instance, the first primer I tried was from the brand Australis, which actually made my skin oilier and did not hold my make up at all. As of right now I am loving (loving) the new L'oreal Skin Perfection Magic Touch Instant Blur, this stuff is liquid gold, or beige as it so happens. I heard about this product through Shaaanxo on YouTube, and it has changed my make up life. As the name suggests, it literally blurs your pores, spots and imperfections, creating a smooth surface on which to apply your make up - as well as this, it sinks in within a minute or two so you're not sitting around waiting for your primer to settle before you can start with other products. I'm on my second tube of this lovely stuff - I can not talk highly enough of it!

On to the fun part, the make up - but first a quick disclaimer, this is an everyday kind of look with minimal eyeshadow and simple colours, feel free to spice it up with alternative shades or products to suit your style/occasion!

I start by applying a thin layer of my holy grail foundation, Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1, using a Models Prefer Kabuki Buffer Brush. Using a brush similar to this really works the product into your skin to make it seem natural, and I find that using small buffing motions for this thin layer creates a great base to work from. Once I'm happy with how this layer is blended I will take a small amount of the foundation and stipple it onto areas that need more coverage - ie my rosy lower cheeks that resemble those of a teething infant - using the same buffing brush.

Once the base is created, I let that sit for a while to really let it sink into my skin, and move onto brows. At this point I get genuinely nervous because my natural brows aren't fabulous and this is a real make-or-break for the frame of my face. I quickly get over this and remind myself that this is a huge first world fear (this is a genuine part of the routine).To fill in my brows I use the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black Brown; once I am happy with the shape I go in with an angled brush and whichever dark brown, matte eyeshadow I have handy to fill in the gaps a little more. To finish I set them into place with Essence Lash &Brow Gel Mascara - those babies aren't moving anywhere after applying this stuff.

After spending five minutes trying to correct my natural brows, my foundation is well and truly settled on my skin and I can move to concealer. (Pro tip: letting your skin sit with your foundation on really helps to see how much more coverage you do or do not need, and ultimately can save you from wasting a lot of product). To counteract my sleepless nights I use a cult favourite, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, in an upside-down triangle shape. This brightens and conceals my under-eye area and is incredibly buildable - so if you're like me and looking for just enough coverage, or want to go the extra mile and try out the Kim K look, this product is great. For any hard-to-cover spots or redness I whip out my Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer, which is just thick enough to cover, but not enough to cake and has excellent lasting power - highly recommend!

Onto my favourite part of and make up routine, the eyes. The secret to making your eye make up stay on all day is again, primer. You can use your face primer on your eye lids, or any eye primer - Too Faced Shadow Insurance is a favourite of mine, but is a little pricey, don't feel lazy for just sticking to face primer, we all do it. For the look I'm describing today, I pick up my Wet n Wild Sweet As Candy eyeshadow trio and pat the brow bone colour all over my lid, and then blend the brown colour into my crease; this gives the eye just enough dimension to stand out without being too noticeable. Sidenote: you can use any products you already have to achieve this look, however, I would definitely recommend Wet n Wild Shadows, they're incredibly easy to use, great quality and are cheap as chips. Get your hands on some!
Next I take my trusty Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Liner in Black to tightline, and if I'm feeling fancy I'll pop a white liner in my waterline too. This stuff won't budge, smudge or streak - I adore it. For my winged liner, I use Maybelline's Master Precise Liquid Liner, a popular beauty favourite, and create my signature flick (may take multiple tries if, like me, you're half asleep while attempting this). If I'm going to be wearing my make up all day I don't generally wear false lashes, and instead opt for my Maybelline Falsies Volum Express Mascara - I can't even tell you how much I love this stuff, although it does dry up awful quickly.

To finish off my face, I set my base with Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder, to keep my natural oils at bay. Using a pressed powder also helps with the smooth application of blush and bronzer - pro tip! For said bronzer, I am loving Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, as it isn't muddy at all and is wonderfully easy to blend if you accidentally pick up too much product (Every. Day.). For blush I have an incredibly cheap Multi Blusher from Designer Brands which does the trick nicely - and has suprisingly great lasting power.

Finally, I spritz this long-lasting cocktail of make-up with Urban Decay's All Nighter Make Up Setting Spray - this stuff really works, all of your hard work will be locked into place!

Enjoy!
Love,
Sophia ♡

Price List:
L'oreal Paris Skin Perfection Magic Touch Instant Blur $22.99
Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 $19.95
Models Prefer Kabuki Buffer Brush $23.99
Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil $8.50
Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara $4.10
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind $18.50
Rimmel Hide The Blemish $10.50
Wet n Wild Sweet As Candy $8.00 (MUCH cheaper in the USA)
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal $9.95
Maybelline Falsies Volum Express $19.95
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder $12.95
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer $30.00
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray $30.00