This is my honest everyday Summer Makeup look! I tried to keep it as real as possible and just edited out my ‘ums’ and any long winded techniques. My brows take forever ๐
It’s nothing fancy or ground breaking, but this is generally what I do on a daily basis if I’m wearing makeup. The eye look might change a bit if I’m feeling fancier or lazier. The lip colour might change if I’m feeling a bold or bright lip, but the base tends to not really. I’ve found what works for my skin in the heat, so I don’t want to jinx it too much if I’m going out and about. If I know I’m staying close to home, then I can experiment and trial new products ๐
It all depends on what you feel most comfortable with. For me, brows and a bit of eyeshadow definition is a must. Eyeliner is not necessary so it’s not something I do day to day. Once I have a wash of colour on my lids I am happy enough. The main components of my everyday Summer makeup look, I’ve spoken about a lot before. I think this is an important aspect of this video though. You know I like these products and above all, you know I trust them.
I won’t get into everything, but some of the main products I used are in my June Favourites here. I have a review the Urban Decay Primer here, and of both the foundations I used here and here. Mac Springsheen blush has been a favourite for literally years and the highlighter from Pixi is a new, but very loved favourite.
And that is my ‘errand running’ everyday Summer makeup. If you watched the video, you’ll get the joke ๐
Thanks for tuning it. Tell me, what are some of your Summer makeup essentials?
The Catrice Spring/Summer collection for this year has some really great products in it. I was going to do a lowdown on the stuff that I was actually sent from it, but there is a couple of stand out things that I think deserve their own limelight. I spoke about their Makeup Transformer Drops here last week. This week is about the Catrice Liquid Gel Cushion Eyeliner.
Now when I first spoke about this I naively thought this was the first cushion liner on the market. My lovely friend Mags rightly corrected me though. She is an encyclopedia on all things Stila, they did it first! The Catrice Liquid Gel Cushion Eye Liner is a hell of a lot cheaper though!
It comes just like a cushion foundation or blush would, except obviously it isn’t in compact form. It’s in a glass jar with an airtight lid, to prevent the product drying out. Inside the jar is a sponge doused in eye liner.
If you press down on the sponge, you can see the liner is very much in liquid form. This is a bit unusual because obviously we are used to seeing gel liner in potted form. Liquid liner usually comes in a pen or tube. I actually really like the format of the Catrice Liquid Gel Cushion Eyeliner. You can use your weapon of choice to apply it rather than a built in applicator.
This is it swatched just once in a downwards motion on my hand with a small liner brush.
You can see it’s really opaque, smooth and it dries down with a bit of a shine to it. It does last pretty well too. I only managed to remove this from my hand with warm soapy water.
Here it is in action on one of my eyes:
Went a bit ham with the flick so I did. I just wanted to show that you can manipulate the liner to your liking ๐
I actually put the packaging to the test too and turned it upside down while open. The product didn’t escape the cushion!! You get 3ml’s of product within the jar.
Overall, I am a big fan of the Catrice Liquid Gel Cushion Eyeliner. I like that you can have the control over how you apply your liquid liner. It’s available from stockist now for โฌ4.95. It only comes in black at the moment. You can see Catrice talk about it more on their website here.
Brushes are a crucial part of any makeup lovers arsenal. I think we sometimes forget just how important they are. I know I do. I thought I would do a run down on some of my favourite makeup brushes right now.
The ones I reach for time and time again. I have accumulated alot of brushes over the years and do dip in and out of some of them. Or as I’m sure you can relate, become obsessed with one in particular and then just forget about it a month later. This makeup addict business is very fickle ๐
This little grouping has been in constant use over the past few months. So much so I’ve really only been washing and using them… dare I say exclusively. They are all from pretty affordable brands too. I have notions of owning some more fancy brushes in my makeup future. I find it hard to splurge though when I know there are affordable brands out there making great tools for a great price point.
There is no real rhyme or reason to this list, but if you’re in the market for a specific brush for a particular use, you might find it helpful ๐
Zoeva 102 Silk Finish:
This is my go to foundation brush when I’m not using a sponge. I use and like others, this is just my most picked up. I like that it’s quite tightly packed so it doesn’t splay when you’re buffing in product. The rounded shape makes it easy to get around the contours of your face. It’s also really soft and quick to wash too. It’s โฌ14.50 from the Zoeva website here.
My next choice is in the same vein as the Silk Finish. This is like it’s little sister. The Zoeva 110 Face Shape.
It is pretty much the same brush just a third of the size. I saw Lisa Eldridge reach for this so much in her videos, I just had to have it. I adore it for buffing in concealer and cream contour. This is โฌ13.50 here.
Next up is the Real Techniques Setting Brush:
This is quite a small tapered brush. I use it for setting product under the eyes or for when I want to apply a light powder contour. It also works really well for highlight too. The synthetic bristles are soft and moveable. So, it doesn’t apply too much product. I found it on the Feel Unique website here for โฌ8.95.
The Zoeva 126 Luxe Cheek Finish brush has been the only blush brush I have used probably for about two years now.
It’s domed and is a mixture of natural and synthetic hair. It is super soft and allows you to build up product and buff it into the skin all at the same time. I love it. It is on the Zoeva website here for โฌ17.50.
The Real Techniques Blush Brush is another favourite I’ve had for a while. This one is well loved.
It has rounded duo fiber bristles. They aren’t very tightly packed on top, so I love using this for bronzer. I think it’s a bit big to use as a blush brush. It applies powder product quite sheer, so you can build up as you go which is my personal preference. This is on the Boots website at the mo for โฌ9.99 here which is great. It’s usually โฌ14.99.
The Blank Canvas F28 is my go to for applying highlight.
There’s a bit of a domed brush theme going on here, I realise. They just seem to float my beauty boat. The F28 is small and fluffy. It’s a real hair brush, so is very soft. The bristles are long in comparison to the brush size, so it works great at blending highlight really well into the skin. This is currently โฌ7.99 from the Blank Canvas website here.
My last face brush fave is another Real Techniques one. This is their Cheek Brush:
I use this for applying face powder. As someone with oily skin, I need to apply a good layer. I like using a smaller brush to make sure I am getting powder in to the places that really need it. Like the sides of my nose and my chin. This does a great job as I can be precise, but it doesn’t cake my face in product either. There’s a fine line ๐ This was part of the Nic’s Picks Set, but I believe they do similar individually now.
The Inglot 31T is my go to for eyebrows whether I am using cream or powder:
It’s made of Taklon, so it can be used for either. It is really petite, slanted and narrow so you can be really precise with it. I’ve often used it for liner too and it washes out really well. It is โฌ14 from Inglot in store or online here.
I have four eyeshadow brushes to end things with.
The Debs from Nima is the perfect goat haired blending brush:
It’s super soft and a little bigger than the OG Mac 217. I reach it for it more than the 217 generally because it covers more lid space and it blends out quicker as a result. It is โฌ12 from the Nima website here.
Another Nima brush I use probably more is the Crease Blender from the 5 Piece Eye Detail Set:
It’s a natural hair brush. Great for blending out socket colours and I love it for applying washes of colour all over the lid too. The five piece set is โฌ30 from the website here.
The Large Shader brush is another favourite of mine from the set.
I use this for the exact job it was created for. For applying base eyeshadow colours and for setting my eyeshadow primer too. Super soft and easy to use.
My final pick is the Zoeva 223 Petit Eye Blender:
It’s another Taklon brush, so great for creams. I use it to apply shadow on my lower lash line though. It’s quite dense but tapered at the top. So you can apply a good amount of product with it, blending it out as you go. A blown out lower lash line has been my go to look of late. The 223 is โฌ10.50 from the Zoeva website here.
And there you have my favourite makeup brushes right at this moment in makeup time ๐ Tell me, what are your favourites?
https://i2.wp.com/beautynook.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Favourite-Makeup-Brushes_6825.jpg?fit=1600%2C1067&ssl=110671600Gemhttps://beautynook.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Logo.pngGem2017-01-25 19:24:072017-01-25 19:24:07Favourite Makeup Brushes Right Now
I have been using the Clarins Ever Matte Foundation since the Summer time and I keep forgetting to review it. It just became part of my foundation rotation ๐
Clarins foundations all have the same distinctive smell. It’s kind of sweet, kind of flowery and I love it. if you are affected by smells though, I suggest going to a counter and having a whiff before you go buying just in case.
As you would assume the Clarins Ever Matte foundation is…well a matte foundation (shock, I know ๐ ).
It’s an opaque liquid foundation with a thin consistency.
As you blend it dries quite quickly so it needs to be worked with fast or with a damp sponge or brush. Once blended it feels really lightweight on the skin.
Here’s my skin before application:
Here’s my skin after a light layer of the Clarins Ever Matte buffed in with a buffing brush.
And after another layer applied.
I am in the shade 105 Nude and I think it’s a pretty good match for Mac NC20 skin. I think it has a medium but very build able coverage, which is what I look for in a foundation ๐
Now onto the science bit…I am an oily skinned gal, so the Clarins Matte is ticks alot of skin boxes for me. It’s oily-free so it lasts really well on me (although I always powder my foundation regardless). It has a matte finish so doesn’t leave any residue behind once it’s set. It’s non-comedogenic so it doesn’t sit in pores and add more blackheads into the mix! It’s covers redness really well and it has an SPF of 15 which is handy too.
Overall, I really like this foundation and I reach for it alot day to day. If you’re oily skinned or even combination, get a sample and give it a go. Clarins is an understated brand and I think sometimes, we forget they know and do makeup well.
It’s not the cheapest of the bunch, the Clarins Ever Matte will set you back โฌ33 and you can pick it up from Boots here
Coloured Eye Liner doesn’t have to be scary and it doesn’t necessarily have to be used just in the traditional sense. This is a look I do alot when I want to do something fun, but don’t want to faff about too much. It’s simple and packs a punch ๐
Here’s the mug with some foundation and brows done.
To begin with I took a taupe shadow and added some definition into the crease, you know the drill by now if you’ve read my blog before ๐
I want to keep the lid colour pretty simple but still look ‘done’ if that makes sense? Satin Taupe from Mac is a brilliant colour for this.
I packed this all over the lid.
To blend it out and deepen up the crease I used a warm brown on a tapered brush in the crease.
Then to just conceal any redness and lighten up the brow bone, I added a light shimmery shadow.
I did a thin line of brown liner to the top lashes.
And added some concealer and added some mascara.
Not necessary but for a little definition, I used a couple of my beloved Penneys individual lashes on both eyes.
I added a little wash of Satin Taupe under my eye and some mascara.
I used Makeup Geek’s Shimma Shimma in my inner corner.
Then onto the fun part, the liner ๐
I chose one of my all time favourites but anything you have that’s pigmented will work. You could even put a light liner on and then add some shadow of your choice over top.
This is Inglot’s Matte Amc Gel liner in 87, I’ll put a link to it here
Mine has certainly seen better days but a drop of Duraline (review here) brings it back to life.
I use a pencil to apply gel liner to my waterline. I find a brush too ticklish and uncomfortable, so dipping a liner pencil into the gel works for me, even if it’s not the same colour. You can always wipe it off after you use it ๐
And the eyes are done! An easy coloured eye liner look ๐
This is one of my favourite looks to do and as you can see it’s so simple. I always get compliments too which is nice.
Here’s the finished look.
Will you give coloured liner a go? Let me know. (that rhymes ha)
Ok ‘essential’ is a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe which brushes make life a bit handier? That aren’t foundation that I spoke about here or eyeshadow brushes that I speak about here? That’s more of a mouthful though ๐ And I promise it’s just a coincidence that I have five here like the other lists.
A blush brush is definitely one of these. It’s handy to have a makeup brush dedicated to this task.
Blush is usually pink or peach and you don’t necessarily always want them colours on the rest of your face, so pick up a smallish, soft brush. One that will fit the apple of your cheeks but still blend the colour in.
A concealer brush is handy, but of course not a necessity.
I know you can just use your foundation brush (or your fingers). It’s handy to have a smaller, dense synthetic brush to apply concealer though. You can get into all the nooks and crannies of you face with it.
A powder brush for me, I think is pretty necessary in this business we call makeup application.
You can have one to apply your setting powder and bronzer or one for each, it’s up to you. I think if you were to have another brush, grab a large fluffy variety and even a smaller one for under the eyes (if you’re feeling really fancy) or like to use a different powder under there like I do. ๐
Ok contour.
I know not all of us do it, nor do all of us give a crap about it, but if you do and are interested, there is many a brush to help you on your contouring journey.
Flat paint brush types, tapered fluffy types or even small rounded types. There’s one for all! If you want a stronger contour, choose a denser brush like the paint brush, but if you want to add a more diffused contour grab something tapered and soft.
Ok, last unnecessary but necessary brush. One for highlighting.
Again this all depends on your highlighting needs, if you don’t do it, you don’t need a brush and if you just use your fingers, that’s perfectly acceptable. This is just another brush option, if you want one ๐
As you want to use a light hand with a highlighter…well I’m assuming you do? So a fan brush is a great brush to have (although I cannot find mine to use as an example sorry). Or a mini duo fibre brush works really well, as you can just use the top less dense layer for application. Anything smallish with a soft lightly packed bristles is good for the job really.
What do you think? Too many makeup brushes? If you are a full on makeup junkie, you’re probably thinking eh Gemma where’s the rest of them I know ๐
Thanks for reading as always and be sure to follow me on social media for the chats. Snapchat is becoming really handy for that. I’m Beautynook over there.
