My Everyday Make-up Routine

Hi blog readers! Since I'm feeling slightly virginal in the world of blogosphere, I thought I would begin this crazy and ever-so-daunting journey by sharing my 'Everyday Make-Up Routine'. It's something that I feel many girls and young women, myself included, gain benefit from, as its quite interesting to compare your own routine against other girls your age, as well as getting the dirt on exactly how amazing (or not so amazing) that new mascara really is.
In terms of my own routine, I am fairly low maintenance when it comes to my day-to-day make-up choices, preferring to concentrate on creating a perfect base and keeping it simple with the eyes and lips. If you're interested in seeing what I like to do, then read on......

Base

As I said before, I take the most pride, in terms of make-up, in creating a perfect base. Due to my acne-prone skin, faking good skin is a must for me and so foundation is a necessity. On good days, I love going for a lighter coverage but unfortunately, those days ain't a-plenty:

 1. I begin with moisturized skin. I know, d'uh, but I really can't stress how much better foundation glides across the skin when it has a tacky base to cling to. Over this, I apply the Natural Collection's Green Corrector Stick, which works absolute wonders in toning down red and angry skin. I know, it looks terrifying, but to anyone out there with acne scarring, it will change your life, no joke.

2. Over this, I apply Revlon Colorstay Foundation, for Combination/Oily skin in the shade 150 Buff.  This stuff is holy-grail material, giving a medium to full coverage with a semi-matte, semi-dewy finish. I know I couldn't live without this product as it gives me a wealth of confidence, even on my worst skin days.

3. Onto another much raved about, holy-grail product, in the form of Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer, in the shade 1 Fair. I cannot say enough about this product, and for about €6, you really can't go wrong. For a more concentrated coverage, I apply with my fingers directly onto problem areas or else smear onto my stippling brush for fuller coverage of a wider area. Guys, you need this in your life.

4. Once the basics have been covered, I move onto the extra tweaks that add a bit of pop. If I'm feeling oily, I powder with L'Oréal Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Powder in the shade 408 Soft Ivory, along the forehead and around the chin. To add a bit of colour, I sometimes apply Bourjois Délíce de Poudre (or the Chocolate Bronzer to you and me) down the backs of the cheekbones and along the cheeks. I'm not huge on blusher, but sometimes drift towards Sleek's Blush in 933 Coral.

Eyes

I tend to be quite lazy when it comes to my eyes, sometimes only going for mascara, but this is what I usually do when I want to add a little something extra:

1. Of course, I begin with my brows, using Essence Eyebrow Designer in 04 Blonde. I can't say this is a revolutionary product, but it does the job when I need to fill in those pesky sparse areas.

2. When I feel like adding a bit of definition for whatever reason, I usually go in with Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in 40 Permanent Taupe along the crease. This is such an easy product to use either with a fluffy brush, or just with your fingers if you're running late. What I really like about it is, when it first goes on, it looks like a kind of cool toned slate grey, but after a few hours of wear, it warms up in this lovely warm brown, which always looks nice in the crease.

3. If I really feel like making an effort, I'll run the Miss Sporty Mini Me Eyeliner in 020 Grizzly along the tight-line and at the outer corners of the upper lid. I'll then take the Natural Collection Eye Lines in White along the water line, to enlarge my annoyingly small eyes, and on the tear-duct, to brighten them up.

4. Finally, I'll curl my eyelashes and liberally apply Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara. I'm not picky with mascara, as I feel that they all do the same job, but this one is pleasant enough to use.

Lips

Once again, lips are not my forte on a day-to-day basis but these are some of the products that I would drift towards:

1. I always, always, always apply Carmex. It's brilliant stuff, as I'm sure most of you are well aware of and if not, then definitely give it a whirl.

2. If I feel like adding a bit of colour, I'll go for either Bourjois's Lipstick in 06 Rose Balnéaire, which gives a lovely sheer pink sheen, or else I'll add a No7 Perfect Lips Pencil in 10 Blush, which adds nice matte pink dimension to the lips.

I hope this has given any readers out there a bit of an insight into the make-up routine of an Average Joe like myself. I'd love to hear anyone's opinion, good or bad, on any of the products mentioned and I hope to speak to you again soon!

xx