Favourite Products & How I Make the Most of Them

Hi everyone and happy new year! Lets look beyond the fact that I haven't made a blog post in 3 months can we please? Funnily enough, final year in college requires work - so I have spent my last 12 weeks trying to learn all about sand, waves, and flip-flops....

So apart from learning about electronics, I have learned a lot about makeup and makeup products in the last year. I thought I would share a small few of my favourite products and how I use them to their full potential or ways that I find work anyway.

MAC - Prep and Prime Fix + Setting Spray

This is such a versatile product. I use it so many ways and I can't do my makeup without it. Recently my skin has gotten a bit dry with the cold, Winter weather, so I love to use it as a primer to my foundation. I like to spray it in half pumps on my face. I find this gives more control over how it disperses and prevents actual droplets of the product forming on my face. If I prime using another product, I like to spray my brush a few times with Fix + to help my foundation blend and lock it in place. I have started doing this in the last month or two and it works really well for thicker products like a cream or liquid foundation.
Another way to use it is to stick pigments with. I would spray the brush that I'm going to use and pick up the eye shadow or pigment after. This really helps intensify the colours. Then, when I'm finished my entire makeup I always go back and drench my face with it to help it last. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Face Powder

I get quite the oily T-zone when I wear makeup. It happens with any foundation I choose and it's something I have just accepted. I just combat the shine using powder. I really value a good loose setting powder to bake with and set my face with. The first thing I look for in a powder is whether it works to actually set my makeup, prevent concealers from creasing, and prevent an oily T-zone. The second thing I look for is for it not to have flashback in photos. I really don't want to have the white face and tanned body look since I do wear self tan. This powder is a winner winner chicken dinner because it's inexpensive, great for keeping shine away and it doesn't give flashback. I use number 001 which is transparent.

* Makeup Setting TIP *

I am always playing around with the best ways to set my makeup so I don't get oily within an hour and I have found a really good tip. When I have finished dousing my face with setting spray and it's just about dry - I set it again with a small amount of setting powder. This is the perfect way to  (for a lack of a better phrase) set the setting spray. It mattifies the areas instantly and lasts aggessss. It's a game changer for me anyway.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner

If you don't own this do yourself a favour and get it. It is the easiest way of adding glitter to your makeup without any fallout. I have it in the colour Midnight Cowboy which is a beautiful antique gold glitter and it comes with a liquid liner applicator. I use it to define a half cut crease, create glitter tears, highlight my inner corner, as a glitter lid, as a face highligher, as a half glitter skull etc. Some of the looks that I've used it with are in the next picture.  It's so easy to use and you can get really precise lines with it without having to use glue and a loose glitter. There are more colours available but this one is great if you're not sure which to go for.

Coconut Oil

Ahh, coconut oil. It comes usually in a jar and in solid form and you can get it in supermarkets and health food shops (even Aldi has it) . It has a very low melting point so it melts and turns to liquid in your hands. I usually use a spoon to scoop it out to keep it as clean as I can in the jar. I use it for so many things so this prevents cross contamination. There's countless ways coconut oil can be used so I said I'd make a list of the ways I like to use it:

1. Moisturize hands, lips, anywhere really.
2. Use a nice scoop in your hair.  This is great for my curly hair as it reduces frizz and helps keep it nourished. Sometimes I'll overkill my hair with the coconut oil if I know I'll be washing it in a few hours and it soaks it up. This really improves the texture of my hair and keeps it healthy.
3. Eyelash and eyebrow serum. I like to put a small amount on my eyelashes and lash band when I'm sleeping and have noticed an improvement in my eyelashes. My brows have taken really well to it also and keeps them full.
4. Taking off eye makeup like mascara is easier if coconut oil is used. It literally melts the makeup off. I take a small amount to the eyelids and wipe it away with a cotton pad.
5. A little scoop is really nice in coffee too! And I've used it to cook eggs in which taste unreal and it's healthier than normal cooking oil.

Maybeline 24Hr Colour Tattoo 

This is excellent as an eye shadow base. I use it in the colour Creme De Nude all over my eyelids as a primer. I usually apply it with a concealer brush and use the warmth of my fingers to blend it in more. I love the yellow undertone to the primer as it cancels out any purple tones in eyelids. I also use it under the eyes to get rid of dark circles. It's a great, inexpensive primer that's on par with the MAC paint pots. Always be sure to set the primer using a light coloured eye shadow or setting powder. This not only keeps the eyes shadows from creasing, but it really helps blending. The pigment is really good and full coverage and I love to use it to carve out a cut crease using a small brush.

Curl Diffuser

This is a contraption that you attach to the end of your hairdryer and it has parts that stick up to mimic scrunching. It's for people with curly hair to dry it off without it turning into a massive, frizzy, uncontrollable bush. I use it every time I wash my hair and it helps to lightly scrunch the curls and form them. The trick with using the diffuser is make sure the hairdryer is on medium or high heat, but low fan. This is the key to ensuring you get the least amount of frizz when drying the hair. It takes a bit longer to dry, but the payoff is so worth it. If you blast your curly hair with high a intensity fan, it's going to make it frizz up so definitely use it on its lowest setting. Tip your head upside down or to the side to get volume and keep moving the dryer around your head until it is all dry.

So there's a few of my favourite products in terms of versatility and how frequently I use them! I hope you took something useful from this post!

Sophie