Although many women have more than 18 products on average in their makeup bags, we would say that investing in good quality, well-matched versions of these five cosmetic products will ensure that your makeup essentials are never basic, and will always leave you feeling flawless with minimal effort at a moment’s notice.
1. Primer
In order to prepare your skin for the day ahead, it’s really important to find a primer that’s suited to your skin type. Oily, dry, combination or mature: there will be a primer that suits all of your skin base needs. It will not only improve the longevity of your makeup, but can balance out skin and provide great benefits. If you’re oily, many primers intended for this type of skin will balance out the t-zone, meaning that they could even prevent breakouts. Many primers also include an SPF, which is a great added bonus to protect the delicate skin of the face from the sun’s harmful rays and preserve your youthful radiance. Providing so many benefits, this is one product you really can’t miss out in your daily routine.
‘Wonderglow’ Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Flash Primer is a great choice and a winner of the CEW 2015 Beauty Awards. This new anti-age hybrid product is a cross between an anti-age elixir and a complexion-enhancing light diffuser that will get your skin ready for anything. With new breakthrough Fluorescent Core Light Diffuser technology, it steals UV light from your surroundings and re-emits it as skin luminosity to disguise and transform your skin from ordinary to extraordinary.
2. Foundation
From powders to tinted moisturizers, there are so many foundation formulas that it can be difficult to keep track and find the one that’s right for you. The first step to finding that perfect finish is definitely finding the right shade to match your skin tone. When shopping for foundations, contrary to popular opinions on where if the best place to match your foundation, makeup artists have now revealed that the chest is the best place to match as it generally receives the same amount of sun exposure as your face.
Remember your undertones, too. The key to a perfect match is to choose one with a neutral, cool or warm undertone to match your own and then go from there in choosing how light or dark you need. We’d generally suggest that, when in doubt, go a shade darker. If it’s blended well, a slightly darker foundation will make you look tanned and bronze, whilst the lighter shade can make you look chalky and washed out if it’s not quite right.
In terms of coverage, we find that a lighter finish works well in the summer months, when skin is glowing after an increase in vitamin B from some healthy sun exposure. In the winter, a creamier and richer coverage is generally preferred to perk skin up a little bit after lots of exposure to the wind and bitter cold air.
Foundation isn’t just for your face these days though! Get Urban Decay Naked Skin Body Beauty Balm (a CEW 2015 Beauty Awards Winner!) for your arms and legs to help cover imperfections, make skin look moisturized and give you that naked-skin glow. It’s lightweight, non-greasy and sheer formula works well on almost all skin tones. It comes in a large 5oz container so you start your skin off looking photoshop perfect, every single day!
Foundation is a makeup bag essential that will give your skin a new lease of life, smoothing and adding color on those days when it just isn’t up to much.
3. Highlighter
Even though it can completely transform your face, who can be bothered to fully contour their face on a day to day basis? Not us, that’s for sure. That’s why makeup artists have dug up the age old classic highlighting technique declared it a daily essential and decided to give it a new name: strobing. This technique basically just includes popping some highlighter on the utmost features of your face (as in, the ones that catch the light naturally, like cheekbones and nose) for an instantly chiseled and uplifted face. We love the idea of having a glowing and radiant face 365 days of the year, so whether or not we have a full face of makeup on, this is a definite technique we will be incorporating to banish a tired and weary face for good.
4. Mascara
We love plastic brushes that really separate lashes such as Benefit They’re Real! or Max Factor Masterpiece mascaras. They let you apply one coat without looking clumpy and tend to coat lashes evenly root to tip. Mascara with a pretty dress from maryjanefashion.com will help to define your features and turn heads.
If you’re more of a bare minimum eye makeup type of girl, then we would say skip the eyeliner and definitely invest in a one-stroke mascara that will open your eyes up in an instant and make you look more alert, drawing attention to those peepers in a flash.
Our favorite mascara right now is Urban Decay Perversion in Black, a CEW 2015 Beauty Awards Finalist. I love the creamy, lengthening, volumizing formula of Perversion. It glides on easily, doesn’t clump or flake, plus it contains nourishing ingredients to actually strengthen and hydrate your lashes for improved eyelash health.
5. Lipstick
The trick to a can’t-live-without-it lipstick is to find the right nude shade for your complexion. Nearest to your natural lip color whilst providing a subtle boost of color and radiance is your best bet for an everyday look. Get your money’s worth out of more expensive brands this way too. No one wants to pay $25 for a bright pink lipstick that they can only wear once in a blue moon, and should be tossed out (as per the expiry date) in 18 months or so. But if you invest in a more expensive lip color in your favorite shade, then you will definitely get your money’s worth and will use it down to the last slick. Lipstick is a great everyday makeup product that will instantly brighten your face and leave the wearer feeling more ‘done up’ with minimal effort.
Our favorite right now is Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss in Beso, a deep pink-mauve.
Be sure to check out the CEW 2015 Beauty Awards Finalists and Winners to find more amazing products you can add to your beauty regime!
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