All posts tagged: glossier

Barely any base: BECCA Backlight Priming Filter

So, a few days ago, I led a customer into a fitting room and she took the time to pause and tell me that my skin looked really great. Obviously, I beamed… some more, ha. I’ve been too lazy to wear any type of base, especially during the summer when my skin went very tan and nothing I had matched me. Anyway, I thought I’d share the base combo I was wearing that day, since I did wear something new that I felt helped give me a little facelift. I picked up a travel size of the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter at SpaceNK¹ for… uh, reasons. I think I wanted a bit more glowy-ness, but having tried the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector (in Opal!), I wanted something more subtle. I figured that “primer” meant it was meant to use under makeup or alone (I was right — but yes, I could have read the instructions). The product is much more watery than the Shimmering Skin Perfector, and I don’t have mine with me at the …

Tales from the top shelf: skin care update

Hello, friends. Today, we talk about skin care. Contrary to how I titled this post, I don’t actually reach for the top shelf when it comes to skin care (off to a great start, aren’t I?) — if it works, it works. I do enjoy trying new things, though I’ve scaled back the trying a lot. These are the skin care things currently in my rotation, in case you want to try new things, too. A caveat: I don’t currently have the best skin situation, though I can say that these have more or less taken care of my skin, under the stress of moving and changing temperatures, among other things. (I’m moving in a few weeks, and I thought it would be nice (lol) to say ‘hi’ from my current student halls bathroom. I have an ensuite — hallelujah.) On my very tiny shelf, I’ve got: micellar water and a face wash from the drugstore — nothing to write home about; they get the job done! I also have a face scrub in the …

Updated Skin Care Routine, December 2015

Okay, I’m about to look like a crazy, and honestly, you don’t need this much shit in your life, probably. I started getting into skin care when I started getting into makeup. My skin wasn’t doing worse necessarily, but I was made more acutely aware of what my skin type was and what it needed. I’ve mainly had pretty good skin for most of my life. I had like a disgusting rash on my cheek in grade 5, but other than that, no acne or very much breakouts except for hormonal ones like when I get my period. My skin got a little more high maintenance as I grew older, though. I honestly used to just let the water run down my face in the shower (lol), didn’t even use soap or any kind of moisturizer. But I think that wearing makeup and probably the stress of like adult life or whatever took a toll. I can’t really say for sure. All I know is that I want to take care of my skin, and …

FOTD: Vela

I wore this look to a book launch and an exhibit, and I thought it was a good time to play around with makeup, aka Not an Office Look. I based it on this because I really wanted to wear a dark lip. Funnily enough, it led to a fun eye look, too. It’s not as ~fashion~ as the picture I based it off, but I think it’s quite nice! I haven’t been wearing a lot of blush lately. For this look, I just used a general combination of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light, Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium for contour. For the eye look, I mainly ran Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear through my crease, and sandwiched Oslo Cosmetics Vela patted in the center of my lid with Rouge Bunny Rouge Bejewelled Skylark. I ran a bit of Cocoa Bear on the lower lash line, too, and lined my upper lash line with a liquid liner. My (shoddily reapplied) lip color is ColourPop Matte Lippie Stix in …

My Newest Concealer Trick

This is such a simple thing that I don’t even know if it warrants a whole post, but let me indulge. Because it works really well. I’m not a full coverage foundation person. I don’t even know if I’m a medium coverage foundation person most days. I’ve been really liking spreading a thin layer of foundation or, more often, reverting to my Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint—a product notorious for “pointless” coverage. After using up my much-loved NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I decided to dig through my stash and attempt at using up the concealers I do have instead of repurchasing. I’ve been using the Ellis Faas Concealer* which is another favorite formula, but I came across the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur, which I’ve inexplicably stashed away after a love affair with the NARS RCC. So, this concealer is amazing and pigmented, but it doesn’t go on as well as the NARS RCC, which has great pigmentation and enough slip to it that it doesn’t look cake-y, ever. I’ve never managed to perfect …

Softly Sometimes and the Holy Grail: October 2015 Update

It’s been a while since my last Holy Grail post (July 2013). Although the point of a Holy Grail list is finding the best products for you—which means there shouldn’t be another Holy Grail list—I think I’ve found and whittled down my own list to reflect my very best finds. There are some categories that lack a product, but that just means that I a) like to play around when it comes to that part of my makeup, b) don’t wear it all that much (e.g. mascara), c) have many favorites, but no ULTIMATE. About Base Primer — always and forever the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. I’ve tried a shit ton and while I enjoy them all, this is my favorite, go-to, most reliable one. Bases — for foundation, my favorite is the Ellis Faas Skin Veil* which I have in S104L. I think it makes me skin look great, but I rarely wear it to the office because I prefer a lighter base for stress-heavy days. That’s where the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint comes …

The Gang’s All Here: Recent Staples

Like I mentioned a few posts ago, I recently took on a full-time job (the hours are flexible, but I kind of have been always working if I’m not sleeping) and I usually leave for work very early in the morning since traffic here is kind of ridiculous. I end up having to put my makeup on in the car—a skill that I feel very much proud of. I usually take along two bags: one with all the base stuff to leave in the car and one with all the things I want to keep with me for emergency touch-ups, though I’m usually too lazy to touch up at all, to be honest. Boring, Basic Stuff Sun protection comes in the form of the Bioré Aqua Rich Whitening Essence* which I love to pieces. I usually already moisturize before leaving the house so that I don’t have to bring around a bottle of oil or anything extra along with me. For my base, I definitely always use a primer always, my favorite being the Hourglass …