I grew up with a mom that didn’t wear makeup. Well, I take that back, she normally had a green tube of Clinique lipstick on her bathroom counter and rolling around in her purse. Other than that? She loathed foundation and eye makeup caused allergies.
No one really taught me how to apply makeup correctly. Everything I figured out was through trial and error and lots of YM magazine articles. I would spend my babysitting money on drugstore cosmetics, always a particular fan of eyeliner.
Since then, I’ve been a fan of a pared down makeup bag. While I still like to experiment with new products, I mostly keep things super simple. There is something about a swipe of lipstick or some good strong concealer that makes me feel a little more put together and a lot better about my efforts as a woman.
Having a super “less fuss” makeup routine is the only thing that ensures that I’ll actually end up wearing any makeup. In that same vein, each of these looks is super easy and builds on each previous look, just adding a step or two each time.
You haven’t really lived until you’ve revealed your makeupless face on the Internet. I applied Radiant Cosmetic’s Perfect Finish Liquid Foundation. I am super hesitant about foundation…I don’t like a lot of gunk on my face. But, Radiant’s had great coverage and was still super light and kind of still showed the texture of my skin. I appreciate that in foundation, I don’t want to look like I’ve been photoshopped in real life.
This is my “normal everyday hanging around the house” look. I just throw a couple strokes of mascara on, smushing it into my lashline as I go to create the look of liner without the extra step. I had been wearing ELF blush in Pink Passion which I do love and was perfect for paler winter skin. However, as it warms up I find I want to warm up my face a little, too. Radiant’s Cardinal Blush is SUCH a gorgeous color and makes a fresh face look really healthy and glowy.
This is the kind of makeup I’d wear if I was headed out to do something kind of special during the day (you know, like going to the grocery story or a playdate). I added both Georgia and Al Fresco shadow all over my lids and threw on some Sierra lip gloss, which is just a more saturated version of my natural lip color.
Radiant has this fabulous navy shadow that can be used dry or wet. I wanted to do a winged eye–something a little gentler than a cat eye. So, we used a handy little trick involving a post-it note and the Radiant eye shadow in Ahoy. Use a post-it note (as shown in image below) and then just blend, blend, blend in towards the middle of the eye. I wanted a nude lip, so I smeared a tiny bit of foundation onto my lips and then applied the Moisturizing Lipstick in Piazza. The foundation makes it so that the true color of the lipstick shows, rather than my natural lipcolor plus the lipstick’s color.
Radiant Cosmetics donates a minimum of 20% of their profits to combatting human trafficking. Beyond their monetary contributions, Radiant Cosmetics works to bring attention to the plight of modern day slaves around the world. Founder Nicole Marett believes that for-profit companies should be just as active in bringing justice as not-for-profits, and Radiant Cosmetics works towards that goal every day.
How long do you normally spend on your “makeup routine”? Do you have any favorite products or just “go to” looks?