If there’s one question I get asked all the time, it’s “Does this bus go towards the city or Doncaster?” And if there’s another question I get asked all the time, it’s usually about how my skin looks the way it does.
You GUYS. It’s not my skin! It’s highlighter! Sure, good makeup is nothing without a decent base to slap it on, but my skin is far from perfect hence the makeup I put onto it. I mostly use makeup to even out my skin tone because I fake tan my body but not my face (mum says I look like a French mime which is not a compliment but the performer in me loves it), and I’m a big fan of using makeup to just look like the best version of yourself, rather than contouring your mug until you’re unrecognisable. You’re beautiful! I want to recognise you!
This tutorial is mostly about the skin, however I use a lot of products. Fun lesson of the day: don’t confuse “lots of products” with “lots of makeup.” I place a huge emphasis on prepping the skin with any makeup look I do, and while I’m layering all sorts of different things on there, the actual AMOUNT of makeup I put on my skin is not a whole lot. For most people, this look probably involves too many different highlighters for the day time, but I really enjoy the compliments I receive when I do my base like this because I am an attention seeker.
PREP YOUR SKIN- YOUR FOUNDATION WILL LOOK DEWIER
Moisturising your skin is a given, and before I start my makeup there’s a huge chance I’ve already applied 19 different serums in search of the magic combo that will transform me into an angel who transcends time and space. While I search for said elixir, Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre works well to both moisturise the skin and prep it for makeup (which is why I’m including it in this makeup related post as well as my Skin Series). I’ll generally go in with another primer next, not to hydrate the skin but more so my foundation has something to cling to- I like using very fluid, light foundations, and the less powder you use the dewier your skin will look, leaving you with the double edged sword of dewy makeup that doesn’t last particularly long. Unless you prime. For this shoot I used Hailey Baldwin for ModelCo’s Glow Balm because, as its name would suggest, it has a rather balmy consistency to which my makeup sticks very nicely. Then I went in with my Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting which is one of my all-time favourite products as it performs as well under makeup as it does mixed in or applied last. I apply this to my cheeks (steering clear of the centre of my face) up to my temples as that’s where I light the light to catch. I apply more highlighter over this area after my foundation, but I tend to concentrate that to a specific spot so this almost creates a gradient of highlighter. I also am a big greedy highlighter pig.
DON’T USE YOUR FOUNDATION AS A CONCEALER
I was guilty of using foundation to conceal up until a couple of years ago. I have always favoured very fluid, sheer coverage foundations (Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua was my holy grail for years until I became acquainted with Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder), but I would apply a thin base then stipple more foundation over any areas that I felt required more coverage. This is fine, but the method I use now is to apply a very light amount of foundation, just enough to even out my skin tone (I use a buffing brush but this just comes down to personal preference), then I’ll only spot conceal anything I want to cover using a creamy concealer (for this look I used Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer) and a teeny tiny brush like a Mac 195. I didn’t go overboard with the concealing for this look, thus my very visible pores in the above photos. I don’t care so much for hiding pores- skin has pores, I have skin, I have pores. They’re fine. I apply YSL Touche Eclat underneath my eyes in two inverted triangles to hide under eye circles, diffuse light and subtly reverse contour/strobe my face (I don’t call it this but these are buzz words at the moment. This is really just applying a brightening concealer to your under eye area. It’s not fancy. Strobing is a made up word.) I’ve included my The Base by Lara Bingle Illuminator in Matte Bronze (I don’t know why this is called an illuminator- it does not do that) here as I used it to add warmth to my cheekbones and temples. As I went through in my makeup last post, it’s easier to blend cream and liquid products over fluid bases, and this is the most fluid bronzer I have ever come across (and it’s matte so it looks like a natural tan and isn’t too much with the 90 odd highlighters I’m about to pack on).
HOW TO LAYER ALL OF YOUR HIGHLIGHTERS AT ONCE AND GET COMPLIMENTS IN RETURN
If your skin is oily or you find that your makeup tends to drift south by the mid afternoon (or just jump on the bus and go home), I’d suggest dusting a translucent powder over your T zone at this point (Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder is perfect for setting your makeup and removing shine but maintaining a glow). I also like to “set” my foundation and concealer with a setting or hydrating spray- for this look I used Jane Iredale’s Pommist because it adds another layer of delicious dewiness while it sets all that other crap in place (technical terms). This is where we start to layer our highlighters. When you’re layering makeup, as with skincare, start with the lightest, most fluid products and build up the textures- a liquid over a can look a bit muddy. I start by using applying a liquid highlighter, Josie Maran’s Argan Illuminiser in this case, to my cheekbones, temples, cupid’s bow and the tip of my nose using my ring finger, then blending it out using a stippling brush. Then I’ll get a little more specific with my application using a cream or balm highlighter (Hailey Baldwin for ModelCo’s On-The-Glow Highlighter is pretty magic) just by tapping it on with my finger along the very tops of my cheek bones and brow bone, then I’ll use a very small highlighting brush to set said highlighter with a finely milled powder (for this shoot, a 3ina highlighter in shade 201). Then, because I like things to be exaggerated on camera, I misted some more setting spray over the whole shebang for a dewy-bordering-on-wet-look finish.
If you prefer matte skin, then you’re on the wrong blog. That’s like going to Maccas if you’re a vegetarian- you’ll probably find something that you can stomach, but you’re just making things hard for everyone.
