Makeup Routine

Hi beauties, it's been very requested to do a makeup routine; many of you have been asking how to highlight/contour as well as what foundation I use and how to apply it to achieve that flawless finish. This is my first makeup post so i hope the photos and their description are helpful (I'm going to be as detailed as possible). I'll start with discussing primers and foundations and then go on to brows, highlighting, contouring etc. Every product mentioned is linked to a website where it can be purchased. Let me know what you think (we love getting feedback) as well as what other makeup tips & tricks you'd like to see next. 

Enjoy! -Rasmin xo

P.S: I have dry skin, so most of the products I use are catered to that skin type, however my sister has combination oily skin and uses most of these products and they work for her too. I also included a high-end as well as a drugstore option to achieve a flawless face with every section except my foundation, application & setting spray- I believe you have to invest in those three products. All other products can be bought cheaper. Both my foundation/setting spray have lasted upwards 6/months+ so the investment is worth it. My shade in each product is listed & since many know their shade in MAC, I'm NC30/NC35- that should give you a reference when looking into products/shades.

Primer: Many use it, many don't believe in it at all. Jaclyn Hill has dry skin and doesn't believe in primers and her makeup always stays on all day and looks so glam, however Nicole Guerriero does and her's is flawless as well- it's personal opinion. & I personally love primer. I like to wash my face (lately it's been Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser- it changes) and apply CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion directly afterwards, followed by Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer in 001. I like to do these 3 steps back to back because my skin is supple and hydrated and I find my foundation looks better when I do. {I used to wait 10 mins after applying my primer before applying foundation, nope!} This primer smoothes my skin and makes it so unbelievably soft and ready for foundation- I'm obsessed and it's cheap too! I've also tried the Makeup Forever HD Microperfecting Primer and although I love this one too, I go through primer a lot and if I can, I like to save money on some products so I can indulge on others. 

photo cred: thebeautymilk

 Foundation: I have tried so, so, so many foundations I couldn't even list them all but now, I have found the one. I say this now, but honestly, I'm a foundation junkie. I love trying new formulas of foundation and I feel like every girl is always on the hunt for a new favorite after awhile. I have tried almost every MAC Foundation there is to try, I'm such a Macgal. I still am, but I decided to branch out and try a brand from Sephora & for the past year- NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Stromboli has been the winner in my books. It's creamy, liquid-y enough to apply with a foundation brush or a beauty blender + it stays on all day (the longest I've worn it was 12 hrs and my makeup still looked fresh- crazy right?). The shade also matches my skin perfectly and feels like I have nothing on my face so whenever I apply it, it looks like my skin and natural foundation look is what I live for!

Sigma F80 

Application: I have tried to apply foundation with a foundation brush and a beauty blender and I'm obsessed with the finish of the latter. Don't get me wrong, I love my Sigma F80 brush, it applies the foundation flawlessly as well but the Beauty Blender presses the foundation into my skin, and when using it damp it sheers out the foundation which is how I get the natural looking foundation look aka: no cake face. When using the F80 I take a nickel size of foundation on the back of my hand and stipple it all over my face and go back and blend. If I'm using a Beauty Blender, I run it under lukewarm water and squeeze about 10-15 times to get it big enough and place it between a towel to take the excess water out. I then pour a nickel size amount on my Beauty Blender and stipple it all over my face to press the foundation into my skin while blending. 

Brows: I get them threaded them once a month, in case you were wondering- is it painful? A little bit. Is it worth it? heck yes. I've been trying to grow my brows out because I'm crushing on thick brows but that requires not getting them threaded each month and that shows the uneven growth. I started filling in my brows to initially cover the growth up but ended up loving the shape and color I could give my brows. I don't know why I didn't start filling them in before! Brows frame your face. Everyday, I use my Sigma E06 brush + the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in the shade Ebony. I follow the shape of my brows and start filling in from my arch down towards the tip repeatedly and run a spooly through to blend until my brows are as thick/dark as I'd like them. I very lightly fill in the inner corner of my brows (to make your brows seem natural as possible- avoid filling in this area too much). I finish off my brows with Sonia Kashuk Brow Gel- I dip into the container once and run the spooly through my brows once. This will help your brows stay in place all day. 

NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer: Custard

Maybelline FitMe Concealer

Highlight: You want to highlight specific parts of your face to help bring them out and glow. I'm obsessing over the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in the shade Sand (20). I also love the NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer (Custard) it's also very creamy and pigmented- this one is amazing in photos, it really perfects your makeup. I usually use my FitMe Concealer for everyday/school and gravitate towards my NARS for special occasions.


                                                                                         

After I'm done highlighting, I like to set my under eye area as well as wherever else I highlighted my face with a setting powder so it doesn't crease. I've tried MUFE HD Microfinish Powder, Sonia Kashuk- Undetectable Loose Powder, Elf HD Powder and they're honestly all dupes for each other. They don't give off a whitecast finish either. I'm personally loving the Anastasia Banana Powder- I use it every day. It truly makes a difference in your makeup finish. Then, top your cheekbones, cupid's bow & a little on the bridge of your nose with any highlighting powder; I'm obsessed with MAC's Soft + Gentle, it's a perfect highlight for any skin complexion. I have tried some drugstore ones but they're not pigmented & very flakey- but I purchased Soft/Gentle about a year ago and I haven't even made a dent so again, worth every penny. 

Contour Photo Map: ShowMeBeauty

Contour: This involves taking away parts of your face- as in shading certain areas of your face with bronzer for a more sculpted face. This helps outline your cheekbones, can give a sculpted nose, a pouty lip, a smaller forehead. There's ways to do all of this. I use  MAC "Give Me Sun" Bronzer (here) wherever I want to contour to warm my face up. After I go back to those areas and add a little bit of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (light to medium) Havana & Java shades to sculpt out my features. Both products are  the perfect contouring shade for a lot of skin complexions. 

Set your makeup: After I'm done with my entire makeup, I like to finish off with a setting spray. I've only tried one setting spray in my entire life and I promise- your makeup will look the same all day, give you that flawless finish & make you glow. It's a little pricy but some products you simply need to invest in because it truly will make all the difference. MAC Fix+ is everything.