Tutorial: Daily Make-up Routine

My makeup routine is fairly low key, but has a bit of retro-inspiration to it. I get a lot of random people asking me how I do my eyeliner and mascara in particular, so I thought I'd put together a quick DIY here. You can find all of my beauty products at your local mall, and most of them are fairly inexpensive. I tried using a lot of luxury brands over the years, but never felt they really made much of a difference.

Follow the steps below to achieve my everyday look:



Products above (from left to right): Esteee Lauder 4-colour blush, Smashbox photo finish primer, Almay black eyeliner, L'oreal true match foundation in C1, Covergirl Super Thick Lash in very black, Clean&Clear dual action moisturizer, Covergirl red lip stain and lip chapstick set

I always start with a light moisturizer with salicylic acid to keep skin hydrated and free of breakouts. Then on photoshoot days, I'll put on a layer of primer before applying my foundation. It'll make your foundation stay on better, and look better on camera. I don't know the science, but it works!



As you can see, I have an extremely pale complexion, so I often find it hard to get a foundation that doesn't look orange on me. The closest I've found is L'Oreal's True match foundation in the lightest shade they sell (of course)! You can apply it with a foundation brush, but I find it easiest and quickest to just use my fingers.





I prefer liquid liner over pencil liner on my top lid. The only time I will ever use pencil liner is on my bottom lid, if I want a more fierce look. Narrow felt-tip liners will work best for winged liner, and will also stay on MUCH better than pencil liner.



It's easiest to trace a good line if your eye is open naturally. Start near the inner corner of your eye and work your way out in small strokes.When you get to the outer corner of your eye, flick the line out so that it lines up with your outer lashes.



Everyone has a slightly different way they like to apply their mascara. I go over them a few times each, using a zig-zag motion to separate lashes. Then I finish with a coat on top, and an extra bit on the outer lashes for dramatic effect.









For fear of looking like a ghost, I take a blush brush (this one happens to be Kirkland brand) and apply some darker pink blush. I apply it in upward strokes along the cheekbones.



Usually I'll leave it at that, but if I'm feeling a bit more bold, I'll apply some Covergirl lipstick. The one I have comes in two steps: a red liquid stain that goes on like lipgloss (but matte and opaque), and then a moiturizing lipbalm that seals in the colour all day! (Caveat: If you drink alcohol or hot beverages, the lipstick tends to come off faster)

If you'd like to see another makeup tutorial in particular, let me know!

Happy Styling!