I think that it’s about time that I come to grip with the fact that I’m somewhat of a failure at the whole minimal makeup thing; sure, I can leave the house without a lick of nothing gracing my face and I do simple and quick makeup quite often but there’s no real in between for me. I thought I would share something rather laid-back and simple and would go with a bit of a different format for today…

Annabelle Colour Control Luminous Finish Instant Perfecting Base: This remains the first primer that I’ve actually found that’s worth the effort of applying. It doesn’t have a bothersome texture and it doesn’t irritate the skin whilst prolonging the wear of makeup in its ideal state and adding a subtle flattering glow.

Skin79 Snail Nutrition SPF 45++ BB Cream: It’s not my favourite base product in the world but on days when I’d rather not layer on a million different products on my face, it ticks all of the boxes — a nice foundation with a bit of glow and medium coverage, a potent sunscreen and an extra boost of hydration in one. With its heavy spf content, it requires a good amount of blending into the skin and for this I went for the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Light: On my cheeks, heading towards my jawline, last month’s breakouts have come and gone but uneven texture and scarring galore remains and even with heftier coverage foundations, they need some extra help and this concealer has been a go-to for me because of its mixed ease and efficacy; as unsanitary as it might be, I can just dot the applicator onto the dark marks and blend it in with my fingers and the spots are less visible and my makeup doesn’t look any more noticeable at the same time. And unless there’s some flaking blemish situation going on, it doesn’t show any sort of dehydration.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque:Just as I predicted shortly after trying this beauty back in April, it has remained an integral part of my routine and has made all other concealers pale in comparison. The cost is justified. The pink-tinged cream has a flattering emollient texture for underneath the eyes and I apply the tiniest amount and it combats darkness like no other. In an ideal world, another concealer would be used to cover it but I’m much too lazy for that, so I’m mindful of the amount — today I applied some of the BB Cream first, however, and it helped to keep the pink cast from coming out underneath the darkness.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette:This is the treat that I picked up for myself last week at Sephora after debating getting it for months and I’m impressed; however, I’ve really only been loving using Dim Light as an allover setting powder as I did for this ‘face’. It does what it says in a subtle way, adding glow to the face while making everything look slightly nicer and brighter.

Sonia Kashuk Warm Tan Undetectable Creme Bronzer:I’ve been really into going for more of a warm terracotta-toned bronzers lately instead of the cooler-toned ones that I typically go-to for sculpting purposes and in general I’m having a love affair with bronzer in general. I haven’t been going for this one much lately, but because I was feeling more of a true bronzer, I went for this terracotta-hued offering.

Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder:I was having a bit of an indecisive blush moment so instead of choosing from the current rotation, I grabbed this one that I hadn’t used in months. The warm rusty rose hued blush is usually one that I would go for in the cooler months but after grabbing it for this makeup, I have to say that I was wrong — it seems pretty universally flattering.

NYX HD Eyeshadow Base:I wasn’t feeling like going for more of a traditional eyeshadow base so I went for this colourless drugstore offering that actually does work to prolong eyeshadow wear and all that jazz.

MAC Pro Longwear Waterproof Brow Set in Quiet Brunette:I’ve raved about this earlier this week so I’ll try to keep this short. The brow gel is actually waterproof and creates the look of natural but thicker and more defined brows in seconds without the faff of a pencil or powder and a brush. And this shade is amazing me because it’s neither too dark or anything other than ashy.

L’Oreal Tender Caramel Infallible Eyeshadow:I’m late to the party with these shadows and I’m sure you know all about their magical powers. Because it was rather hot, I went for this longwearing shadow and patted it onto the eyelids for that metallic look. I can’t describe the shade at all though, so i won’t even try.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Hustle and Virgin:I’m not really a one wash of colour eyeshadow girl, so you had to expect for there to be a few more shades added to the equation – and these shades I took from the good ol’ Naked Palette. I used Virgin to brighten up the inner corner without going into shimmer-overload territory and I added definition to the crease, concentrating on the outer corner, with the lovely plummy brown Hustle.

Maybelline Master Precise Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner: I’m still enjoying pencil liner (as I was last month) and I’m not completely off that kick, but I’ve been craving something more precise at times so I dug out this gel liner and made the effort to actually use and wash my Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush with it. As a result, I’ve found that when I put a little bit more effort in, I can create the most precise subtle flick — my go-to thing when not too much makeup is involved.

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara + (a wee bit of) Revlon Grow Luscious Bold Lacquer Mascara:I haven’t been going for anything on a daily basis other than my long-time favourite mascara but as nice as the formula is dried-out, I’m kind of reaching the end of the time when the mascara isn’t so dry that it deposits actual colour so I added a wee bit of the much newer mascara on top. It made a slight difference perhaps? I really need to stop using this tube.

Nivea Vanilla and Macadamia Lip Butter:I’m aware that this is more of a skincare product but I make sure to apply some of this to my lips as soon as I start applying anything on my face for some pre-colour moisture.

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in Milan Moment:I’m completely obsessed with this “stain” at the moment; it does stain the lips after it wears and feels weightless on the lips, much like a balm without any stickiness of smell in sight. Plus, the colour is a neutral tangerine-coral hue that’s sheer but buildable is kind of my favourite thing ever because it adds something without being bold. You’ll hear more on this soon, I’d expect…

Have you tried any of these products? What makeup have you been reaching for lately?

Maggie, x.