10 Loves Friday

So most of you know that I do makeup for brides and models in my spare time. It’s a fun side hobby and another way I am able to be creative. The main reason though is it’s the perfect excuse to buy makeup constantly without Michael getting mad at me. J I know, I know…so smart! Well in honor of this Friday’s 10 things blog I’ve decided to list my favorite makeup items that are my “must haves” for not only my pro kit, but also for me. I have sectioned them by the type of items that they are so I could show the different brands that I use in that area.

Foundation- This is the one foundation I swear by. It doesn’t break me out, there is no shine and it lasts all day without needing to use a primer. I really can’t say enough good things about it!

Now I go through WAY too much foundation to put multiple shades of a $30 dollar foundation in my kit. For this reason I love Revlon Color Stay. It gives the same overall look at a fraction of the cost. Only problem is I have really sensitive skin and if I wear it multiple days in a row I tend to break out in small patches. I can wear it every now and then in a pinch and have put it on my clients without having any issues, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have sensitive skin and plan on wearing it on a daily basis.

Bronzer- Love, Love, Love this bronzer.  It doesn’t make my skin look muddy and it smells like chocolate cocoa. It is probably the best thing I put on in the morning.

Blush- I really like this blush. It stays on my skin for hours without having to retouch it…which for me is the number 1 reason why I choose the makeup I do. I hate having to retouch makeup and I refuse to walk around with a ton of products in my purse. There is enough junk in there without having to add half of my face.

Eye shadow- While I have a lot of high and low end shadows, most of my collection is MAC. I get a nice discount there, they come in pallets of 12 so it’s easy to store, the color payoff is amazing on most of their shadows, and the color range is probably the best of any brand out there. A few of my favorite “must have” colors are: Pink/Orange Family- Paradisco, Expensive Pink, Coppering, Winter Sky, Sushi Flower, Cranberry. Black/Gray Family- French Grey, Typographic, Print, Carbon. Purple Family- Sketch, Fig1, Graphology, Signed Sealed, Blackberry. Nude/Brown Family- Sunday Best, Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, Soft Brown, Bronze, Embark, Handwritten. Green/Blue/Teal Family- Sumptuous Olive, Flourishing, Swimming, Surreal, Tilt, Nehru, Meet the Fleet, Contrast.
Yes, I know that some may think that is a lot…but those are the ones that I rush to MAC to get when I am out, and have gone through at least one pan of each…if not more.

Gel Eyeliner/Pencil liner- My tried and true gel liner is MAC Fluidline, however I have fallen in love with Tarte’s liner in the last 6 months. It doesn’t wear off and it doesn’t smudge. While I haven’t given up on MAC, my new preference is definitely Tarte.

Now with the pencil liner I switch back and forth between Urban Decay 24/7 liner and MAC’s liner. Both are great and the color spectrum is great in both lines.

Mascara- Mascara is one area that I refuse to spend a lot of money because I toss it after 3 months and the drugstore has some great options. I really like the two Maybelline mascaras that are shown below because they make my lashes look long and full. Most days I don’t even wear false lashes because I get the effect I want using one of these mascaras.

Lipstick- In Michael’s opinion I am a lipstick hoarder. I probably own 30-40 lipsticks and bought about 10 different shades of pink just to find the perfect shade for my wedding. I LOVE lipstick! It is the one thing that I would buy high end if I could only pick one. With that said…my kit has 2 high end colors (for brides) and the rest are drugstore brands because they do not need to last long during photo shoots. Some of my favorite shades/brands are the following: Chanel Boy, Chanel Chance, Chanel Adventure, Chanel Evasion, MAC Honeylove, MAC Pink Plaid and Stilla Rosie Posie

Lipliner- I only really line my lips when I am wearing a really light nude lip or if I am wearing red. The red doesn’t happen much because Michael hates red lipstick…but the nude is a normal occurrence. The following two brands are my tried and true liners.

Lip gloss- Considering how much I love lipstick I am not a huge fan of lip gloss. I like it for some looks, but most of the time I like a matte lip more. With that said I still prefer the high end brands over drug store brands because I think the color payoff is much better and they aren’t sticky. If there is one thing I hate…it’s sticky lip gloss.

Lancome 

Chanel

Miscellaneous Products- The two products I can’t live without are my beauty blender and my setting powder. In the summer I tend to sweat off my makeup and that is soooo not an attractive look for me. One day while I was browsing in Sephora I found Makeup Forever’s (MUFE) setting powder. Honestly, that was it for me. I wore it both days Michael and I got married and you don’t see a single sweat mark/shine on my face in any of the pictures….and trust me I was hot and sweaty both days. It is probably one of my Holy Grail items and I love it.

Now the beauty blender came into my life within the last 6 months because I wanted a flawless look to my foundation for the wedding. I found this product and it honestly blends my makeup so well that most people don’t think I am wearing any when I actually am. I hate the caked on look and usually wore tinted moisturizer before I found this product. Now I don’t usually walk out of the house if I don’t have my Matte Velvet + on that was applied with my secret weapon. J