The Simple Life

So in a world of beauty blogging, where a smokey eye can use up to 10 various shades of grey and black eyeshadows (plus your inner corner highlight, obvs) and I can get overexcited and want to pile every product from my latest boots spree on my face in one go, it can sometimes be easy to forget the simple make up looks.

This is something I'd call French Sexy - it's understated, chic and laid back - and, above all, incredibly simple.

The base was really easy - Benefit's POREfessional (which I totally forgot to include in the bloomin' photo - #fail!) around my nose and cheeks to try an drake those pores seem invisible, for however fleeting a time they may be, plus L'Oreal True Match foundation in C1 Rose Ivory - a really thin layer applied with the Real Techniques buffing brush.

An issue I find, as a pale girl, with drugstore foundations is that the cooler, pink tone based ones can often emphasise the pink tones already present in my skin if I try to build them up or create more coverage but the neutral or warm toned ones, even in the palest shades, can seem slightly too dark. I do like the L'Oreal True Match in the shade N1 Ivory but I do find I need to spend some time properly buffing it in to avoid the mask look at the edges. As far as drugstore foundations go though, they're probably some of the best I've found for the pale kids and the finish and wear time are great too. I used my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly around my eyes and then dusted everything in with my Soap & Glory Powder, using the Real Techniques Powder Brush.

Cheeks wise it's MAC Tenderling, which is the perfect shade to define the cheeks and add some life without depositing too much colour. I layered that over the highlighter side of Benefit's 10, which isn't available anymore but was basically a powder form of High Beam. For me, layering highlighter first then putting blush over the top means I never go OTT with the highlight or get the really glittery look. Both applied with a MAC 168.

On the eyes I went all over with Estee Lauder Hot Cinnamon, applied with a MAC 217 and taken just over the lid itself, not blended up or out and then lined with the Stila Smudge Stick Eyeliner in the shade Lionfish (the brown one!) on the top and outer bottom of the eyes - smudging a tiny bit with the MAC 239, though you could just use your fingers. Mascara wise it was Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume and my eyebrows were lightly filled in with the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in the shade 002 Hazel. (As you can see my eczema is playing up and my eyebrow lady can't thread them when it is so they're quite grown in and didn't need too much filling in as a result!)

As for the lips? Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm finished it off looking natural and leaving lips perfectly soft.

Oh! And just before I go... I am spending tonight washing all the make up brushes I own, so don't get freaked out and think I'm leaving them like that!