In my previous life before being a mummy, wife, office worker, general
domestic darling I was actually a beauty therapist sometimes make-up artist.
Often in my job I was asked by my clients "what do you use?” It’s a good
question really as I have been lucky enough to try a whole lota goodies and the
benefit of seeing firsthand what works and what totally doesn't.
So in the spirit of the festive season I will share some great beauty finds
with you, some very obvious, some not so much.
SPF - The cheapest best cream investment you can ever make.
Seriously use it every day. You can either use it in a foundation if you are a
religious make up wearer or a regular or tinted moisturiser if you don’t like
the feel of regular sunscreen. Just remember that every time you walk outside,
stand near a window, drive in the car you are exposing your skin to all those
cancer causing, premature aging, skin thickening and pigmenting rays. Get the
message? Ok good.
P.S don’t forget to think about your chest and neck
too ladies (and gentlemen) they need some SPF love too!
Water - Another totally obvious one is to make sure you are
drinking lots of water (tea, coke or fruit drinks don’t count here) the skin is
a good indication of inner health and if you are not drinking enough water,
your skin can look sallow, dry and probably spotty from the build up of toxins
in your poor body.
Exfoliation - A good quality AHA exfoliant- AHA stands for
alpha hydroxy acid. Sounds scary and painful but it’s totally not. If you want
that gorgeous soft baby faced skin, this is what you need to use. The exfoliant
helps to remove the old dead layer of skin, get rid of blockages that cause
spots and blackheads. If you need any more convincing, there is evidence to
suggest that regular exfoliation actually helps prevent the occurrence of skin
cancers!
Treatment serum or treatment cream for your skin type -
This can be a bit pricey sorry but totally worth it for giving your skin the
boost it needs. Personally I use Ultra C Facial Cream 23% by Ultraceuticals and
it is awesome for a drier skin type.
I like something that helps to hydrate my
skin, help refine the texture and give that nice glowy effect so this is
perfect for me. If you have an oily skin, you probably want to look at
something for helping control shine, keep oil production under control and help
keep your skin clear of spot causing blockages.
Skin Illuminator - If you don’t have this in your make up
kit, you should. I love the
Radiant Highlighter by the body shop, particularly because it’s a
pretty good price and isn't sparkly like a lot of others I have found.
For daytime use, I like to add a little to my foundation to lighten up the
coverage and give that gorgeous dewy skin effect. You can use it to highlight
your cheek and brow bones too but just go easy here as you don’t want to look
too shiny!
Lip tint - Another one I love from the body shop gets
points because of the price factor but it also gives a gorgeous natural colour
Lip and cheek stain
This was actually recommended to me by a very clever makeup artist about four
years ago to use on brides who want something long lasting but natural looking
(and kiss proof). Perfect if you want to liven up your lips without looking
"done up" during the day.
Mascara - What woman doesn't love good mascara? I can't
take credit for spotting this one either as an old beauty school friend posted
this one on her pintrest board (Thanks Emma :) )
Beyond Amplifying Mascara by Designer brands.
This is awesome for those who like me end
up with black panda eyes after a few hours of wearing regular or water proof
mascara, the best bit is that it comes off like a dream in little black tubes
with only warm water when you want to take it off ahhhhh.
***
If you happen to be lucky enough to live in sunny Perth and are looking for a talented makeup artist you can look up Emma on Facebook here
Eye Shadow Quad/ Trio - The Swan Lake Prismatic Quad by
Napoleon Perdis is a great palette that works on anyone, and allows you to
create anything from a natural look all the way up to a super smoky
A matte
pinky cream, a matte cool tone taupe, a shimmery cool tone bronze, a matte
almost black chocolate. If you are on a budget, please don't let it put you off
trying something like this or another quality make up brand, what you spend you
get back in good colour lay down (when the colour actually shows up on your
eyes) and something that will actually last the day or night rather than fading
away to nothing.
Now I am on a roll, I could probably bang on for another couple of hours
about beauty must haves but we will leave it here for now so as not to wear you
out and these really are my top basics minus fake tan, foundation and blush,
but we can leave those for another day.
Is there something you think I have missed or a recommendation you have?
Make sure you leave a comment and share the love!
xo
