92. Beauty // What's On My Face?

I'm ridiculously nosey, let's face it, so posts about bloggers' beauty essentials or their everyday face really intruige me. Give me somebody else's make-up bag and - oh yes - I will root through it. No shame. So, after months of snooping on people's blogs, finding out about their favourite products, watching YouTube videos of people literally just applying make-up (you beauty bloggers know what I'm on about, it's awesome!) I thought maybe I would share my everyday make-up routine, and my beauty essentials in a post I have aptly named What's On My Face.

So, what is on my face?

I have fairly oily skin but I'm prone to dry skin on my forehead and nose. I start off by applying Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro primer which is my holy grail of primers; I've tried Nivea's primer (good), Collection 2000's (horrendous) and Benefit's Porefessional (nothing special) but this primer really stands out for me. I squeeze a pea-sized amount into the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and then apply it all over my face, getting into all the nooks and crannys. It's a lovely smooth and almost silky texture, and it helps my foundation to stay in place all day - plus, it's super cheap.

I then apply Max Factor Colour Adapt in shade 55, Blushing Beige, with a foundation brush to even out my skin tone. Again, I've used a million and one foundations, but this gives me a fantastic medium-high coverage and lasts all day. Under my eyes and on the dreaded spots around my chin, I then apply 2013's must have high-street product: Seventeen's Phwoar Paint with my finger tips. It's similar to Benefit's Boi-ing concealer in both consistency and effectiveness, but it's a fraction of the price. I finish off my base with Max Factor Creme Puff pressed powder in shade 05, translucent, and I apply this with my Real Techniques powder brush to get rid of any shine and ensure my make-up stays put.

Once my base is complete, I use a couple of amazing products to contour, highlight and add some colour to my face. When I first bought the Sleek Face Form palette in shade 373, Light, I slated it in a review after I felt it left me looking very shiny and almost metallic. Since then, I've learnt how to actually use it and how much I need to apply (about 0.0000037% of how much I was previously using). I use the blusher everyday as it adds colour and some sparkle to me cheeks - I apply it using my Real Techniques blush brush - and I then use the highlighter on the top of my cheeks, on my cupids bow and one quick sweep across my forehead.

I personally find Sleek's contouring powder to be far too dark my skin tone, and it leaves me looking like I either haven't washed my face, or have side-burns... Not a good look. Instead, I've been using Benefit's Hoola which is a brilliant bronzer that can be used for contouring also. I apply a quick sweep beneath my cheekbones, then around my hair line and under my jaw. Since I've started contouring, I have noticed a huge difference in the overall shape of my face once my make-up is applied. 

I picked up this GOSH brow kit on a whim after spotting it in Superdrug, around the time that everyone was going crazy for Benefit's Browzings and the whole HD brows shabang. Being a cheap skate, I bought this for under a tenner, and I've used it just about everyday since. There are three shades to choose from inside and, although I'm fair haired and light skinned, I tend to use the darkest shade and finish it off with the gel and then my bargain MUA eyebrow pencil in brunette, for natural looking brows.

I'm not a big eye shadow gal, in fact I barely ever wear it, despite owning numerous palettes. However, when I clocked eyes - excuse the pun - on MUA's trio eyeshadow in Pink Sorbet, I had to have it. The three shades are absolutley gorgeous, each of them being beautifully pigmented with a wonderful shimmer in there too. Perfect for building up a wide-eyed look. I also use Benefit's High Beam around my eye area and beneath my brow bone.

The final stage of my morning make-up routine is my eyes. I've done my eye make-up exactly (and I mean exactly) the same since I was 15. I go for the classic feline flick - however the thickness and length of said flick does differ massively depending on how awake/much effort I put in - using Collection 2000 Fast Stroke eye liner. Again, I've used so many different eye liners, but I always come back to this one. Not only is the price fantastic (it only costs a couple of quid) but it's so easy to apply, the brush is the perfect shape, and it always comes out jet black rather than the watery grey that you sometimes get with liquid eye liners.

For my lashes, I use both Max Factor's False Lash Effect and Benefit's They're Real. I've got to admit, I'm not completely bowled over by They're Real (I think I must be the only person in the world who wouldn't repurchase it) but I find it works really well on my bottom lashes, due to the size and shape of the brush. I've been using Max Factor's False Lash Effect for years, and I still love it today.

The only thing left to do after all is said and done, is a pop of colour to my lips using one of my numerous lipsticks, glosses and balms, but as the colour changes daily, I couldn't choose one to share today. However, I will be posting My Top 5 Lip Products very soon.

As you can see, all of the products that I use are available on the high-street (apart from Sleek's palette which I ordered online) and the only ones that cost over £10 are the Benefit products, which I bought as part of their Best Of... set as a Christmas present to myself.

My whole make-up routine takes roughly 10-15 minutes but leaves me feeling good, with clear skin and bright eyes, what more could you want?