THE I FEEL LIKE SHET MAKEUP

I think everyone has days where they wake up, look in the mirror and just think “Christ.” Sometimes it’s breakouts, sometimes it’s the dreaded puffy face and sometimes it’s just plain old dark under eye circles and lackluster skin. On days like these I’m not someone who wants to cheer myself up with a smoky eye and a red lip. I just want to get myself looking healthy again. I try to focus my attention on bringing light and colour back into the face and I’ve got a few steps that help me to do that.

Step one: concealer
This is the one product I couldn’t live without. That sounds horrendously cliché, but it helps with my confidence so much. I could go without foundation any day, but I need a good concealer to hide blemishes and to brighten things up under the eyes. For blemishes and general skin woes I use Mac’s Studio Finish concealer almost every day. It’s hella pigmented and just the right dry texture to hang onto the skin. For under the eyes I like using a light reflective concealer. I find Maybelline’s Dream Lumi Touch does a great job in bringing luminosity to the area and waking up the eye.

Step two: bronzer
If you’re feeling lack luster or gaunt then bronzer makes for the perfect pick me up. It immediately brings life and colour back into the skin. I find applying it on the high points of your face rather than contouring with it will make you look more healthy and lively, like you’ve been soaking up the sun. You’re probably all sick of hearing about this now, but of course I’ve fallen in love with The Body Shop’s Bronzing Powder and I would highly recommend this one to keep things looking natural.

Step three: blush
If you want to bring life back into the face, then I think bright blusher is the way to go. Colours that look frightening in the pan tend to do the best job at making your face look alive and they shouldn’t look scary on the face if you apply them sheerly. Also, if you apply the colour higher up on the cheek, rather than on the apple, it can help to make your face look lifted. I’ve been enjoying Jouer’s Peony Tint. It’s beautifully creamy and bendable and it stays a dewy finish.

Step four: highlighter
This might be overkill for some, but again if you’re trying to brighten things up... highlighter. Dabbing some cream highlighter on the top of your cheekbones, cupid’s bow, down your nose and on your brow bone has a way of instantly making your skin look healthy and beautiful. I like Jouer’s highlighter in Champagne for days like this because the colour of it melts seamlessly into my (currently NC25ish) skin tone.

Step five: inner corner highlight
One of my favourite things to do when I’m feeling like a sack of garbage is to apply a shimmery light shadow in the inner corners of my eyes. If you have dark under eye circles then this, with the help of concealer, will help banish them. I don’t think inner corner highlights get enough credit for diminishing under eye circles. I’ve got the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Barely Branded in this shot, but had I been able to decant Mac’s Nylon from my quad I would have used that. I absolutely love that shade.

Step six: mascara
And of course if you want to open up the eyes, attack them with a good pair of eyelash curlers and loads of your favourite mascara. I love a good L’oreal Mascara myself, but mascara seems to be all about personal preference.

Hope that was helpful guys. I’m curious to know what you guys do on your “I feel like shet” days.