Perfectly Natural Long-Lasting Makeup

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The majority of the items I used for this makeup look.

It's about time I post a new tutorial!  Here are some tips and tricks that have worked for me when I needed the most lasting, non-smudge, and non-cakey makeup for a long day.  I have semi-oily skin so depending on your skin type, this look may or may not work for you.

For lasting makeup, I feel that the most important features to focus on are the skin, eyes, and hair.


SKIN

To start, I always *lightly* moisturize by getting maybe half a pea sized amount of facial lotion (I personally use Alba Botanica), rubbing it in both hands until smoothed out, and patting it on my face.
This may seem like it will make your face more oily but in fact, it prevents dry skin that will make the foundation look flaky and it also can pat down already dry skin on your face so it won't show up when you apply your foundation.

For foundation, I like to stick with BB Creams because they work so well for me.  I feel that BB Creams are the best types of foundation to create a smooth and natural finish to the skin.


The Skin79 Super Beblesh Balm Triple Function BB cream has been my running favorite for at least a couple years now.  I like it mostly because it has an acceptable SPF factor of 25 PA+++ and has long lasting power, enough for me to last about a day with minimal oil buildup.

I sometimes switch around the type of BB Cream I use, depending on the day; A good example would be if I planned to spend a significant amount of time out in the sun.  If that were the case, I would use my Etude House Precious Mineral Sun BB Cream...


... or if I'm having a good skin day, I might just skip BB Cream altogether and simply apply a light facial sunscreen (I use Shiseido Kesho Wakusei Sun Block SPF45 PA+++) and then use a compact foundation (I use MAC Studio Fix) in my T-Zone or just areas that usually get oily on my face.  I also apply it under my eyes because I have horrible under-eye dark circles... ( T ~ T )


This is a recent fav BB Cream of mine, the Missha [Matte] BB Cream SPF20 PA++.  I mostly like this one for its clean matte finish and I feel that this works well in the dry winter months; It has a a thicker consistency which works well for holding in moisture.


I use the Beauty Blender to blend out the BB Cream (dampening it with water first for smoother application) but if you want a cheaper alternative, simply using your fingers to smooth out the foundation works well too.


EYES


Too Faced Shadow Insurance has been my favorite for a long time for eye shadow primer.  It prevents eye shadow creasing.  Funny thing is, I believe I wrote a blog about buying this a few years ago so that must mean that you really get your bang for your buck with this item.  It also has very easy removal of product opposed to Urban Decay's Shadow Primer (freaking annoying bottle).


This is the CHEAPEST, and my most favorite eyeliner of all time.  The Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner has never failed me in terms of being a non-smudge and easy application eye liner.  It is also easily removed with water so I'd keep this one away from the waterline or under the eyes.  For me, it works perfectly for the top eyelid.

***TIP*** If you decide to extend your eyeliner past your actual eye shape, I highly recommend that you use false eyelashes, at least on the outer ends of your eyes because if you don't, you have a potential chance of having this eyeliner smudge under your eyes.  This happened to me today and the only thing I didn't do was apply the falsies to the outer edges of my eyes.  Like I mentioned before, this eyeliner is great for the upper eyelid but it doesn't hold up too well against water and oil.



I like to stick with neutral eye shadows for the clean and natural look.  I think any light color palette will do but if you want to know what palette this is, it's the Tarte neutralEYES volume II eye shadow palette.

In the top left corner, I use that as a base on my eyelid.  The top right corner has a slightly darker peach color which I also use to build color on the eyelid.  The bottom left corner has the highlight that I use under my brow bone and the bottom right corner is what I use in the bottom outer corners of my eyes.

***TIP*** If you want your eyes to appear brigher, you can get a very light highlighting eyeshadow color or just something glittery and apply this color to the inner corners of your eyes.


This baby is what I use to curl my stubborn eyelashes.  It's one of those Japanese brand compact eyelash curlers and I'm not sure what the name of it is but I've found mine on prettyandcute.com and/or ebay.

 

Here's a little trick you might like.  Say you want waterproof mascara.  I've found waterproof mascaras but they are a BITCH to remove so I came up with this technique.  I first get a mascara that isn't so waterproof like this Almay mascara.  It claims it's waterproof but it's actually a pretty weak formula that's easily removed with some baby shampoo and water.  First, I give my lashes a coat of this...


... and then I use any kind of CoverGirl waterproof mascara because anyone who uses lots of drugstore brand mascaras will know that CoverGirl has the BEST waterproof mascaras of ALL TIME.

CoverGirl mascaras are so waterproof, that they even remedy my issue with my under-eyelid getting smudges from my upper-eyelid; If I put just a small coat of this stuff on my bottom lashes, I almost never have any smudges even when my eyes water. This particular CoverGirl mascara is the Exact Eyelights brand which I LOVE because it has worked so well in being so buildable and also being the ultimate waterproof mascara.  It also contains very tiny grains of glitter which seems to make the eyes appear brighter.


Now if you want to take your look a bit further while still staying fairly natural, you can take some false eyelash glue...


... and get some 'flared' false eyelashes (make sure they are flared).  If you cannot find just the ends of the flared eyelashes and instead get full on eyelashes likes the ones above, simply snip off a little less than half of the eyelash leaving more of the flared end (*my thumb is indicating how much to snip off) and glue the remaining edges of the eyelashes to the outer corners of your upper eyes.  This will greatly enhance your look without looking too over the top.  It's also much more comfortable to wear and much easier to apply. :)


LIPS


This may or may not sound weird but my main lip balm is Vaseline.  I don't know WHY but my lips appear to be allergic to many kinds of chapsticks and form some annoying dry rash when I use them.  So I ended up using Vaseline.  


A lip tint is any easy way to color your lips without having gross residue of lipstick or lip gloss. I bought the TonyMoly Cherry Pink Lip Tint and although it has initially nice results, it's not very long lasting.  I have yet to find a better lasting lip tint.


I bought this Apricot Stick in Korea while looking around in Etude House.  It has a cute lip color, lasts fairly long, and also works as a sort of chapstick.  


FINISHING TOUCHES

To finish off this look, if I feel motivated, I lightly contour my face.  The bronzer I use for contouring is by Stila.  I long lost the original compact it came in so right now, it's in an old foundation compact.


This is the small brush I use for contouring the sides of my nose.  I dab it in the bronzer, tap on the edge of the compact to get the excess product off, and contour my nose.


I use this larger brush to contour under my cheekbones, along the sides of my face, under my jawline, and under my chin.  I dip the brush into the bronzer but I don't tap off the excess product from this brush.  I don't think you have to be as minimal with contouring the sides of the face opposed to the sides of the nose because over-contouring always seems to be more apparent on the nose than anywhere else on the face.

 

For my eyebrows, I will either use a darker brown shade of eyeshadow with this slanted eyeshadow brush...


... or use my favorite eyeshadow pencil, the Etude House Drawing Eye Brow. 

As for the hair, I usually just tie mine up in a ponytail because it helps with keeping it tidy.  I feel that any updo will work, especially in a fast paced working environment.  The main thing to remember is to not let it get too oily throughout the day (if you have oily hair), especially bangs if you have any.  I read somewhere that baby powder works wonders for oily hair.  I have yet to try this trick but when I do, I'll be sure to blog about it!   

I have used this method of applying my makeup many times and I always feel confident that my skin looks bright, healthy, and most of all, natural-looking.  I don't like heavy-coverage makeup, even if it makes the skin look perfectly flawless.  Flawless=FAKE imo and I'm personally not into that kind of look because it just seems too much like I'm trying to hide the real me. 

And this concludes my tutorial on how to make your makeup perfect, natural-looking, and long lasting.  Hopefully this look will work for you as it works wonders for me! ( ^ W ^ )

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