Personally, it has taken me years to find out what makeup is best for me, as I have sensitive skin.
Here is a list of my make up kit essentials:
Bare Minerals Foundation.
Finally!! I have found a foundation which is perfect for my skin.
Some foundations can leave your skin feeling sticky and like it has a thick layer over it. This one however is weightless, you can't even tell that your wearing any and it lasts all day long!
Benefit Erase Paste.
This is a god send! After a heavy night out, or if you've missed a couple of hours sleep this hides all your black bags. Its surprising how long this little pot lasts. I bought my last one in January and I haven't even used a quarter of the pot. I use number 2, medium.
Here's a before and after picture.. You can clearly see how good this product is! Those big black bags are gone instantly.
Benefit CORALista Blusher.
I love this blusher! It doesn't leave your cheeks looking orange.. it makes them look lovely and rosie! Like my other benefit makeup this has lasted so long. I couldn't tell you when I last bought a new one and although benefit is a bit more expensive I think spending that bit extra is worth it.
Volum' Express Colossal Cat Eyes.
This is the best mascara I've found. It doesn't leave my lashes all thick and clumpy like others have. The brush leaves them looking thick, but also natural. The false lash effect without the hassle of false lashes for a more natural look.
Maybelline Gel Eyeliner.
I never use pencil eyeliner, because of the mess the pencil shavings can leave behind.. (cream carpet, black shavings.. need I say anymore?!) I haven't had this long so still getting used to it.
Benefit Posie Tint.
Personally I don't like the lip glosses and unless your willing to pay a fair amount, I don't think you can buy a lipstick that lasts. Posie tint is a lip and cheek stain which leaves your lips looking a lovely pink colour and lasts for hours. Only disadvantage of this is sometimes it makes my lips a bit dry, so I use Vaseline to keep them moisturised. I don't use this product on my cheeks as it does not mix well with the foundation, and leaves it looking a little unnatural.
Big Beautiful Eye Palette.
I first had this free in work last year, and I loved it! Now that I have dyed my hair dark these colour shades suit me far better than when I was blonde. I've used this for months now and Benefit makeup really does last, even if it is a bit more expensive.
Palmers Cocoa Butter.
I suffer pretty badly with dry skin, and when I'm a bit stressed my eczema flares up in the folds of my arms. When it does, I use this! I put a really thick layer on the itchy areas before I go to bed and wear long sleeve pyjamas. Usually, by the next day my dry skin is far less red and itchy and looks and feels a lot better.
Soltan Beautiful Bronze Mousse and Tan Mit Applicator.
Even though using fake tan on sensitive skin can irritate it.. I just can't live without a tan, and I'm not using sunbeds! As long as you ensure you exfoliate and moisturise using tan on sensitive skin shouldn't give you too many problems! I have used Fake Bake, St Moriz, St Tropez and I have found this one to be the longest lasting and cost effective! Sometimes you can get a strong smell from fake tan (reminds me of biscuits!) whereas this one gives off a fresh summery scent. It is so important to use a fake tan mit, otherwise you end up with orange hands.. not a good look!
And finally, my beauty must have!
Moroccan Oil.
I cannot thank my hairdresser enough for introducing me to this miracle treatment! It has got my hair into fantastic condition and leaves it looking and feeling soft and shiny. I once had hair in terrible condition, I ruined it with years of peroxide, bleach and straightener abuse and this saved it and brought it back to life! I use a pea size amount on wet hair once every two weeks and it has repaired my hair and even made it grow!
So here's my essentials. What is your makeup and beauty must haves? Leave a comment and let me know!
As I am writing a 'how to' beauty and fashion blog, it is important to look at the other blogs of the same subject area.
http://imogenfoxylocks.blogspot.com/
Bubble
Dreams.
Bubble Dreams is a well known 'how to' beauty blog with over
5,200 subscribers. The authors way of writing is very friendly, yet factual and
written clearly and concisely. Although the text is justified and there is use
of italics and bold, they have been used sparingly and appear to be appropriate
to the text. (e.g product names.)
The text and background contrast well,
through the use of a bold and bright colour palette. It is aesthetically
pleasing as the colour is appropriate to the theme of the blog.
There is
extensive use of multimedia throughout the blog, with clear images and captions.
(some of the images used may be considered as too large on occasion and are
missing alt texts.)
The ads throughout the blog are appropriate and link to
her own hair extension company (products she uses in her tutorials) and other
beauty products. There is a large advert to her YouTube channel, Twitter and
Facebook page.
When reviewing products the author showed the products clearly
and links these items to outlets to buy the products.
The information is
available quickly and easily, with interesting headings and there are very few
minor criticisms of this blog.
http://www.ladyandtheblog.com/
Lady and the
blog.
This blog is about getting the celebrity look for less, deals and
steals and product reviews, a blog very similar to the one I shall be creating
myself.
This blog shows relevant and appropriate ads to the content, the
pictures are clear and of a correct size, and clearly laid out.
The blog uses
an appropriate colour palette and text font in relation to the content and
obvious links on every page. There is a search box and breadcrumb trails, and it
is clear where you are and how to navigate around the blog.
The only visible
criticism is that there are too many adverts, although some are appropriate
there are many flashing images and adverts which are irrelevant.
http://www.misscaseyb.blogspot.com/
Miss Cassey
B
This is a blog about experimenting with new looks, often celebrity
inspired. This blog is very aesthetically pleasing and consists of good use of
multimedia throughout, with YouTube videos and images. Although these images are
of high quality, they can sometimes be seen as too large in places and are
missing captions and alt texts.
There are also related links, along with
links to her Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
The text is of correct size
and font, with white space separating paragraphs. The sites very easy to
navigate, with the homepage always accessible and breadcrumb trails. The visited
links change colour and there is a search box for the site.
http://www.LoweLights.com
LoweLights.com
This is a
blog that that 'aims to provide readers with day to day beauty tips, hot finds
and tips and techniques straight from the red carpet.'
The blog posts are
not too long, and are of the correct line length. There are links to related
blogs and to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Visited links change
colour, there are tabs indicating specific sections and it is clear how to
navigate the site. The text is left set, bullet points and images are used to
break up the text and sans serif font is used for clarity. Blog entries are
dated, the headlines are clear with interesting content.
The only negatives
regarding the text is there are some scrolling text adverts, which can be seen
as distracting, and there is often a wide use of capitals, bold and underlined
texts, with different size fonts within posts.
http://www.themakeupblogger.com
The Makeup Blogger - Your
online beauty source.
This blog is written by a celebrity makeup artist,
and she invites readers into her makeup bag, and makes a 'valiant effort to find
the best products out there.'
Although the line lengths are quite long, the
writer uses appropriate font size and colour, separating texts through the use
of bullet points and images.
There are links to outlets to purchase the
products and these visited links then change colour. The links on each page and
posts are obvious and it is clear where you are and how to get around the
site.
The blog is pleasing to the eye and it is easy to identify what the
site is about and who it is aimed at. The information can be gathered quickly
and easily through good use of multimedia, such as images and videos.
There
are very few criticism regarding the blog, however it can be argued that the
tone of the blog may be considered inappropriate in certain places. For example,
lots of humour is used which some may find inappropriate rather than funny. It
is very important to find a balance between humour and
condescension.
