Welcome back to another rendition of Makeup Lately (#1 here, #2 here). These have become some of my favorite posts to write as I just love blathering on about what I've been slapping onto my face every morning for the past week or so. After layering on a huge amount of glittery eyeshadow to go to a drag show the weekend before this past one, I found myself with a scratched-up eyelid and unable to wear any eye makeup for the week. Instead of ditching makeup all together and feeling like a bum at work, I decided to take the extra time to focus on my skin and use a few new additions as well as dig out some old favorites.
I've been completely obsessed with the MAC Strobe Cream since I got it early last week and have been applying it as the first step of my makeup routine every day. It's super moisturizing on the skin (although I prefer to always feel hyper-moisturized so I still layer my normal daycream on underneath) and gives it the most beautiful luminosity. This would be great on no-makeup days too as a way to perk up tired skin.
Once I was feeling all glowy and awake, I would go in with a bit of the Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup on a damp sponge. If you've been reading my blog for awhile you'll know I used to be obsessed with this stuff - I don't really know why I stopped using it, actually. I would concentrate this mostly around my more problematic areas, like my chin, around my nose, and my forehead, blending it so there was less product on the outer parts of my face. This foundation is really lightweight and skin-like but still gives a buildable medium coverage with a satin finish. Having the Strobe Cream underneath really helped my skin look healthy and glowing from within.
On my cheeks I can't get enough of the Stila Convertible Color in Lilium. It's the perfect neutral pink to go with everything and gives the skin a natural-looking flush. It has quite a dewy finish, yet lasts awhile on my skin. I still love the Stila Watercolor blush, but as I live out of a makeup bag most days, I tend not to reach for it because of the slightly messy packaging. I've been skipping the contour and bronzer and going straight onto highlighting (more on that later this week), and for that this past week I've reached for the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight. I got it on the same shopping trip last week as the Strobe Cream and it's been another instant obsession. I spoke about it in my Highlighter Roundup post, but it leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin and is amazingly easy to apply.
As I said, for most of the week I sported absolutely no eye makeup as I waited for the scratches on my eyelid to heal, but once they started getting better I added some mascara back in. At the beginning of the week I went in with the Clinique Lash Power Feathering Mascara mainly because I knew it would be incredibly easy to remove at the end of the day. As my eye healed I went for the Maybelline Lash Sensational - one of my favorite ever mascaras for the incredible length and volume it gives. I did my brows with the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade as usual (I'm definitely officially converted to this stuff).
On my lips I've been going for another new addition (from that same shopping trip as mentioned before - I may have gone a little crazy). I picked up the Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in the shade Prim(rose), despite swatching it and realizing it was very similar to MAC Soar (which I own). What made me pick up this more expensive version of a lip liner I already had, you ask? The formula just felt so incredibly soft and creamy when swatched on my hand that I couldn't resist. When swatched next to Soar it's actually lighter and less mauve (it's like if you mixed Whirl and Soar and then made it a few shades lighter), so it's almost totally justifiable. Anyway, it's unbelievably comfortable and creamy on the lips and yet lasts forever - it lasted an entire 8-hour workday on me, even throughout lunch and about three water bottle refills.
I've really enjoyed focusing more on my skin and taking a break from eye makeup. I think once my eye is totally healed I'll slowly introduce the eye makeup back in, but keep the effort I put into my base constant. What makeup have you been wearing lately?