Another weekend, another wedding! Tis the season and all that though, eh? Pete and I spent last Friday to Sunday at Carberry Tower out in the countryside near Mussleburgh to celebrate his cousin Louise's wedding. This time rather than getting super emotional blog post wise (sorry not sorry for that last one) I thought I'd try to be semi useful and share some tips for long lasting makeup, for a long day such as a wedding. My pores are feeling really clogged at the moment, just with months of working like mad and sort of (to be honest, COMPLETELY) neglecting my usual skincare regime. You can see it pretty badly on my nose in this picture, but I know it's down to my skin at the moment rather than the makeup I'm using. It gave me a kick up the backside after seeing this photo (my new Canon M3 is lovely but rather unforgiving) so I started a new skincare routine last Monday which I shall share on here soon. Pore-y noses aside, here are my long lasting makeup must haves.
The base and the face:
Illamasqua Hydra Veil
Niod Photography Fluid
Illamasqua Skin Base
Hylamide Matte 12
Illamasqua Pressed Powder
A good strong base is the foundation (in more ways than one!) of long lasting face makeup. I use the products above, listed in that order to make a flawless canvass which will stay in place all day and night. For someone like me who has quite oily skin, particularly around the t-zone, I always carry powder in my handbag to touch up every few hours or so. Just to take the shine off, as I prefer a matte look rather than a dewy one.
The Illamasqua Hydra Veil is a fantastic primer, it's a clear jelly which comes with a little spoon to scoop it up, and you only need to use the tiniest amount. I've been using the Niod photography fluid on top of this, which sort of acts as a second primer but adds a lovely glow underneath your foundation. It's serum textured but contains light refracting prisms, tone and hue correctors and topical photo finishing technologies (faaancy) It gives my skin that subtle shimmer and radiance without being dewy, so really the best of both if you're a paranoid shiny face person like me.
For my foundation I'm currently loving skin base, which was recommended to me when looking for a cruelty free alternative after using Estee Lauder Double Wear for years. It has really good coverage, and once set with some powder normally I'm good to go. However I have been using a cheeky little step in between my foundation and powder, in the form of Matte 12. I pat a small amount of this on top of my foundation, all over my face (mainly focusing on my t-zone and cheeks) and it mattifies the skin by repelling water and only binding to oil. I was worried it might dry out my skin, but it actually made it feel lovely and soft, and my powder went on as normal over the top of it. This extra step definitely seems to extend the hours between needing to nip to the ladies room to powder my nose!
Eye's that ain't budging:
Eyeko Brow Gel
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara
New CID i-groom
Eyeko Sport Waterproof Eyeliner
Eyeko Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner
Eyeko Waterproof Shadow Liner in Taupe
I was kindly sent some Eyeko goodies to review, and with such a cult brand with products so well known for their quality and staying power - I knew the wedding weekend was a great opportunity to try them out! I brought the original UD Naked Palette along with me and went for a soft gold and brown eye, with the waterproof shadow liner along my lower lash line. It is so creamy and blends like a dream! But didn't give me panda eyes as the day went on which is something I often worry about if I have any type of eyeliner or eyeshadow on the lower lashes.
I popped some of the waterproof eyeliner on my upper and lower waterlines (it's a wedding - WATERPROOF EVERYTHING YOU GUYS) and the magic liquid eyeliner on the lid. This shit seriously is magic, it did not fade in the slightest or transfer onto the crease of my eye throughout the day, as sweaty eyelid syndrome normally kicks in (don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about) but I'm hoping my carefully executed base helped in that matter too. You go Glen Coco.
Did my brows with the trusty new CID i-groom pencil, held in place with brow gel. The thing I really like about the Eyeko brow gel is the fact that the wand is teeny and perfect for working on such a small space! I've used brow gels in the past, where the applicator is like the size of a normal mascara brush, and let's just say I'm a bit heavy handed for that sort of nonsense and end up giving myself two hairy caterpillars rather than sleek lil' brow bitches.
Dress, bag & cape - All from the wedding edit on ASOS
(Oh, and my shoes, which are these ones here)
As for long lasting lips, that's something I am yet to fully master. I think it's pretty impossible to spend a day eating, drinking and gabbing without having to touch up your lippie every few hours. For this reason I went for a nice nude pink liner and lipstick (Urban Decay Ex-Girlfriend lip liner and Illamasqua Rose Pout Lipstick) so that the fade wouldn't be as obvious and I wouldn't feel the need to constantly check my lips and teeth. Red lipstick is the worst for that! I went through a phase a few years ago of swearing by Lipcote, but I feel like when I use it now my lipstick goes 'bitty' after like half an hour. I think the nude lip went better with my outfit anyways. But I will need to tackle a long lasting lip next.
The wedding was an absolutely beautiful weekend, and it was so nice to meet more members of Pete's family for the first time. We've got a couple more weddings lined up this year, so I'm not sure what the etiquette is with being an outfit repeater?! I might wear the same shoes and bag to the next one, but I've spied two really nice dresses (this one and this one from Lipsy) so I'm gonna pop into Silverburn over the weekend to see if they're in stock. I managed to sneak a last minute appointment at the newly opened Blow in Shawlands to get my roots done the day before the wedding. My hair looks much fresher now and it left me feeling rather Daenerys Targaryen-esque!
