I am definitely not an expert when it comes to applying makeup, but I like to think I've improved since my early blogging days in 2010 (this post was my 'daily face' back then, looool) I remember fondly posting makeup 'hauls' and aaaall of the selfies, in particular when we all got excited about new launches such as Mac Venomous Villains! Back then I wasn't scared about posting my makeup face on the internet in comparison to today... where I feel like the standards are super high and I'll probably get laughed at by some young 'uns who have perfected their cut creases and contouring down to a t. In my opinion, teens nowadays miss out the rite of passage which we had after the millennium, of amateur (and very lovingly) applied makeup with the likes of Miss Sporty foundation (on your lips too of course) Barry M Dazzle Dust (the green shimmer was my fave) and absolutely nada on your eyebrows because that just wasn't a thing yet. Actually, having a lot of eyebrow hair wasn't really a thing either - and 10 years on I am still suffering from the over plucking 19 year old Ayden thought was a fabulous idea to do.
Fast forward to today, the biggest change in my makeup bag/routine is that everything I use is cruelty free. Don't get me wrong, I didn't chuck out every Mac lipstick in my makeup bag but there are certain products I won't be replacing and have found cruelty free alternatives for. I had a couple of baby free hours last week so decided to photograph a 'taking my sweet ass time' makeup look, which is essentially exactly what it says on the tin haha. This is the sort of makeup I like to do when I have time to actually sit down and do it - full coverage, smokey eyes and winged liner (normally before a night out, with a glass of gin in hand, but I've not had one of those in a while!) Here's what I used on my face:
Primer - Illamasqua Hydra Veil
Foundation - Sleek Lifeproof
Powder - Kat Von D Lock It Translucent Powder
Blusher - Sara Hill'honeybell'
Bronzer - Lola Makeup
Highlight - Illamasqua Beyond Powder in 'omg'
Setting Spray - Kat Von D Makeup Setting Mist
Eyeshadow - Falak Cosmetics Unicorn Palette& Sleek 'Oh So Special' Palette
Liquid Eyeliner - Kat Von D 10th Anniversary Tattoo Liner
Eyeliner Pencil - Zoeva Graphic Eyes
Brows - Kat Von D Signature Brow Precision Pencil in medium
Mascara - Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes
Lipstick - Charlotte Tilbury in 'very victoria'
As you can see in the close up I was pores galore when I took these photographs! Which is in no way a bad reflection on the primer or foundation I used - my skin had just been feeling really dull for a while and I felt like any bit of makeup clung to the troublesome bits of my skin quite badly. Since then, I've been doing some at home facial peels (Dermalogica Rapid Reveal Peel) which I was kindly gifted by a local salon - Roar Hair & Beauty, and this week I got dermaplanning done for the first time and OMG IT WAS HEAVENLY. Seeing all the crap then scrape from your skin is extremely satisfying. And my face is feeling so much better for it. I need to get back into a good skincare routine before bed, so if there's any nice new products you've tried and would recommend please let me know! I have 5 empty Lush tubs sitting in my bathroom at the moment, which equals a free fresh face mask when you hand them in, so I shall need to do that soon. I also still have a voucher for the Lush Spa through in Edinburgh which Pete got me for my birthday last year, so hoping we can book up for that in the next few months. You know that feeling where your whole body needs a complete overhaul - a proper deep massage and exfoliation, moisturising hair mask, all of the face masks, basically a full MOT! Like that scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and her gang get taken for makeovers in the Emerald City. That would be bloody lovely ♥
