First, a bit of a disclaimer… I don’t wear all of these products on a daily basis. These are just my favourite day-to-day products that I would use to create a look that I might go shopping in, or for a meal with friends. To be perfectly honest, for lectures I’m lucky if I get chance to sweep on a coat of mascara and dab on some concealer before I’m dashing along Derby Road!
As you will see, I wear a mixture of high end and high street brands – sometimes cheap brands win out over the likes of Chanel, but in other instances you might not be able to beat those prestige names (unfortunately for your purse).
(I have my Studio Fix in a small MAC pot rather than the full-size bottle, and I also have a mini version of the mascara – just because I wanted to save space while at Uni)
Foundation: MAC Studio Fix Fluid
I wear the shade NW10 because I’m exceedingly pale and also one of those girls who’d rather look a bit ghostly than a bit oompa-loompa. This is a great all round medium-full coverage foundation, where a little goes a long way. I’d apply this with the Real Techniques Expert face brush in lots of small circular motions until it’s nicely worked in to the skin.
Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Fair 1
Yes, I’m yet another that loves this cult concealer. What can I say? It’s cheap, a great formula and this shade is pale enough for me to use (a rare occurrence). I dab this over any dark circles and blemishes with my finger and blend out.
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (in 001 Translucent)
This is a good powder for the price and although it’s not very finely-milled, it does its job well. However, this comes with a warning – the packaging isn’t the most travel-friendly and I’ve broken two of these from carelessly chucking them into the bottom of my bag. Again I use a Real Techniques for this, the buffing brush from the core collection.
Brows: Anastacia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
This works really well for me, as I find you can quite easily amp up your brows from a bit of subtle definition to a power brow. To apply this I use the Real Techniques eyebrow brush from the Starter Set and I use a very small amount of product on the brush to avoid looking like I’ve used a Sharpie.
This is the best mascara I have personally come across. It does all three of the Holy Grail tasks – lengthens, thickens and separates. I’m not convinced my lashes look particularly false with this on but it’s certainly a fab mascara.
Liquid liner: Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Liner
Again, a complete star buy. Comes in at £3.99 and lasts a long time. It doesn’t smudge and I quite like the felt tip applicator – although it may not be great for liquid eyeliner newbies as it is a bit on the wide side. I talked about how to successfully apply liquid eyeliner in my last article (http://www.hercampus.com/school/nottingham/autumn-winter-make-seasons-tr…).
Blush: MAC Blush in Peachykeen
I’ve had this for such a long time but it’s a great shade with a subtle gold shimmer which is perfect for daytime, succeeding in bringing some warmth to the face. Any blush brush would be fine for applying this – just remember that it’s always better to add a little at a time to build up colour.
Highlight: Ted Baker Pink Illuminator
I don’t think you can buy this anymore but Benefit Highbeam is a good replacement. Don’t underestimate the power of some glowy luminosity across the high points of your face (think cheekbones, cupids bow, bridge of your nose). It can instantly slim down and brighten up an otherwise tired complexion.
These are some fancy curlers, and probably considered by most a bit too pricey for your student loan. However these WILL last you for years, whereas that YSL lipgloss you’re lusting after won’t. A good pair of eyelash curlers can carry an OK mascara into falsies territory, providing you get the right shape for your eyes.
Any of the Naked palettes would make a fab everyday palette. They have a fantastic mix of shimmery shades and smooth mattes that can be used for all your eyeshadow needs, from a daytime bronze dusted into the socket to a full on smokey eye at night. Plus they come with brushes – bonus!
(This is a look I have created using the products mentioned. I also applied a slick of Maybelline Baby Lips to finish it off)
Images: author’s own
Edited by Jayde Richards