Ask SCB: What Are Your Daily Beauty Essentials?

To go with yesterday’s post on skincare, I’m going to break down my daily face/makeup necessities that go on pretty much any time I wear makeup. As everyone knows, I am a lipstick FIEND, and so my lips are usually the center of attention for my looks… This makes my life easy because I can stick to a few basic looks for the rest of my face and still create a varied vibe per my color choice, and it saves so much time – and make it easy to do on the go, or if you’re half asleep or drunk or whatever… Whatever.

I like the simplicity of a clean, natural face because it allows you to pay attention to whatever focal point you’re drawing out with a look, be it eyes, lips, cheeks, brows, etc. I hate when girls feel like they need to *make a statement* or be all made up, and it ends up looking far too done and their features are competing for attention. I think girls look best when they look like themselves, just a played up version – makeup should highlight your features and accentuate your personal beauty. Pick an aspect of your face to feature and stick with it, unless you’re a serious pro and know what you’re doing… I recommend this out of personal trial and error, if you have followed me on Twitter for a while then you should know I used to have a dangerous addiction to blush, aaaand mascara. Too much, too much. Don’t do that. Here’s what I use on the daily for a natural, clean but finished look – before lipstick, of course.

face.

Beautiful ladies. Side note: this is the most heart-wrenching GIF of Miley ever becuase Liam but it really shows off how beautifully her makeup is done. Her face is literally so flawless in this. Back to the logistics of how to appear this way – after the AM routine I detailed yesterday, I use MAC’s BB Cream  (SPF 35!) for a solid but sheer coverage that evens my face out and hides any minor imperfections. I don’t wear foundation, I never really have… had to and I thank the skin gods eternally. When I do need to use concealer, I go back to MAC (I used to be really obsessed with them, okay?) and their mineralize concealer. If I end up skimping on sleep, it’s the perfect coverage for under the eyes as well. To finish the face, I’ll dust on Laura Mercier’s translucent powder (I have a shiny t-zone) and then finish everything off with MAC’s pressed powder.

I use Chanel as a daily blush, and am rationing the last of my cream blush (Cactus Flower, if anyone wants to send me some) by NARS that’s been discontinued… :( I do love the color that New Attitude – available only online at Nordstrom right now as part of the ‘Final Cut’ collection – pops onto my cheeks if I’m in a hurry or playing down my lips for the day as it’s vibrant enough to draw attention to the fact I’m wearing it.

eyes.

Ugh, I love a good winged eyeliner. If you need internet inspiration, my friend the eyeliner queen is also the actual #prettygirlproblems. I’m going to skip the brow lesson because I already covered it here. For eyeshadow, I am loyal to Naked 2 on the daily – again, I am all about finding the right balance between beauty and efficiency when it comes to getting ready in the morning. I use Bootycall to highlight under my brow, sweeping Foxy everywhere to even out my lid if need be. Depending on my lipstick choice/feeling, I’ll stick with a neutral lid and slide on some eyeliner. My two faves are Eyeko and YSL’s awesome eyeliner pen. Both are really precise and easy to draw with (they’re literally like a felt-tip pen) so if you’re not a pro with liquid liner, Eyeko is a great place to start. The line is bolder, so if you’re looking for a sharper, fine line or a nice cat eye, the YSL is probably a better choice. If I’m not going for the lined look, I’ll typically choose between Half Baked, Suspect, YDK or a mix of all three and fill my lids with that. Add mascara of choice and you’re good to go!

lips.

Now, lipstick. Me and Bad Gal RiRi. I always make sure to exfoliate/moisturize my lips obsessively when I’m not rocking some neon shade of the rainbow… and I always use a primer. Right now I’m finishing up with MAC’s Prep + Prime, though I feel like it dries my lips out in the long run… I’ll definitely be in the market to find a better one soon.

I love lipstick because I feel like it really allows you to set the tone for who you want to be and what you want to achieve with your day. It’s the easiest way to express your daily YOU… Though no one really knows the meaning behind each lip color when you wear it, personally I always feel like a little different of a person depending on what I’m wearing! Also, names make a difference. You know if you’re wearing a lipstick called Diva, or Rebel, that you’re going to have a little extra bit of badass in your step. I’ll save my soapbox for why everyone should try (and love) lipstick for a different post, but are you sold on it yet? I hope so.

inspo.

I’ll be compiling some of my fave lip colors/total beauty looks that compliment other hair colors for next week so I can better advise my beauties who aren’t brunette/ombre like me! In the meantime, you can look over my Tumblr or Pinterest for inspiration.

xx SCB