HOW TO: Powder

You want to achieve that effortless, soft matte look without looking cakey, dry or have any of your lines emphasized? Look no further, my friends. I’ve done my fair share of trial and error with this medium and I’ve found a couple of ways where you can achieve this look and I’ll show you how to prolong the wear.

Technique #1: Baking (with loose powder)

Yes, as much as I adore that dewy, fresh glowy look. This technique is best to achieve long-lasting results. If you’re going to an event or you need your makeup to stay in place, definitely give this a try. Apply your liquid or cream foundation accordingly then go in with a separate makeup sponge and dab it in your loose powder then apply a generous amount of the powder throughout the face. Your face should look like you accidentally got some cooking flour on it. Fear not, leave the excess powder on your face for about 5-10 minutes for the product to warm up and seal your foundation into place. After 5-10 minutes, take a large fluffy powder brush and swipe off the excess powder, you should notice your skin looking so smooth, matte and almost doll-like. If you’re going to an evening event, definitely avoid any spf-based, white loose powder as they can cause flashback in photos. Opt for a tinted tone loose powder with a finely milled texture as it gives better and smoother skin results.

The one I recommend and that is super budget-friendly is the Maybelline fit me loose powder, this one is such a great product and I actually prefer it over the popular Laura Mercier one that the vast majority of the beauty community apparently loves.

Technique #2: Blotting (throughout the day with a pressed powder)

This technique will require you to bring the powder on the go with you so be sure to pack your pressed powder of choice with you. A lot of pressed powders come with sponge applicators and those can get dirty really easily so be sure to replace or wash your sponges often. I prefer to bring my separate beauty sponge or even a ruby-cell puff (you can find these in cushion foundations) because they give me the more precise application and you can use them by themselves or damp them if you like. I prefer to use them dry.

Technique #3: Powder application with a sponge

In my opinion, I find makeup sponge powder application the most effective and provides long-lasting results. As for large fluffy powder, brush application doesn’t seem to last as long. It’ll look fine for the first couple of hours then progressively get oilier and maybe your foundation might even break, separate throughout the day because the application technique wasn’t good enough to withhold your foundation. I have combination skin so my t-zone is always the one that separates my foundation so I need a really good application method to ensure that it’ll stay in place the entire day.

I hope these tips helped with your powder application troubles because I think I’ve had my fair share of moments where my foundation just broke in midday and that was not a good look.

 

MAKEUP ROUTINE w/ CONAIR BEAUTY TOOLS

Hello friends, I hope you’re all having a wonderful week so far! I’m back to share two fantastic and affordable beauty tools with you all!
If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I posted on these goodies a while ago and in case you missed a post, here it is! INSTAGRAM POST 🙂

There’s a lot of beauty tools in the market from facial massagers, LED skincare treatments, makeup application tools and etc. I think most of us use a beauty tool in our life. Before we had ACTUAL beauty sponges, I was using my fingers to apply foundation/face products because it worked and they’re completely free! What I mean by actual beauty sponges, there is a lot in the market that absorbs far too much makeup. I find the ones that have the ability to expand, absorb less makeup. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’ve had better experiences with those than the traditional makeup square sponges that you can buy in bulk; those absorb pretty much all the product I tried to apply on my face.

Brill Communications x Conair was kind enough to send out some of their new makeup applicators to try out and share with you guys. I wanted to show you all how I use them and how they’ve made my makeup application game a lot easier simply because they are multi-function and are not limited to only foundation/bb cream application.

Let’s start off with the brush set first, this is my favourite out of the two products simply because of the interchangeable heads and the fact how travel-friendly it is. It’s compact and the powder brush applicator is really soft. The sponge applicator head allows you to blend in foundation, cream blush, and cream bronzer.  How awesome is that? It just melts right in the skin and you can also wet it so it can expand. The brush applicator allows you to evenly apply powder-based products. I used this with my face powder and powdered blush and I liked how it had an even and seamless application.

As for the beauty sponge, it may look like a standard sponge but it’s actually battery operated and offers a one-speed sonic advantage. Top it off, it has a stand! I know for sure I have trouble storing my makeup sponges because they pretty much bounce off everywhere and with this stand, it makes things easier and you can easily find it too. Now if you’re a fan of the concept of an oscillating sponge, you can simply just remove the stand/battery and just use it as a regular sponge. Like any beauty sponge, this can be wet and is super easy to clean; it’s not stiff like some generic brands and I find it’s quite comparable to my favourite Danielle, Real Techniques and Eco Tool Sponges. I find this expands really easily and it’s really bouncy, making application super easy.

TIP: For control and precise application, place your finger in the sponge’s hole and apply makeup throughout your face. You can also wet this sponge and it expands quite a lot. A lot more than a competitor brand. It also absorbs a minimum amount of makeup so you’re wasting that much product when using this.

Thanks for tuning in for this week’s blog post. If you’re interested in seeing more beauty related posts, please feel free to request what you would like me to share next. Hint: check out my Instagram feed and scroll around to see what you want me to review about or dupe.