The Normal Girl's Guide to Makeup

Believe it or not, another month has come and gone, and it's time to talk about four products that wowed me this month!

 

Let me preface this one by saying that I am not into the contouring trend. Not that I don't think it can look nice, but it doesn't seem to work on me (round face) and I think it's just way too easy to go overboard with it. So, I have stayed away. However, as every single makeup brand has been bringing out giant contouring palettes, I have found myself wondering about their quality and their usefulness for those of us not necessarily on the contouring bandwagon. Wanting to try one out without completely breaking the bank, I went for a promising looking one from the drugstore side of Ulta.

This palette by NYX has been such a pleasant surprise! And the great news for those of you like me? I haven't been using it for "contouring" at all. The top row of the palette has two shimmery and two matte highlight colors, and I have used these nonstop. The shimmers are beautiful as highlights, and the mattes are great for setting concealer under the eye. I have also loved using the mattes to set my eyeshadow primer before going in with the rest of my eyeshadow! The row of "contour" shades has a mixture of cool and warm toned browns, and depending on your skin tone, you're probably going to find the right bronzer for you among them. However, they also make beautiful eyeshadows! I haven't tried them this way, but I imagine some of them would make great brow powders as well. So many uses for one palette!

And, if you do want to try contouring out, it does that too. Just don't look to me for advice!

As you can see from the well-loved look of these concealers, this product is not a new one to my collection. In fact, I recommended them here in my budget beauty post. However, I sort of rediscovered them this month and remembered why I love them so! I have them in the two lightest shades, 15 Fair and 10 Light, and I use the lighter shade (15 Fair) under my eyes to hide dark circles, and the other (10 Light) to hide blemishes and redness, as it is closer to my natural skin color. They are very similar to the coveted NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, but I think they're better! Not to mention they're so much cheaper. They blend so easily, and they don't crease. I find that they last longer than most concealers I have tried too!

This is such an oldie-but-goodie. Friends of mine know I have been recommending this product for ages. However, it has specifically been a favorite this month for a reason. I went to Disney World this month, and this was my absolute go-to for long days at the park in the Orlando heat. I am not one of those people who can go to an amusement park completely makeup-free (though I wish I were), but I definitely didn't want to wear a ton of makeup or look like I was wearing a lot. This product is the answer: goes on like a moisturizer, has the coverage of a foundation, and gives you intense SPF (50). Seriously, it is the greatest thing to put on your face if you're going to be out in the sun! All summer, I wore the shade "Light," but I have the lightest shade, "Fair" for the winter months. The only downside to this product is that the SPF makes it have that whitecast you sometimes find in flash photography, so I wouldn't choose this for a night event where you'll be taking a lot of pictures in the dark. However, as you can see on Larissa in this post, it photographs beautifully without flash! 

I can't believe there was a time I didn't think primer was necessary. Not only does it make your foundation application so much smoother, but it also increases your wear-time throughout the day significantly. Even the areas of your face that get shiny quickly and break down product will fair better with a primer underneath. 

My latest go-to has been this oldie-but-goodie: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36.00, Sephora).

This is actually not my most mattifying primer, so if I'm really looking to allow ZERO shine through, I'll go for another, like the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer. That stuff is heavy duty. But for every day, I find that something lighter like the Smashbox one reduces my shine and does everything I want it to do just fine.

You may be thinking, "Well, that's obvious," but it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I really needed to be using foundations that actually claimed to be mattifying. Sadly, no foundations with the words "glow," "dewy," or "illuminating" are going to last more than 30 minutes on my skin, so I have to go with Plan B. 

Probably my favorite matte foundation I have ever tried (and the one I am constantly reaching for these days) is a budget-friendly one: L'Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte ($12.99, Ulta)

Here's my most innovative tip, if I do say so myself. There are a lot of finishing sprays out there that are supposed to mattify your skin while setting your makeup. When I first tried these, I was frustrated because there is simply no way for a liquid spray to not look shiny on your face, even if it is working to keep you matte. That's when I decided to try one underneath my powder. Game changer! This way, you get the benefits of the formula that locks in the oil, but it is topped by your mattifying powder and doesn't look shiny. Plus, I find that it gives the powder something to grab onto, make that application even better. 

Here is my absolute favorite: Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray: Oil Control ($14.00, Sephora)

I always go for the travel size, because it's less than half the price and lasts a long time! Look for the travel size in the checkout line at Ulta if you can't find it with the full-size.

I have found that translucent powders are kinder to my skin while keeping it matte. With all of these products on your face already, a powder that has coverage to it might start to make you look cakey, but a translucent one is going to set everything and keep you matte without adding more layers. Like I said before, put it on top of the setting spray (after you have let it dry for about a minute), and the application is even better!

My favorite for years now has been from the same line as the setting spray above: Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder ($32.00, Sephora)

 

I have spoken before about my practice of bringing touch-up powder with me wherever I go, but my other oily-skin lifesavers are blotting sheets. What an amazing invention! The greatest thing about these is that they remove the shine without messing up your makeup or adding too many layers, like powder sometimes can. 

You don't need to spend a lot on these (hint: all brands are basically the same), so I go for a cheaper drugstore option, and it works great: Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets ($5.99, Ulta)