With this unusual situation when everyone is preferring to stay home, I know it is not easy to feel in the best of your mood and to ‘get ready' to work from home. For me personally, not every day is the same. I know you will agree with me that a little touch of makeup here and there not only makes you feel good but also uplifts your mood. This is the time where you really have to get up and get ready for your own self so that you can be YOU. I won't say that I put on makeup every single day, there are days when I do not really want to put on makeup, the reason might be any – maybe I am too lazy already thinking about removing the makeup in the evening or I might not have any virtual meetings to join or just that I got up late and then barely able to make it to a meeting once the breakfast has been served to kids. Of course, I join many meetings without turning on my camera. Just to let you know that I am with you all, let me know in comments how are you staying positive during this time and are you putting on makeup as usual?
I have a few staple products in my makeup stash which I reach out for a lot. The main areas I focus to look fresh and presentable are base skin, eyes, lips, and a little hint of colour on the face. For my base makeup, I alternate between radiance giving primers like Guerlain L'Or Primer, Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow, or Laura Mercier Primer Illuminating. They all are very lightweight, does not even feel like I am wearing some. I have been alternating between two tinted moisturizers, Sisley Paris Phyto Hydra Teint and Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. Both are super lightweight and give a beautiful natural tint and radiance to the skin. Tinted moisturizers do work for me these days and I am not reaching out much for a foundation. When I am in the mood for foundation, the most I reach out for and my most loved during Summer is Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, Nars Tinted Glow Booster, or my forever staples Sisley Paris Sisleÿa Le Teint Anti-Aging Foundation and Cle de Peau Beaute The Foundation. Both give sheer coverage, are very lightweight, blends nicely, and most of all look very natural and imparts radiance.
If you are more into skincare and still want a little extra radiance, I would suggest adding a few drops or a pump of By Terry Brightening CC Serum or the new ReviveSkincare Hydrating Radiance Oil into your moisturizer. By Terry CC Serum has been my staple for a few years now, it is one of those multi-tasking products that I can mix a pump with my moisturizer or even in a tinted moisturizer or foundation, and last but not the least it works alone very well. For an under eye brighter, I love Sisley Paris Stylo Lumiere, Cle de Peau Radiant Radiant Corrector for Eyes, By Terry Touche Veloutee, and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer. I do wear sunscreen every single day.
For the eye, I do wear eyeliner most of the days and I am good to go. Other days, I use a cream eyeshadow along with the eyeliner. My favorite eye pencils to line my waterline is Givenchy Khol Couture Waterproof, Nars high-pigment long-wear liner, and Marc Jacobs Highliner. For the cream eyeshadows, my favorites are Cle de Peau Beaute solo eye color, Surratt Lid Lacquer, Decorte eye glow gems, and Tom ford solo cream eyeshadows. If you are more into powder eyeshadows, my picks are Sisley Les-Phyto Ombre, Surrat Artistique eyeshadows, and Chantecaille Luminescent Eyeshades. If you are not into eyeshadow pots and more into cream eyeshadow sticks, my favorites are Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow and By Terry Ombre Blackstar. Both are very easy to apply and are very practical, without any mess.
For mascara, I reach out the most for Givenchy Volume Disturbia, By Terry Lash Expert Twist, and Nars Climax Mascara. My favorite eyeliners are Givenchy Liner Disturbia and Surratt Auto Graphique Liner. For brows, my favorites are Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil, Sisley Paris Phyto Sourcils Design, Rodial Microblade Effect Eyebrow Pencil, and Surratt Beauty Expressioniste Brow Pomade.
Giving a little hint of color to the cheeks is always my favorite part. My absolute favorite is Chantecialle Cheek Gelee in ‘Vibrant' and Shiseido Minimalist Whipped Powder Blush in ‘Sonoyo'. For powder blush, I love Laura Mercier Color Infusion Blush in ‘Rose and Kir Royale', Givenchy Le Prisme Blush in ‘Spice', and Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in ‘Pillow Talk Intense'. I do love Nars blushes and have few blush palettes from Nars which work so beautifully on my skin.
As far as setting powders are concerned, they are not only to set the makeup but they work very well even to just apply after your skincare and depending on the powder and your skin concern – the powder can even out or blur the skin concerns, control the shine and oil on the face, make the skin look fresh and radiant. My favorite setting powders are Sisley Paris Blur Expert, By Terry Hyaluronic Acid Powder, La Prairie Skin Caviar Loose Powder, Laura Mercier Loose Powder, and Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder.
I know there are many who love to use face mist, like me. I do keep a face mist near me, basically on my work desk or in my bag if I am going out. I do use a face mist to set makeup sometimes and other times I just use it over my makeup to just even out the makeup or freshen it up. Face mist also works nicely to use during the day or as part of skincare routine depending on which face mist it is. I love using Sisley Paris Floral Spray Mist, Guerlain Parure Gold Mist, and Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist – they both work as the last step in makeup routine and also work to freshen up the face before applying serum in the skincare routine. Biologique Recherche L'Eauxygenante mist also is a great staple for me.
The bronzers I am never without are Givenchy Les Saisons Healthy Glow Powder and Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder. They are my most favorite bronzers with beautiful non-ashy natural and radiant finish. If you are more into liquid bronzers or bronzers that work on the body too, I highly recommend trying Instant Liquid Bronzer – By Terry Tea to Tan Face & body which is capable of giving you matte or radiant finish depending on your preference.
Coming to the lips, I do have few lip products I always reach out for – whether to nourish my dry lips or to impart some color to them. My favorite lip exfoliating products that I reach out the most for are By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Scrub and Henne Organics Lip Scrub. My staple lip care products are By Terry Baume de Rose, Givenchy Le Perfecto, Cle de Peau Lip Glorifier, and Sulwhasoo Essential Lip Serum Stick. When it comes to giving some hint of color to lips, I love using a high pigmented lip color on top of my lip care products. My staples that work with lip care products are Sisley Phyto Lip Twists and Nars High Pigment Lip Pencil.
I started this post to share few of my basics and ended up sharing some favorites too. Let me know what is your staple and if you share any favorite with me.