How to get a perfect foundation base!

Hi everyone and welcome back to Behind The Bronzer! Today I am writing about probably one of the most important things when it comes to makeup and that is creating the perfect base. Personally I started playing with makeup when I was a young teenager in high school when my skin started changing. I used makeup to cover and even out my skin. Still to this day foundation and my base are the most important part of my makeup routine.

Today I am going to share with you my favourite products that I like to use to achieve my perfect base at the moment. I have also included a link to my YouTube video at the end of this post. In the video I show you how I use the products mentioned in this post. As always you can also click any images that interesst you and you will be taken to a website where you can purchase the product in Australia.

I did a similar post to this where I wrote about how to get perfect eyebrows which you can read here! In that post I mentioned that everyone should embrace there natural eyebrows and the same goes for your skin. Everyone has different skin and skin troubles. Just because you are using the exact same products as someone else doesn't mean you are going to look identical. Embrace your skin and your features and figure out a way to get the best results out of your products.

Before I get into any makeup products we need to talk about our skin. Makeup can do some pretty neat stuff however unfortunately makeup doesn't cover everything. Looking after your skin is one way to get the most out of your makeup and the first step you should take to get the perfect base. I'm not going to get into skincare, just make sure you look after your skin because it will make your makeup application easier and the results will be better!

Lets get into the makeup! For beautiful long lasting foundation your face should be moisturised and if you want you can apply a primer. The purpose of primer is to increase the longevity of your makeup and supposedly helps your makeup go on nice and smooth. Also, different primers can have a specific purpose for example for oily skin or to fill pores. I don't use primer everyday, I use it when I know I am going to be wearing my makeup for a long period of time.

The primer I use is the very popular primer, Benefit the POREfessional. It does fill in your pores and I can see a visible difference. I always set my makeup with powder and a setting spray, which I will talk about later on, and this always makes my makeup last quite awhile. That is why I don't always use primer. I haven't noticed a substantial difference in how my makeup lasts when I wear this but I just wear it for the added insurance.

Benefit Cosmetics
the POREfessional
price: $53 AUD

My next step for creating a perfect base is concealer. When I was first stating to wear makeup I was obsessed with concealer, I actually used to wear it on its own. I then fell off the concealer bandwagon and opted for full coverage foundations, allowing me to use less steps when applying my makeup. Now, especially coming into summer I have wanted to use less products on my face. Even though by using concealer you are adding extra steps into your makeup routine it can help reduce the amount of makeup you end up putting on your face.

I use two concealers for two different reasons.

Mineralogie
Natural Cream Concealer
price: $39 AUD

This concealer is the best concealer I have ever used. It is very full coverage and I love how it covers up my dark under eye circles and redness. Although full coverage this foundation doesn't settle into fine lines under the eyes. The downside of this concealer is that you can't find it in many stores (they do have a website though!) and there is only three shades to choose from. None of the shades match my pale skin however to solve this problem I put it on before my foundation. I make sure I apply my foundation with a soft touch so I don't move around the concealer underneath. It is pricey but definitely worth it because it works and you only need a small amount of the product.

MAC
Pro Longwear Concealer
price: $32 AUD

I use this concealer over the top of my foundation to highlight my under eye area. I use the lightest shade NC15. When choosing a highlighting shade, go for a shade that is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. This foundation is great for under the eyes because it doesn't settle into the creases and doesn't cake up.




Now lets talk about foundation. Sometimes I let my foundation do all the work by using a fuller coverage foundation, but for this I let the concealer do most of the work and just use a light coverage foundation to even out my skin. 

Nars
Sheer Glow Foundation
price: $59 AUD

This foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation. However together with the Mineralogie concealer you create a full coverage base. Also because of the concealer you use less foundation each application which is great especially since this product is quite pricey. This foundation is silky smooth and worth the money if you are looking for a light weight foundation. This foundation goes on the skin very nicely and lasts well too. 



Next is setting powder which is what I use everyday to make my makeup last longer. For this look I have used two powders. For allover my face I used an Estee Lauder loose translucent powder which is so old I don't think they sell it anymore. I still use it because it is a lightweight velvety powder that does a good job in setting my makeup. The good thing about translucent powders is that they don't add colour or coverage. 

For my under eye area I used a brightening setting powder which is actually considered a concealer.

bareMinerals
Well-Rested For Eyes
price: $24 AUD 

This product is a mineral concealer. It does add a slight bit of coverage which would be great for someone who doesn't have very dark problematic areas. However I like this for it's brighting effect and it's ability to set the Pro Longwear concealer while enhancing it's brighting effect at the same time. 



Finally there is only one step left and that is a setting spray. 

Urban Decay

All Nighter Long Lasting Setting Spray

price: $41 AUD

I have become obsessed with using a setting spray lately. I use it almost every time I wear makeup. I think it really helps your makeup stay in place and last longer. It is also refreshing and settles any powder on your face. 

There you have it, all my favourite makeup products to create a flawless base. I hope you enjoyed this short essay I have written, I just really love creating a flawless base and wanted to share my favourite products with you all! Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my YouTube video to see all these products in action!

Too Faced Everything Nice Palette Review & Swatches

Soooo, I have a confession. I have fallen in love with Mecca Maxima! I was doing very well avoiding the mega makeup store for the longest time in my attempt to save money. However a few weeks ago Makeup Geek on YouTube posted a video showcasing new products, you can watch the video here. I really enjoy watching Makeup Geek's videos like these, even though half the products aren't available in Australia. However in this particular video Marlena featured a Too Faced palette that I really liked the look of and luckily Mecca Maxima stocks the Too Faced Brand. Ever since I saw that video I have been stalking the Mecca website, checking if they had the Everything Nice Palette. Around this time last week I was very pleased to see all the holiday collections were available at Mecca. 

So I went in and got my little hands on the Too Faced Everything Nice Palette for $74. Compared to the US price of $56, it's not too bad. Mecca recently dropped their prices on a few brands making them closer to US prices. Much to my surprise the palette came with a very pink, sparkly makeup bag which doesn't fit the palette inside it like I thought it would, however it can of course be used for other makeup. It also came with a sample size of the infamous Better Than Sex Mascara which I am excited to try out. 

As you can see the palette is very girly and pretty and what's inside is even better. Because there are products on both sides the palette isn't terribly slim which isn't an issue for me especially considering how much product there is.

Inside the palette itself there are three short handle brushes. The addition of these brushes makes this palette perfect for travelling. The brushes are quite soft and although I wouldn't use them every day I would use them when my other brushes need a wash or when I'm travelling.

 

Lets get into the swatches. I tried my best however the lighter colours didn't show up very well.
These are the cheek colours. From left to right:

- Papa Don't Peach (blush): This was my favourite colour for the cheeks. It was silky smooth and has the nicest sheen to it.
- Inner Light (highlight): This isn't very pigmented but you can see the glitter.
- Sweet pink (blush): This is a nice pink blush, nothing special but it is a good addition to any makeup collection.
- Chocolate Soleil (bronzer): This is a matte bronzer with the tiniest bit of shimmer. I personally don't love the colour but it blends out very nicely.

- Totally Fetch: a shimmer shade. This vibrant fuchsia is very nice and I don't have anything else like it.
- Heaven: a completely matte shade with a yellow undertone. This shadow needs primer to show up more on the skin.
- Paper Roses: a mostly matte shade with a little sheen. It's a really nice pale pink shade.
- Turtle Dove: a completely matte white shade. It needs a primer but it would be a really nice everyday highlight.

 - Live it Up: a really nice shimmery purple shade with a little sparkle.
- Shiny Happy: a shimmery cool toned gold shade. This would be a great all over the lid colour.
- Kindness is Free: a really nice pink shimmer shade. This would look really nice combined with Paper Roses and Totally Fetch.
- Dream On: a matte beige shadow. Again, really needs primer for it to show up on the skin.

- Too Glam: a unique dark green with a slight shimmer. A really nice addition to me collection as I have nothing like this.
- Honey Pot: a shimmery warm toned gold shade. A little darker than Shiny Happy.
- Mauvelous: this is a really unique shade. It is a glittery silver shade with a pink undertone.
- After Hours: a really shimmery light brown shade. This is a really wearable shade for day and night.

 - Head Over Heels: A glittery dark blue shade, layering this shade would help to build up its intensity.
- Don't Settle: a cool toned shimmery brown/taupe. Again, a nice everyday shade.
- Be You: a matte cool toned brown shade which can be used for blending.
- Fawned of You: a matte yellow based brown, again really good for blending and adding some warmth to your eye look.

- Chocolate Moon: a black shade with some glitter. It isn't overly pigmented so layering this shade would build up the intensity.
- Girly: a very shimmery warm brown shade with a slight green undertone. I didn't take much notice of this shade until I saw it on my hand, it become my favourite shade. It's very interesting and can't wait to use it in a look.
- Secret Lovers: a darker cool toned brown shade with a slight shimmer.
- Knockout: a warm brown matte shade. Would be perfect for a blending out a darker eye look.

Overall the light matte shades feel quite smooth however they aren't very pigmented. I did swatch the shade without primer and as you can see most of them already have great colour payoff, add some primer and these shade will look amazing on the eyes. All of the other shades I really enjoy, both the feel and colour of them. All of the glitter shades have a really fine glitter in them which doesn't effect their ability to blend. The collection of colours and textures in this palette is inspiring. When you look at the palette you immediately see how you can create multiple looks using shadows in this palette alone. If you aren't familiar with combining eye shadows there is a booklet included that tells you what colours to use and where to place them which is great for beginners.

Overall I would recommend this palette. The eye shadows in this palette are very unique and a great fit for anyone who wants to add some colour into their collection. The cheek colours are not as unique however they are very wearable and I see myself getting good use out of them. If it's a little to pricey for you don't forget Christmas is coming and this would be a great present to unwrap on Christmas morning.

Cute/Casual OOTD - GET THE LOOK!

Today I wanted to try something a little bit different. As the title of this post suggests, I have decided to do a little outfit post. For these posts I will have image links to similar or the exact pieces I am wearing. Hopefully I can give some beautiful ladies some outfit inspo and just overall share my love of fashion as well as makeup on my blog.

So here it goes, this is a casual everyday outfit that is quite girly and cute. Perfect for shopping or lunch dates with your girlfriend. As the weather gets warmer you can even switch out the jeans for shorts. To make the look a little less casual swap the havaianas out for some nice flats or wedges!

TOP - YOUNG AUSTRALIAN DESIGNERS MARKET / BOTTOMS - H&M

NECKLACE - SPORTSGIRL / WATCH - MICHAEL KORS / SHOES - HAVAIANAS

GET THE LOOK