On a day-to-day basis, my make-up tastes are quite simple. Juicy and healthy-looking skin, a bit of pink warmth in my cheeks, a heap of bronze eyeshadow with some liner to make eyes pop, and a peachy lip serves me just fine 90% of the time.
These products deliver that – and I’ve reached for them time and again this year. Some are new, but many are old favourites. None of them will be replaced unless I find a superior product //
L’Oréal Paris’ Infallible Pro Glow Longwear Foundation / No surprise here – this medium coverage, skin-but-on-a-bloody-good-day foundation has been my go-to since April, and I wrote about it in depth here.
Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage Concealer / Unequivocally the best concealer on the planet. Employ a brush, please, to reduce the oil and bacteria you put back into the pan after using.
Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift / New to me this year, but what a great addition. This is part concealer, part brightener, and it doesn’t go crusty or slide into creases at the first given opportunity.
Bobbi Brown Nude Finish Illuminating Powder / Want a powder to lock down your foundation but don’t want to look matte and flat? This. There are some others that do it well that I’ve also enjoyed this year, but this one wins on account of being in pan form and therefore not spilling everywhere when I travel with it.
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow used with Mishel Slant Brush / This combination delivers fluffy, slightly bulkier but not absurd brows, speedily.
Daniel Sandler Brow Fix / If your brows need no assistance staying in place, you don’t need this. If, however, they like to naughtily ping into odd positions, brow gel is essential. I like this one as the tiny wand offers MUCH control and also doesn’t distribute too much product, so your brows don’t end up crunchy or shiny.
Trish McEvoy Liquid Face Colour in Shade 1 / This just brings a face to life. I put it on after foundation, before powder, and blend with fingers.
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk / This pearlescent, slightly ruddy pink looks excellent when slung low on a cheekbone in a tick shape and then buffed to rally meld the colour with skin.
Tina Earnshaw Brushes in 2 and 18 / 2 can be used for the aforementioned buffing and for bronzer/powder/any face work, while 18 is great at laying down eyeshadow. Both are excellent quality and have clearly been made by someone who understands make-up in the way only a make-up artist can.
Elizabeth Arden FourEver Bronze Bronzing Powder in Medium / A longstanding favourite, this bronzer is ideal if you want warmth without muddiness, along with a little whisper of sheen to make your face glow.
Decorte Eye Glow Gem in BR382 / Creamy, sheeny, and slightly glittery, just whack this on an eyelid with fingers or a flat brush, blend at the edges with a cotton bud or with a blending brush (I like MAC 217), and you’re done. But if you want to take your eye make-up up a notch…
Trish McEvoy Intense Gel Liner in Black / I have a penchant for softer than soft eyeliners that glide across a lid and add a shot of deepest black, and this one does those things enormously well. I slide it across my upper lash line, then blend quickly into my shadow with my Jillian Dempsey Fan Brush before it sets.
My Kit Co Brushes / I love the 1.11 liner brush to grab my liner and pull it into a baby flick if I’m so inclined, otherwise, the 1.14 Detailing Crease brush is brilliant at blending and adding a smoky element to a lower lash line.
Trish McEvoy Lip Perfector Conditioning Balm / This is magic. It makes lips look plump and healthy but is sheer and looks enormously good under lipstick. A reader told me when I was exploring Trish’s range that she relies on this even though she can’t quite explain what it does and I’d second that – I use it daily, liberally, and love the way it makes my lips just look better.
Surratt Eyelash Curlers / When Shu Uemura left the UK, I had to hunt down a pair of curlers that would take their place and these were the best. They’re not too curved, so ideal if your lash line is longer than most curlers.
Charlotte Tilbury American Sweetheart lipstick / The perfect fleshy pink. But not too pink. Not saccharine pink. Ideal with a ‘done’ eye. Sadly limited edition but I’ve linked to some on amazon.
Code 8 Miss Saigon 5 Secs / If you like lip colour but don’t like the feeling of having anything on your lips, this is the one. It stays put, but doesn’t make lips feel dry, and the colour is a delightful deep fleshy pink with a bit of plum at play too.
Perricone MD No Lipgloss Lipgloss / Another hard one to describe, but this effectively looks that sort of deep pink of Disney character’s lips (look at Aurora’s in Sleeping Beauty – it’ll give your lips that vibe), isn’t sticky, makes bare lips or dressed look luscious, and I apply a dab of it almost every day to the centre of my lips and let it bring them to life.
Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Liquid Lip / The best lipgloss I’ve ever found with a hint of colour. A slightly different beast to the above in that this is more coloured lipgloss than life-mimicking glossy pink, but similar in that it isn’t sticky and looks good over other lip products.
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyes Mascara / My most used mascara of the year, this doesn’t clump or make lashes look mad – it just coats every one in sooty colour and bulks slightly.
Perricone MD No Highlighter Highlighter / I love gloss but hate obvious highlighters, so this is perfect for me. A smidge on a cheekbone makes bone structure pop.
2 Comments
Thank you so much for writing this!! I’ve been looking for a concealer that doesn’t go into the crease for what seems like ages. I’ll definitely have a look at the Trish McEvoy concealer, although the Laura Mercier one doesn’t sound bad at all either. Everything that I’ve tried so far (and it’s a lot trust me) creases in a matter of seconds. I end up looking like I have all the wrinkles in the world although I’m only 24.
It’s so hard. Remember not to use too much though and to tap it in. Is your face oily?