This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up | £30
Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Cream* | £70
I’m all about the hydrating primers right now. I don’t care about filling in or blurring pores. I just want my skin to be happy under all the makeup. The This Works one is a great all-in-one product that moisturises and gives the skin a matte base. I love that it really holds onto makeup so well throughout the day. When I want a more luminous touch I’ve been opting for the Trish McEvoy, which gives the skin a silky sheen along with an extra layer of hydration.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer | £10.99
KIKO Arctic Holiday Highlighting Drops* | £10.40
If you read my How To | Glowy Makeup For Oily/Combo Skin post you’ll know that I’ve been in hot pursuit of glowy skin these days. And I’ve been adding this extra step in to make my luminous skin dreams come true. Lumi Magique is a white pearly liquid that makes even the most matte foundation appear more skin-like. I can’t seem to make the KIKO Drops work for me as a highlighter, try as I might, so I’ve been putting this on after primer and before foundation. Because it’s a more golden toned product, it just melts right in with my complexion and makes me look like I’m glowing from within.

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder - Shade 7* | £32
Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24HR - 045 Sable Beige | £31.50
I’m desperately trying to finish up Teint Idole which I talked about in-depth in this post here. Thankfully it’s not a chore for me as I love the coverage and the finish of this one so much and its nearly finished. Applied on top of a liquid highlighter is giving it an even more attractive finish for me. The other foundation I find myself reaching for is Light Wonder which has such a beautiful luminous finish, with medium coverage and feels weightless. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m addicted to the 'glow life'!

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer - NW25 | £18
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer - Ginger | £24

Again, I’m mostly reaching for the MAC because I need to use it up soon. It’s a full coverage concealer that’s still creamy, doesn’t crease if you set it immediately and lasts all day. My other choice is of course the NARS which I feel like I’m boring everyone with now. But it’s so good. I can use it quickly with my finger to brighten and even out my under eyes and all over my face to spot conceal if I don’t want to use a foundation. It’s such a good concealer that works well for everyday makeup and special occasion makeup equally.



Topshop Matte Smoke Stick - Sphere | £6.50
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick - Taupe | £23

A cream shadow stick is an every day staple for me because they’re quick to use, pretty much fool-proof and work as a base for eyeshadows should I choose to indulge in some. I’m coming to the end of the Smoke Stick which is a mid-tone taupe shade that looks super natural on my eyes with a soft matte finish. Bobbi Brown's is slightly warmer and lighter in tone so helps to brighten and even out my eye lids also in a soft matte finish. I couldn’t choose a favourite between them so I’ve just been alternating.

Too Faced Natural Matte Eyeshadow Palette | £32
Tarte Tartelette Toasted Palette | $46
I don’t know why I have so many eyeshadow palettes when I only really reach for the Too Faced by default. I don’t even use every shade in this palette but it just has the shades I need for every day to add some colour and definition to my eyes. It has competition now in the form of Toasted which has some equally delicious matte shades that serve me very well. I’m also enjoying playing around with more shimmery looks thanks to this palette.

Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen - Deeper | £45
LA Splash Art Ki Tect Waterproof Slim Liner | £11.25

I decided not to crack open a new DHC Liner because I knew if I did, I wouldn’t give this LA Splash one a chance. I like it but I find it quite temperamental to work with. For example it gives me an incredibly sharp, precise and very black wing but it doesn’t play with cream or shimmery shadows very well. I’m finding it difficult to get consistent results and I don’t like having to wipe the liner between every motion just to get it to work. So I’ve been switching between that and my Tom Ford which I love and need to use up soon as its been a long while.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara | £8.99
Trish McEvoy Lash Curling Mascara* | £22.50
Both of these choices comes down to fear of expiration though having said that Lash Sensational is probably my favourite mascara all round. I've just had it open a while and I am reaching for it as I’m conscious of that fact. Another one that I’m using still a good few months on is the Trish McEvoy which is my first ever tubing mascara. If you’d like to learn more about tubing mascaras I have a whole post here. Neither of them are smelling funky or making my eyes gross so I’m alternating between them to get enough use out of them till I can toss them out.



KIKO Fall 2.0 Duo Bronzer - 01 Bright Life* | discontinued online
Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow | £49
I’ve been reaching for Filmstar a lot lately, mainly because I feel like I’ve savoured this a lot more than is justified for such a pricey product and also because I’ve since purchased two of the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Palettes and they both have these shades and it seems a waste to leave this lying there. The bronzer appears very subtle on my skin which I love. I’m finding the highlighter applies better with my fingertips these days. When I don’t reach for that I find myself choosing the KIKO Duo which is very similar once applied actually. The only difference is that the highlighter in this has a touch more pink about it so I love it when I want to stray from the gold tones.

NARS Blush - Amour | £24
Milani Rose Blush - Tea Rose | £12
They both appear very similar on my face. Both matte. Both rosy pinks. And I just find myself wanting to use them both. Milani is of course a well loved product in my collection and a slightly lighter pink shade. And I’m reaching for Amour too these days because I want to make more use of it. I love the shade so much and want to give it the attention it deserves.



Primark PS... Lip Liner - Toffee
NYX Slide-On Lip Pencil - Intimidate | £6
Once you find that perfect lip liner for your lips and skin tone, I don’t think any lipstick can trip you up ever again. That’s how I feel about these two. When I use either of them I can use any nude, light, peachy, pink shades and somehow pull them off. In fact the two lipsticks I am currently obsessed with that I mention below don’t work for me without these liners. The NYX is a gorgeous deep red toned brown shade that makes it possible for me to pull of light nude lipsticks. Primark's Toffee is such a great bargain buy (if you can find it - I’ve looked for months & I think it might be discontinued) that is a good mid-tone orange brown shade that works perfectly on my complexion.

Dose Of Colors Matte Lipstick - Truffle | £16
PIXI MatteLast Liquid Lip - Matte Beige* | £16
I waited a long time to try Truffle and I wasn’t disappointed. Like I said, I need a lip liner to pull this shade off and it’s well worth that extra bit of effort. This is possibly one of the best peach-toned nudes I’ve ever found for my skin tone. It’s a matte formula that doesn’t flake off and just stays put. I’m actually enjoying rotating between all the shades of Pixi MatteLasts as they’re all so pretty and quite neutral. My favourite is Matte Beige which is a touch lighter and pinkier than Truffle and a great pinky nude for me and a colour I never would’ve thought could work for me. I cannot stress it enough - the value of a good brown lip liner for my fellow women of colour when it comes to nude lipsticks. Back to Pixi and the formula is so pigmented and comfortable on the lips without the usual drama we get from matte liquid lipsticks.





I hope you enjoyed this different take on a current makeup favourites post. Are there any products you find yourself constantly choosing between? Is there anything I've mentioned that you love or would love to try? I'd love to know...




Sal xxx
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*This post contains PR/Gifted items. All opinions are my own & 100% honest. Please see my Disclaimers for more information.