For today’s blog, I thought I’d write something a little different. We write a whole lot about skincare, when in reality, at Sweet Cecily's, myself and Dorrie talk about literally everything and anything you could think of, so I though, why not bring some of our conversations on to our blog. I’m honestly not that great at makeup, so this blog isn’t a do’s or don'ts, simply a ‘what I do as a really lazy person who is unable to operate a brush to her face with any elegance’. So let's get into a super simple makeup routine...
Primer
Firstly, once my contact lenses are in, sponges wet and everything it set out ready to be used, I start off with a primer. I use a poreless primer which leaves my skin feeling so smooth and ready for a base to be applied. When it comes to a primer, I like to use something that isn’t going to dry my face out before I’ve even started, so this one for me is a middle ground of not drying my face but also not making my skin super dewy.
Tinted Moisturiser
Up until around 3 months ago, I was always for a full, heavy foundation to hide my freckles because for as long as I can remember, I was embarrassed about them. There was no reason behind why I hated them, and I’m not even completely sure when I decided that I wanted to stop hiding them but I’m so glad I did. Since getting over the hatred for my freckles, I’ve moved on to a tinted moisturiser as my base which I blend with a sponge. I’ve found that switching from a foundation to a tinted moisturiser, especially on the warmer days, makes my skin feel so much lighter and weirdly, less sweaty. If you feel like you’re someone who always wears a heavy-duty foundation, I’d recommend trying out something a bit lighter – game changer!
Concealer
After I’ve applied my base, I then go in with a concealer under my eyes and anywhere else I feel like needs a bit more coverage and blend it out. The thing that I’ve found since switching my base is that I can decide how full coverage my skin looks with a concealer. If on some days I want to cover less I will add just a small amount and if I want to cover up more, I can use as much concealer as I like. I personally use a concealer that is just a tiny bit lighter than my foundation so I’m able to use it anywhere while also brightening the high points of my face too.
Liquid Blush
Since toning my makeup down a little bit I’ve changed most of my products, one of them being a powder blush to a liquid blush. Before I powder my face I apply a tiny – and I mean tiny! – amount of liquid blush on my cheeks and blend it out up towards my temples. If I feel like I look like a bit of a ghost, especially before this step, I will sometimes just lightly brush the remainder of the product around my nose and the rest of my face just to put some colour back into me.
Powder
Once I’ve done all my liquid products I sweep a small amount of translucent powder over my whole face and particularly focus on where I have put my concealer. There was once a time where I would use a lot of powder, but now looking back there was just no need, especially when I have dry skin, the powder would just cling to those patches.
Bronzer
Now that I’ve applied the powder all over my face I go in with a powder bronzer to just add some more colour into my face. I can’t and don’t contour but I do add this product in those places, purely just because I watch everyone else put it there.
Highlighter
Finally finishing up on my base I add a small amount of highlight to my cheek bones and above my brows. I remember the days when I would smear the whole pan of highlight on my face and basically look like a walking disco ball – not a good look for me!
Brow Gel
Now comes the most stressful part…I always say brows are sisters not twins, but I want them to look like twins! Rewind back to 2017 and I was carving the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Pomade into my brows like my life depended on it and I am so glad I don’t have that responsibility anymore. Nowadays I just apply some brow gel over my natural shape while also filling in any sparse areas with the gel. I always recommend brow gel to anyone who doesn’t already use one because for me it was just an absolute game changer to my makeup routine.
Mascara
Almost at the end! This ones pretty self explanatory, but for my lashes I just curl my lashes for around 7 seconds each and then apply any mascara I can see and apply it to my lashes. The only exception I really like when it comes to lashes is that the mascara is waterproof, but when it comes to lengthening, volume, the ‘3D look’, I really don’t care. Regardless of what it says on the tin, I know that my short and stubby lashes won’t ever look voluminous, so I have learnt to deal with it.
Setting Spray
Lastly, I never know if setting spray is just a money-making scheme, but I basically drench myself in the stuff to keep my makeup on throughout the day. I usually just go for one that says its long lasting rather than a matte or dewy one.
This blog was a little different to our usual skincare tips but I just wanted to write this blog for those like me who can sometimes find it a bit daunting and/or don’t like to use a lot!
P.S I swear this whole routine takes me around 20 minutes – depending on how perfect I want my eyebrows lol!
