Base collection

The first of my maquillage experiences was at the age of two. I got up in the middle of the night, tip toed into my parents room (they were watching telly downstairs) and explored the contents of my mom's makeup box. Next thing I remember, I was being given a bath to get the lipstick out of my hair with mom yelling: 

"YOU'RE SO NAUGHTY!"

I had drawn on the walls, trod powder into the carpet and made the whole room reek of perfume. 

Nine years later, I was allowed to have my own makeup and (under arduous supervision) could practice putting it on and taking it off myself. By the time I was fifteen, I had become proficient in routine application and my definition of a quality product refined over time.  I am now a qualified professional (yay!)

Before we go out and splurge on various shades of eyeshadows and lipglosses, we need to get together a few bits and bobs to create the groundwork for the rest of our makeup. These products will be your base collection. 

Once you've cleansed, toned and moisturised, your first product should ALWAYS be a decent face primer.

It's extremely important to provide a barrier between your skin and the makeup, (particularly if yours is oily or combination) so as to avoid clogged pores. They will also provide a smooth pallet for your foundation and help your makeup last longer. This is my chosen primer:

Out of all the primers I've used in the past, this one gets my biggest seal of approval. There's nothing quite like feeling your cheeks after rubbing a splodge of this all over them. It's one of the best ones out there, and isn't too expensive, about £25 per 30ml bottle.

Next is concealer and foundation. Concealer should always go on problem areas such as dark circles prior to foundation. For me, going from cadaver-like pale in the winter to extremely tanned in the summer gets a bit tiring. Trying to hunt down various shades of foundation to keep up with my chameleon like complexion is no mean feat. Thankfully since the discovery of this range, I have got it down to a fine art.

Dainty Doll by Nicola Roberts of... Girls aloud I think. Makeup specially formulated for redheads and I have to say this is the miracle I have been waiting for. It matches up to my skin colour exactly.

• Loose mineral powder foundation - 001 Now that I've found you (very light) - £20
• Liquid Foundation - 001 Now that I've found you (very light) £22
• Hot pour concealer - 001 Abracadabra (very light) £14.50

Truly amazing stuff, blends seamlessly with no detectable yellowness, long lasting and above all hygienic with pump action and built in brush applicators. The concealer I have to use with a separate brush, but all in all highly recommended for truly pale skin. 

My backup foundation for the winter will always be No 7 liquid foundation in alabaster - £15

At the time it seemed to match like a dream, but it's still a touch darker than my natural skin tone. This one has to be shaken extremely well prior to application, since it can get quite runny, particularly towards the end of the bottle. Even though it's long lasting, it doesn't last quite as long as Dainty doll, and as you can see no where near as light:

And now for the summer:

• Estée Lauder double wear stay-in-place liquid foundation SPF10 - 1C1 Shell - £26.50
• Estée Lauder double wear mineral rich loose powder SPF12 - Intensity 1.0 - £26.50
• Estée Lauder Foundation Brush 1 - £28

Since I a have a lot of experience with this brand, I know that the internet order formula goes something like this:

Shade you think you want + couple of shades = shade you'll actually get. Always best to shop in person for Lauder, shades on the website are incredibly inaccurate. Even the lightest shades always have a slight orangey tinge.  This lot compliments my natural tan very nicely without accentuating it, so I can get away with applying a bit of bronzer over the top of it.

Finally - highlighter/shimmer

Benefit Ooh La Lift - £16

Nice little brightener for post powder and blush. Customarily highlighter should only be applied under the eyes or above the cheekbone, however I tend to use it quite liberally as an all over i.e. forehead, browbone, nose, cupid's bow etc. This one is quite creamy with a subtle pink shimmer but I find it's more of an iridescent luminance once it's on. Many make the mistake of using to try and hide dark circles; you're only getting rid of the foundation and making the shadows sparkle. It's a shimmer, not a concealer. 

I will go more into detail with different primers and concealers for red/blotchy or uneven skin tone at a later date, the purpose of this post was just to give you an example of what you need for the perfect base.

:)

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