GET THE LOOK | Bright Matte Lip Love with L’Oréal, Maybelline and MAC

How thankful was my face for this minimal amount of make-up that I sported over the weekend? After a week of wearing full-face make-up working at World MasterCard Fashion Week, my skin definitely needed a breather for a couple of days so I opted for a “minimalist” bright lip look!  “Minimalist” in quotation marks because as you’ll see it takes a little more effort for me to pull off a minimal look. :)
Anyone that knows me…knows that I’m an eye make-up kind of girl…so the bright lip look took more than just the lipstick itself to make me feel ok out of my usual comfort zone.  Here’s how I got the look!

FACE

• Primer:  L’Oréal’s Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
  I love this primer – it has a subtle shine that really illuminates the skin, giving it a dewy and glowy finish without being too shimmery….and after a week of well-worth-it sleep deprivation, my skin certainly needed all the help it could get!!!  I concentrated a little more of the Magic Lumi primer just under the eyes to help distract and reflect light away from my more-than-usual prominent undereye circles…
• Foundation:  Maybelline’s Dream Nude Airfoam in Sun Beige
  This spray pump foundation takes a little bit of practice to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, the pay-off is worth it.  It leaves a super-natural finish to the skin and feels very lightweight.  Since the coverage build-up is quite light, Dream Nude works best for normal skin.  If you need a little more coverage for bumps and unevenness in the skintone etc, I’d opt for a heavier coverage foundation.
• Concealer:  Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant and Buff
  Dream Lumi is on my list of new make-up loves!  This highlighting concealer is the drugstore alternative to the much-coveted YSL Touche Eclat.  Yes, the gel formula is not as smooth in blending as its department store counterpart, but it covers my undereye bad boys just as well!  As I have seeerious undereye circles, usually a two-step approach is required.  I used a touch of Dream Lumi in Radiant to further brighten the purple-brown tone under the eyes, and then blended it in with the skin-tone matching Buff….et voila!  Undereye circles vamoose – a disappearing act that I could get used to :)
• Blush:  Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin and Rose Petal
  Another Maybelline product new on my list of make-up loves!  This cream-to-powder blush is the most user-friendly cream blush I have worked with – just use your fingers to pat the colour in place – right onto the apples of the cheeks (smile to make your apples more prominent).  Dream Bouncy has a subtle shimmer which provides a gorgeous dewy highlight.  Because I’m a make-up artist and I like to mix and complicate things, I used Dream Bouncy in Peach Satin first and applied it atop the apples of the cheeks, blending upwards.  Then I concentrated Dream Bouncy in Rose Petal higher up on the apples as a slight highlight.  I loved the reducing effect using a darker and lighter Bouncy blush had on the size of my cheeks, as my cheeks comprise so much of my face!  More reviews to come of Dream Bouncy Blush – love this stuff – a definite must-try for your spring/summer make-up routine :)

EYES

• Eyeliner:  Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner
  Anybody who knows me knows how fanatical I am about my liquid liner – true story, I’ve woken early to apply liquid liner while camping…and I’ll probably wear liquid liner well into my grandma years.  I’ve been using the same liquid liner ever since before I knew how to actually use it properly and my life would change should that product ever be discontinued.  THANKFULLY, I have a back-up plan now!  Maybelline’s Master Precise liquid liner is now also a staple in my personal kit [I know, I know  – most people have multiple lipsticks in their make-up bags…and of course, I have multiple liquid liners.  A girl needs options, ok!].  This felt-tip pen is super precise – we’re talking a 0.4 mm tip.  The pen doesn’t leak nor does it deposit too much ink so it’s really easy to work with, no matter what skill level of liquid line user you are.  No messy lines here!  For this ‘minimalistic’ look, I simply pushed the pen upwards into my lashes to fill out my lashline and give the illusion of fuller lashes.  I gave the ends a slight cat-eye flick that blended with my lashes.
• Mascara:  Maybelline Lash Stiletto in Very Black and Maybelline Volume Express Falsies Black Drama
  Yes, I already admitted to complicating things when it comes to applying make-up – one product for one purpose is never enough!  I used one coat of Lash Stiletto to add some length to my lashes, and quickly followed it up (so there was minimal time for drying in between coats) with a lush coat of Falsies for some volume!  This bright lipstick look is minimalist per se, but for it to be polished, it’s essentially about the make-up that you can’t see – so big lashes and full + groomed brows are a must!  Oh yes, curling the lashes before mascara application…also a must :)

LIPS

• MAC’s Chen Man Force of Love Lipstick (Limited Edition)
  I usually don’t do brights, and Force of Love is to me…shockingly bright!  I think it’s described as a honeysuckle rose.  On me, I would say it’s more like a high-voltage coral pink.  I really do love how wearing Force of Love brightens the entire face.  I was really surprised how its ‘matte’ texture didn’t dry out my lips…and my lips are notorious for being dry, which is probably another reason why I stray away from the brights!  I can see Force of Love working well with many skin tones, because of its warmer undertone and I can’t wait to use it on a shoot.  It’s a definite must-buy for bright lip lovers!  (I’m talking to you Miss Arianne aka GlitterGeek!)

bright lips vs. my usual go-to of dark eyes

Side note:It’s funny how being around pretty young things for a week can (maybe-not-so) subconsciously lead to applying make-up a little more heavy-handed than usual….when generally, people look younger with less make-up.  I always said that make-up was part psychology!! :)

Bright lips may be winning me over just yet…