It’s a tough life when you want to maintain a cool-girl aura but your skin doesn’t quite get with the cool-girl programme. I want to be effortless — so French, just a swipe of concealer, and a little lipstick and voila! Trouble here is that my skin is usually quite grumpy with me (I’m being very diligent with my mask and acid routine, plus I’ve got the best post-acne treatment in the world — time!) so if I want to do proper makeup, I’ll want to cover some stuff. Also, must deal with what it means to have with complexion makeup basically shifting from where it’s supposed to be and ending up somewhere else — thank you humidity!
I also realised, much later than I’d like to admit, that if something is worth putting on my face, it’s worth protecting. (I’m sure there is a crucial life lesson hidden in here somewhere, but I’m too jaded to find it right now) So whether you spend five or fifty minutes on your makeup, you didn’t go through all that work to watch it fade away through the day, right? Right.
Your options are largely sprays, loose powders and pressed powders; and the loose powder formulae have my heart (and my face). Cover FX’s Perfect Setting Powder is my main, and makes one of the widest shade ranges of setting powders in the market. It’s probably a little more coverage than I need, but what am I if not overkill? Dermablend’s translucent setting powder is another favourite, which makes the thought of sweeping chalky white powder bearable. There is absolutely no flashback in photos, and I stick to using this only under my eyes and nose.
The only issue with loose powders is that they don’t particularly travel well. This is where pressed powders come in, which are ideal for touchups, because lets get real, you’re not really going to whip out a kabuki brush and loose powder in the washroom of a dimly lit bar. (Um, I probably would though). Loreal’s Mat Magique’s compact is super effective at toning down crazy sparkly blush, and even comes with SPF! It’s not quite as heavy as a powder foundation, but isn’t a light finishing compact either. If you are in the mood to splurge, though, try Estee Lauder’s Golden Alligator pressed powder. The packaging is oh-so-chic, and I’m currently in process of setting up a worldwide donation fund so I can finally get my hands on this beauty.
If you’re not playing around with setting your makeup, try Urban Decay’s setting spray. It has an alcohol base so it dries up quickly, but is still gentle enough not to flare troubled skin. I don’t use sprays often, but when I do, I know my face isn’t running away anywhere till I do an intense triple cleanse. Also, I have my mitts up and am waiting to hear about what you use to lock your makeup in. Do you use something that I need to be using? Tell me everything!
Saumya R Chawla
@pixie.secrets
The writer loves to over-share, drink wine & watch period dramas