As most of you know, I always talk about skin care because I’m very passionate about it, it’s part of my job as a medical aesthetician. I don’t even really like calling it a job because it just makes me so happy getting to do what I love to do on the daily. One other thing that I am passionate about is makeup. The reason why I love makeup so much is because it allows me to show people who I am through another creative means.
Now I’m not a full glam, over the top, precise placement type of makeup artist. Makeup for me is something that I enjoy and that I like to experiment with, it allows me to show of my creative side and express myself any way I want. When it comes to makeup looks, I’m not the type of girl that does full glam makeup all day every day; though I do appreciate and aspire for that look, it’s just not something that I do all the time, I would say that I have several makeup looks that I like to do, but it always depends on what I’m actually doing and what the occasion is. For instance, if I’m working and seeing clients, I will do a full face of makeup. I do want to present myself professionally and well put together and then I have days where I am not seeing clients, I am not going out to an event, but may be running some errands and if I don’t feel like going out with no makeup, I will do the “no makeup look“. The no makeup look for me starts off with a blemish bomb or a skin tint as my foundation, (instead of a full fledge cover-up foundation) or I’ll use a powder foundation instead of doing the double up and using a cream or liquid foundation, and then applying a powder foundation on top. Usually for my “no makeup makeup look” I will do a neutral matte eyeshadow, lots and lots and lots of mascara, because I do love mascara. Then a tiny bit of blush, some highlighter because I do love to sparkle, a nude lip and I am out the door.
Now with all that being said, I’m going to share with you my top three things that I absolutely love and cannot live without. The first thing, which I believe I gave a clue just a few sentences ago is mascara. I’m not one for lash extensions or applying strip lashes daily. I personally don’t have the patience for strip lash daily application and when it comes to lash extensions unfortunately I cannot do it because I do have alopecia. I’ve learned from my last lash extensions experience that it also pertains to my lashes and not just my hair, so they fell out quite quickly and it was not pretty. I have been using lash growing serums the first being from EyEnvy and now I am using the one from Miskoka Beauty; I have been able to maintain healthier, stronger and thicker looking lashes, and with the right mascara I can create the illusion that I am wearing lash extensions or strip lashes. My absolute favourite mascara that I will sing to the high heavens about every single time is the classic black mascara from Chanel. This mascara I have been using for almost 10 years and will always go back to it. I’ve tried other mascaras, but for me personally, nothing has been able to top, to stand up to, to stand beside or go over the quality of the Chanel mascara in my opinion. I love this mascara. I love the texture of it; the brush applicator is something that’s very unique as well, not only does it make my top lashes look great, it also makes my bottom lashes look good too and that’s really hard to find in a mascara. Because I use the lash growing serum, my bottom lashes have grown longer too and using other types of mascaras I’ve noticed that it makes my bottom lashes look super long, super clumpy and it’s not a pretty look. I’m already self-conscious about my under eyes, I don’t need the focus of clumpy mascara on my bottom lashes to bring attention to it. Chanel Mascara in any colour really but obviously black will be the classic choice, it will always be my number one choice and my number one recommendation if anyone were to ask.
The second thing that I absolutely love, will always put on and cannot live without is highlighter. There’s just something about having a nice highlighter that makes me happy. I would say that I have more highlighters than I do blushes believe it or not. My absolute favourite one is from Mac cosmetics (a lot of my makeup is from Mac) and the product in particular that I love the most, (and there many) is the Extra Dimension Skin Finish in the shade Show Gold, the reason why I love this one is because it is a soft gold, but also has a tint of pink in it; it really gives a natural rose gold colour when applied to the skin; it’s my absolute favorite. I use it all the time especially when I’m going out and it just gives my blush a nice pop and I absolutely love it! So shout out to MAC: please do not just discontinue this colour unless you come up with a better one because this the best.
The last thing I want to share is not a makeup product but actually a makeup tool. Once I picked this up, it has been a total game changer for me. What I am talking about is a concealer brush, actually, I’m not 100% sure if it is officially a concealer brush but I use it as a concealer brush. It’s the Mac brush number 270S and honestly since I have gotten this brush and have used it to apply my concealer and blend out my concealer it has been such a game changer and gives me a near flawless look when applying my makeup. I am already self-conscious about my under eyes, I feel like I have raccoon eyes so I already have trouble finding the right concealer shade, but then not being able to apply it properly because I don’t have the right tools makes it even worse. This brush has been amazing for me and my makeup looks and I have to shout out the lovely Mac artist at Sherway Gardens for the recommendation.
These are a few of my favourite things and if you want to know more, I will definitely share some more. If there are things that you want me to review, or talk about, or share more of my experiences, please sound off in the comments and let me know because I want to hear from you!