I don’t always wear full coverage, but when I do I want it to look flawless, feel comfortable on and last all day! Nobody has time for patchy-ness, a whole load of product sliding around their face by lunchtime or being so drying that half your skin comes off with it!
There is such a thing as full coverage and a flawless finish but with a plumped up and healthy look to your skin…even when it’s that time of year when heating’s cranked up and the weather enjoys trying to ruin your skin!
Not a skincare post as such, but first thing’s first…it’s all in the prep! Keeping on top of exfoliation is really important at any time of year, but even more so when it gets colder and drier in Winter. I like to use a gentle acid toner daily to tone, brighten and smooth the skin…an important step in your skin care routine and if you don’t use one already, it’s a well worth it addition that’ll makes a huge difference to your skin and the way your makeup sits. I love Pixi’s Glow Tonic* (read more about it here)…gentle but effective!
I like to use a physical exfoliator along side my acid toner all year round, 2-3 times a week usually…in winter I just up that if I need to. Lush’s Dark Angels is one of my favourite and most used, I really like the way it exfoliates and smooths but it’s gentle too. It’s charcoal and black sugar exfoliates without being too harsh and stripping/ ragging at my skin!
Now here’s the trick…because my skin’s combination and can get both oily (nose) and normal/ a bit dry (annoyingly the sides of my nose…problematic nose induced eye roll…and everywhere else) I don’t want to over moisturise my skin, but I still want to make sure it’s hydrated enough for Winter weather and for makeup to sit properly on so it lasts!
The best way I’ve found to deal with this, is to use a good serum (serums are great as they absorb faster/ deeper in to the skin anyway) really massaged in to the skin (this gets the circulation going too!) and follow that with a more hydrating, glow giving primer and bypassing moisturiser all together. The serum that I’ve been using for ages is The Ordinary Buffet*, it’s a great all rounder and contains all the good stuff for hydration, texture and is also anti ageing (always good)…it’s rich in a whole buffet (as the name suggests) of skin loving ingredients including Hyaluronic acid which attracts up to 1000 times it’s weight in water and Matrixyl 3000, designed to simulate collagen production and skin repair. Super inexpensive for such a brilliant and effective product too!
My favourite hydrating primers are the Kat Von D Beauty Lock It Hydrating Face Primer (UK* / IE*) for moisture and staying power and the Becca Backlight Priming Filter* is amazing for giving hydration and extra glow when you need it the most.
Then…time for the coverage! I have so many foundations that I love and that give full coverage…KVD Lock It (UK* / IE* – read more about it here) will always be a favourite of mine, but the one I’m feeling the most at the mo and finding myself reaching for a lot since it’s launch last month, is the Huda Beauty Faux Filter*. It makes you look flawless and manages to last all day while still feeling pretty light and comfortable on. You can read my thoughts on it with a full first impressions/ review and some pointers/ info for choosing your shade here…unless you suffer with psoriasis/ an extremely dry skin, I feel Faux Filter would would be a good choice for the majority of skin types in my opinion, especially with the right skin prep! I apply all foundations with a NYX damp beauty sponge*…it allows you to really press the foundation in to your skin and build the coverage (not that this foundation needs building!) without it looking too heavy too quick! This foundation gives you a flawless base, fast…I only ever use 1 pump of this, it’s all you need!
At this stage I don’t really need a huge deal of extra cover personally because the foundation is so high coverage, but I still like to go in with concealer especially under my eyes…the dark circle life. Using an equivalent full cover/ similar formula concealer will mean it sits way better over the foundation as you generally use a good bit less, lasts longer and adds to your flawless base. Using something too sheer, it can sometimes mean you have to apply a lot more product and the eye area can get cakey…not good. I really like Tarte Shape Tape for full coverage but non drying, on the opposite side of the price spectrum…Wet N Wild Photofocus Concealer* is unreal and pretty similar! I use my damp beauty sponge for concealer too, again it just gives the best blend where as a brush can just leave it sitting on the skin sometimes.
Before I go in with any setting powder…when my skin’s drier (so especially at this time of year!) I find myself going more towards a cream contour. Less drying and less chance of it going patchy/ sticking to any rogue dry patches. It gives a nice natural finish too if you use a small amount and make sure to blend really well…warms up your skin perfectly and adds back in the depth and dimension a fuller coverage base can take away. I’ve been using the Kat Von D Shade + Light Creme Contour Palette (UK* / IE* – read more and see swatches here) which I find works really well with my skin tone and would be great for any fair to medium skin tones…if you have a warmer/ darker/ deep tone, definitely check out Anastasia Beverly Hills*, they have a much wider colour selection and I like those too!
The Huda Faux Filter does contain powder anyway, so I don’t use loads of powder but I’ll always want to set everything in place. I set my under eye concealer with the Kat Von D Lock It Brightening Powder in Petal (UK* / IE*) and there everywhere else with a small amount of the KVD Lock It Setting Powder (UK* / IE*)…both are light weight, give a real soft focus finish to the skin and lock everything down for the day without drying your skin out.
I’ll go in with my bronzer, blush, highlight…whatever else I’m wearing, but then will always finish with a setting spray. Instead of going for a setting spray that fixes (eg. I normally like the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray (UK* / IE*) and it’s great over the warmer summer months), I already have that from the foundation and setting powder…so instead I’ll use something again with a bit more hydration and something that’ll give me a bit more glow or at least take the edge off and stop my skin looking flat when I’m wearing full coverage. The KVD Lock It Setting Mist (UK* / IE*) works really well if I want a more matte finish and I’m also a fan of the Pixi Glow Mist* if I feel like going for a dewier look. Just be aware that the spray nozzle of the Pixi Glow Mist gets a bit over excited (I wish they’d redesign and make it a finer spray) so spray with caution, but it gives a gorgeous radiance without looking shiny and adding to oily!
These are the products I’m using and loving at the moment for my full coverage skin routine…you could just as easily follow the same routine and substitute your own go to full cover base staples instead!
Lyd x
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