EVERYDAY FACE: Noll

Now that I am finally calming down after the excitement of Halloween, I thought I’d show you what my makeup looks like on a day-to-day basis, when I’m not being a tiger or Cleopatra or a dolly. This is what I slap on (I mean, apply very carefully with excellent precision) before work or during the day at the weekend, so the look features a lot of easy application and products that last, because I’m super lazy and can’t be bothered with fiddly techniques or touch-ups.

I’ve got this routine down to 15 minutes (I give myself 20 if I’ve managed to get out of bed on time, so, precisely never), which I’m pretty pleased with, and although there are small changes I make if I get bored or depending on what I’m doing or wearing, it basically remains the same every day. I am incredibly adventurous and fascinating.

After cleansing/toning/moisturising, I always start with the base – I know some people like to do eyes first, but my reasoning is that if I have some kind of DISASTER and have to run off to catch my train, eye makeup is easier to do on the move and doesn’t require big mirrors/brushes/flaily elbows etc.

The first step in the base for me is primer. I know lots of people don’t bother with it, but I really do feel like it makes my makeup go on smoother and last longer and it feels lovely to use – my current favourite is the Nivea Express Hydration Primer, which smells amazing and is more like a cream or gel than the powdery texture you sometimes get in more heavy-duty primers. I slap that on my face just like a moisturiser and then give it a couple of seconds to sink in while I gather my weapons for the next step.

For ages, I stuck with the same foundation every single day, because it is excellent and my favourite: the L'Oréal Lumi Magique in Rose Pearl (I spoke about it in detail in this post). Recently, though, I’ve been rotating that with the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Nude in Ivory and the Max Factor Skin Luminiser, in Light Ivory. I change them depending on how my skin’s feeling and looking (the Rimmel is extra moisturising, and the Max Factor has the most coverage if I’m having a full-on day, etc.). Today (and in the picture below) I’m wearing the Max Factor one, and I apply it with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

Concealer is next for me, and although I’m on a mission to find my holy grail under-eye concealer, at the moment I’m just using the Collection Lasting Perfection one in Fair, which I blend under my eyes and around any blemishes with a Real Techniques Setting Brush.

I don’t really wear bronzer during the day – I prefer not to wear too many powder products, and because I’m super pale it can look a bit harsh, but a few months ago I discovered the No7 Instant Radiance Bronzing Highlighter and I’m a convert. It’s a cream bronzing stick in a pale gold – unfortunately, it doesn’t come in a huge range of colours, so it won’t necessarily work as a bronzer for everyone and might be more of a highlighter if you’ve got darker skin, but for me it’s a great shade for gentle contouring. I just draw straight on my face with this (yay, lazy!) under my jawline, under my cheekbones and up towards my temples, and then blend it in with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

For blusher, I use Benefit Cha Cha Tint, which I raved about here. It lasts for ages and gives a really lovely natural flush; I just dab the brush on the apples of my cheeks and then blend in with my fingers. My highlighter is Benefit too – the classic High Beam, which I dot in the creases under my eyes, on the tops of my cheekbones and under the arches of my eyebrows.

I’ve used the Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette almost every single day since I bought it. It’s got a great selection of colours for daily eyeshadow, with some matte shades too, so I can change the look a bit every day without faffing around with other products. The first thing I do isn’t actually on the eyelid at all – I use Heaven, the pale yellow shade, to set the concealer and highlighter under my eyes. Yellow eyeshadow works really well for me to counteract the blue in the dark circles I get – depending on your skin tone, you might want to try a pinker shade or a tinted face powder instead, but I definitely recommend setting concealer with powder of some sort, because it really does make it last.

On my eyes themselves, I normally use three colours – a base, an outer lid and a crease colour. Today I’ve used Silk Teddy on the base, Push-Up on the outer half of the eyelid and Cashmere Bunny in the crease. I really like using matte colours as crease shadows during the day, because I think it helps blend the look out into your skin and stops even shimmery or glittery base colours looking too harsh.

I line my waterline and tightline in brown waterproof eyeliner. I started doing this a few years ago, because it adds a lot of definition without looking as dramatic as black does. It has to be waterproof on the waterline – it’s right there in the name – or it just won’t last at all and you’ll be reapplying it all day and ruining your mascara. Nobody wants that. I recently got hold of the Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl in Cocoa Bean, which is a great shade for me. It can be a bit smudgy, but it does last for ages and it comes with a cute little sharpener in the lid.

I line the tops of my eyes and about the outer fifth (fractions!) very thinly with black pencil and then smudge them out a bit with a liner brush, to soften it. I use the Max Factor Kohl Pencil, which you may remember as having appeared in literally every single one of my Halloween tutorials. It’s very hardworking.

Curling my eyelashes is super important for me – I never skip it, and I use Eyeko curlers. This is partly because I honestly think it opens my eyes up and makes my lashes look longer, but it’s also because I wear glasses during the day and if I don’t curl my eyelashes they brush against the lenses every time I blink, which is probably the world’s most annoying sensation. Maybe second to someone blowing in your ear.

Like foundation, for months I only used my very favourite mascara (the Max Factor False Lash Effect Volume and Length Fusion) and I still adore that and will always have it in my makeup bag, but this blog has led me to experiment a bit more with my daily products and so at the moment I’m also using the Max Factor Masterpiece Max. I mean, it’s the same brand, so clearly I’m not experimenting that much, but, baby steps. I apply one coat of mascara to all my lashes (including the top of my upper lashes) and then go and do my brows, and then come back for a second coat of mascara.

I don’t do a whole lot to my eyebrows during the day. I find that because my hair’s very dark, powders that are a true colour match can make them look super dramatic, which I’m not really after, so I use pencils or pomade instead. At the moment I’m using the Soap & Glory Archery pencil in Brownie Points – I just use the pencil end to fill in the start of my brows and define the arch a tiny bit, and then I set them with Benefit Speed Brow gel.

The final step for me is powder – I use the No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Translucent. I find wearing a full face of powder looks a bit much and on me I also think it looks a bit ageing, so I just brush it over my forehead and nose. As I've mentioned before, I don't really wear heavy duty lip products during the day, so for a bit of colour I use Benefit Cha Cha Balm and then that's me done! Magic.

If I’m in a mad hurry, the eyeshadow, eyeliner, brows and mascara all happen on the train. It’s a real treat for the other commuters. They love it.