The Easy Vacation Makeup Look

Long time no blog post! I was just really feeling like writing today, and since I had these photos all ready to go I decided I’d talk you through the typical makeup look I did while on vacation a few weeks ago. It was super quick and easy to slap on, didn’t feel too overdone or heavy, and still looked good in the few photos we would take while hanging out after going to the beach. I loved this look so much, in fact, that I’m still wearing a very similar look on an everyday basis now to work.

I’ve recently started doing my brows and eyes before foundation, which is a big change for me. I’ve been doing this because it’s much easier to get a defined brow with Glossier Brow Flick when my brows are absolutely bare with no possibility of having any makeup in them. I’ve really been liking this brow pen for creating hair-like strokes and making my brows look naturally really full and bushy. I then go over it with Glossier Boy Brow in Clear just to keep the hairs brushed up all day. I started using the clear Boy Brow at the same time as Brow Flick - I was always using the brown shade, but I like how polished the clear makes my brows look without adding any extra color. Lately, I’m in a little too much of a rush to get to work to use Brow Flick every morning, but I do still reach for it when I have a little extra time. Instead, I’ve been loving the Maybelline Total Temptation Brow Definer - it’s a softer formula with a teardrop-shaped applicator, so it’s really easy to apply, but it’s not too soft so it still gives a polished brow look.

For eyes I’ve been keeping it super simple with just one eyeshadow: the Laura Mercier Caviar Chrome Veil Liquid Eyeshadow in Gilded Fresco. I can’t get over how much I love this. It’s the perfect pink-beige shade whose glitter gives it a wet look on the eyes. It looks like an eye gloss, but sets down and doesn’t budge at all, even on my oily/creasy eyelids. I dab a bit directly on my eyelids from the doefoot, and then I blend it out with a synthetic brush (usually the Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush). I never remember to include eyeliner in my photos, but I always wear it! I do a quick tightline with a dark brown gel liner pencil on my upper waterline and a small wedge on the outer corner of my upper lashline to make my lashes look nice and thick, and that’s it. The Colourpop Creme Gel Liner in Brew-Haha is always my go-to, but Ilia’s brand new one in Dusk has really been impressing me as well. Last is mascara, and after curling my lashes with the Surratt Relevee Lash Curler, I coat them with the Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara. This is seriously my favorite mascara I’ve ever tried. It’s defining, lengthening, holds a curl well, adds a bit of volume by fanning the lashes out, and doesn’t budge all day. It’s definitely my perfect mascara, and in my next declutter I’m going to get rid of all mascaras except this (and Glossier Lash Slick, which I use on my bottom lashes).

I also tried to keep the skin as simple as possible while on vacation: letting my skincare be the primer and using the Glossier Stretch Concealer all over as a tinted moisturizer/concealer in one. I dab the concealer all over my face and blend it in with a fluffy brush. I absolutely love the finish of the Stretch Concealer when applied this way, but unfortunately I think it’s been breaking me out! Lately I’ve switched over to the Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint and Flex Concealer on a daily basis for a similar look with a little extra coverage.

The theme here is quick and easy of course, so for cheeks I stuck to cream products. Ilia’s Multi-Stick in At Last was my go-to blush of choice while on vacation. It’s a beautiful neutral pink that goes with anything. The formula is super creamy, buildable, and leaves a dewy finish on the skin. To add a little more glow I grabbed one of the stick highlighters I brought with me, something like the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Stick in Nude or the Flesh Touch Flesh Highlighting Balm in Pinky.

For lips I wanted something comfortable that gave my lips a flush of color, and there’s no better product for that than the Flesh Fleshy Lips Lipstick in Chew. It’s a sheer raspberry pink shade that adds the perfect amount of color and shine to my lips. It’s still been one of my most-worn shades even after getting home.

What are your favorites for a quick and easy makeup look?

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Review | bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick

I’m constantly singing the praises of the original bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream - it’s been a staple in my makeup routine for about four years now (or whenever it first came out!), and it’s still the base product I reach for the most. When bareMinerals contacted me (seeing what a fan I was of the original) to see if I’d be interested in trying their new Complexion Rescue iteration, the Hydrating Foundation Stick, I just about squealed with excitement and jumped at the chance.

Wearing the Complexion Rescue Foundation Stick and a little bit of Milk Makeup Flex Concealer

The Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick comes in 20 shades that seem to match up with the original’s shades. I wear shade 01 Opal in both formulas, and it’s a perfect match. It also has SPF 25, if that matters to you. It’s meant to be a “liquid foundation in a stick” with naturally radiant, medium coverage. I’d say that description is pretty accurate. For one, it’s the most hydrating foundation stick I’ve ever tried. It never clings to dry patches and just totally smooths over them as if they’re not even there. It looks totally seamless on my skin. Most foundation sticks kind of drag on my skin and take some time to blend, but this is so emollient that it actually feels wet gliding onto the skin (did anyone see the KathleenLights & RawBeautyKristi video where Kristi said it feels like a wet tongue on her face? because it’s kind of accurate), and I can blend it out in a matter of seconds with my hands. It’s become such a staple for rushed mornings because I can slap it on and have it look perfect in literally 10 seconds.

I’d describe the coverage more at the low end of the “medium” they claim (though it still has higher coverage than the Tinted Gel Cream), although it is really buildable. I like to add a second layer over areas that need more coverage, and it blends right in without getting cakey. It has a beautifully radiant finish as well. My favorite part about the original Complexion Rescue was how glowy it looked without feeling tacky or greasy on the skin, and the same thing goes for the Foundation Stick. It’s nice and dewy, but you can’t feel it on your skin, and it stays at the exact same level of dewiness all day for me. My sister has oily skin and is also in love with this foundation stick because it looks a little radiant but never turns greasy on her - so it seems like it would work on a variety of skintypes!

I find this lasts perfectly throughout the workday for me as long as I powder the center of my face in the morning. On days I skip powder, I notice it wearing off my skin (mostly where I touch my face a lot) and my acne scars start to peek through. But I never notice any obvious fading or patchiness - it fades away evenly. I’m SO happy to have this in my makeup collection, and it’s all I’ve been reaching for lately on workdays and chill weekend days.

Have you tried the Complexion Rescue Foundation Stick yet?

*bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick has been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

A Skin Tint Roundup | Kosas Tinted Face Oil, Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint, & Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint

When it comes to foundations and base products, I certainly have a type. If it’s marketed as lightweight and glowy, I’m there. Recently I’ve picked up the Kosas Tinted Face Oil (ed note: it was recently when I started writing this blogpost in November, whoops), and I wanted to see how it compared to two of my favorite skin tints: the Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint and the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint. All three promise similar things: light coverage that smooths over the skin and leaves a natural, radiant finish.

The first thing I notice is that the Kosas is the runniest of the three, and the Milk Makeup is the thickest (or it seems that way at least because of the packaging. You have to be careful to not let pretty much the whole bottle of the Kosas Tinted Face Oil spill out into your hand, despite it having one of those dropper spouts. The Glossier Skin Tint has a similar delivery system, and it comes out drop by drop.

Consistency-wise, the Kosas feels like a dry oil and sinks into the skin quickly while leaving the veil of pigment behind with a satin finish. The Milk and Glossier feel more emollient, gliding over the skin as you blend them in and leaving quite a dewy finish. I’ve noticed if my skin is not exfoliated and moisturized properly, the Kosas will show dryness, while the Milk just glides over and hides this. The Glossier is somewhere in between, not totally gliding over dry patches, but not catching on them as much as the Kosas. This is not to say the Kosas is not for dry skin types - it really is, you just have to prep your skin properly.

Over the course of the day, all three fade evenly. I’d say the Glossier lasts the longest on me, followed by Kosas, and then the shortest wear time is Milk. Glossier and Milk remain quite dewy throughout the day without veering into greasy territory (though my skin is on the dry side), and the Kosas gets a little dewier over time - it starts out as a satin finish and ends up being quite glowy by the end of the day. This also never gets greasy on me, and it certainly looks better and better as you wear it. If I find it catching on a few dry patches when I first apply it, I always notice it goes away and looks smooth and even after about an hour of wear.

Despite all having the word “tint” in their names, I find these all have quite different levels of coverage. The Kosas has the highest coverage of the three, although it’s still quite light and allows some imperfections to show through. I’d say it’s a step above typical light coverage - maybe on par with something like the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation. The Milk is next on coverage levels and has about the same as a tinted moisturizer. I think it has similar coverage to the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer or the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue. The Glossier has the least coverage of the three by far - this has just a whisper of coverage, just offering a sheer veil of color to gently even out the skin.

I’ve been asked a lot which is my favorite of these three, and honestly I can’t pick one. I always think I have a favorite and use it constantly, and then I start using one of the other two and fall in love all over again. Right now I’m using the Milk Sunshine Skin Tint almost daily - my skin is majorly dry right now, so this is the most forgiving formula.

If you’re just looking for a lightweight foundation, I don’t think you need all three. I’d go with Kosas if you’re looking for coverage, Milk if you’re looking for a serious glow, and Glossier if you want something to even out your skintone on minimal days.

Which one would you pick?

This post contains affiliate links. Glossier Skin Tint was gifted.