Amour Ophelia. ALL POSTS

December is always a makeup month for me, with festive celebrations, Christmas and work parties, I slap a lot of makeup on my face nearly everyday from long wearing foundations to a mattifying red lip so when January comes, I like to take a step back and go minimal on the makeup. For me, January is all about starting new routines, introducing new products and finding what your skin needs the most in the Winter months, for me, a tonne of hydration. My skin isn't looking it's best lately due to eating far too much chocolate and cheese over Christmas so I do still like to wear something just to freshen up my face and even it all out. Despite the final look being pretty minimal, I do use a few products in the process but I belive it's all about how you apply the makeup so lightly smoothing over foundation and opting for creams over powders to give a much fresher, more natural looking complexion.

BASE

Once I've prepped my skin with moisturiser and a glowing primer, I go in with a small amount of foundation and have been using one of my favourite light coverage foundations; Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich, this is a really beautiful liquid-y consistency that I smooth over my face with my fingers, focussing on the areas I need the most coverage to start with and then blending it in all over. I love how luminous this makes my skin look and with SPF 15, it protects whilst it hydrates. My current favourite concealer for concealing dark circles is Urban Decay NAKED Skin, it's incredibly thin but does a great job at brightening the eye area and works well on concealing any redness around my nose.

CHEEKS

Sticking to the dewy theme I've got going on, I dab some Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Blush in Tansoleil, a subtle peachy pink, to the side of the apples of my cheeks and blend upwards so it blends in with the foundation, creating a naturally flush effect. To lightly bronze, I dust a very small amount of NARS Laguna over my temples and under my cheek bones to add back in some colour and light definition.

EYES

For brows I'm currently trying out a new product from Rodial and it's the GlamoBrow in Ash Brown*, a dual ended pencil with a retractable tip and spoole. I brush through my brows backwards to create a more bushy effect and then lightly brush the pencil through to simply enhance my natural shape and fill in any sparse areas, not creating to strong a brow and looking overally pencilled in. To keep things minimal, I don't tend to wear any eye shadow unless I'm going out shopping for the day or out for lunch so go straight in with mascara and I've been using the Kevyn Aucoin The Essential Mascara* for a natural curl.

LIPS

Before applying any lipstick, liner or lip stain, I always scrub my lips, whether it's in the morning as part of my skincare routine or towards the end of makeup routine and to do so, I use the Lush Mint Julips, a sugar scrub that buffs away dead skin and reveals the perfect base for lipstick. I'm still using my Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Liner on a day to day basis, this is the best nude lip colour I've ever brought, it's the perfect everyday shade and with a generous layer of By Terry Baume De Rose on top or Nuxe Reve De Miel, it's a lovely soft pink hue. If I want something that's a bit more of a pop of colour then I'll apply a light layer of Lipstick Queen Hello Sailor, a very subtle berry shade that is incredible moisturising and wearable.

FRAGRACE

I tend to switch between perfumes each season depending on how I'm feeling, the occasion or what's available on the market. I'm currently using Cosmopolitan The Fragrance*, a new release to zest up women lives. With notes of red berries, mandarin, vanilla, sandalwood and bergamot, this is an ideal everyday scent that when lightly spritzed, releases a beautiful fresh, spicy and comforting scent. A perfect scent for a new year but one that will carry you through to Summer!