Face It! (Make Up for Face)

I did a post last week about the make up I use for my eyes. Today I'm going to talk about the make up I use on my face and neck. I include my neck with this because I have a major pet peeve about visible make up lines on the jaw. It looks like one is wearing bad theater make up or a mask! Awful! At any rate, keep reading for a little more on how I avoid this and what I use.

Foundation/Concealer

Chanel VITALUMIÈRE AQUA. I used to use this until I ran out. I'm rather broke right now, but it's worth a mention because it really is so smooth and nice. This has been my favorite foundation, but now I'm too broke to buy more. Sadness. The truth is, one really doesn't need expensive make up to look expensive.

Rimmel Stay Matte Clarifying Foundation - Soft Beige. I love Rimmel. Ever since we got it in the US, I've loved just about everything I've tried from them. This is my every day foundation, when I'm not going for a super-bronzed look. It blends in well with my skin tone and really does last quite a while.

e.l.f. Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Beige. This is a little darker than Rimmel's soft beige, and it's just a tinted moisturizer. It does, however, work very well when I use a bronzer and it blends in very nicely with my skin tone, leaving no noticeable make up line. It also smells a bit like oranges, which is nice.

e.l.f. Essential Tone Correcting Concealer - Light Beige. This is actually a touch too light with my darker make up, but if I'm just going out and don't want to do the heavy face work, I'll throw this on and it's exactly right. I really only use it under my eyes since I use highlighter and bronzer most of the time everywhere else, but it also covers up splotchy places when my skin breaks out.

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Powders/Bronzers/Blushes

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - Sandstorm. This is pretty close to my natural skin tone and I'll use it with just concealer when I don't feel like wearing a lot of make up.

e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip - Spotlight. I mentioned this on my last post. I use this for highlighting the bridge of my nose, around my eyebrows, and the tops of my cheekbones.

e.l.f. Studio Bronzer - Golden Bronzer. I keep sticking to Elf or Rimmel, don't I? Well, this is a great product. I use it more as a contouring palette, finding the colors are perfect for my skin tone. The darker one is used for the sides of my nose, edge of my cheeks, and under my chin. The lighter is my highlighter for the bridge of my nose, cheeks, forehead, ect. The gold and pink get mixed as my blush, and then I mix gold and the lighter one as a sort of all-over blending color. 

Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Bronzer - Princess. I bought this out of the clearance bin just on a whim to see if I'd like a darker bronzer. Well, I do! This is a warmer, redder, deeper tone than than the e.l.f. set above. I use this when I'm going for an extreme look, mostly using it for contouring, and I'll blend with the e.l.f. palette. If your skin tone isn't very dark, be careful with this one and be prepared to blend.

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Cleansing/Moisturizing/Sunblock

Almay Moisturizing Liquid Make up Remover. I used to use the oil-free variety, but now I use this. I always start with removing my eye make up first. It doesn't take a whole lot, and the oil is good for moisturizing the eyes and keeping the skin young. It's very gentle.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. This is the best stuff I've ever used. It's especially good to use in the summer as it doesn't dry out my face too badly. I love it! It's also a very good idea to have some sort of exfoliating cloth to get rid of dead skin.

Desert Essence - Thoroughly Clean Face Wash - Original.  I tend to get worse acne in the winter, and this does dry my skin out just a bit, but the tea tree oil in it is very good as a disinfectant. I use this maybe two months out of the year.

Dickinsons Natural Witch Hazel. In my opinion, there is no better astringent than witch hazel. When the back of my neck breaks out, the witch hazel goes on it. Let me quote the Wikipedia article for you.

"Witch hazel hydrosol is used in skin care. It is a strong anti-oxidant and astringent, which makes it very useful in fighting acne. It is often used as a natural remedy for psoriasis, eczema, aftershave applications, ingrown nails, to prevent sweating of the face, cracked or blistered skin, for treating insect bites, poison ivy, and as a treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. It is found in numerous over-the-counter hemorrhoid preparations. It is frequently used by women to reduce swelling and soothe wounds resulting from childbirth."

I also use it on sunburns before I put my lotion on as it keeps the skin from being infected and soothes it. In the summer, my chest usually breaks out a little, and witch hazel keeps it from happening often.

Noah's Naturals Natural Age Repair Eye Cream. Sadly, I can't post a link to this (apart from another review) because I think it's a discontinued item. That's pretty sad, since it keeps my eyes from being too puffy during allergy season and keeps the skin supple. Oddly enough, I sometimes use this on my lips after I exfoliate them. Age doesn't matter; we need to be protecting our eyes NOW.

 Alba Natural Very Emollient Sunblock - SPF 30. I hardly ever use sunblock just because I have a Vitamin D deficiency, but when I'm going to be out in the sun for a long time, I use this one on my face. My face ends up being much paler than the rest of me, but hey, that's what make up is for, and I don't get skin cancer of the face.


Note: I know there's not much else up there in the way of lotions, but almost every lotion out there makes me break out pretty badly, so I just don't use it unless I know it has almost nothing horrible in it.


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Those are the major items in my arsenal! I don't really use bronzing lotion on my face because I break out from it, though I do use it everywhere else. That'll be another post, however, and right now, I only have it in me for the face post. Keep in mind, I don't use every one of these all of the time, but these are the ones I use most often. I do have expensive tastes when it comes to make up, but the less expensive brands really do work nicely in a pinch.


J!