Your Everyday Neutral Makeup Look

       Hey everyone! First off, I want to apologize for the lack of posts last week. I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house, and wanted to spend as much time with family as I could. I'm sure you all understand = ). Anyway, let's get to it, cause this is going to be a long one ladies.

       Today's post is a full face tutorial on an everyday, neutral look. This look is appropriate for anything and everything. And the good thing about this is that, with the exception of a couple things, I use mostly drugstore products! And the higher end products I use can always be substituted with similar drugstore products. Below is almost everything I used to create this look:

       These are the obligatory "Before" pictures..... they're horrendous.

       The first step is priming my face. I use Benefit's "The POREfessional." This stuff is amazing. It goes on silky, makes your makeup glide on with ease and seriously keeps your makeup on ALL DAY. I squeeze out a pea-sized amount and spread it all over my face.

       Next, I use my favorite drugstore foundation, Revlon's 24 hour Colorstay Foundation. I find this goes on very light, but has good coverage. It leaves your skin looking like skin, not like cake-face. The Colorstay line has tons of colors to choose from, and different formulas for whatever your skin type is. I take about a dime-sized amount and buff it onto my face with a Real Techniques Buffing brush.

Oh man, please excuse my nails...

Half of my face done/half not done.

Full face done.

       After putting on my foundation, I like to move directly onto my eyes. This lets the foundation have time to set (even though this foundation doesn't really need to, I just like to give it time). I'll take the eye primer I have - Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer - and spread a tiny amount onto my eyelids. This is a clear eye primer, and it really does help my eye shadow stay on longer. Although, I am looking into the Nars eye primer, because I have really oily lids. And I've heard it is rreeeeeeallllyyy good if you have oily lids. There may be a future post about this.

You can tell I've used the heck out of this...

      After priming my eyes, I decide what look I want to create. For this look I chose the LoracPRO palette. This is seriously the most versatile palette. It has tons of matte shades and tons of shimmer shades. The colors in this palette can be used to create any look you could ever imagine. I absolutely love this palette, and regret nothing about buying it. From this point on, the rest of the eye tutorial tips will be in the captions under each picture.

I took "Cream" and put it all over my entire lid from lash line to brow.

Then I took "Lt. Bronze" and spread it all over my lid, up to the crease.

It should now look something like this.

I took "Taupe" and blended it into the crease.

Blending "Taupe" into the crease.

I took "Sable" and blended it into the outer crease.

Blending "Sable" into the outer crease.

At this point, it should look something like this. Don't worry, we'll blend it out in a bit.

Next, I took "Pewter" and worked it into the outer "V" of my eye.

Like so. See how the brush is at an angle? I kept working it into the outer "V".

I then took a clean, big fluffy brush, and blended out the edges.

Blend until there are no harsh lines.

Like so.

Next I took the Maybelline EyeStudio Gel liner in "Esppresso," and created a winged liner on each eye.

Winged liner really elongates your eyes.

     


       Now we go back to the skin. Next comes the game changer - concealer. This helps me go from looking super tired to looking awake and fresh-faced. I absolutely LOVE this concealer - Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind in the color "Light." It stays put all day, and doesn't crease. Application details in the captions below!

I dotted on the concealer in a triangle shape underneath my eyes and around my nose like so. I also put some on my chin.

I use a stippling brush to blend out the concealer.

It highlights my under eyes like a dream.

       Time to set the skin with a powder. I have suuuuuper oily skin, so I use a powder that will give me a matte finish and keep the oil at bay. For this, I love Rimmel's - Stay Matte powder in the color "001 Transparent." I powder my whole face, but I focus on really getting my T-zone, as that's where I get the most oily.

No more shine!

        Now I go back to the eyes. After I powder my face, I highlight the inner corners of my eyes and along my brow bone. Then I finish the eye shadow by smoking out my bottom lid. Read application tips in the captions below!

For this look, I used the color "Champagne" on the inner corners of the eye and under the brow bone.

Next I took a short, stubby brush and the color "Taupe" and smoked out my bottom lid.

Smoking out my bottom lid.

       Now onto the brows. I really do believe that brows and lashes really complete a look. My brows aren't terrible, but they definitely need some work. As mentioned in my last blog post, I'm using my FAVORITE brow product of all time, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Ash. See how I fill them in below!

One brow done, the other not. See how big a difference it makes?

This shows how I outline my brows. After outlining them, I fill in the bare spots, then comb them out using the spoolie on the other end of the Brow Wiz.

=

Brows are done! Brows are meant to be "sisters" not "twins." So don't worry about making them look exactly the same.

       Onto the contour. You don't have to contour your face, I just really like the effect it gives the shape of mine. For this I use NYX Matte Bronzer in the color "MBB03 Medium." I use a matte bronzer because I personally don't like the look of a shimmery bronzer. I think it can end up looking muddy. And for a contour, a matte bronzer is the way to go. Application tips in the captions below.

Did not realize how dusty this is. I use it every day!

Before contouring.

After contouring. I took a big fluffy brush, and went from the top of my ear and made a line downward towards my mouth, but stopped in the middle of my cheek. I also blended the bronzer up onto my temples and down onto my neck along the line of my face to create that shadow.

It can look a little harsh at first. But I take my foundation brush, with no additional product, and blend out the harsh lines.

You should end up with your contour looking like this. It really warms up your face and really brings out your features.

       Let's add some color to the face. For this I'm using one of my favorite blushes, Milani - Luminoso. This blush adds a nice peachy-pink color to the cheeks. It has the slightest bit of shimmer that catches the light and gives you a natural looking glow.

I put it on the apples of my cheeks, as well as a little on my nose and on the tip of my chin.

       Almost there ladies. Almost there. Next I'm doing my lashes in my favorite and ONLY mascara, Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara. This stuff is amazing. Enough said. I put two coats of mascara on my top lashes, and one coat on bottom.

One eye done, the other one not. Crazy the difference it makes, right?

Both eyes done.

        And finally, the last step - the lips. For this, I wanted to use a tinted lip balm. You could really pair whatever lip product you want with this look. I just wanted something with a little color and a lot of moisture. I used Maybelline's Baby Lips in the color "15 Cherry Me."

And the final look! Took long enough, right?

       The following are pictures of the final look. 

      So that's it! If you got through this post, I applaud you. This was a really long post, haha. I just wanted to give you all a thorough, step-by-step tutorial on a look you can wear at all times. I hope you enjoyed this post. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below! Also, if you haven't yet, please go like my Facebook page "Beautymark" and follow me on Instagram at "__beautymark__". 


                                              XOXO - Tabitha