My family always treats me well on Mother’s Day, but we have never made a big fuss over a Mother’s Day meal. Rather than attend some lavish brunch, we decided to pop into a local pizza joint for lunch. Despite the relaxed environment, I decided to dress up just a teensy bit, opting for a day dress and naturally a full face of casual makeup.
Some women seated near my family were kind enough to stop by our table on their way out of the restaurant to compliment my makeup. They especially raved over how smooth my skin looked, and while I’d love to claim it’s heredity the truth is (of course) it’s the makeup! Since it isn’t every day complete strangers decide to compliment my makeup, I figured I’d share with you all what I was wearing that day.
Makeup That Will Bring You Compliments!
Firstly, before applying any color cosmetics I used a recent acquisition, Clinique Pep-Start Daily UV Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (retail price $19.50). The irony is I only purchased the product when my usual sunblock was out of stock during the recent Sephora VIB sale in April. This inventory issue was a happy misfortune! The peachy-neutral shade of this product is much more similar to my actual skin-tone than the ghost-white that so many sunblocks deliver. Another perk is Clinique Pep-Start wears beautifully under makeup!
The foundation I selected that day was BareMinerals barePRO Performancewear Liquid Foundation (retail price $34). This lightweight foundation is beautifully blended and delivers great coverage without settling into fine lines. I have several favorite foundations I cycle through, but this one has been on my list of favorites for about two years.
Speaking of long-term relationships with product, I’ve been using Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion Bronzer (retail price $36) regularly for quite a while. I like that this bronzer is available in 6 different shades. Some bronzers are only available in dark shades and look false on my pale skin. I use shade 15I, a Soft Iridescent Amber. There’s a shade even lighter than that, for the super-fair among us!
Jane Iredale Bronzer in Peaches & Cream (retail price $56) has a permanent spot in my makeup collection. “Bronzer” is a bit of a misnomer, because this product can be used on the eyes, cheeks, and even lips! In fact, on Mother’s Day I used this pretty little compact as eyeshadow (singling out the lighter shades and contouring with the bronze), as a blush (singling out the deep peach and bronze shades), and as a highlighter (applying the pale frosty pink to the top of my cheekbones). This bronzer is a great buy for frequent travelers, due to this versatility. More great news, this compact is refillable!
I recently wrote a review of the cool new hues of Maybelline Snapscara (retail price $7.77) and I’ll bet many of my readers assumed I’d never wear this regularly. Not true! I’ve been reaching for the shade Black Cherry over and over, because that slight bit of deep cherry color really makes my brown eyes pop!
MAC Eye Kohl In Prunella (retail price $18) is yet another long-term favorite. This deep almost-black shade has a touch of aubergine that draws attention to my eyes and makes the gold in my baby browns really stand out. I love the MAC Eye Kohl formula, because it blends to a soft smoky look with ease.
My brows were defined using Cargo Swimmables Longwear Brow Pencil (retail price $20) in the light shade, which is a wonderful match to my hair. This formula is designed to stay put through it all, even swimming! The unique angled shape of the pencil makes it easy to fill and define until you are content.
You may be surprised, but I was actually not wearing a true lip color that day. Instead I had applied Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lip Repair Potion (retail price $32), which is actually a lip treatment but does deliver a bit of a pearl finish to the lips. Intended as a night treatment, this product feels so amazingly therapeutic on dry lips I find myself applying it often throughout the day!
Some of the products mentioned in this post were originally press samples. Please click HERE to read my full disclosure.
