Shabbos Face, Circa 2015

Whenever I apply makeup, I find myself reciting the steps as though I'm recording a Youtube tutorial. 

Not going to do that anytime soon—I hate public speaking, for one—but as my makeup routine changes along with new information I hear, I should keep this audience updated. I'm going to barf a lot of information at you; even I feel overwhelmed. Try to scroll through it in parts.

I'm sharing the products and tools that have so far worked for me, and that changes as I discover something new or another method that lasts longer. (Got any tips? Tell me!)

Here's my current Shabbos Face. When I'm pressed for time or I know that I won't be leaving the house, I opt out of eyeshadow and eyeliner application, relying on overdone mascara. I'll also skip contouring. 

It may appear that my steps go all over the place. That's because some products need time to set. I rotate over various facial zones, giving creams, primers, and mascaras time to sink in and settle. 

I begin with a completely bare face, Friday's eye makeup removed, the skin cleansed and patted dry post-shower. 

(1) Vitamin C serum all over, including eye area. I don't like a day passing without some anti-aging treatment. It sinks in quickly, and doesn't hold up makeup application. I've used Oz Naturals, Pure Body Naturals, and Amara Organics, and found them all lovely.

(2) I have combination skin, which means I need moisturizer, but I can become oily. I have tried a number of mattifying moisturizers, but always go back to Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15.

(3) Lip balm to prep the lips. Currently using (but not with any particular loyalty) Caudalie Lip Conditioner. (I buff off dead skin cells in the shower while cleansing with a silicone cleansing pad.)

(4) Shadow primer keeps eye shadow in place, but it has to be dry by the time the shadow is applied. Tap it on with the ring finger. I'm currently using Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but regular face primer work well, too (like the Hourglass listed below). It is also dabbed beneath the eye on my dark circles, to hold onto concealer.

(5) Eye pencil on the lower lash lid, but not the waterline, or underneath the upper lashes as I would do in the weekday (to minimize smudging and running). Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in 01 Black Lace is a pain to sharpen, a pain to apply, but does it stay. I use a flat, stiff-bristled smudge brush to buff it in, like this one by Bdellium.

{Note: For yontif, I use a different method.}

(6) Now that my various unguents have had time to sink in, I apply primer next. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer holds on to makeup for dear life.  

(7) Eye highlight first. With my ring finger or a flat eyeshadow brush, I pat into my brow bone L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24 HR Eyeshadow in Endless Pearl. It's completely matte, and a perfect brow highlight. 

(8) For the lid, I'm in middle of some experimentation. A light gray option is L.A. Minerals Matte Mineral Eyeshadow in Dove Gray. 

I have also used L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24 HR Eyeshadow in Sultry Smoke with my ring finger or brush. It's not matte, but the shimmer/glitter is kept to a minimum, so I grudgingly allow it. It's considerably darker. Some would prefer it for the crease, methinks.

{For warmer shades, consider Continuous Cocoa and/or Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe. Of course, if anyone loves shimmer then totally go for it, so all shades are open. But I do think that keeping the lid and crease eyeshadows in the same color family provides a cohesive look.}

(9) For the crease, I've been using my hoarded stockpile of discontinued Stila Mineral Matte Eyeshadow in Sajama. I buy it on Ebay or Amazon whenever I find it for a cheap enough price. A deep, true gray without purple or blue undertones is hard to find, especially one that stays on quite reliably. 

Because the primer makes buffing difficult, a fluffier eyeshadow brush is a better option. The Bdellium Tools Maestro Series Tapered Blending Brush does lovely work. I make sure to blend out the color into the highlight, to remove any harshness, with a Bdellium Blending Brush.

(10) Two coats of mascara primer. DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum has a combed brush which separates each lash, as well as getting them insanely long and plump. 

(11) While the primer is still damp, I apply a slow, wiggly, precise coat of Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara. I've sampled many others, and keep coming back to it. 

This coat should be allowed to fully dry, so now I move on to foundation. 

(12) My skin tone is notoriously difficult to match, so I blend two shades of the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Light 44 and Medium 52 with the Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki or bounce it on with a makeup sponge. I avoid applying foundation on my dark circles, since that tends to make the concealer crease. 

(13) Another coat of mascara. My Japanese favorite, Fairy Drops, went through another reformulation. I'm still using my old one, so I don't know how the new one performs yet.  But it's a false-lash formula. I like those.

(14) I have MONSTER dark circles, of Walking Dead caliber. The most top-rated concealer is also the most expensive, but it lasts lasts lasts. Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer in Ivory gets dabbed (not smudged) on with the ring finger. 

To set it, bareMinerals Broad Spectrum Multi-Tasking Face in Well Rested with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Make sure to bring the powder up to the eye pencil on the lower lash line; that keeps it from smudging. 

(15) Another coat of mascara. 

(16) For contouring, Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder with the Precision Beauty Bamboo Angled Blush Brush to create angles down my cheeks, and up the sides of my face, into my hairline to minimize my large forehead.

I apply more than I would in the weekday since the cheek area gets ravaged by the nighttime pillow. 

(17) My adored brand, Illamasqua, is now no longer sold in these United States, so I have been keeping my eyes open for a matte pink blush backup. (I have hopes for the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface.) A loose powder option that I like is L.A. Minerals Blush in Cheerleader.

Via makeuploversunite.com

Blush goes above the contour and below the highlight, and further forward in the apples of the cheeks. I like using a brush that's wide and fluffy, such as the EcoTools Tapered Blush Brush.

(18) With an e.l.f. blush brush and Sephora MicroSmooth Baked Luminizer in 01 Stardust, I create a "C" shape around my outer eye and long my upper cheekbone. (I also blend a little with an eyeshadow brush into the inner corners of my eyes.) 

(19) Defined brow, with the trusty assistance of Tarte EmphasEYES for Brows High Definition Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe. This provides shape without darkening. (I'm eager to try the Waterproof Brow Mousse next.)

(20) Another coat of mascara. 

(21) Line lips with pencil (mine is Smashbox Always Sharp Lip Liner in Shocking Pink). 

 

(21) Long-lasting lipstick comes down to this: Apply. Blot. Apply. Blot. Apply. Blot. Apply. Blot. Apply. 

I begin with two or three coats of Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Electric Pink Matte with a Revlon Lip Brush, blotted in between. Prior to yontif I would apply even more layers. 

I then top it with Maybelline Superstay 14 Hour Lipstick in Perpetual Peony. The Maybelline tames the Smashbox, and the Smashbox heightens the Maybelline. A beautiful partnership. 

{Note: While there are longwearing formulas available by a number of companies, I opt for lipstick instead. Longwearing formulas go on bulletproof, then gradually and painfully flake off; lipstick, however, gradually fades away without such unsightliness.}

(22) Another coat of mascara. 

(23) Set the face with powder of choice. I'm currently using Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder with an EcoTools Powder Brush.

(24) For a final measure, setting spray. I'm using Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray. It leaves a tacky, tight finish for just a few moments, but then my face frees up.       

 

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to take a nap. Telling this over is more exhausting than applying it all.