Lipstick Philosopher: Makeup

As a makeup artist, I mix products together most of the time. In fact, I don't even remember the last time I used a foundation straight out of the tube! Custom blending is great because it enables you to get the best out of products, or even create something totally new. As a consumer, mixing products is a great way to expand your makeup collection without having to break the bank. Today I'm going to take you through my favorite foundation mixes, and show you some ways you can experiment with mixing your own products like a pro.

If you're one of those people (like me) who struggle to find foundations that match your skintone, mixing up your own shade is a great technique to master. For myself, I like to use MAC's Pro Longwear Waterproof in NC15 with Illamasqua's Skin Base in shade 01. I love the long lasting and high coverage formula of Pro Longwear Waterproof, while Skin Base helps me to create the perfect shade.
If you're thinking about mixing your own foundations into the perfect shade, then I suggest going for one product a shade lighter and one a shade darker if you can. If your skintone is on the lighter or darker side of the spectrum, this is going to be harder for you (we all know how great cosmetic companies can be when it comes to diversity...) You can find shade adjusting drops at NYX and The Body Shop that might work better for you.

Another way I love to mix foundation products is by adding thinners, primers and moisturisers. Taking this approach will help you create the perfect formula to meet your skin needs.
To create a lighter coverage/tinted moisturiser I love to use the Makeup Mixer by MaqPro. It thins products to the desired consistency without changing the integrity of the original formula. It's a total must have in my pro makeup kit!
If you're somebody with oily or dry skin, then you can use primers to thin foundations while also tackling your skin's needs. I love using Illamasqua's Matte Veil and Hydra Veil primers to do this because they blend so seamlessly into base products. MAC's Matte Mixing Medium also gets an honorable mention for creating a lighter coverage and super matte finish when mixed with foundations.

And finally, I've saved my favorite combinations for last.
I completely adore mixing illuminating products into my foundations to create a beautiful natural glow. My faves for this technique are MAC's Strobe Cream, Lustre Drops and Charlotte Tilbury's Wonder Glow. Strobe is particularly amazing for creating a subtle radiance, while the golden tones in Wonder Glow give the prettiest sunkissed effect. If you haven't tried blending your foundation with a highlighter or illuminator then you definitely need to give it a try!

Do you mix any of your products together? What are your favorite combos?

This post idea was inspired by Beauty By Kelsey. You can read her post here.

Meghan

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If you read my last post about taking a more minimalist approach to my makeup collection, then you'll know that I found a few awesome makeup products that I totally forgot I even owned. I thought it might be fun if I shop my makeup collection and show you some old favorites that I'm putting back at the forefront of my collection. So, in no particular order, here goes...

Benefit's Watt's Up!

Despite having this highlighter for quite some time, I've only used it once or twice. The product is a beautiful gold shimmer that, when applied directly, comes off a little too dark for a highlighter. That being said, once it's blended out, it leaves an even prettier and much softer gold shimmer. After I bought it I think I got a bit freaked out with using creme based products on account of my oily skin. Now I've gotten over my fear of dewier makeup, I'm ready to commit to this highlighter again.

Charlotte Tilbury's Beach Stick in Moon Beach

This is another beautiful creme based product that sat forgotten in a drawer. When I stumbled across it recently, I fell instantly back in love. Tilbury's Beach Stick is a cheek and lip colour, with a rosy tone and a gold shimmery finish which gives the most perfect natural glow. Because of its shimmer, I feel like this product is more suited to cheeks, which is what I'll be using it for. Also, can we talk about how beautiful Charlotte's packaging is? I'm obsessed!

MAC's Blue Brown

I've always been head-over-heels in love with Blue Brown, but somewhere in the midst of my third year of uni/don't have the energy to put on eyeshadow phase, this little baby also got neglected. I completely adore the purple-to-blue colour shifting iridescence of this pigment. It was almost certainly hand crafted by angels. My favourite way to wear Blue Brown is mixed with a teeny bit of Fix+ to create a creamy consistency, then I flick it across my lid into a winged liner. I get compliments every time!

MAC's Last Dance Dazzleshadow

This one is another guaranteed complement winner. The incredibly beautiful pink shimmer is soft enough for daytime wear, but easy to ramp up for the evening. I love wearing it on the lid with a matte pink shadow in the crease. I seriously can't wait to wear it again.

MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium

Yet again, I don't know why on earth I stopped wearing this. While it might not be as exciting as the other products I pulled from the depths of my IKEA drawers, it's definitely a total staple. I somehow forgot how Skinfinish is so good at mattifying without looking cakey. Into the makeup bag it goes!

MAC's Amber Times Nine

Smokey brown eyeshadow is my staple look, so I don't even have a reason for not using MAC's Amber x9. I remember when it first came out I was totally obsessed and bought it right away. I've gotten much more use out of this palette than the other products in my list, but for some unknown reason I haven't been reaching for it lately. To shake up my everyday makeup routine, I'll be using this palette a lot more.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the products I've fallen back in love with.
Let me know in the comments what you're wearing at the minute!