Help make your make up last longer! 08/04/15

Welcome back lovelies!

So today's post will be about how to make your makeup last longer when you're wearing it.

Buying makeup or just browsing is definitely my favourite part of shopping. Whether it's high end or drugstore, everyone wants their makeup to last, especially if you aren't wearing it on a day to day basis. Today I'll teach you how :)

Hopefully you find this post helpful and informative, and comments questions or queries are always welcome :)

So let's get started!

•Drink loooaads of water

As strange as it may seem, drinking water can be your best friend when it comes to the longevity of your makeup. I'd be here all day listing off the benefits of drinking water so I'll keep it on topic - your skin. Drinking water provides your skin with the necessary vitamins for renewal - basically makes your skin happy! So drink up!

•Moisturise

Moisturising is key to ensuring your makeup stays on. As your skin is a natural absorber, it will absorb the first thing that goes onto it.  So if you put your foundation on straight away with nothing as a base, your skin will soak it up,  which of course isn't good. So adding moisturiser to your routine will ensure your makeup will stay on longer and will keep your skin nice and soft!

•Exfoliation

If you don't exfoliate, your pores can accumulate dirt, causing breakouts. Exfoliation helps get rid of dead skin cells, removes dirt and keeps pores looking smaller, which of course is vitally important when putting on makeup. Ensuring you've a clean and prepped base will help you achieve the best look. You don't need to exfoliate everyday or every time you put on makeup, just once a week is all it takes! The scrub I love using is the Soap and Glory "Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub". You get a massive 300ml tub (which lasts forever) for €11.25 and it has such a fab smell! About a €2 coin size amount should do you. It does for both face and body so it's a win win!

If you're in the mood for some DIY, homemade scrubs are always great too! Lucky for you as a visitor of Sunflowers and Sparkles, I'll treat you to a personal favourite recipe of mine! It includes ingredients you'll find in your kitchen. If you don't use it all at once, this scrub can be refrigerated and it will last a few days in the fridge!.

1 cup porridge

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 teaspoon coconut oil (my fave, but you can use olive oil if you've none!)

2 tbsp regular milk
The whites of one egg (you can use the whole egg if you want)

-The porridge really needs to be ground up finely to be useful in a scrub. Just pop it in a blender or food processor and you're good to go!

-Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. If the consistency isn't spreadable, add a few more drops of oil. Same goes if it's too oily, add more sugar or oats!

-Apply in circular motions paying particular attention to your nose and T zone. Make sure you're gentle on your pretty face!

-Then just wash your face. I find it easier if you exfoliate while you're showering. Saving water too so yay planet!

•Use a decent primer

Of course the kind of primer you use will depend on what kind of skin you have. If your skin is on the oilier side and you would prefer a matte finish I'd recommend matte primer. From my own experience, the l'Oreal "Skin Perfection" is a good one for mattifying specifically the nose area. Of course another fantastic one is the Benefit "POREfessional" . Another option for all over the face. If you feel you need one to suit your oilier needs, Benefit also do the “POREfessional:Agent Zero Shine”. You can have smooth, fresh-faced skin with this shine-control powder that instantly mattifies the complexion.

If you'd like more of a dewy finish which gives a natural glow to the skin, I love the l'Oreal "Lumi-Magique Primer". About two pumps of this should do the trick to turn you into a glowing goddess. It's raved about in the YouTube world so it's definitely worth a try :)

As for priming your eyeshadow, a liquid concealer does the job if you want to kill two birds with  one stone. Another option of course are the well known MAC paint pots. These allow your eyeshadow to stay on all day which is great for a girl on the go.The ones that are ideal for priming are "Soft Ochre" and "Painterly". They'll set you back €20 but for the amount you get really it's a steal! I've had mine since before Christmas and use it quite regularly and I've barely made a dent in it! You can get different colours if you like but these are skin coloured so it allows for any eyeshadow to show it's full pigmentation. If you can't find them in MAC, feel free to ask one of the lovely lads or ladies and they'll be more than happy to help :) Dupes for these are the Maybelline "Colour Tattoos" but the skin toned colour is quite hard to find, (I've yet to find it after such a long time searching for it). Wherever your price range lies, I'm sure you will find one to suit your needs.One last thing- don't be afraid to spend a little more on a primer than usual, you only need a small bit whenever you wear makeup and honestly it makes such a difference! The thing with cheaper primers is they don't work very well for me personally,but if you know one which works well I'd love to hear from you! It can be a life saver if you've a long day ahead of you :)

So that's everything for today! Hope you found this useful and if you've any questions don't ever hesitate to drop a comment below. We're here to help!

Stay Sparkling,

Edel and Tess x