I would say that I’m in a decent routine now and apply my makeup for competition days in pretty much the same way, perhaps varying the eyeshadow colour or using a different mascara but generally this is now my look.

I always start with my hair!  Using hair oil and leave in conditioner to tame my hair, I sweep it back into a high ponytail, place an elongated bun sponge underneath and tuck the ends of the ponytail under, pinning it into place and covering with a hairnet to secure it all.  I then apply Got2B Glued hairspray which is amazing!  Hold every strand securely in place, yet simply brushes out afterwards!  You don’t need to spray a lot and hands down the best hairspray I have ever used!

Makeup time….I did not apply a primer as this foundation doesn’t need one, so my last step was to use my Clinique Moisture Surge moisturiser, then I start by mixing my usual shade of Estee Lauder Double Wear with the shade Honey Bronze and this seems to give me a perfect shade match.

Next I use my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, followed by DiorBlush Light and Contour stick to create my contour and highlight ready to blend, adding Clinique Chubby Stick in Rhubarb for cheek colour.

 

This is then all set using the usual Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder.  As photographs are taken at these events, I don’t tend to use my NARS setting powder (even though that is my favourite!) as I want to stay safe from flashback!

To deepen my contour and cheek colour, I apply my usual Mac Bronzer and Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle followed by a mix of Mac’s Pro Longwear blush in Whole Lotta Love, and NYX Double Dare.

The NYX white eyeshadow base has become my new favourite!  I used to use Mac Soft Ochre Paint Pot (which I still use) but given I want my eyeshadow to ‘pop’ this white base is perfect and seems to be great at preventing my eye makeup from creasing!  I set this with Thirteen from the Urban Decay Smoky Palette.

My crease colour was started with Combust from the Smoky Palette but I then wanted it to be darker because of the colours I would be using so I added the shade Extra Bitter.  The outer V of my eye was done with the shade Blackout, which was then blended really well with the extra bitter shade, then blended further with Blow up to my eyebrow.

I then sprayed Mac’s Fix + onto my brush (this is sold as a makeup setting spray which personally, I don’t think it does a great job at but what it is great for is using with pigment powders and other glitters and gives a lovely sheen to them when applied wet). Today I used a green powder eyeshadow by Barry M.

Scotch tape is, in my opinion, one of the best and easiest ways to get a neat line….I am rubbish at freehand winged eyeliner and I want a crisp clean line for my competition makeup so I use tape before applying any shadows.  I then use my Urban Decay Razor Sharp Eyeliner in Perversion to create my line, which I then add an additional line to form a > shape from the corner of my eye, followed by the same eyeliner in Bump on the inner > shape.  I always use a white eyeliner on my waterline to make my eyes look more open….but I use a pencil, not a liquid!

Despite buying new mascaras recently, which I’ve mentioned in my previous blogs and on Instagram recently, I don’t take risks with new products on competition days so for mascara, I used Estee Lauder’s Lash Primer Plus, followed by their Sumptuous Extreme mascara.  I love this mascara…it doesn’t drop, really lifts my lashes adding length and volume and more importantly doesn’t clump even with 2 coats.    The eye look wouldn’t be complete without a bit of drama in the form of falsies!  I use Eyelure lashes….the most comfortable lashes, again, in my opinion.  I have used cheaper ones and they either dig in the inner corner of my eye where they are too rigid on the lash band, or they just won’t stick!   I used my usual Benefit Gimme Brow for my eyebrows, which I always extend out a bit further than I would for a daytime look because I have extended the shadow and eyeliner so the brow needs to be extended also.

To complete the whole look, I applied Clinique’s Matte Liquid Lip in Ripe Pop, mixed with a little of Mac’s Girl About Town lipstick.

When I returned home after a fab day, I took a photo of my makeup before I took it off using Clinique’s Take The Day off cleansing balm, which I have to say is AMAZING…it even removes Double Wear foundation!!!!!

As shown in the photo below, my makeup lasted!  I applied this approximately 5.30am and took this photo at around 8pm – around 14.5hours later….a little shine on my nose but given I didn’t touch-up any of the makeup I think it lasted brilliantly…I honestly don’t think this foundation can be beaten for longevity!    The second photo is just for fun….this is what my hair looks like when I take the pins out!!!!!  🙂

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