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Makeup Mixology: My Favourite Pairings

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I must admit that I was a bit of a science nerd at school. It was a sad day when my class were banned from using bunsen burners because of a few who used to burn pen lids behind the teacher’s back. Now my science knowledge is added to from frequent construction and physics chats with Mark which I furrow my brow at and desperately try to understand and playing the Mad Professor with my beauty bits because there’s nothing like finding a concoction that surpasses the sum of all the components. So for today’s post I thought I’d share my favourite pairings that I’ve found while playing makeup mixology…

Doubling up on scents is probably the easiest way to get your mix on and is something I do often, especially between seasons when you want something that’s fresh/smokey/floral/herby all at the same time. Right now I’m into Stella McCartney’s Stella EDP, which is an extremely light fizzy floral, with a spritz or four of Jo Malone’s Geranium and Verbena, which has a soft powdery herb-like vibe – yep it’s a toughie to explain. Together they make something that’s girlie, with a unisex edge that is summery, but in a subtle way. See? The ability to describe fragrances is just a knack I’ll never get the hang of…

One little combo that I’ve been cracking out every morning is half a pump of the Sarah Chapman Skinesis Morning Facial with a mini pea-size dollop of Estee Lauder’s Revitalising Supreme CC Creme. Now let me tell you – this brings out the glow. The oil brings a bit of extra moisture and sheen to the skin even once everything is soaked in and the CC gives a teeny tiny amount of coverage which is just enough to make you look in the mirror and think ‘damn, my skin looks pretty darn good today’. It’s like a little skin confidence boost every AM. Insignificant sidetone: it smells delightful.

An illuminating primer and a satin-y finish foundation is a classic combination that’s pretty much guaranteed to turn out well. That’s the great thing with whipping up your own formulas is that you can create mixes with properties that don’t necessarily match up on paper, e.g) a foundation that’s dewy and long-lasting. Ta-dah! One of my favourite face base duos is the Dior Glow Maximiser Light Boosting Primer (I can never remember the name of that one) and NARS Sheer Glow. Together they bring serious coverage that doesn’t budge and a light to the high points on the face which will make you want to stare in a mirror and just move your face around in the light for hours.

I’m sure we’ve all been there; where we own countless lipsticks but can’t find one that truly encapsulates the exact colour which we want to don that day. I experienced this recently where I wanted a red that was orangey, but not too much so and wouldn’t move for hours after I applied it – basically MAC Lipstick in Lady Danger which I don’t have. In the end I threw Sephora’s Cream Lip Stain in Always Red all over my lips and dabbed a little of Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in A-Go-Go over the top, smooshed my lips together and loved the outcome. See maybe I don’t need Lady Danger after all? Well…

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