Imagine, it’s 4.45pm and you are just about to finish up at the office when one of your work colleagues comes in and says everyone is getting bonuses this week and we are all going out to celebrate!
You are thrilled, extra money and an excuse for some socialising… but you haven’t touched up your makeup all day and you want to feel your best, so let’s break down how to refresh and amp up your typical day time look!
Most offices are highly air-conditioned places which means, skin dehydration! But this can be the case in many environments. As we do our skin care and then makeup in the morning, we are putting a layer of moisture onto our skin, but throughout the day the skin absorbs any moisture it can. Always remember- skin is the largest organ and humans are 70% water!
So, let’s start with refreshing our skin! I suggest going through with a tissue that’s been pulled into single layers and just dab over your skin, this helps with any oil absorption and to remove any particles from the day. After this a hydrating mist is a great step. There are many on the market, some of my favourites are Skindinavia Finishing Spray or Weleda Hydrating Mist.
After your hydration has kicked in, you can assess if extra coverage or blending is needed with your base. Carrying a little concealer or a little pot of your foundation and makeup sponge with you can really help blend out your base and give it back some life! If you are more of a brush person, some brands do mini brushes of their popular foundation’s brushes, perfect for travel! My personal favourite is the Mini Expert Foundation Brush from Real Techniques, perfect for any handbag!
From here I would tweak your eye look slightly. This can be very different for many different people, pending the look you usually wear. Some great examples that I love are carrying a brown or black smudge pencil eyeliner. If you aren’t good at putting on eyeliner you can use a smudgy pencil liner as eyeshadow and create some extra definition around your eyes. Or having your mascara with you and doing some extra coats to help the lashes pop for a bold look.
If you feel extra, you can include a small eyeshadow palette, something built for travel but has high impact and great pigment quality! My favourites come from Viseart Paris, they do some little 4 shade palettes in many colours, so you will be sure to find the one that works best for you. You can add a pop of shimmer, deepen the colours in your socket line and under your lash line to create an effortless smoky eye, perfect for a night-time look!
Next, I would advise having a creamy lip colour – that can also be used as a cheek colour. Having cohesive cheek and lip colours looks really sophisticated and is an effortless touch up! There are Cheek and lip stain products which are amazing, but I am a big believer in using what you have first. So go through your creamy lipsticks and find your favourite shades that would be complimentary for lips and cheeks. Think: pinks, peaches and even deeper plums (just be sure to start with a little on the cheeks, you can always add more!)
Let’s review! In your little travel makeup bag, you will need a hydrating mist, tissues, concealer or small pot of your foundation, makeup sponge/brush, brown or black eyeliner, mascara, mini eyeshadow palette and a dual-purpose lipstick! And here is a bonus tip for you, these are the items I always make sure I have on an international flight too! Just enough to make it look like you slept for 8 hours, instead of having wines, watching countless episodes and trying not scream at the person behind me kicking my chair…. but I digress!
Back in the office. Your skin, eyes, lips and cheeks are all touched up and refreshed in record time and you are ready to take this day-look into the night.
