Drugstore Makeup for Pale Skin!

Hallooooo!  If you have truly pale skin (and no, I don’t mean the drug store’s orangey-beige version of “Ivory”), you have probably done countless online searches trying to come up with foundation, concealer, and powder options, both high end and drug store.  Drug store options seem to be the most impossible, but after loads of searching, I’ve found a few options.  Actually, my entire face today is drugstore, and I’ll post a list of what I’m wearing below! 

For reference, in MAC terms, I would be around an N10, shade wise.  I usually settle for NW10 since I lean more cool, but honestly I would prefer a perfectly neutral base.  Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 works fine for me.  Cover FX does have an N10 shade that is fairly perfect for me, but both these lines are pretty pricey and I wanted another option!

What I have on today is Rimmel Match Perfection in 010 Light Porcelain.  Unfortunately, if you’re in the United Stares, you’ll have to order this shade online, as it’s only available in the UK.  American Match Perfection starts at an ivory shade that is rather dark and super pink!  The Light Porcelain is beautifully neutral.  This is a sheer to medium buildable foundation with a satin finish.  This shade is also available in the UK in a few other formulas such as Lasting Finish, which is a heavier coverage, but sadly breaks me out.  I have no issues with this one.  I got this on Amazon for around $10 USD. 

The concealer I’ve used today is a new one to me and I’m praying it won’t break me out, because it looks pretty nice!  This is NYX Gotcha Covered in Ivory.  I saw a Youtuber say this was “really light” and had to try it for $6 USD.  It’s a full coverage cream concealer in a tube.  What a I like about this for under eyes is it has a bit of a peachy-salmon tone, great for correcting dark circles!  I’ve yet to determine if this creases or causes breakouts, so watch this space.  I set this with powder immediately today and it looked bomb.  Which brings me to…

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Pressed Powder in Translucent 100!  This is a wonderful, finely milled pressed powder that mattifies oil and sets foundation like nobodies business.  Don’t let the white color fool you – this is basically invisible on the skin, at least if you’re fair like me!  It has a nice sponge and a mirror so it’s good on the go.  Don’t want to shell out for MAC Blot?  Don’t have to!  This product is around $6 at the drug store. 

Here’s my finished look.  You like? 

  
I also have on Wet N Wild’s Comfort Zone palette and I used Rimmel’s “Tower of Mauve” lipstick on the lips and as a cream blush!

Do you have any drug store favorites? 

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Makeup of the Day 

Kristin and I have been absent from the blog for a bit, having been victims of Stupid Life Stuff, but I have a couple of posts lined up that I am pretty excited about!  First up, a quick post about today’s look – a casual fall look featuring warm colors. 

  
MAKEUP:

FACE:  Smashbox Photo Finish Primer on T-Zone, Rimmel Lasting Finish foubdation in Light Porcelain, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW10 to spot conceal, no powder, NYX HD powder blush in Taupe to contour, Benefit Dandelion Blush, MAC Lightscapade Mineralized Skinfinish to highlight

EYES:  Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Vanilla shadow to highlight, INSPR eyeshadow in Carnival, Urban Decay Black Velvet 24/7 Liner, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo Ebony with mini brow brush

LIPS:  NYX Nude Pink Lip Liner and Rimmel Kate Moss matte lipstick in 105

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I love this fall look because it’s warm, but still neutral enough that I can pull it off with my cool toned skin and hair.

What are you wearing this fall? 

Goth Night Makeup Look – Red and Black 

Last night was our local goth-industrial dance night and I decided to really do something interesting with my makeup, since I have been wearing lighter fare for the daytime regularly (taupe shadows and mauve lips have been my thing lately).  I went all out last night and did a black and red theme I was really pleased with! 

  
MAKEUP BREAKDOWN:

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW10 applied with damp Beauty Blender, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer underneath eyes with Beauty Blender, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain to spot conceal and around the nose.  NARS Light Reflecting Powder to set face, NYX HD Blush in Taupe to contour, Illamasqua Blush in Katie.

EYES:

Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Bone as a base, MAC Vanilla eyeshadow as highlight, Makeup Geek Corrupt black shadow in the crease, Sugar Pill Love + eyeshadow on lid and lower lash line, Wet N Wild H2O + liquid eyeliner in black with MAC 210 eyeliner brush for eyeliner detail work.  Ardell false lashes, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, Brows Makeup Geek Corrupt Eyeshadow with Anastasia Beverly Hills small double ended brow brush 

LIPS:

NYX Lip Liner in Black Berry as an ombré liner mixed with Rimmel Provocalips in Play With Fire 

Hummingbird skull pendant in sterling silver by Skeletos on Etsy – I cannot recommend this great jewelry artist enough! 

Makeup of the Day – MAC does purples right 

A while back, a friend of mine sent me some MAC makeup.  One item was this Chromaline cream liner in Rich Purple, which is a rich plum shade.  I’ve tried several times to wear it as eyeliner, but it has just enough red in it to make it look like I’ve been crying or something! Same thing happens when I wear pink eyeshadow.  Anyway, it’s such a big jar and I don’t want to waste it, so today I thought I would try it as a cream eyeshadow.  I placed it on the lower lid, and then I used a cooler blue-purple shadow under the eyes and in the crease and my regular black eyeliner on the top lid.  I think it worked!

Omg, that hair frizz!  It’s humid in August in the South, guys.

MAKEUP BREAKDOWN:

FACE:  Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, MAC Casual Color on cheeks in Evening Stroll with ELF Small Stipple Brush, face set with NARS Light Reflecting Powder

EYES:  Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Bone on top lid, MAC Chromaline in Rich Purple on bottom lid, L’Oreal Infallible Cream liner in black, MAC Mega Metals shadow in Noir Plum in crease and for lower liner, Dolce and Gabanna Passion Eyes mascara, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder in Ebony with #7 brush

LIPS:  NYX Deep Purple liner with MAC Up The Amp lipstick

Makeup Of The Day

Casual day here!

  
FACE:  Tarte Clean Slate Poreless primer only on T-zone, Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hr Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Set Powder in Invisible in t-zone, NYX Cream Blush in Glow, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under eyes

EYES:  Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow, Taupe shade from Wet N Wild Silent Treatment Trio, L’Oreal Super Slim Liquid Liner Black, Dolce and Gabanna Passion Eyes Mascara, It Cosmetics Brow Power brow pencil 

LIPS:  MAC Soar lip pencil, Marc Jacobs lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

What are you wearing? 

Makeup of the Day 

So, I feel off my makeup game today.  I decided I wanted to give MAC Chromaline in Rich Purple another try today, although the last few tries had me feeling this plum-purple cream liner just had too much red for me to pull it off.  I should have known better, because I’m having allergies today already.  Sure, it matches my shirt, but I don’t think it’s doing me any favors.


Yep…off day.  I also used my sample of MAC Strobe Cream under Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation, hoping it would make it look a little more satin and life like and less flat matte.  Well, it did at least a tad…but the color is still a bit too light or something and oh my GOD you guys…the fragrance of the Strobe Cream is not going away!  I did my makeup an hour ago.  No Bueno!  Yeah, I’ll stick to L’Oreal Lumi Primer, thanks.  :-/

At least my NYX lipstick in Hunk looks awesome.  Thanks, Ipsy!

Ok, here I am 5 hours later, at 9:00 pm.  I added Sephora Contour eyeliner pencil in Eccentric Diva, which is a blue purple, which I think looks a bit better.  However, I think I’ve gone from “satin glowy skin” to straight up shiny (hard to tell here since my house is dark).  Not sure how I’m going to like Strobe Cream in the summer (regardless of the scent).  I am just so…combination.  *gets out Blot Powder* I switched here to Wet N Wild Fergie lipstick in Ferguson Crest Cabernet.  This lipstick has such great staying power!


Ever have makeup off days?

Makeup of the Day

  

Eyes: MAC eyeshadows in Nylon, Satin Taupe and Ricepaper, Wet n Wild eyeliner pencil in Black, Urban Decay Perversion mascara

Face: Smashbox Photo Finish primer, MAC MatchMaster Foundation 1.0

Lips: Rimmel Provocalips lip paint in Play With Fire

Fragrance: Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs “Red Lantern”

(Bonus: Finally re-purpled my hair – Special Effects “Wildflower”)

Makeup of the Day

   

Eyes: MAC eyeshadows in Aquadisiac and Nylon, BellaPierre gel eyeliner in black, Urban Decay Perversion mascara

Face: MAC MatchMaster 1.0 foundation, NYX HD Finishing Powder, BeneFit LoliTtint cheek stain

Lips: Rimmel Provocalips lip paint in Dare to Pink

Porcelain Means Porcelain, Dammit — Finding Makeup & Techniques for Pale Skin

Something that drives me nuts is trying to find good tutorials or reviews of makeup for pale skin. And I mean ACTUALLY pale, not “I wear MAC NC25” or your foundation shade contains the word “caramel” or “sand” or “tan”. You might have light-toned skin (in the “light” end of the spectrum, or “lighter than most”), but not pale. Finding a good, true “porcelain” shade is very difficult, and finding good ideas for things like highlighting, bronzing and contouring is even more elusive.

Here’s a great example: When I go to the MAC counter (or, well, many counters, actually!), they always want to match me to NW15, because it’s one of the lightest shades they offer What I’m wearing currently is MatchMaster 1.0, which is much better on me (I wear it daily and it looks very natural on me) – and they still tried to tell me it’s too light! Nope. I am porcelain, with pinky undertones, and the amount of “light” foundations that are far too dark is, well, most of them.

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Check out the difference here — on the right is StudioFix Fluid NW15 and MatchMaster 1.0 on the left. Blended all the way out you can barely see it on my arm, but the SFF is much too dark and yellow! The only time SFF NW15 is even close to matching my skin is when I get home from Burning Man after two weeks in the desert sun, and EVEN THEN it’s BARELY light enough! I do wear SFF in NW15 from time to time, but generally go very, very light with it (sometimes I blend it with moisturizer, it works quite well that way) and always powder over with StudioFix Powder in NW10 to lighten it up.

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It’s harder still to find a good shade at the drugstore, but I think I’ve struck gold with Rimmel Stay Matte in Light Porcelain 010. I don’t think I’d go quite as far as to call it a dupe unless you account for it being much more full coverage and slightly less yellow, but both look very natural on me and I’m happy with each! The MatchMaster blends down so naturally that it’s very easy to wear, the Rimmel Stay Matte takes a bit more paying attention so to not look unnatural.

But the search always continues for tutorials and new products, of course!

Have you found any great tutorials for bronzing, contouring, and highlighting truly pale/porcelain skin? What products do you like to use?