My makeup journey and go-to makeup products
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know how I’ve felt about makeup over the years. Fast forward to today, my relationship with makeup + how I select and use products has completely changed, for the better!
While I’ve always loved girly things like makeup, during my teenage years, I was a lipgloss and eyeliner girl. That lasted throughout college, ya’ll. Can you believe it? Then I started getting into contouring and learning about shadows and highlights on the face. Adding this knowledge and various shades of powders to my makeup routine helped me achieve more of a sophisticated, sexy, look I wanted for nights out.
Fast forward a few more years, my career in media & journalism started taking off and I found myself on stages + in rooms where all eyes were on me (cameras included). It was time I started getting serious about the details i.e blending, tones, shine control, etc (can’t be out here lookin’ crazy). So being the obsessed and need-to-be-perfect person that I am, I spent hours on YouTube trying to learn makeup techniques. I got overwhelmed with all of the content available from professional and self taught makeup artists to the point that I threw in the towel and started hiring makeup artists to glam me up for big events and speaking engagements.
Earlier this year, I was going over my budget and expenses and realized I had paid a makeup artist every week for one month (whew, I was busy)! Makeup artists and their travel services can costs anywhere between $165 to $280 for what I needed. How much did I spend on makeup in one month? You do the math! Enough was enough. I called my absolute favorite makeup artist, Alexys of NuLookbyLex and asked her to teach me, once and for all, how to do my makeup exactly how she does it!
Alexys provided all the tips and tricks I needed to achieve her signature glam which is skin-like makeup and a buttery-smooth face, which is perfect for me and my preference. Before our actual session, she went through my makeup kit and offered product recommendations. Our session lasted two and a half hours and was worth every penny. Now, would I still hire Alexys as my makeup artist? Yes. Especially when I am in Atlanta, where she is based. But I’ve saved so much money by doing my own makeup and putting a real effort into learning my face, its needs, and how to achieve the look with products.
I say this humbly, I’ve been killin’ it!
Linked below are my go-to makeup and skincare products I swear by. You can trust that every single product on this list is what I consider quality and actually work for me. I use each of them religiously to achieve every look.
Makeup By Mario Cream Contour | Makeup By Mario Eyeshadow Palette | Noorface Skinglass in Champagne | Noorface Skinglass Cream Blush Bundle | NYX Micro Brow Pencil | Kiehls 24-Hour Face Cream | Relavel Makeup Case | Fenty Beauty Kabuki Brush | Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr Soft Matte Powder Foundation | Fenty Beauty Cream Bronzer | Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb | NARS Soft Matte Foundation
