Fresh & Glowy Makeup

Today I bring you a fresh and glowy makeup look, but with a twist. This look uses just ONE tool– the Beauty Blender (BB). This delightful pink egg is an amazing makeup tool that I recommend to everyone. The BB is just a makeup sponge, not all are created equal but there are cheaper ones on the market such as the Real Techniques Sponge. Don’t trust me? First of all, why not??? Second, my mom recently got a BB and it really changed how products were applied on her skin. The key to a beauty sponge is to soak it and then ring it out WELL. A dry sponge ain’t shit and one that is too wet will mess up your makeup.

Now let’s talk about how I achieved this makeup look. Of course, the first step to any makeup look is to do your skincare. Mine is somewhat intensive and I have a post about it that you can check out, but the main point is to have moisturized skin. Even if you have oily skin, it’s still important to moisturize, just maybe with a lighter moisturizer.

After that, I squeezed some L’Oreal Glotion onto the back of my hand and used the butt of the BB to apply it all over my face, but focused on my cheekbones. I normally apply this with my hands but decided to try it with a sponge, and I actually preferred the sponge application.

Next, I put a little bit of concealer all over my face, sort of like foundation. I used the Bare Minerals Serum Concealer and put 2 lines on my forehead, 1 down my nose, 1 on my chin, and 2 on each cheek, as well as around the eyes. Then, I really blended it out using the BB. The key to blending with a sponge is to bounce the product into your skin, not to drag it.

Once that was done, I applied a light amount of the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting powder. You could skip powder all together but I get somewhat oily through out the day so I prefer to set with powder. A common misconception is that you cannot use your beauty sponge in powder products, but that is fake news. 

With that in mind, I moved onto bronzer. I used the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer in the shade Bronzer and applied it around my hairline and onto my cheeks (starting where your cheek meets your upper ear and then going in a diagonal line to mid cheek). I’d say this step can be a bit tricky but just get a light amount of bronzer and tap some off on the back of your hand.

[I often get questions about what bronzer is so I thought I would clear that up here. Bronzer is to make your face looks a little bit more tan and “healthy.” Try out the placement I listed above, but it might work better for you in other areas, makeup is trial and error]

Next, I applied blush to the apples of my cheek, specifically the H&M Blush in Cameo Pink. Same idea here, use a very light amount and tap it off on the back of your hand. Remember how I said earlier you need to bounce the BB? Well when it comes to powder products like blush and bronzer, I suggest bouncing and then dragging to blend.

Lastly, I applied a generous amount of highlight. I used both the Wet N Wild Reserve your Cabana “bronzer” (it’s a white powder so) and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Incandescent Light. I applied this to the tops of my cheek bones and up and around my eyebrows (in a ‘C’ shape), down the bridge of my nose, on cupids bow, and a little bit on my chin. I wasn’t shy with the highlighter because such a natural look calls for glowing skin in my opinion.

After those steps, you can put your BB down. It’s really a makeup tool powerhouse! I finished up by lightly filling in my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. I chose to skip mascara and just curl my lashes, but whatever works best for you!

So, have I convinced you that you need a makeup sponge yet? If so, here are my recommendations:

The Original Beauty Blender ($20)

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ($9 for 2)

Ecotools Sponge ($9 for 2)