Full Face ♡

A "full face" to me means wearing medium to full coverage make up on pretty much all of my face. This is definitely not an everyday thing! My "full face" is the heaviest look I have and I only do this on days of big events or when pictures will be taken.

In this post, I'll be listing every step of my full face along with my favorite product for each step. Note that these are listed in the general order that I apply them for reasons that I'll mention as I go but the order you do your full face in is obviously personal choice. Keep in mind that before you start this process, you want to have a clean face so that you have a nice smooth palette. At the very least, wipe your face with a wet washcloth beforehand. Okay, let's get started!

1. Primer

The purpose of primer is to prepare your skin to hold make up. It protects your skin from powder or foundation getting in your pores and holds make up in place so that it's less likely to melt/wipe off. Primer also smooths the look of pores and can decrease oil productivity in some areas. I use separate primer for my eyes and face. First, I dab elf Eyelid Primer in "Sheer" on my lids from the lashline all the way up to my eyebrow then I blend with my finger. I use MAC Matte as a face primer but I only use it on oily areas like the sides of my nose and chin but you could use it all over because it's very silky and would provide a great base for any skin type.

2. Eyeshadow

I like to have a light neutral eyeshadow just to contrast my cateye wing. In this step, you could do the whole shading thing with a darker color in the crease to create depth but I usually don't. I just swipe Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in 001 "Vintage Lace" all across my eyelids once my eyelid primer is dry.

3. Liquid eyeliner

At this point, I do my cateye with liquid liner. I have multiple liners that I turn to, but for this I use MAC LiquidLast Liner in "Point Black" because it definitely has more staying power than any other liner I've tried. Be careful because it is so hard to get off! I simply make the wing over the eyeshadow I just applied. I like to do liner before curling my eyelashes or applying mascara because it's best that eyelashes and liquid liner just don't touch. Uncurled naked eyelashes are less likely to get in the way and mess up your liner.

4. Foundation

While you wait for your eyeliner to dry, apply foundation. I use Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Combination/Oily Skin in "110 Ivory" and I love it because I have a naturally oily T zone which gives me an aversion to liquid foundation but this is the exception. It decreases my oiliness and also it actually matches my skin tone which is pretty rare since I'm so fair-skinned. This is my favorite foundation so far~

5. Mascara

Now that your liquid liner is probably dry, go back and do your mascara while your foundation dries. Curl your lashes first of course but be careful not to get too close to the lashline because you dont want to mess up your liner! Right now I'm using Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara in "Extreme Black" and for an extensive guide on how I do my eyelashes, click here.

6. Powder

Now, as you wait for your mascara to dry, go and do your powder. Powder is pretty simple... I use Maybelline Mineral Power Powder in "Classic Ivory- Light 2" because I'm attracted to make up products that are also good for you and of course mineral make up is a smarter choice. I like this powder, it does it's job and I use it pretty much everyday~

7. Contour

After powder, I go right into contouring. Contouring is a technique where you put a slightly darker powder than your skin tone underneath your blush to make your face appear slimmer and more... contoured! Contouring can be applied in many, many places on the face but I usually only do it under my blush. If you've never done this but are interested in trying it, I suggest looking up skin contouring tutorials on YouTube because that's how I learned! The contouring powder I use is elf Healthy Glow Bronzer in "Sun Kissed".

8. Blush

Blush comes next because if you happen to use too much contouring powder and/or too much blush, you can use your powder brush to blend them together and soften them up right after you do them. I love blush and it's so hard for me to choose just one! My favorite blush is discontinued and my most expensive blush was in a MAC collection that isn't easily available right now so I'll suggest using elf blushes because I love them. I have the colors "Pink Passion," "Fushia Fusion," and "Candid Coral" and I use them all frequently! My tip for blush on a full face is to not use a cream or stick blush unless you apply it with a blush brush because I believe that since you already have powder on your face, you shouldn't be rubbing or smearing anything on top.

9. Face highlight

When you're happy with how your powder, contour, and blush look then you're ready to highlight your face. I use separate highlights for my face and eyes and I use them at separate times. For my face, I use Physicians Formula Mineral Glow Pearls Powder Palette in "Translucent Pearl". I place this powder on the tops of my cheekbones above my blush, down the center of my nose, as well as a little in the center of my forehead and chin as finishing touches. For more on highlighting, check out my post on it here.

10. Eyebrows

I do my eyebrows this late in the process because I hate filling them in and then accidentally brushing over them with a skin-colored powder, ugh! So now that I'm done with loose powders, I use Milani EasyBrow in "Natural Taupe" to precisely fill in my brows and have nice clean lines that aren't blurred by powders.

11. Eye highlight

Okay I do like to use one more powder after my eyebrows, but it's not a messy one! I apply my eye highlight under the arches of my eyebrows to just give an extra lift and contrast to them. I use the "Browbone" color from the "Walking On Eggshells" Wet N Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow Trio for that pop of highlight as well as another dab of brightness in the inner corners of my eyes. This method of highlighting is also discussed in the aforementioned post that I linked earlier.

12. Lip balm

Okay, eyes and face are done which means only lips are left. Some people like to use lip primers but I find that a balm works just fine! I always always always use Lip Smacker lip balm. Some of my favorite flavors are Pink Lemonade, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Strawberry, and I recently discovered Ice Cream Cake which is amazingly rich and wonderful. This brand is my all-time favorite and I apply it multiple times everyday because they look, feel, and smell so lovely.

13. Lipstick/gloss

After your balm base, you're free to add the finishing touch of color to your lips. I own WAY too many lip colors to name just one but I'll tell you that my favorite brands of lipsticks are Revlon, MAC, and Sephora. The color is totally up to you as it would depend on the time of day and your outfit but I usually want a pretty pink. The one I've been reaching for lately is MAC "Viva Glam Gaga" lipstick.

14. Finishing spray

I love finishing spray because it keeps you from looking like a cake face. No matter how much make up you put on your face, you can just spritz this and you'll instantly appear fresh, natural, and dewy. I use MAC Mineralize Charged Water Skin Hydrating Mist and I'm so obsessed with it. Just do one gentle spray for each side of your face and one right down the center and you're all done!