In this video I show the process of how I got ready for the Omar Apollo concert which took place on Monday 19th November 2018 at The Pickle Factory in East London with my concert buddy Niya. This GRWM will be shown in two parts – this one showcasing a detailed display of how I do my baby hairs as well as the base of my makeup.
Hair
Ever since I learnt how to do my braids myself it has been my go-to long-term protective style. They may not be perfect, but they are definitely cost effective. I used five packs of Xpressions colour 27/30 (£12.45) to match my dyed hair and they’re quite long reaching up to my bottom. To make my braids cleaner and neater I start off with shaping my baby hairs, I use Moco De Gorila Gel Extreme Hold (which is cheaper from the hair shop than online – £4) and this cheap toothbrush I got in a multipack from Sainsbury’s. Others hair gels don’t smooth down my curls, so I’d say this is the best hair gel I’ve used in my lifetime so far.
It also reactivates with water in which I did by using the BlinkBrowBar Rosewater Mist (£22) to set my baby hairs as well as prime my skin for the base.
Preliminary base
To start my base, I use the NYX 3c Conceal Correct Contour Concealer in Deep (£11) in conjunction with the Zoeva concealer brush to apply the orange corrector in the bottom right section of the palette. I use this to cover hyperpigmentation on my upper lip, forehead and eyelids, blending it out with the NYX Pro Multi Purpose Buffing Brush (£14).
You can see that with just the application of this corrector that my skin tone has become more even. This is such a nifty palette with variations of deepness in colour as well as undertones. For concealer I use the Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Supersize in the shade 12.5 (£7) for medium/dark skin tones with a golden undertone as described on the Makeup Revolution website. The shade 12.5 is less ashy than neutral 12, which is cooler toned. The non-supersize version of this concealer is £4, 0.11 fl oz/3.4 ml, larger one £7, 0.45 fl oz/13 g making it more than worth going for the supersize version. I use the doe foot applicator to sculpt around my eyebrows, eyelids and upper lip. I like this concealer a lot since it dries down and this helps to slow down inevitable creasing and it is cruelty free!
I make sure to apply lip balm, usually before I start my makeup just after I’ve finished my skincare, but I must have forgotten to beforehand. Moisture is key! With vitamin E and peppermint, the Burt's Bees 100% Natural Beeswax Lip Balm is sure to replenish you dry, cracked lips, although be careful not to get it into your eyes as the peppermint is quite strong and even from putting it on my lips my eyes sometimes water.
Foundation
I recently bought the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation (£15) which claims to be “lightweight, waterproof and pigmented AF, control shine and stay matte for 24-hours, non-comedogenic and suitable for normal, oily, combination, and sensitive skin types”. These are quite big claims although having tried the NYX Total Control Drop Foundation (£14), I can say that NYX foundations have a good reputation in my eyes at least. And buying this foundation after seeing many influencers review it and now using it myself, I can say that it wasn’t a bad purchase.
Using the shade Cappuccino, which is cool toned, however (as I also noticed with the NYX Total Control Drop Foundation) it is slightly green, and I am not green. I find that this is one of the many reasons why darker skinned people are forced to purchase high-end base makeup because there is simply not a good enough shade match on the high street – though that’s a whole other topic of debate.
I dispense two pumps for full coverage and blend out with NYX Pro Multi Purpose Buffing Brush (see! It truly is multi-purpose) blending the foundation into my hairline, jawline, nose creases, eye creases, temples and general face. The brush is so soft and makes blending so easy, you barely have to flick your wrist which is why I use it for basically everything. In comparison to the NYX Total Control Drop Foundation, I can say that the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation less velvety which makes sense since it has a less liquid matte formula. The foundation dries down so if you have a dry skin type, they may be no need to set with powder or possibly minimal powder. This is the reason I love the combination of this foundation with the Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer since they have very similar characteristics.
After all the blending, my face looks rather light. The MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in the shade Dark that my sister gave to me makes my face look ashy, but I hope that it’ll all balance in the end as I’m sure most people do when their makeup isn’t looking quite right during the process. I think this particular powder has been discontinued as it’s no longer sold on the MAC website – maybe rightly so. I can never seem to find a powder that doesn’t ruin the nice colour of my base and make me ashy, comment below any all over face powders you’ve used that are yellow toned and not ashy or green, PLEASE it would save my life!
I use the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (£29) around my smile lines to deter the inevitable creasing. It’s very red toned but is an excellent powder which is why I sacrifice the colour match for the setting abilities PLEASE HELP ME FIND A POWDER I AM BEGGING Y’ALL! I applied it with the Real Techniques expert face brush along the hairline and contour lines since it is darker than my skin tone.
Supplementary base
In order to add dimension to my face I use the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Global Glow (£22.50) highlighter applied with the Zoeva 129 Luxe Fan Brush on the high points of cheekbones which are very high.
I blend the lip area for lip highlight prep, brush highlighter along my cupid’s bow, mouth corners and chin. I use my finger to apply highlighter along curve of nose – my nose is flat, and I have basically no bridge, so I put highlighter here to make it appear like my nose has more structure.
I always keep my cotton pad that I use for my toner as part of my skincare and carry it along with my makeup, so I can clean up my fingers or any brushes or mishaps. This prevents the wastage of wipes, since you never want to waste a whole wipe for just the minor swipe of a finger – it’s just not economical or environmentally friendly. Most wipes contain plastic fibres ingrained within them and hence are not biodegradable.
To contour I use LA Girl PRO Highlight and Contour Duo in Medium Deep (£6) that my sister gave to me after she took my Makeup Geek Contour Powder from me. I contoured with the Zoeva 109 Face Paint Brush which is flat and perfect for contour. Though I believe an angled brush like the Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush may work a bit better, however I use that for blush. I find that it’s very hard to contour my nose as it just seems to add loads of texture to my skin so most times, I am less heavy handed than I was in this video.
My sister gave me this MAC Raizin blush and I find that it’s the perfect complement to brown skin.
I place it between my highlight and contour and across my hairline, also along my nose eyebrow bit (I’m not sure what that place is called but please refer to the video for a demonstration. I do my highlight first then contour then blush, since I find that that way is how I get the most seamless blend.
Eyebrows
For my eyebrows I use the Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil (£3.29), it’s cheap and cheerful, as long as it’s sharpened you can get precise hair like strokes.
I have such a love hate relationship with my eyebrows that now I feel kind of nonchalant towards them and I’d rather invest my time in other aspects of my face.
Products Used:
- - - Moco De Gorila Gel Extreme Hold
- - - blinkbrowbar Rosewater Mist
- - - NYX 3c Conceal Correct Contour Concealer in Deep
NYX Pro Multi Purpose Buffing Brush
- - - Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Supersize
- - - Burt's Bees 100% Natural Beeswax Lip Balm
- - - NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation
- - - Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Medium Deep
- - - MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Global Glow
- - - LA Girl PRO Highlight and Contour Duo Medium Deep
- - - MAC Powder Blush Raizin
- - - RImmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil