Beauty: Long Lasting Makeup for Teachers in the Middle East

As mentioned previously, I'm a teacher. A teacher who LOVES make up I might add. So I thought it may be useful to blog about the make up products I use on a daily basis when I am at work. I literally do not have any time to reapply my make up throughout the day, let alone any breaks! Since I have lived in Oman, I have switched up some of my make up products to make sure whilst my skin is comfortable, it also lasts throughout the day.

So what do I use?

I will list the products below in order of how I apply them and what they are used for.

#1. Skindinavia Primer Spray - After I have applied my skincare, I will lightly spritz my skin with this to prepare my skin for my make up application.

#2. MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Peach Lustre - I use this to colour correct underneath my eyes and any other dark areas of hyperpigmentation on my skin.

#3. MAC ProLongwear Concealer in NC35 - I lightly dab concealer on top of the colour correct areas.

#4. Garnier BB Cream OR Bobbi Brown BB Cream in Medium - I then apply a small peas sized amount all over my face and neck. Then I go back with the MAC concealer to make sure my base is flawless.

#5. MAC Master Concealer in 8.5 - I use a Morphe  brush and mark my cheek contour.

#6. Benefit Watts Up Cream Highlighter - I swipe this on my cheek bones and bridge of my nose and blend into my skin.

#7. Max Factor Soft Touch Cream Blush in Soft Copper - I LOVE cream blush for a more natural and glowy appearance. I use the small e.l.f. stippling brush and tap this onto my cheeks and blend in with my contour.

#8. Jouer Rose Gold Powder Highlighter - I use the Zoeva #134 brush to apply this on top of t he cream highlight. It's such a natural highlight, I love it!

#9. IsaDora Liquid Eyeliner in Black/Brown - I apply this to the top of my eyes.

#10. Eyeliner pencil  - I haven't listed a brand as I use loads and it depends on what colour I am feeling that day! But I apply this on my lower lash line.

#11. L'O'real Feline Mascara - this is a dupe for the Benefit Rollerlash mascara. It lifts and curls your lashes so well. I apply a few coats to the top and bottom of my lashes.

#12. NYX Mahogany Lipliner  - Again it depends on what colour I am feeling that day but more recently I have been wearing this combination.

#13. Rimmel Only Matte Lipstick in 700 ( Trendsetter) - I am not a fan of this alone and this works well with Mahogany and Mauve Squad to give a muted nude-mauve lip colour that goes with pretty much every look.

#14. Smashbox Mauve Squad Liquid Lipstick - I layer this over the lipstick and it is GORGEOUS!

#15. Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray - I spritz this over my makeup a few times to ensure it is set and lasts all day. I can vouch that it does last all day. However if I wear MAC Kohl, that eyeliner does tend to smudge. So I usually opt for Sephora, L.A Girl or Urban Decay eyeliners.

Sometimes I may apply RCMA powder to define my contour more but if I am honest it is quite rare on a school day! I do pack a mini Skindinavia Finishing spray with me but I never use it...I don't need to, but also I don't have time. I also pack my lipsticks but again very, very rarely top it up unless I am heading out after school.

I have to say that the Skindinavia sprays are a life saver here in Oman, they work so well! I am constantly repurchasing them as they make a huge difference to the longevity of my makeup. Also, I don't use foundation or anything that is thick on my face as my skin does not agree with it and also it is not good for this climate. I prefer to apply a face of natural looking makeup.

I hope you found this useful. Which products do you use to keep you makeup long lasting on your face?

Love Sara x

What Look Am I Rockin'?....Long Wear Ramadan Makeup!

Hey,

So as you know it's the month of Ramadan and I had wanted to tone down my makeup a bit and use some alternative products to achieve a more natural Ramadan look. It's quite fresh faced, hydrating and luminous as well as long wearing. The only product I have to touch up is my lipstick but that's normal with it being Ramadan and all!

I have included a little skincare and makeup products below, which may seem like a lot but honestly in this heat, they all work wonders!

Ramadan Skincare and Makeup Products

Back Row: Bioderma Serum, LM Tinted Moisturiser, UD Quick Fix Primer Spray,Skindinavia Setting Spray.
Middle Row: Wet n Wild Eyeliner, BB Longwear Eyeliner, Benefit Watts Up Highlighter, NYX Butter Gloss
Front Row: MAC Lipliner, MAC Upward Lash Mascara, MAC Cremesheen Lipstick, Kevyn Aucoin Creme Blush.

Skincare:

Bioderma Hydrabio Serum

Urban Decay Quick Fix Primer Spray

Skindinavia Setting Spray

Makeup:

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Sand

Wet n Wild Liquid Eyeliner in Dark Brown

Bobbi Brown Longwear Eyeliner in Hazel Brown

Benefit Watts Up Cream Highlighter

Kevyn Aucoin Creme Blush in Tan Soleil

MAC Upward Lash (sample)

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Pure Zen

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee

I won't go into detail with each product but honestly, all these products are amazing. They have been really hydrating and moisturising for my skin and kept it looking fresh throughout the day. The weather here is now usually 40+ and even though I am not outside for long it still affects you! Even with me using the AC inside, it's really important to care for your skin.

I have to say the skincare as noted above plays a massive part in keeping my skin looking hydrated and helps keep my makeup staying on my face longer. I have been loving cream products as they have been working well to blend in with my skin, rather than powder which although I love does sit on the skin looking a little cakey at times.

So, it looks like I will be carrying on using these products unless anything changes.

I hope you enjoyed reading!

Lots of love,

Sara

All Loved Up: March Favourites!

Aloha my lovely people! Happy April! I am back - with a fresh new layout! What do you think? I think it looks quite fresh and yes I had to add in the turquoise somewhere! :P

Please accept my sincere apologies! Since I've taken up a brand new leadership role at my school, I've been pretty busy plus I have been on two trips - one work related and the other just a plain old holiday! I've got lots of exciting posts about my career, travels, beauty and life! I will be posting a few this week so keep an eye out!

But I thought I would start off with a beauty post as I've been diggin' some newbies lately!

My Beauty Faves for March!

                                            
I have listed these from left to right and explained why I LOVED them so much last month!

#1: Urban Decay Quick Fix Prepping Spray: This is a newbie and I LOVE it! The weather it getting pretty hot and humid here and this does the job of prepping and hydrating my skin before my makeup. I have found that it plays a HUGE part in keeping my makeup on throughout the day too. Well done Urban Decay!

#2: Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara and #3: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara : I actually use this in conjunction with the Benefit Roller Lash mascara. I apply the Roller Lash first to separate my lashes and curl and then the Cannonball to intensify the colour and volume of my lashes. This must be my third purchase of them now and still loving how they work together!

#4: MAC Prolong Wear Concealer in NW25 & NC35: These are more newbies. As I have a tanned slightly, I found that the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealers are too light plus I didn't think they lasted long on my skin. I had heard good reviews about this concealer so I ended up buying two; NW25 for blemishes and NC35 for my under eyes and I am AMAZED! They're perfect and to the point LONG LASTING!

#5: Bobbi Brown BB Cream in Medium: I have recently converted to the BB BB Cream because of its benefits. It has an SPF35, is lightweight and the shade matches me perfectly even after oxidising. I love the satin finish and it provides me with enough coverage too.

#6: Inglot Mascara in 24: I've also switched up my black eyeliner for brown and it's amazing what colours can do for your makeup look. It is much softer looking and really makes my brown eyes pop! The staying power again is great which is a bonus for me in this weather!

#7: MAC Peaches Blush: Hello Spring or should I say Summer now? I love how this blush provides my skin with a splash of luminosity and glow.

#8: Milani Luminoso Blush: I use this as blush topper on MAC Peaches and it really brings out a dewy, glow from within.

#9: MAC Oak Lip Liner: I remember when blogger Bubblegarm used to rave about this lip liner but I wasn't sure it would suit me. Anyways, I bought it a few months ago and have been using it ever since - so thanks Muhsine! :)  It is a lovely neutral colour that defines the lip really subtly.

#10: Jouer Lip Enhancer in Clear: My new favourite lip plumping, moisturise without the tingle. This is AMAZING! No, seriously, I am almost done with my first tube. It is so luxurious and moisturising whilst plumping my lips ever so slightly. I use this day and night and have seen the difference it has made. I will most definitely be repurchasing. 

#11: MAC Myth Lipstick and #12: Cargo Lipgloss in Sahara: I've recently discovered beauty vlogger Chrisspy and loved her lip colours. So when I found out that she paired MAC Myth with Cargo's Sahara I was up to try it out. I use MAC Oak to line my lips and then apply MAC Myth and a slick of Sahara on top. It's the perfect nude lip combo - thanks Chrisspy!

So there you have it, my faves from the month of March. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Thank you,

Lots of love,

Sara