Face of the Day Walk-through | Full Coverage Face & Soft Eyes

You can call me a ride-or-die medium coverage kind of chick. I've tried countless foundations - many of which I loved and some.. not so much. The ones I love all share a common factor - they all have a solid medium coverage. That basically means that the coverage is somewhere in-between light and full - A medium coverage will even out skin discolorations, cover blemishes, yet the foundation only looks like a silky veil on the skin rather a mask, and sometimes, my freckles, sunspots and sometimes even a little redness will slightly shine through. I actually kind of like that - it gives the illusion of clear skin, while not erasing every single spot.

But of course, I love switching it up and sometimes I really like an airbrushed, blemish-free face. Recently, I've been enjoying wearing a full coverage face, especially on nights out when I really want my makeup to hold up for several hours. Light and medium coverage foundations can break down a bit with sweat, etc, but when I bust out my heavy duty full coverage makeup, I know that my makeup isn't going anywhere all night. I'm going to take you through a quick run through of what I've been wearing lately.

I like to start out with applying a water based moisturizer to my entire face as it will allow my makeup to spread and blend effortlessly without looking dry or cakey. I always apply a moisturizer liberally to my under-eyes so the skin under my eyes will look rejuvenated, giving the illusion of well rested eyes. My favorite full coverage concealer is MAC Studio Finish Concealer. I like applying it with my middle or ring finger and tapping/patting the product (not wiping) to blend.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer has been my go-to full coverage foundation. It's an incredibly dense, tacky cream and you only need the tiniest bit for the whole face. I like to dot it on each area of my face, and then with a damp Beauty Blender sponge, spread and pat the foundation into my face until it's completely blended. If I want my face to look really perfect, I'll add a second thin layer.

Now, with full coverage foundations, you need to pop some dimension back in your face as an opaque coverage can flatten the face and make the natural contours less apparent. I love using MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter and applying it under my eyes and down the bridge of my nose and blending it out with a beauty blender. It really brightens up the face and gives more of a structured look.

I always set my under-eyes with Ben Nye Neutral Set Powder, which has been my favorite under-eye setting powder for years. I love that once I apply it, it really locks my concealer in and makes it budge-proof until I remove my makeup. Creasing and setting is never an issue. If I want a seriously opaque, Kim K kind of under-eye, I'll take a sponge and pat some MAC Studio Fix Powder under my eyes. For the rest of my face, I've been really enjoying NARS Loose Powder. It adds a hint of additional coverage, while softening the look of the skin, making the face look virtually perfect.

The skin is now a blank canvas, so I like adding some warmth into my skin and at the same time exaggerating the natural contours of my face. I've been loving Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer because it's a med-dark brown matte bronzer and mimics shadows really well. If you have very pronounced features, it's not really necessary, but for those with a fuller face, it can work wonders. With a small contouring brush I like to apply the bronzer below my cheekbones and blend upward, as well as up my temples and forehead, and all around the outer edges of my face. I like going back with my powder brush to further blend any areas that look too harsh.

Then, I like popping a little color on my cheeks. I chose NARS Lovejoy Blush - a lovely shade of rosy-bronze that is a very flattering every-day shade for warm skin tones. After I've applied my blush, I'm going to apply a highlighter with my fingertips across the highest points of my cheekbones. I used Dior Amber Diamond, a subtle ultra fine powder highlight that makes the skin look like it's glowing from within.

For my eyebrows, I've used a combination of NARS Eye Paint and MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Brow. I have quite a bit of filling in to do, but I'm going to try making them look as natural as I can by not applying too much product at once. Since my natural brows are very dark, I always like to finish with a tinted brow gel to lighten them up slightly. It softens my brows so they don't look as harsh/tattooed. I'm using NARS Brow Gel.

The eyes I'm keeping rather plain today and I'm going to apply MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow all over my lid and smudge NARS Eye Paint on my upper and lower lash line. Then I'm going to line my eyes with the eye paint as well.

Lastly, I'm going to curl my lashes, add a coat of Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum and two coats of Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara. For a little extra intensity, I added some Red Cherry False Lashes.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer Review & Photos!

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer 

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer ($45) was created to mimic the appearance of healthy, radiant skin. It's a cream foundation and concealer wrapped up in one product. Containing honey and jojoba oil, this foundation is creamy, moisturizing and creates a soft, natural dewy finish.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer is available in (16) shades: SX01, SX02, SX03, SX04, SX05, SX06, SX07, SX08, SX09, SX10, SX11, SX12, SX13, SX14, SX15 and SX16.

I chose SX08, which is a warm medium shade with strong yellow undertones. It's suitable for the MAC NC35 coloring.

The texture of this cream is a bit different than other cream products I've used. It compares to the creaminess/goopiness of Benefit Erase Paste, but it's more dense and not as tacky. For instance, it's absolutely nothing like MAC Studio Finish Concealer (MAC Full Coverage Foundation) or Cinema Secrets/Graftobian/Ben Nye Foundations which are like the standard cream compact makeup - often dry and dense or with a similar consistency to a concealer stick. It's so much more creamy - luxuriously creamy, but it's also very thick/dense. Because of this, you need a tiny amount (about 1/4 the size of a pea or less) to provide full coverage to the entire face.

Since the formula is so concentrated, it doesn't move around well on dry skin. Whenever wearing this foundation, moisturizing and/or priming the face is an essential step. I usually use a silicone based primer for it to spread better, or apply a generous amount of moisturizer. Then, I like taking a concealer brush and wiping a line of product on each cheek, my chin and forehead. Then, I take a duo-fiber brush and with small circular motions blend it in completely. After it's blended, I like taking a facial mist and spritzing my face and using the duo-fiber brush again buff my face more to make sure everything is perfectly blended.

The result is completely flawless skin that actually looks like skin.

(Wearing Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer SX08)

10 Beauty Products I'm Loving Right Now!

1)      L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Clear Self-Tanning Gel – As some of you may have noticed, I dropped my religious routine of fake baking (self-tanning) last October, but I felt like it was time for a little bit of color again. So, I recently purchased this and have been using it on my face, décolleté and arms, and I’ve really been enjoying it! Sure, it’s no St. Tropez, but for something quick and easy, it works well. And, it doesn’t stink, or break out my skin – yay!

2)      Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter – Can we say yum!? Blood Orange is one of my favorite scents, and if you are keen on orange, this body butter is a must-have. It’s fruity, it’s sweet, it’s spicy – it’s everything you could ask for.

3)      Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil– I’ve had this for a while now, and am beginning to realize (when I don’t use it) how awesome it really is. When I use this, my hair feels softer and everyone around me seems to notice how good my hair smells – that alone will make me want to keep using it!

4)      It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-in plus Keratin– I dyed my hair last week (one shade lighter, you can barely tell in photos) so I wanted a good leave-in treatment to keep my hair hydrated. I knew about this stuff for ages, but never purchased it because of the hefty price tag ($20/4oz). With the health of my hair in m best interest, I decided to take the plunge, and I’m punching myself in the arm for not buying it sooner. Best Leave-in I’ve tried, hands down. It leaves my hair so much more manageable and my hair looks and feels so much healthier.

5)      Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum– One of my past favorites. I just got a hold of a new bottle and the sparks in my heart started flying once again. Applied under a moisturizer (or alone) this serum keeps my skin hydrated better than anything else. I never have a bad skin day when I’m using my Reviva Labs.