So You Don’t Usually Wear Makeup, But Want To? I’ll Show You How Using Vasanti Saint Basil’s Eyeshadow Duo and MAC Casual Colour Pots.

| 16 Responses

I’m not a makeup minimalist. Hey, even for a five-minute face, I squeeze in eleven products. But there are those girls — like my sister, for example — who prefer not to fuss with makeup, or say that they aren’t good at putting on makeup. Are you like that, too? Keep reading; I am at your service today. :)

Tip #1: Keep Your Eye Makeup Simple.

No, this is not the time to try your hand at a smokey eye or Adele’s signature winged eyeliner. Neutral eyeshadows are your friend. For summer, I keep it fresh with coral or peach eyeshadows. They are neutrals with a modern twist. Vasanti Saint Basil’s Silky Eyeshadow Duo ($20, vasanticosmetics.com) from their Spring/Summer 2012 collection is perfect for this.  Apply the shimmery light gold shade all over the lid, and the matte peach in the crease.  Alternatively, apply the matte peach all over the lid and highlight down the middle with the gold shade.


Vasanti Saint Basil’s Silky Eyeshadow Duo

Vasanti eyeshadows are really some of the silkiest eyeshadows I have ever used (I reviewed a pretty taupe called Stockholm).  Even the matte shade swatches like a dream and applies very evenly.  If you find this eyeshadow duo to be too orange for you — and this will likely be the case for very pale ladies with pink undertones — try anchoring the eyeshadows with a neutral brown in the crease or outer corners.


Vasanti Saint Basil’s Silky Eyeshadow Duo swatches

To finish the look, smudge brown eyeliner onto the top and bottom lash lines.  For maximum impact, I like to tightline with black eyeliner — it helps the lashes to look fuller.  This double ended Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Zero and Whiskey from the Naked palette is really handy for a minimal look like this.


Vasanti Saint Basil’s Silky Eyeshadow Duo


Wearing Vasanti Saint Basil’s Silky Eyeshadow Duo

Tip #2: Match Your Blush To Your Lipstick.

I’ll let you in on a little secret on how to match your lipstick and blush: use the same product for multiple purposes! The new MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colours in Keep It Casual and Out For Fun ($24, maccosmetics.ca) are fantastic creamy shades that work well as lipstick and blusher.  These are the more vibrant shades from the limited edition line, and they are best suited for medium to deep skin tones.  Keep It Casual is described as warm wine; Out For Fun is a cool coral.


MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colours in Keep It Casual (bottom) and Out For Fun (top)


MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Keep It Casual


MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Keep It Casual swatches


Wearing MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Keep It Casual

These multi-purpose colour pots wear like a drier cream finish lipstick and are vanilla scented like MAC’s other lip products.  I’d wear a lip balm underneath to give it more slip.  Other than the dry application, they don’t dry out my lips and are fairly comfortable.  As a blush, application is easy with a dense brush; I like to buff it in with my Royal Langnickel BC185 Silk Complexion brush and it works really well.


MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Out For Fun


MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Out For Fun swatches


Wearing MAC Casual Colour Lip & Cheek Colour in Out For Fun

As blushes, these two shades I have wear particularly well because they leave a stain on the skin.  I know I”ll be wearing Out For Fun all summer, and Keep It Casual will be a favourite of mine in the fall.

I Want To Ask You…

What easy, fool-proof makeup look would you share with a makeup newbie?  What particular products would you use?

  • http://IamAlisonM.com Alison M

    Incredibly simple but incredibly beautiful. I love it!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Alison! :) Sometimes I forget to go simple with makeup. But most of the time, simple is what makes sense!

  • http://mostlysunnybunny.wordpress.com/ Sunny @ Mostly Sunny

    I don’t wear makeup every day, so when I do I usually prefer to do something a little more elaborate. However sometimes I do want to do SOMETHING in 5 minutes, and that’s when I take my Hourglass Dune out! With this duo I can skip eyeliner (the dark shade is dark enough to define my eyes)! Also, cream blushes save lives. Just fingers and no brush :)

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks for sharing Sunny! What cream blushes are your favourite?

      • http://mostlysunnybunny.wordpress.com/ Sunny @ Mostly Sunny

        Hey Arianne, sorry I didn’t see this till now! My favorite cream blush has to be Le Metier de Beaute Coral Nymph! The texture and staying powder of the formula are impressive, and I really would love to have more shades!

  • http://prettypandamakeup.blogspot.com Margo @ PrettyPandaMakeup

    This is great and simple. I love the look and it is wonderful for hot hot summer days!

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Hi Margo! Definitely! Hope there’s beautiful weather where you are. :)

  • http://twitter.com/xiaoo/status/219911388502568960/ (@xiaoo) (@xiaoo)

    Oy, @TheGlitterGeek looks fabulous in no makeup-makeup: http://t.co/TfFYfrtK

  • http://thenotice.net Rae // theNotice

    Hrngh. Love, love, love! Keep It Casual is absolutely perfect on you — what a gorgeous summer flush! <3

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Rae! :) *flails*

  • http://househippo.org Danielle

    Keep it Casual looks awesome on you, I’ll have to try out that cheek/lip duo…

    • http://www.glittergeek.ca Arianne

      Thanks Danielle. :) It’s fantastic.

  • http://mybeautysample.com/ Becca @ The Beauty Sample

    Great tips! I LOVE that Vasanti duo, I wish that it was available somewhere in-stores here (I don’t like buying makeup online). But, it really seems like it might be worth it just because it’s so neutral and wearable. I love how it looks with the dark brown liner smudged on top like you did–so pretty!

  • http://pixiemania.wordpress.com Soha

    Great looks! I think my first tip for makeup newbies is to avoid the high end products and start with some reliable dupes from inexpensive brands. I think I avoided makeup for a long time because I thought it HAD to be expensive or it was completely terrible quality. I’m so glad I got sucked into the world of beauty bloggers who show me there are more options out there (even though I’m still tantalized by high end makeup porn!).

  • http://www.theburgundybook.com Rema

    Holy wow those colour pots look stunning on you!

    The colours are so flattering x

  • http://www.magicmineralsblog.com/ Magic Minerals

    Good post. Thank you for giving tips on how to take advantage of makeup without overdoing it. The minimalist approach does seem to make sense during the warmer months.