Tag: 5 Product Face

I was tagged by the awesome Seattleite (not satellite, mind you) blogging friend Larie from Eye Heart It to do a full make-up face with only five products, and since I haven't done any tag posts in donkey's years, I decided to go for it!

I particularly like this tag because not only does it show everyone's bare make-up necessities, but it also forces you to really get the most out of your products by multitasking as much as possible. For me in particular, the 5 product limit also means being very strategic towards my base; I don't have perfect skin by any means so skimping on coverage is absolutely out of the question - on normal non-tag days, doing just my base takes at least 4 products. Can you see the difficulty?

But, well, sacrifices must be made in times of desperate need (or, blogging frenzy): the Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme, due to its opacity and denser formula, can be used as both foundation and concealer. For the foundation part, I tried to sheer it out as much as possible with a very damp make-up sponge, and for the concealer, I dabbed with a blending brush on any offending spots and under the eyes. I decided to use Rouge Bunny Rouge Unforgettable Oriole eyeshadow on the eyes to brighten and disguise veins, and I dusted some on top of the cheekbones and Cupid's bow for a good measure as well. I also couldn't skip doing my brows with the trusty ybf Universal Brow Pencil, which also doubled as an eyeliner on my upper lashline. I then applied copious amounts of mascara (Guerlain Cils d'Enfer Maxi Lash... no wonder they refrained from literal translation from French - Lashes From Hell, anyone?); I feel that any minimal make-up attempts warrant liberal use of black mascara. I finished off my face with theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen on lips and cheeks.

Some notes on the look: a minimal eye + berry hues read very porcelain doll on me; not necessarily a bad thing but I would say the Stainiac was a bit too sweet-looking for my liking, so I would play some more with other coordinating lip/cheek shades next time. The Graftobian Creme foundation unfortunately looked quite cakey under my eyes and a touch too shiny on the rest of the face, but hey - I do normally use a separate under eye concealer and set my face with powder. But overall, I thought this wasn't too bad for a first attempt. It's also worth observing that while this look might be minimal in products, it's not necessarily quicker than a more elaborate routine.

What would your 5 Product Face look like? Do the tag or let me know in the comments, please!