Don’t press pause, don’t press reset. I have indeed attended a workshop with Sali Hughes. No I am not kidding. I was this close. THIS, CLOSE. And she said Hi. I’m not a bezzie, but she knows I exist? Okay? I learnt some top Makeup Artist ( MUA) tricks for putting on beauty products on the move. And let’s be honest, a lot of us get most our slap done sometime between leaving home and arriving to work/ wherever it is we arrive at ) A lot of us peeps rush to work in the morning and side glances aside we do our faces( beauty( on the go.( Btw if you side eye anyone who is doing their makeup on the train- shame on you. Unless they spray POISON – and I mean the actual stuff not the perfume … in your face.If I don’t look askance at you for downloading Porn, lipstick is okay too ?) Anyway rants aside.
Love me some Sali Hughes’ advice. ( if you don’t know who she is! GIYF?) Take it from a chic who is a huge fangirl, Sali has amazing skin. Now whilst her advice is tailored to her dry skin, she also mentioned how to tailor it for us combi peeps. The only word of caution. Please do not try this in your car if you are driving that is. Follow the highway code lads.
Also Cue fangirl gush alert, Sali wasn’t given the brief about what she needed to do, and when she reached there, she was told that she had to makeover a person whilst talking us through the process; a live demo. Consummate professional that Sali is, she took this in her stride and sorted a person in the audience to be the model, and in five seconds flat, she sorted out the products needed; makeup and brushes included.
Sali Hughes top reccos:
- Cream eyeshadow sticks are your BFF
Formula is king as the cliché goes, so is a great crease blending brush. You need a stick that will give you five seconds to line your eyes, and set with a buff brush ( using light car wiper motion movement. Do not forget to buff. Unless an eyelid glued shut is your thing. Sali reccomends Bobbi Brown taupe. The Beauty Pie sticks are very similar too. The VB pencils are great. I have the VB pencil in Bordeaux . May I suggest Kiko and NYX for affordable dupes? Don’t break your bank to get skincare/makeup guys.
- Don’t faff with concealer, go for a colour corrector
Colour correctors are genius. What wait? You are still in the era of Concealers? Is this the 80’s? Are you Linda Evangelista? Don’t skip this step. In fact read this. You can thank me later. This is simple genius. Bin your concealer! Ok Sali technically said choose your corrector not binning your concealer. But, hear me out. You have 8 minutes, before your stop. 2 seconds before you wake the sleepyhead nodding next to you. And you want to look alive ( corrector) not embalmed and dragged through the 90’s along with the Glamazons.( This pic by Peter Lindbergh.) Please don’t live under a rock. ( concealer) If you are guilty of red wine the night before, you’re likely to be dehydrated. Give your skin a break and go for the opposite end of the colour wheel. Light pink- caucasian, Peach- brown girls, and orange- deep toned ladies. Dab a bit. You will look insane. At first. I promise it gets better. Let it set. Then go over the entire area with your normal foundation. VOILA- Tres Magique. You will look fresher than before you started, before you can say Balwinder is your uncleji! Oh and pop some Anadin. Drink 25 litres of water… Sali reccomends Bobbi brown for matching a corrector for skins. And ill also throw in Becca . And if you’re deeper toned- try a red lipstick. ( No kidding- watch this video that will change your life!)
- Forget a primer unless you have a lot of time, and oily skin
Sali has dry skin, no this is not a state secret. Its well documented, in her struggles as a kid ( Ichtyosis for those who need to look this up) and hates silicone primers. Not because it is bad ( Sali hates clean-washing more than anything else) but because it slips around on the face. And if you have dry skin, this is no fun. For us combination/Oily gals, this is the exact opposite. It looks like your face has been laminated. Pores appear to shrink and will give us that canvas to look polished. For dry skin girls, and if you have clear skin. ( I automatically hate you, but that’s beside’s the point) go for a primer with a bit of glow. Sali’s all time fave- is Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Filter. I would throw in a recco here- Milk’s Hydrogrip. And if you’re oily. Benefit’s porefessional is brilliant for all the reasons its terrible for drier skins.
- Mascara for the top and bottom lash
If you can get time for a mascara please make it one that you can do in a moving vehicle. Smaller brushes are better. You are less likely to poke your eyes out. Sali recommends : Clinique bottom lash mascara. Also read my previous post. Just been to my blog have ya? Right make a cuppa. Sit down. Read my previous posts. Love ya too. Interesting fact: Clinique bottom lash mascara is the same formula as their hero product High Impact, with a smaller brush. Save your cash. Buy only one. ALSO work from the outside of your eye…in. Also wait for the formula to dry. Give it a few seconds. And please don’t faff about with curlers. You’re in a moving PUBLIC transportation vehicle. Much as I shout about your right to makeup. I don’t intend to scare the co-passengers baby with an instrument that looks like a medieval torture device. Whilst we are here, also please don’t try putting on lashes. If it falls your fellow movers and shakers might pass out due to arachnophobia.
- Powder is your second bff.
Many dry women make this mistake of skipping powder. They think its for the oilier amongst us. The right powder in the right places can make you look alive, and fresh. Sali reccomends Mac Mineralise SkinFinish, abd Charlotte Tilbury’s Pressed powder. I also reccomend Hourglass. Its invisible, blurring and makes you look like you’ve been sleeping 8 hours. When in reality; you’ve hit the red wine and apreś work canapes at the local pub. Don’t skip this step. Also please don’t try elaborate baking, and contouring, ie: Instaglam look. This is a throwaway tip from me. Camera makeup is strictly front of YT makeup. Don’t try this anywhere lads!
- Blotting papers over a second coat of foundation for oily gals.
if you are dry as the desert, don’t bother to read this bit. Skip to the next step. But oily/ combo peeps- have you noticed how your skin looks orange when you repowder through the day? This is not because you are imagining it. The sebum on your skin does actually oxidise any colour on your skin. So reapplying powder or foundation or any colour product to your face will exacerbate this issue. Instead, Sali recommends to blot with a blotting paper. Also her top tip is that these should be where you save your pennies. And buy cheap. Clean n Clear do brillint ones that do the job just as well as Chanel ( black book- ridiculously expensive but oh so beautiful. ) and MAC ( I have this one, it lasts an age. But would definitely save my money not repurchasing this.) Blotting your nose and forehead and other areas will do the job better than any powder. This I’m trying.
- Ace that base!
LISTEN to the pro okay? Full coverage is best suited to… nobody. Sali Hughes says that often young people in their 20’s are looking for a full coverage foundation. ( Armani Power Fabric; if you’re interested.) But most skins do not need to be covered up entirely. That is the job of the concealer. And/ or corrector. Find a tinted moisturiser, or stick foundation that is an exact match to your skin tone. ( Nars tinted, Bobbi Brown stick) And this is important- Undertone. I’m a neutral. Sali matched me- so I know it to be correct . Get matched. Take a sample. Make sure it’s an exact shade. If you want to warm it up, you can go for a bronzer. If you want to lighten areas- a shine free highlighter. Your base should be the exact shade of your skin. No more, no less. ( You fellow brown girls- DO NOT GO LIGHTER, you will look ashy!)
- A good Bronzer.
Sali is a big believer in a multitasker. If you can fit only one- fit in a bronzer, it can be used as a blush. Not the other way round though. ( Nars- multiples and Milk sticks come to her mind) Cream over powder formulae. And figure of 3. Do not use your bronzer as a contour. ( A good rule of the thumb is- Bronzer= warm, Contour= cool) Contour is to mimic shadows( which never warm up in sunlight) and bronzer is on the highest points of the face. Where the sun naturally would warm you up. If you’re sitting in the sun, without sunscreen ( Again we need to chat. about this… have you not read my blog?) If you’re asian and darker, this would happen to you in the shade too. Also, read my post on Sunscreens. You’re welcome. If you’re oily, you might want to reapply this when you reapply your lipstick. It will have shifted a bit. But hey, you will wrinkle less okay. Its a good trade off.
You can leave your hat on, and don’t invade personal space… No’s: Anything aerosol. ( see I read Sali’s books, columns and remember her advice ) Also totally unrelated. But relatable. We got a goodie bag. This one. And it really had great goodies.
All in all, it took Sali 8 minutes on herself. Now if you don’t want to look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards, I suggest that you trial this at home. Time yourself. And remember to add 2 minutes on top of that, to stare down the lad listening to loud music on his speakers. We are a polite society, if you please!
(I’ve written a mum on the run post about beauty on the move. It does have some tips on there.)
Do you have any tips for makeup on the go? I’d love to hear from you- Until next time- Love Elle xx
Note of disclaimer: All opinions are my own, I have no affiliations with any company, there are no affiliate links on this post; pr samples have been kindly gifted by the company, but this has not affected my opinion, nor swayed it . And where gifted this is signposted as AD for clarity and transperancy Please check the ingredients list of all products that you buy, in case you have allergies to any of the products that I have mentioned. If you are particularly sensitive or even if you’re not, allergies can happen suddenly, even with products that you may have used for years. If unsure, please do a patch test on your elbow, and wait 48 hours before using any of the products I’ve suggested. Please do not copy, publish any photos on this blog or contents in its entirety or otherwise without my express permission.
LAV IN RED LIPSTICK 