The 5 Products I’d Use for A Quick and Easy Full Face of Makeup

Someone suggested I write a post about what I would use for a full face if I could only choose 5 products, and I loved that idea (thank you!!). These are the 5 products I would use to do a super quick “I have a video call starting in 5 minutes that I need to get ready for” look. I have dry skin and prefer a dewy look, so you’ll see lots of cream products and no powder. If you’d like me to do this again but focusing more on something much more sweatproof/long wearing, let me know in the comments below! And if you enjoy reading, subscribe here or follow me @liftbakelove on Instagram for updates!

Glossier Stretch Concealer – My favorite way to use this concealer is all over like a foundation, so it would absolutely be my pick to use as both a foundation/concealer. This is one of the best ways to do a full face fast since you can dot it all over your face, blend, and be done. The Stretch Concealer is my go to for this because it looks incredibly skin like, lasts all day, and provides just the right amount of coverage for me (which is light). I find the light coverage makes it blend seamlessly and wear well even without powder since it’s harder to tell where it’s worn off than with a fuller coverage product. It also feels very light weight, and everything I put on top of it looks great.

Glossier Boy Brow – My eyebrows are super thick and unruly and require a brow gel (at minimum) to look okay, so there’s no way I would skip a brow product. My choice would be Boy Brow because it deposits color (but not too much), defines the brow hairs, and has great staying power without being crunchy.

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate cream bronzer and highlight duo in Shade 0.5

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate duo – This might be cheating since this is a duo, but it was one of the first things that came to mind for this. I would use it as a bronzer, highlighter, and eyeshadow. The formula is a little sheer which makes it super easy to just throw on without having to be super precise, and it blends into the skin incredibly seamlessly. The bronzer shade is neutral enough to be used as more of a “brontour,” which makes it a great shade for a one and done eyeshadow look too. I normally always use an eyeshadow primer, but I found that I could use my finger to apply this to my eyes without a primer, and it worked great. Because it’s a cream product, it’ll definitely crease a bit especially without a primer, but I’m totally okay with that for this kind of look.

From left to right: blackberry, raspberry, coral, peach – brighter shades I think would be perfect for this kind of look!

Salt New York Crème Tint Pro – Because the crème tint pro functions as both a lip and a cheek product, they make for a super easy monocrhomatic look. I’ve written about these many times because they are one of my favorite cream products. I own all of the shades they make, and I love that any of them would look great paired with the Tom Ford duo. You can also use them on the eyes if you don’t mind creasing similar to the Tom Ford, and I would totally do that if I wanted to pull the look together even more. This is a great formula for a “I’m running late and need something easy” look – they blend out quickly with a brush, sponge, or fingers and never look patchy.

Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara – Something always looks a bit off until I finish a look with mascara, so I knew it would have to be one of my 5 products. The only mascara I’ve been using for awhile is this one so it was an easy choice. It makes my lashes look amazing, doesn’t smudge, and actually holds a curl. As always when I mention this mascara, if there’s a tubing mascara you love and think I should try, definitely let me know in the comments!

If I could choose a 6th product, it would be the Cover FX Dewy Finish Setting Spray. There’s a lot of cream products in this list and no setting powder, and I think adding the setting spray would go a long way for longevity. This spray in particular is my HG setting spray that I’ve been using for years and love. It’s alcohol-free, it really does add dewiness which I can never get enough of, and it’s so much less drying than other setting sprays I’ve tried. It would be a great finishing touch for this almost full face of cream products.

What would your 5 products be? Let me know down in the comments below!

June 2021 Favorites

I can’t believe it’s already time to talk through my June favorites, which means we’re half way through 2021! I fell in love with a ton of new products this month, but as usual, I only feature products in my favorites that are true favorites that I’ve been using consistently for longer than one month. So if you don’t see something you were expecting based on how much I raved about it, you’ll likely see it in a July or August post.

I think I’ve found my new HG lip liners – the Soft Blur Velvet Lip Liners from Em Cosmetics. The formula blends so easily so you can get a soft, blurred, and diffused look. I find that creates a much more natural look that still defines my lips and helps prevent any feathering of the lipstick I use on top. Even with how soft and lightweight they are, they are very long lasting. I have the shades Kitten, a neutral rose, and Mink, a cool brown, which both work really well with my lip color and the with my favorite lipsticks and glosses. I was heavily influenced by Jaime Paige who loves these, and she definitely was right that these are amazing.

From left to right: Em Cosmetics Lip Liners in Kitten and Mink

My lips are incredibly dry right now, and Finding Ferdinand Lip Balm has been so helpful. The formula is really moisturizing, lasts a long time, and is a great base underneath lipsticks. I keep one of these in my purse, and the packaging is very secure so I don’t have to worry about balm getting all over everything. I also have one with their summer flavor Orange Popsicle added to it, and I love this flavor so much. It actually tastes and smells like an orange popsicle and always makes me feel a little bit happier applying it.

I’m so glad I got the Salt New York Lilac and Tangerine Crème Tint Pro, which is a limited edition duo they launched for spring. At the time of writing this, these are still in stock and on sale. I love using Lilac to cool a look down and Tangerine to warm a look up. These are super useful to bring a look together if something looks just not quite right. I brought them with me on my trip in May so that I could easily through together a monochromatic orange or purple look or adjust my blush to match my eyeshadow or lip color better. These are super versatile, and as with all Salt New York products, the formula is beautiful – buildable, dewy without shimmer, and super easy to blend.

From top to bottom: Salt New York Crème Tint Pro in Lilac and Tangerine

It’s been super hot and dry in our Seattle apartment, and my skin has really been feeling it. The Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator has been such a skin saver for me (and my husband, who also loves this mask!). It’s so hydrating and leaves my skin super soft and moisturized. If my face feels irritated from the heat, it helps my skin feel better immediately because it’s incredibly cooling even thought I don’t keep it in the fridge. It’s pricey but a little goes a long way, and my small jar that both my husband and I use is still going strong.

I don’t talk about nail polish here often, but I discovered a new favorite top coat and I needed to share it with all of you. The KBshimmer Clearly on Top Quick Dry top coat is incredible and only $6. It dries so fast, doesn’t cause shrinkage, and is super shiny. I can do a full manicure in less than 30 minutes and go about my day, including going the gym, with no issues. I also have way fewer chips than normal, and my nails last way longer than with other top coats. With how affordable this is, I’m so impressed and can’t imagine going back to more expensive top coats when this works even better than they do.

What was your favorite product this month? What would you like to see next on LiftBakeLove? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks as always for reading!

March 2021 Favorites

This month went by so fast – I feel like I was just writing about my February 2021 Favorites yesterday! Spring is finally here, and I’ve been loving leaning into brighter colors as it gets warmer outside. I didn’t include any skincare products this month because I’ve talked about so many of them recently, but let me know if the comments if there’s anything you’re interested in learning about!

I now own over 20 cream blushes – it’s by far my favorite makeup product. And I think my new favorite formula out of all of them is the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush. I love that I can just buy a refill and put it in my Salt New York empty palette, and that it’s still around $30 even for a luxury, “clean” product. This formula has the perfect balance between blendable and long-wearing. It’s so easy to work with, create impact, and stays all day. I was shocked to find that it was still on my cheeks after wearing makeup for over 15 hours. Because I own so many cream blushes, I tried to get a shade I didn’t have already and chose Sun Touched, and it’s the perfect shade as we transition into spring. I also love mixing it with Spice and Rose , my favorite shades from Salt New York, for that “sun touched even though I never go outside” look.

Swatches of the Salt New York Blushes in Rose and Spice and KW Blush in Sun Touched

I’m shocked I haven’t written about the mini base brush from Sonia G. yet. I got it as part of the Keyaki holiday 2020 set, and while I love all the brushes in that set (so much so that I am still considering buying a backup set), this brush is truly one of a kind. It blends cream blush and highlight with no effort and is the perfect size for my face. For something that applies so seamlessly, I usually expect to have trouble picking up product. This brush is dense enough to pick up enough product and flexible enough to create a diffused look. If anyone connected to the company is reading this, please bring this brush back into your permanent line!

I was having trouble with some of my glitter eyeshadow toppers not staying put all day and moving around, so I decided to pick up the NYX Glitter Primer, and it’s a total game changer. It goes on super smooth, helps glitter adhere all day, and doesn’t cause any irritation. I really appreciate how lightweight it is on the eyes while still creating a great base for glitter to stick to. I definitely have had way more success with my glitter toppers with it, and I’m so glad to have found something under $10 that works as well as this does!

I’ve been loving all three of the Roen eyeshadow quads, but my favorite is absolutely the 11:11. Each shade is a perfect one-and-done on it’s own, and they are so easy and quick to use. The shade swatched farthest to the right below is my go to for adding a high impact sparkle to any eye look, whether it’s on top of the other shades in the 11:11 palette or any other eyeshadow I’ve used. It just seems to finish off any look, particularly in a world where I want people to see my eyes through a screen. I also really love the Roen formula because it’s so versatile With a finger, the shades go on incredibly pigmented and intense, but with a brush, you can create a very sophisticated wash of color.

Swatches of the Roen 11:11 Quad

My lips have been super dry lately, and I’ve been leaning on the Glow Recipe Glow Lip Pop Balms a ton. I have both scents/colors, but I like the watermelon better. They are hydrating, leave a nice stain, and smell great. They also gently exfoliate while you’re using it, which I really love. I’m always forgetting to take the time to scrub my lips, so this is a really easy way to buff away anything on my lips during the day when I apply this. My favorite way to use it is actually underneath my more matte lipsticks, especially darker brown ones like Velvet Affair from Lisa Eldrige. It mixes with the color to make it feel more springy while also making sure my lips don’t dry out from the matte formula.

The Replica Coffee Break perfume reminds me of a coffee shop on a Sunday morning early in the day before it gets busy. I used to love going to get coffee every Sunday with our friends (who I miss so much!), and this reminds me of when that was a thing. Even with the vanilla notes, it’s not too sweet. It’s perfectly balanced with pepper, citrus, and tonka bean notes, and it’s my favorite perfume that I own in the vanilla/veviter/patchouli category. One important note – this doesn’t smell anything like coffee. If anyone has a recommendation for something that leans closer to actual coffee, let me know in the comments!

I got this Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub as a gift with purchase, and I didn’t expect to get a lot of use out of it. It turns out that it’s the best scalp scrub I’ve ever used (and I’ve tried a lot of products like this). It works really well as a scalp scrub in that it gets out any residue or product build up that I have in my hair. What I really love about it though is that it actually hydrates as it works so I don’t have to worry about irritating my already super dry scalp. It makes my hair feel so much cleaner but without drying anything out, and it also smells amazing! I’ll definitely be buying the full size when I run out.

What was your favorite product this month? What would you like to see next on LiftBakeLove? Let me know in the comments below!

February 2020 SKINCARE AND MAKEUP FAVORITES

I’m super excited to share my February 2020 favorites! These are 5 things that I either discovered or rediscovered in January that stood out as favorites.

I missed the original launch of the Sonia G. Sky Eye Brush Set and made sure to pre-order when they finally came back, and I’m so happy I did. These are the best eye brushes I’ve ever used, and I have some pretty amazing brushes already. Every eye look I’ve made with them has been perfect, regardless of which eyeshadow formula I’ve used. My eye look have never looked this blended, and I can finally do shadow liner with the mini booster or the flat definer. These are incredibly versatile and high quality, and I cannot recommend these enough.

I learned a great trick from Cate the Great Beauty on YouTube to make the most out of my hyaluronic acid serums. I felt like my The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid wasn’t really doing anything until I started putting it on while my skin was still wet in the shower – total game changer. My skin feels way less dry and the serum is a great base for all my other nighttime skincare. I feel like everything absorbs better on top. I’m going to try this tip with the Good Molecules one when I run out of the The Ordinary version, and I’ll report back if it works just as well!

I traveled in February, and the only color cosmetics I brought were my Salt New York Crème Tint Pros. This is my favorite cream formula, and I love how quickly I can do a natural “my face but better” look with them. They blend out super easily, are super lightweight, and are the perfect shades for me. The highlighter shade in the top right, warm tan, is also one of my favorite eye shadows to use if I want to do something super quick. They just had a presale that ended and will be opening the store back up soon.

As much as I love my Salt New York cream blushes, I discovered a new favorite blush this month. I got the new Mac Glow Play Blush in Grand, and it’s incredible. It brightens up my whole face and blends so easily. The texture is like a cross between a powder and a cream, so it looks super lifelike with a slight sheen like a cream and has great lasting power like a powder. I’m trying so hard to resist buying more colors because the formula is probably the best blush I’ve ever tried.

A skincare discovery this month, also inspired by Cate the Great Beauty, was the Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Brightening Serum. It’s one of the only Vitamin-C serums my skin can tolerate, and it really brightens my skin in the morning. I mix it with my moisturizer before sunscreen, and I think it has really helped keep my skin hydrated and smooth during the day under makeup.

I hauled quite a bit for my birthday so you’ll be seeing some new discoveries next month. There are already some things I can tell are going to earn a spot in my every day routine. I’m also always here to help you find your next favorite things, so let me know in the comments if there’s anything you want me to test out!