Something near and dear to me...

Today I am going to write about something I've struggled with for years, basically ever since puberty hit. And that issue is acne. More specifically makeup that doesn't aggravate or cause breakouts. I hope that this post will be useful to my readers of all ages. It doesn't just cover acne prone skin, but also skin that's sensitive.

I've got three products that I find brilliant for my skin, and I have very acne prone skin. Those three products are CoverGirl Clean Sensitive powder, CoverGirl Clean Senstive liquid foundation and ELF's Acne Fighting powder. I'm going to write a quick, mini review about each product. How they felt, lasted and treated my skin. 

First off is my long lasting and seemingly never ending CoverGirl powder. I wear makeup pretty much every day and this powder has lasted me months and months. My colour in this powder is buff beige, and I'm really pale. Along with my acne, I think my skin might be a little sensitive (probably caused by the acne). I found this powder was perfectly light, perfect match, and didn't aggravate any existing breakouts. If a product is to heavy on my skin my face can get quite aggravated and itchy, but I haven't found this happening with this powder. And, yes I know that this powder is reaching the end, but I'm squeezing as much as I can out of it. 

Now the liquid foundation that matches this powder is also never ending, although I do only use it as light coverage  because I didn't want my acne suffocating under makeup every day. I wear ivory in this foundation and it's perfect in winter, but slightly too light in the summer. Again, it's great for my skin. It lets my skin breathe and doesn't aggravate my skin. I would definitely repurchase these, but I'm wanting to change over completely to cruelty free makeup. Looking on both the CoverGirl and PETA website, I can't tell if they do test on animals or not, so until there is confirmation I won't repurchase these two products again. 

Now for a cruelty free option, I have ELF's acne fighting powder. This powder contains salicylic acid which is great for fighting acne. This powder helps keep your skin matte and shine free so will probably be good for oily skin as well. I'm in the lightest shade that you can get it. I can't quite recall what it is, probably light or fair. You can buy ELF either online or at kmart. 

I haven't got it, but there is also an ELF foundation that's also acne fighting and contains salicylic acid. I've seen a few reviews on this and it looks really good, so I can't wait to purchase it. I've not seen it at kmart so online will probably be your best bet. 

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos edited on fotor.com

My go to make up look

Pretty much every day you will see me rocking the same eye makeup. This same look, I wear about 99.4% of the time. It is the ever classic winged eyeliner. I don't remember when I started wearing it, or even how I got into it, but it happened and it's become the classic Shannen make up look.

My routine in doing my makeup hasn't altered too much since high school either. The only thing that's changed is the products I use. At the moment i use a mixture of Collection's BB cream or CoverGiri's Clean Sensitive liquid foundation. Sometimes, if I want a bit more coverage I'll use Collection's Cover and Go foundation as it's a much thicker formula than CoverGirl. I then use ELF's concealer and highlighter duo to conceal under my eyes. I don't tend to conceal any blemishes unless they're really red and obvious looking. I'll then use my CoverGirl Clean Sensitive powder to set it all. Once I've set my makeup I do my highlighter and blush. I use ELF blush in Tickled Pink and ELF facial whip in lilac petal. At this point I mentally prepare myself for doing my eyeliner. You have to do this as eyeliner can smell your fear. I either use BYS liquid eyeliner or ELF cream eyeliner. Personally, I find cream/gel eyeliners easier to use but I occasionally leave it in the bathroom and I can't be bothered getting it in the morning so I will use my liquid eyeliner instead (LAZY). Once both my eyes are sufficiently symmetrical I apply my mascara (Collection, the purple one, I can't remember what it's called. Something like 5 in one or something). And voila, my makeup is done. It takes about 10 minutes for me to do my entire face of makeup. 

I use this everyday because I find it easy, it goes with whatever outfit in wearing that day and I can easily glam it up even further by chucking a lipstick on. Which I do most days anyways. The lipstick I use on a most regular basis is Collection Sweet Tart. 

I own a lot of the brand Collection, I know. But Shaaanxo did a tutorial using it and I fell in love. You can buy it at Countdown. 

Shannen xx

All photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

Photos edited on fotor.com