Clothes Confidant – Category: Beauty

Minimal Effort

The new year inspires in me desire for change; I think that feeling is shared with many people around the world. There’s always this nagging inkling in us for change, but there’s something about

The new year inspires in me desire for change; I think that feeling is shared with many people around the world. There’s always this nagging inkling in us for change, but there’s something about a new year that really reinforces our drive to be our better selves; maybe it’s the idea of rebirth and starting our new lives with a new slate.

Every new year’s eve I find myself making these promises: ‘that this will be my year’; ‘a year for change’ but my determination slowly wanes and I always end up letting myself down, leaving myself with those miserable pangs of guilt and disappointment. I know I could simply avoid this fleeting feeling by not succumbing to the pressure of wanting to better myself because of a New Year, but I just can’t seem to tear myself away from the idea that I should better myself. So this year, I’m starting the new year and decade with, what I hope, will be a promise I can keep to myself and to you guys and that is: I want to be more consistent with ClothesConfidant. So putting my best foot forward I will start January with a simple, easy to read blog: Minimal Effort.

I like the idea of waking up in the morning and having the time and patience to make myself look presentable. The truth of the matter is, I’m not that kind of girl, and never have been. But recently I feel this immense pressure to try and so over the past month I have perfected a regime that combines two wonderful qualities: ease and speed.If you would like to achieve this effortless (seriously, it’s so effortless even I can do it) please read on.

After prepping my face with numerous skin creams, serums, oils etc… I am now ready to pack on the makeup. I always start with the cheeks to add a little colour to my face, and for that I’m using Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Puff. It’s lightweight, easy to work with, and it gives off this natural youthful look that I’m currently digging (probably because I’m trying desperately to hold onto my youth). For that youthful feel I keep the application high and tend not to bring it too close towards my nose. I suggest using your ring finger and then a clean dense brush to blend out any harsh lines. I will then go back in with a powdered blush. I’m currently using Jouer’s Blush Duo: Adore opting for the darker shade in the compact. I like to apply this to the apples of my cheeks, working my way out towards my ears, before going back in with a clean brush to, again, blend out any harsh lines.

As for the highlight, I’m naturally shiny so I tend to keep it to a minimum. I only highlight the high points of my cheeks to keep it simple and cut down on time. A good highlighter I’m currently fond of is the Wet n Wild Megaglo in Precious Petals. It’s a really nice colour and it’s not too glittery; compliments my skin tone; and it’s affordable. And if I really want that high shine, I can always go back in and add more.

They say “eyes are a window to the soul” and that’s true to a certain extent. For me, the eyes are just one more bit of skin I have to put makeup in order to look less dead. To keep it simple and pleasing to my inner lazy safe, I like to apply raw sienna from the ABH’s Renaissance palette all over the lid. For some depth, I take burnt orange from the same palette and blend it into the outer crease to give the illusion of larger eyelids. For a little colour and some added fun, I’ll apply Wet n Wild’s Color Icon comfort zone palette in this dark green duo chrome all over my lids (not beyond my crease) using my ring finger. Sometimes I want to get a little dark with my look, so I might tight line my eyes with a black eyeliner with Maybelline’s Line Tattoo crayon liner in black and blend it out. To complete the eyes, I like to lightly coat my lashes using (in my opinion) the best mascara on the market: Benefit’s Roller Lash. And as for my lips I’m turning to the cult classic: Fenty’s Gloss Bomb in fussy for the ultimate shine thanks to the tiny flecks of glitter and the pink tinge of the gloss.

And here is the finished look. It’s very simple and minimal as the title suggests. I find that with makeup it should enhance your natural beauty, not mask it. So I tend to lean towards a light wash of colour for my cheecks and eyes. Sometimes I will go a bit darker on the lips, but not today’s look. Today I kept it youthful and fresh.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by! If you want to see a little more of me during the week my Instagram and Twitter are linked in the top corner. Anyways, that’s it from me this week. You might be hearing from me again later this month, if not, I WILL see you next month.

-Paphapan.

This is not a sponsored post. All items were bought by me. Any/all affiliate will be in bold and underlined.

Skincare: The Basics

Skincare has never been a high priority for me, but over the past few years I have made it my number one concern and this is not because I feel obliged to due to age; simply put, it’s because I’ve noticed drastic changes in the texture of my skin, wrinkles as if from nowhere, and sudden sun damage (years in the making). And with L’Oreal, The Ordinary and most recently Makeup Revolution joining the affordable skincare market; there really is no better time to invest in your skin than now.

But where to begin? Knowing where to start can be very daunting, and if like me, you spent hours upon end reading about serums, creams, gels and the best hydrating mist on the market you will quickly become lost and ultimately out of pocket. However, this blog will help you start and slowly refine your skincare routine throughout the series. This week I want to harness the basics: what you need.

The foundations of skincare are: cleanser, toner, and moisturiser. These are the three things which should already be a part of your daily routine. They are the essentials. A basic routine needs nothing else and a more complex routine builds upon them.

Cleansing is one of the most important parts of your skincare; it will help remove all the dirt/makeup. My favourite is the Garnier Micellar Water because it doesn’t break me out, doesn’t contain alcohol and it’s the perfect dupe for the Bioderma’s micellar water.

Toning is another important component in skincare. Similar to cleansing, it helps removes anything which might have been missed by the cleansing process, but more than that, it helps restore the pH balance back into your skin. I favour Simple’s toner because its full of nutrients and it doesn’t break me out.

Moisturising is so important as this will help the skin stay hydrated throughout the day. One thing you should already be doing is drinking a lot of water and the second is using moisturiser. I’m currently head over heels with the L’Oreal Hydra Genius Aloe Water. It’s nice and light so it keeps my skin clear and free of oils.

So these are your three basic building blocks, our foundation. Next time we will delve deeper into the world of skincare and look at some more advanced options with which we will build our perfect skincare routine.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by! If you want to see a little more of me during the week my Instagram and Twitter are linked in the top corner. Have a good week and I’ll see you next Sunday 🙂

-Paphapan.

This is not a sponsored post. All items featured were brought by me. All/any affiliate links are in bold and underlined.

Welcome

It has been a while since I sat down at my desk to write a blog post, but I welcome the familiar sound of my fingers tapping on the keyboard, notes strewn across the desk and makeup swatches up my arm.

So, what have I been up to since my hiatus? I like to say I’ve been travelling the world, partook in extreme sports or better yet, found a cure for an incurable disease, but truth be told I didn’t do any of that. I spent my extended leave playing computer games, watching YouTube videos and going to the gym but immediately undoing all the hard work by going to KFC afterwards.

And while I was away I had time to reflect upon my blog and nit-pick all the things I didn’t like that needed to change. The first thing was the site: I took the opportunity to revamp everything. I felt it was the right time to implement change and I started off with the biggest one. I’m glad I took the risk because I’m happier with the result.

The second thing that was in need of a change was the standard of my content. As an English graduate, I am ashamed of what was put out there. At first reading I can tell it was rushed, full of grammatical errors and there’s no cohesive thought; I was just jumping from one topic to another. As a perfectionist, they were not the standard I strive for and thus I made the decision to start anew. Going forward, I promise every post from today will be to my highest standard.

And lastly, the one thing I want to improve on is the content. I started this as a Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle blog, and it will remain like this for the duration. However, I want more for Clothes Confidant: I want it to be fun, different and most importantly, I want to share my culture with you. So, ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce to you my new series: Roots a series covering my life in Thailand, its cultural differences, and the reality of life for its people. My goal is to educate and share my love for the country which shaped me.

Now that you’re up to date, I want to wish you (a VERY late) Happy 2018: a year of change, happiness and excellent content.

-Paphapan.