Let's talk the term 'soulmate' here. I recently had a discussion with a friend and realised just why I'm always irritated by that term. When people talk about 'soulmates', they talk about a pair made in heaven. Here's where it starts irritating me, 'a pair made in heaven' and 'soulmates' these are both terms that downplay the effort put into building a relationship. The term 'soulmate' seems to imply that everything will be solved with a click of the finger, or that things will work out even if you don't put any effort into it. Because it was 'made in heaven' and 'supposed to be'. I don't know. But rant aside, there are duos that go really well when used hand in hand, and dare I say it? The perfect pair. 

The radiant matte base.  I realise how contradictory it sounds, but it perfectly describes the L'Oreal Infallible 24-Hour Matte Foundation (£7.99) and the Topshop Glow Pot (£9) duo. I love almost everything about the foundation, other than how matte it is. I don't have particularly oily skin so this foundation sits slightly a bit too flat for my liking around the cheek area. I find that applying the Topshop Glow Pot - a cream highlighter - underneath the foundation gives it a beautiful 'from within' glow. I only use it on my cheekbones, but for those of you that have drier skin, I'd say mix a bit into your moisturiser to give yourself an all over radiance and you'll be able to use this lovely drugstore foundation. 
The natural dramatic brows. I like drama, but it has to be low-key drama. I'm such a contradictory person, I realise that. The same logic applies to makeup. Especially eyebrows. I like full defined brows, but I like them to be natural to the point that people think I was born with bushy brows. The triangle shape of the Etude House Drawing Eye Brow makes it really easy to add a tail and some arch definition. But like all brow pencils, it can tend to look a little more artificial and less natural as the product lies on the skin, rather than the hair. This is where the Benefit Gimmie Brow (£18.50) comes in. The colour adds more low-key drama to the already filled in brows, while the fibres make it fuller. All the while, it magically looks more natural while keeping the drama, as this time, the effect is applied to the eyebrow hair. 
The full coverage under eye concealer. At the risk of being plunged with stones and rotten eggs - I'm not the biggest fan of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22). I like the coverage, but the texture of it prevents me from loving it. It's slightly too dry for a liquid concealer and slightly too thick for a moussey texture. But not one to give up on a concealer that finally lived up to the full coverage claim, I experimented and finally found that it works best when tapped in and blended out with the Beauty Blender (£16). Or any damp sponge really, like the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (£5.99). This method does sheer the concealer out a bit, but apply and blend in thin layers, allows even the heavier texture of the NARS Concealer to feel lighter on the thin under eye area while looking natural. 

I'm still not fond of the 'soulmate' term, but I do think that these three pairs were supposed to be together. It took a lot of trial and error before I stumbled upon these duos, and even then, it wasn't something that didn't need to be practiced. I think 'soulmates' and pairs 'made in heaven' are too commonly and superficially used to describe what takes work and effort to build up. And quite honestly, I think it's the effort that's injected into the process that makes the results a whole lot  more magical. After all, you can't have the darkness without the light. I don't know, what do you think? With Love,  Daphne x