Faux Glow... The High-street Edit

When it comes too my base make up, all I want is a glow. Sometimes subtle, think lit from within,and sometimes a little more! Either or, for me this is my perfect finish for make up. I've tried and test several handfuls of products said to give the aforementioned healthy glow and here are my current top picks from the high-street/drug store!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation:

I've loved this foundation for a while now, it promises healthy dewy glowing skin; there are light reflecting particles in this which add the prettiest glow. This really balances out redness and uneven skin tone, it covers nicely and isn't too heavy wearing. I'd say this is perfect for normal or dry skin, possible stay clear if you're on the more oily side! This for me is a go to in the colder months to perk up my skin a little, possible a little too dewy for summer!

Bourjois Java Rice Powder

If I explained how long it took me to track this down you'd think I was mad! I read so many amazing reviews of this I had to get my hands on it and it didn't let me down. A quick swipe of this over my face and I'm left looking radiant; I love using this especially to set my under eye concealer, it holds it in place and a really brightens the eye area! This is so finely ground that it applies like a regular loose powder, with a very subtle radiance! I'm loving applying this with the Real Techniques Duo Fibre brushes so that it's really natural!

Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer Brick

I'm a pale human and bronzers used to scare the hell out of me, I have a irrational hate for orange, overly tanned faces (shudders) I found this and its lighter shades really appealed to me! This is so easy to work in, I swirl the colours around on my Real Techniques blush brush and have a dust over my cheeks and temples to add a lovely glowy bronzed finish, perfect for summer!

Body Shop All In One BB Cream

This a recent addition to my collection, I love a light weight base, I always go for light/medium coverage foundations so this was right up my street. The colour matching in this BB Creme is what really gets me, is comes out white and matches your skin tone perfectly. I've found this just helps too even out the redness, it doesn't quite cover any blemishes (thankfully I have none at the moment) or under eye darkness but a blob of concealer if fine! I love how light this is, gives very light but radiant coverage, perfect for a lazy day with a little brightness for good measure!

Any recommendations of products you use to get that glow?

M x 

Holy Grail of Gradual Tanning!

I love a good tan, as do most but I have been battling with finding a product that isn’t orange, doesn’t streak, doesn’t smell horrendous and doesn’t wash off the next day.   But,  I think I might, MIGHT, have just found my new holy grail of fake tans, with of course a few (personal) draw backs.

I find with my skin being so de-hydrated and sensitive that I can use many products, I have to be cautious with what I pick up and what goes into the formula, so anything with cocoa butter or shea butter for me is perfect.   I find also that if you suffer from keratosis pilaris as I do, a tan is the perfect way to minimise the look of it!                                                                                                                         I am amid that I cannot stand the smell of cocoa butter, everything about it to me is wrong, I don’t want to smell like chocolate let alone this overpowering scent, BUT, I have put my issue with that to the side in order to have the loveliest tan that I have had from a bottle in a long time.   

The cost of this is one of the main reasons I picked it up, from boots it’s £5.35, almost half of what I usually pay for a tanning product that is always an instant tan and doesn’t last.   I have a major issue with tans and whether natural is better than a fake; personally I have Irish skin and I’m prone to burn and that’s just not healthy.   I constantly search for a gradual tanning product that can offer a natural glow; I don’t think bright orange TOWIE style tans are hot!

So, I always exfoliate before tanning and apply a deep moisturising cream on my knees and elbows to minimise and possible streaking and blotches.   When I applied the Palmers natural bronze, the first thing that hit me was the smell; to you this is probably fine but I hate the cocoa butter scent :(  the lotion is an off white colour and it applies easily and effortlessly.  A down side I found to this was the amount of time I find it took to fully skin into my skin before I could get dressed; it felt like a good 20 minutes before i could touch my skin without it being sticky.  However, this was overridden when the next morning when I woke up with the most natural glow and supple skin I have had in a very long time!

I couldn’t recommend this enough if you, like me, are pale and have dry skin; this really solved so many issues and hid the red bumps! I also must add that a good tan makes you look a lot slimmer (less trips to the gym!) ;) This is definitely a cheap must have!

 

First ever blog post done!

M x