My Face Powder Collection

My Most Used Face Powders

Favourite Face Powders

OK so these aren’t all of my powder face products but I try & rotate them so they all get used and these are the ones I want to use more during May. I just have them in two cardboard boxes and I keep them on my vanity so they’re easy to reach.

I have a couple of the Benefit Boxed Powers but Dallas is the one I seem to use the least, although I actually like it a lot. I think its because I need to be more tanned to use it as it can show up quite dark on my skin. It gives the skin a pretty radiance and healthy glow. So now is the perfect time of year to use it more.

Urban Decay The After Glow Highlighter in Sin* is a gorgeous long wearing luminous highlighter. You need so little product and it makes you look radiant. I adore it and think it looks especially pretty when you add a little down the bridge of your nose just to catch the light. Very pretty indeed.

Glo & Ray make some of my favourite blushers, this one in Star Dust is a beautiful peachy pink with an iridescent finish. It gives you a peach flush and that iridescent finish adds a little highlight to your cheeks too. These are great quality and I find them long wearing and easy to blend.

L’Oreal True Match Face Powder in Rose Beige – I haven’t used this a whole lot, but I do like the colour match and it looks and feels lightweight on my skin. It gives a little added coverage which is nice and you get a mirror so that’s a bonus. I’m looking forward to using this more and will update you as to how it holds up in the warmer weather.

Rimmel Stay Matte in Transparent – this used to be my go-to powder for years until I discovered the bareMinerals Mineral Veil and it didn’t get as much love. I know I love this powder and it’s an incredible budget-friendly face powder. It never lets me down & I am happy to be reunited with it.

L’Oreal Glam Bronze Duo – This has been another rediscovery from my collection and I have to say I really like it. You get a light cream shade and a matte bronzer shade. I just use them together and swirl my brush around and use it as a bronzer. Its very pigmented but it gives a natural warmth to my skin. This will be getting lots of love as the weather heats up.

Face Powder Collection

Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam – One of my favourite products, I love the packaging and this is also massive. You get so much product, it looks like I have hardly used it but over the years its had a lot of use. It’s a golden highlighter, which needs a very light hand. So a little product goes a very very long way. Great for achieving that summer goddess beach look & I have even used it as eyeshadow. Works well for both.

Urban Decay Bronzer in Bronzed* – Another beautiful matte bronzer, this looks great on my skin and blends well too. It never looks muddy or orange and I like that its matte. Also, the palm tree packaging just screams Summer

bareMinerals Perfecting Veil – if you like your face powder to give you that soft focus look then I think this is one of the best products I have found for that. It always makes my skin look flawless and radiant. Its lightweight and never looks powdery. It’s also really good to dust on throughout the day to keep shine at bay.

bareMinerals Bronzer in Skinny Dip – gorgeous mineral bronzer that gives your skin that beachy sun-kissed look. It’s a lovely warm bronzer and its matte so that’s always a plus. I can’t wait to use this more and really put it to the test.

Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop in Ecstasy – This has to be one of the most beautiful products I own & that makes it hard to use (it’s just too beautiful). I was sad that it was sat in a drawer never being used so I have looked it out and have vowed to use it. You get two beautiful peachy pink colours that add a healthy flushed look to your cheeks & the packaging is stunning.

Face Powder Makeup Storage

Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Rose – I haven’t used this much at all since I got it & thought if I didn’t reach for it over the next few weeks I am going to pass it on. It is a pretty pink shade but for some reason, I never go out of my way to use it. So its make or break for this. Watch this space.

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle – Always a classic and I do love it but I have been using it more as an eyeshadow and think it looks beautiful all over the lid. Its brightening and gives a beautiful almost metallic finish.

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot – I have hit pan on this face powder which is almost unheard of for me. I used this so much last year and it was a really great powder. It was good at keeping my t zone oil-free and giving my skin a matte finish without being too dramatic or heavy.

My Most Used Face Powders

Soap & Glory Love at First Blush & Wonderbronze – these are two of my favourite products from Soap & Glory. I like that both products are multi-shade, it means that you get a lovely mix of colours and it never looks quite the same.They’re beautiful quality and add a touch of colour & glow to your cheeks.

Soap & Glory Solar Powder – I have also hit pan on this too & can’t wait to repurchase because the packaging has since been updated to a more robust plastic compact, whereas mine is a flimsy cardboard and has fallen apart. I use this so often and love the natural bronze glow it gives. It’s subtle but very pretty.

Soap & Glory Glow All Out – I’m still at a loss as to how to use this, I find its too shimmery as a face powder and not quite the right colour as a highlighter. Let me know if you use it & ow you make it work.

Favourite Face Powders

Mac Select Sheer Pressed Powder – This is a bit meh and I am just trying to use it up. I have since discovered much better powders and this has been relegated to the won’t repurchase list.

Essence Sun Club Bronzing Highlighter – This is beautiful & it smells of coconut. It’s a wonderful affordable highlighting bronzer. I love the mix of shades. This bronzer gives a subtle warmth to your skin and is the perfect way to pretend you have been on a Summer holiday without leaving the country. Wilko in the UK sells a great range of Essence products.

What powder products have you been loving this month or have any been a little on the disappointing side? let me know in the comments.

*PR Sample

My 2015 Makeup Favourites

My 2015 Makeup Favourites

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

This gives a beautiful natural even finish and It does a very good job at covering the redness on my cheeks and a few old blemish scars around my chin. I also love that it blurs imperfections and makes your skin look so healthy and fresh. Its not heavy at all and wears beautifully throughout the day, it even stays put on those warmer days. I only have positive things to say about this product. So if you like a natural but good coverage, this is purse friendly option.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation

This foundation gives more coverage than the Bourjois CC Cream as you would expect but it still isn’t heavy on the skin and I would say it gives a medium coverage. This foundation has a very watery consistency which I think makes it very easy to blend and when it dries down on the skin it gives a gorgeous satin finish. It makes my skin look incredible & flawless, I find I don’t need to powder unless I want it to last all day & into the night which isn’t often.

Rimmel Match Perfection Illuminating Concealer

This is such a good brightening concealer, I use it under my eyes to counter my hideous dark circles. It is quite creamy and easy to blend out either with your finger or I have been using a beauty blender these past few months. This concealer makes my under eyes look awake and bright. I do like to use a lightweight powder over the top, it stays in place nicely all day. I love this concealer a lot & this tube has lasted me AGES.

L’Oreal Superliner Ultra Precision

I have to say that as a rule of thumb the L’Oreal liquid liners are some of the best I have used. They last the longest without drying out  & at the moment I’m using the Ultra Precision one. The pigmentation is so good – jet black, it wears all day without wearing off unevenly and it never transfers on to the upper part of my eye (I hate it when eyeliner does that). I love how flexible the nib is & how precise you can make your winged liner look! I always have at least one L’Oreal liner on the go at any one time.

My Top Beauty Products of 2015

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium Deep

This is one of my all time favourite products! Its all I have been using in my brows because It looks natural but gives them enough colour so they looked filled in, but not too dramatic. I also like that it holds my unruly brow hairs in place so they look neat and tidy on my face! The brush is just the perfect size, its small enough that you won’t get product all over your forehead and you will be able to tame those brows with precision. I have repurchased this on many an occasion, If you haven’t tried Gimme Brow you need to, its a must have in my opinion.

Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette

This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. All the shadows have some degree of shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve. This is a palette I have used the most during 2015, all the shadows are my kind of colours and I think they’re really pretty.

Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita Quad

What a stunning palette this is & every time I use it it makes me love it even more. The shadows are just as beautiful as you imagine. All four shades have an element of frost / shimmer to them, you get four colours one to Prime, Enhance, Smoke and Pop. All the shadows apply and blend like a dream and even if I don’t wear the full on Dolce Vita eye look every day the Prime, Enhance and Smoke shades can be worn daily and look so pretty. This is an indulgent palette but worth every penny, its one of those products you never regret having in your collection.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Seduction

I love that Charlotte Tilbury lip products have quite a sweet vanilla scent, they smell so good. Seduction is a gorgeous nude creamy beige shade which looks pretty and natural worn alone or paired with a lippy for more of a pop of colour. This gives the lips a glossy finish without feeling sticky or greasy, it feels comfortable and is so easy to reapply. It has reminded me that I need to wear gloss more often. The packaging of all the Charlotte Tilbury products feels luxurious and looks pretty. This is such a treat to wear & I am pleased I got quite a natural colour because I can wear it all the time!

Charlotte-Tilbury-Dolce-Vita

INIKA Mineral Foundation SPF15

I have reached for this almost daily for the past 3 months and its become one of my most used & loved products. It’s extremely easy to apply and it gives the skin a very flawless finish and can be built up to give a more medium coverage which is really good if like me you need to cover any redness or imperfections. Unlike liquid foundations this feels so natural and light on your skin and you don’t feel like you have a base on. This foundation has incredible staying power and doesn’t end up looking patchy or uneven after a few hours, it also holds up well in the heat which is great. I also like that it has SPF15 in & Its very easy to reapply throughout the day. Oh & it makes the most beautiful setting powder too, if you’re wearing a lightweight foundation & want a little more coverage & and velvet smooth finish to your skin then just apply this over the top and its just incredible. I love wearing it like that!

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Gorgeous Berries

I don’t wear that many blushers but I just adore this one. I do like a good baked blush and this beautiful Creme Puff one from Max Factor has to be the best I’ve tried. I have the shade Gorgeous Berries which is just stunning, it adds such a pretty warm rosy glow to your cheeks. I have read a few reviews comparing these blushes to the Hourglass Ambient Light Blushers which is exciting as I don’t think I could spend that kind of money on a blush. The shade I have gives your cheeks a really pretty wash of colour along with a sheen like glow, making it a two in one product. I’m impressed with the pigmentation and just how pretty this looks on my skin. I can’t believe I haven’t bought more of these (adds them to shopping list).

My Favourite Makeup of 2015

Soap & Glory Wonderbronze

This Wonderbronze is a gorgeous shimmer brick made up of 5 shades ranging from champagne to deep brown, all the shades have shimmer running through them. I tend to swirl my brush through all the shades and apply it to the tops of my cheeks & it gives a beautiful bronze glow. Its a bronzer and highlighter all in one now I apply it with a light hand I have mastered the subtle glow. You get a decent sized mirror which is always a bonus. I have to say the Soap & Glory face products are fantastic value for money. I think a Soap & Glory face product makes it in to my favourites almost every month!

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

I only treat myself to one of these each year, its my favourite ever mascara. One coat makes my lashes look long and fluttery. It never flakes off throughout the day and its pretty good at holding a curl. Even when I’m wearing no other makeup I wear mascara & this one makes my eyes look wide awake and makes such a difference. Its well worth the price tag!

Max Factor Lipfinity in Just Alluring

I think this is a pretty everyday shade, its a dusky pink and it looks so good on. This applies evenly on the lips and has a nice satin finish. The formula feels comfortable on the lips which is probably down to the fact these lipsticks contain 60% skincare ingredients including shea butter and acetylated lanolin, so your lips are being well looked after. I like the luxurious gold bullet & clear acrylic lid, it means you can immediately see the shade you’re looking for, which is very handy. This has been permanently in my handbag this year, its a good shade for any situation and it goes with most makeup looks too.

What were your favourite makeup products of 2015, have I mentioned any of your top picks?

Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

I have some exciting news to share with you, you can now get your hands on Charlotte Tilbury makeup at John Lewis both in store and online. Previously Charlotte Tilbury only had counters in Selfridges so it’s great that John Lewis is now stocking this much sought after brand. To celebrate their launch into John Lewis I was kindly sent a few treats to recreate one of the 10 iconic Charlotte Tilbury looks, I went for The Dolce Vita* because the eyeshadow palette is just stunning. The Dolce Vita look is described as,

Ultra feminine and utterly alluring, the Dolce Vita plays the muse for very good reason. Her look is all about unbridled glamour: seductive lips, chiselled cheeks and a smouldering stare. 

I have to say the look was harder than I thought to create but I used the video & followed the step by step tutorial and although I don’t quite look, Dolce Vita, I tried my best!

As I said Charlotte Tilbury has 10 Iconic looks from the cool edgy Rock Chick and Vintage Vamp to the more natural Ingénue, there really is a look to suit everyone. Charlotte has made the shopping process so simple, you shop your desired look and get all the products needed to recreate that specific look and they come in a beautifully packaged box. It’s such a no fuss easy way to do it and then if you need a little more help or pointers then you can follow Charlotte’s step by step tutorial videos which I found fab and it helped me create a half decent look.

The Dolce Vita-look

Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita Palette

As I said The Dolce Vita eyeshadow quad was the reason I picked this look, the shadows are just as beautiful as I’d imagined. All four shades have an element of frost/shimmer to them, you get four colours one to Prime, Enhance, Smoke and Pop.

Prime – a beautiful frosted Champagne colour which instantly brightens the eye and is a lovely base for the other colours.

Enhance – this is a rich deep rusty brown with a touch of shimmer and this is for blending out into the crease and across the lid to define the eye and make the eye look sultry

Smoke – this is a matte brown with a hint of shimmer and is for smoking out along the upper and lower lash line and creating that smouldering copper smoky eye.

Pop – this is where the magic happens, this is a stunning copper pressed pigment with such a POW of glitter. You press this on top of the finished eye look with your finger to make it look extra special.

All the shadows apply and blend like a dream and even if I don’t wear the full on Dolce Vita eye look every day the Prime, Enhance and Smoke shades can be worn daily and look beautifully Autumnal.
Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita

The Feline Flick Eyeliner was another product I was excited to try, I love wearing black felt tip eyeliner and I wondered what could be so amazing about this one and WOW let me tell you the nib is incredibly precise and has just enough flexibility to create a such a clean smooth flick. I am sold, even my husband noticed how on fleek my eyeliner was. This goes on jet black and stays jet black all day long, it applies effortlessly without any dragging or having to go back over the same spot again & again and I love that it doesn’t bleed or smudge. Oh, & its waterproof too, it ticks all the boxes. I think this is my new all-time favourite eyeliner and I have tried quite a few.

To create the eye look I also used one of my own black kohl liners in the upper and lower lash line to make them look more authentic and I also used my own black mascara (lots of it).

Charlotte Tilbury #WhoCouldYouBe

So after the eyes, I used the Cheek to Chic Blusher in Ecstasy which comes beautifully packaged (as all the products do) with a great sized mirror and the signature Charlotte Tilbury rose gold touches which are so pretty. You get two cheek shades in this blush, the outer shade is a dark peachy pink with a pretty frosted finish, and the shade in the middle is a more true pink with the most gorgeous gold shimmer running through.

So you Swish the outer shade up on your cheekbones & you Pop the middle shade on the apples of your cheeks. This duo really gives you not only a pop of colour but also act as a highlighter too, they catch the light and make your skin look fresh and glowing. make sure you use a light hand and get just a little product on your brush because this is seriously pigmented.
#WhoCouldYouBe

Charlotte Tilbury Lip products

Now onto lips, I had three beautiful nude pink lip products to pull this look together and they were Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk, K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Penelope Pink and the Lip Lustre in Seduction. The lip products have quite a sweet scent and they smelt so good! These were such a pretty combination and the Lip Cheat was so creamy and easy to use, I don’t have many lip pencils but this was perfect for outlining my lips and getting a good shape ready to apply the K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick which comes in such decadent gold packaging and it just feels and looks luxurious.

The lipstick in Penelope Pink is such an easy shade to wear it is simple but pretty and was smooth and easy to apply. I would normally leave it at that but in the interest of recreating the whole look & applied the Lip Lustre on top and it has a pretty glossy but not sticky finish and it would be beautiful for a nighttime look.

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Products

The Beach Stick in Formentera Is a multi-use product which can be used as a cream blusher or as a lip tint. I am useless when it comes to cream blush but I would use this as a lip tint. I didn’t use it with this look because I have blush and 3 lip products so I will have a play about with it and see what I think. It feels nice and creamy and it has the same inviting sweet scent as the other lip products. Also, the packaging of this is so cute and pretty, it looks like a chunky lip crayon in rose gold packaging.

So that’s my take on Charlotte Tilbury’s The Dolce Vita look, I had such fun watching the tutorial video and recreating the look. I would say the quality of these products lived up to the hype and are well worth investing in. Everything looks and feels luxurious and its makeup that makes you feel good if that at all makes sense. I have been converted into a CT fan, that’s for sure.

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Products

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Looks

So if you want to shop any of the 10 iconic looks or buy the products individually you can now do that at John Lewis. So pop over and see what look best describes you & let me know what you go for. I want to have a go at Rock Chick next I think.

Let me know if you have any Charlotte Tilbury product recommendations, I would love to hear them.

John Lewis provided these products so I could recreate my chosen look but the review is 100% my own thoughts.