Glowing Makeup

Special Occasion Beauty Products

- Vicki 3 Comments
Wedding Guest Products

Wedding Guest Makeup Bag Essentials

My brother is getting married next week in Scotland (I live in Cornwall) so I’ve tried to be organised by packing my makeup, skincare and other essential products so I don’t forget them. I’m not in the Bridal Party but I want to look my best and use some of my favourite products on the day. Over the past week I have been setting aside products I know I want to take up to Scotland and because its a special occasion I want my makeup to stay in place all day/night. I will be doing a full post on my Scotland Makeup Bag next week but I wanted to share a few of my must-have products.

Stella McCartney POP EDP*

I love Stella McCartney perfumes and was so excited when I heard there was a new fragrance being added to the selection. This POP scent comes in a simple but quite fun bottle, it has a bright metallic pink lid with Stella McCartney embossed around the edge. I think this latest release has a fresher youthful feel to both the perfume and the bottle. The scent is quite light but complex and I like that it isn’t overpowering but is quite uplifting and fresh. It has some notes that were surprising (like tomato leaves) but that actually really work well together,

Top notes: Tomato leaves, Violet leaves, Green Mandarin
Heart notes: Violet, Tuberose, Plumeria
Base notes: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Musks

At first, it has a sweet, fresh scent then it settles down to be warmer and the woody, musk notes come through. It’s quite a beautiful scent and despite not being too heavy it does have quite good staying power, although I don’t mind having to spritz throughout the day. You 100% need to add this fragrance to your Xmas list, its a very easy to wear scent and I’m excited to wear it to my brother’s wedding.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Compact*

I’m taking this because its compact, the coverage is fantastic and very long wearing. It will easily fit into my handbag & the fact it has a mirror & a cute applicator means I will be able to keep my makeup looking fresh all night long. This is a full coverage foundation but it doesn’t look cakey, so I won’t have to build up the coverage with this. It does have quite a high SPF but I am not part of the main Bridal party so I am not worried about the photos, I would rather my makeup looked flawless and fresh all night long and I know this Lancome Cushion Foundation won’t let me down.

Special Occassion Products

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Products 

No one does lips like Charlotte Tilbury and I wanted to keep my lip colour quite natural but still pretty and feminine so this nude/pink trio is perfect. I have the Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk, K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Penelope Pink and the Lip Lustre in Seduction and they look beautiful together. The lip liner gives the lips a nice shape and the lipstick is a subtle but beautiful pink toned nude and it feels so comfortable on the lips. I think I will apply the lip gloss over the lipstick in the evening just to change the look slightly and give it more of a nighttime feel. The gloss is a gorgeous, not too sticky and not too high shine, just that perfect amount of gloss.

Makeup For Special Events

Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets

These are a must if your skin starts to get a little oily and they just fit so easily in your handbag. I always carry a pack with me. These ones don’t lift off my makeup but they absorb oil and help me look less shiny. Not a glamorous product by any means but one that always saves the day. These kleenex ones are discontinued now (you can sometimes find them in Home Bargain) but there are quite a few brands that do them. I like to use these to blot away the shine before powdering.

Wedding Guest Products

Becca Backlight Priming Filter 

OMG, this is just a beautiful illuminating primer, it helps my makeup stay in place and also gives my skin that healthy, radiant glow. I only have a small sample size of this and I am 100% going to invest in the full size, it works so well under my makeup and I really like the finish it gives to my skin. For special occasions, I like to wear a primer and this one really does a fab job at giving my skin that soft focus look. This has been one of my favourite beauty discoveries of 2016.

Urban Decay de-slick Makeup Setting Spray

When you need your makeup to still look good long into the night there is only one product you can trust with this job & that’s the Urban Decay de-slick Makeup Setting Spray. This mist is a miracle worker, a few sprays over the top of your makeup will ensure your foundation doesn’t melt away and your t zone remains shine free. It is a lightweight mist and it doesn’t feel sticky or like you have an extra layer of product on your skin.

So looking back over most of the product I have picked out, they’re mostly for getting my makeup to stay in place all night. I hate it when you have an important event and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror halfway through the night & think ‘Where the hell has my makeup gone’. So I am hoping that I avoid that disaster.

*This post contains PR samples

Summer Glow With The Body Shop

- Vicki 6 Comments
Bronzing Beads

I like to use bronzers as we get in to the warmer weather and being quite fair bronzers often fill me with dread. I don’t like to look overly tanned or look like I’ve applied my bronzer with a heavy hand. When this Brush on Bronze* arrived from The Body Shop I was a little afraid. In the pot it looks quite orange and I thought they were going to give my skin too much colour but once I applied it, it actually looked quite pretty.

Bronzing Beads

If you lightly sweep your brush over the bronzing beads and tap off the excess powder you can apply just the right amount of colour to your skin. I like to apply this over the top of my forehead, across the tops of my cheeks and down the bridge of my nose, all the places the sun would naturally bronze. I used the pretty Bronzing Brush & did experience a little shedding from this brush at first but I washed it after the initial application and that seemed to do the trick, no more shedding. The Bronzing Brush is very soft and didn’t pick up too much product, Its dense enough to sweep on just enough colour and I was able to blend it out so it looked natural and glowing.

This wears well on me, I do get quite oily skin throughout the day & always spray my Urban Decay Setting Spray so that helps everything stay in place. After a long warm day this was still where it was meant to be looking bronzed & glowing so thats a thumbs up from me.

Bronzer

The Brush on Bronze has a slight highlight quality to it too, as there is a subtle shimmer running through it (nothing too disco ball). Its nice during the day but this also looks so pretty as a night time bronzer, I just applied a little more product & I also took it across my chest area for a warm bronze glow.  If you’re looking for a warm bronzer thats not muddy at all this gave my skin a glow without looking orange (no one needs that look). This bronzer is one of The Body Shop’s Best Sellers & I can see why, I know that these are going to be a staple in my Summer makeup bag. I don’t like to tan so bronzers are a great natural way for me to put a bit of colour on my skin!

The Body Shop Bronzer

I do find these bronzing beads to be a little bit messy so keep that in mind if you have a cream carpet or are wearing light coloured clothing, make sure you have a tissue handy & tap off the excess product, also be careful not to knock the beads out as they are pigmented and will get bronzer every where. Although saying that if you look after these they will last you a really long time, a little product goes a long way. I really want to try a few more makeup brushes from The Body Shop I always forget they have such a great selection & quite affordable too.

Brush on Bronze* – £14.00

Bronzing Brush* – £16.00

What is your go to summer bronzer?

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own