Make-up for the Summer (part 2)

Personally my lips get just as dry in the summer as they do in the winter. People almost always remember to apply suncream and face cream with an SPF but forget that their lips also need to be protected from the sun. So when sunbathing I always apply a lip balm with an SPF.

When in London (with temperatures rarely reaching 25 ˚C in the summer) I normally don't necessarily purposely reach for a lip product with an SPF. But love wearing coral shades and normally I wear more lip glosses.

• REVLON Colorburst in 046 Sizzle Canicule. A bright coral lipgloss that can be applied quite sheer, but can also be built up to a bright thick coral lip. I also love the doe foot applicator.

• N ̊7 High Shine in Whisper, terrible applicater, but a beautiful shimmery gold shade. It also has an SPF of 15.

• REVLON Colourburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart which is a bright pink balm, perfect with a tan and really moisturising.

• RIMMEL LONDON Moisture Renew Lipstick in 600 Soft Coral. Such a summer orange-coral shade. I love this collection of lipsticks, they are all moisturising and last long on the lips.

• MAC Viva Glam Gaga is a lovely baby pink shade with a lustre finish. It is similar to Angel also from MAC.

• Link to my previous (Part 1) post on eyes 

Make-up for the Summer (part 1)

Eyes

Mascara A waterproof mascara is essential for the summer months as I am sure you'll all agree. Not only for swimming, but also for being in the heat where your likely to sweat (gross I know) and the mascara will run. Finding a good waterproof mascara I think is difficult because you of course want your usual thick volumised lashes but want the mascara to not run and be as easy as possible to remove at the end of the day.

To be completely honest, I have not yet found an amazing waterproof mascara and I am still searching for it (if you have a good one let me know in the comments).

• For the moment I have been using MAYBELLINE Volum' Express One-by-One Waterproof Mascara which does do the job but occasionally mascara breaks off onto my face (if you understand what I mean).

The label has rubbed off

Eyeliner I do not normally wear my usual liquid eyeliner because although you can buy waterproof ones, I have not found a good one. Instead I opt for regular kohl eyeliner pencils, but under no circumstances do I apply them above my top lashes, avoiding some major transfer onto my brow bone. But instead I like to use bright colours under my bottom lashes, as well as a black eye pencil on my top and bottom waterline.

Colours in order as mentioned below.

• My favourite is MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Out To Sea. It is a gorgeous true turquoise and unfortunately it has been discontinued *sob* NOOOOO!!!!!!! (Something similar is Macs Pro Longwear Eye Liner in Mountain Air) both lines from MAC that I have mentioned are waterproof, smudge free and long lasting.

• RIMMEL LONDON Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 014 Bright Blue. A cobalt blue that doesn't smudge and is a new purchase of mine.

• For my waterline I like to use either RIMMEL LONDON Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in 061 Jet Black, a soft long lasting standard black liner that I use all year round, OR if I want a softer look I use MAC Eye Pencil in Coffee, which also lasts long in the waterline.

• Even though above I said I don't use liquid liner in the summer, during the evenings I love to use YSL Eyeliner Moiré in the Blue one (there is not a name).

Eyeshadow During the day, wearing eyeshadow is not necessary for me. But during the evenings I see myself reaching for golds and bronzy shades. I have to put on Urban Decay Primer Potion to avoid my eyeshadow moving.

• MAYBELLINE Color Tattoo 24 HR in 05 Eternal Gold and 35 On and on Bronze. These are gorgeous shades of gold and bronze (as said in their names). They stay on for a long time and have excellent pay off.

• BENEFIT Velvet Eyeshadow in Rich Beach is a beautiful deep gold. It is shimmery but not that bold. 

• MAC Eye Shadow in Gorgeous Gold, A yellowy gold with a deluxe pearl finish. Its perfect to use to brighten up the inner eye, or lightly dusted over the lid.

• BOBBI BROWN Metallic Eye Shadow in After Hours. An extremely dark browny raisin shade. I love to use this for a smokey eye along with the Benefit eyeshadow mentioned above. It really compliments brown eyes in my opinion.

Make-up for the Summer

It is finally summer time and I cannot wait to to go away and enjoy basking in the sun!

Following this post are going to be detailed individual posts containing make-up products I am loving to use this summer :). I thought it would be useful for anyone interested in trying out products I personally rate highly.

Summer 2012, Kalkan Turkey

On holiday I prefer to wear less make-up as I see the summer as an opportunity to let my skin breathe.  Everyone freaks out about the sun and of course it is important to apply the correct SPF suncream throughout the day but also it is important to realise that your skin does need the sun to produce Vitamin D (you can obtain it from diary products among other things but not in as large amounts as from the sun). I am no expert but I have learnt that Vitamin D is essential for bone health as well as prevention from some major health risks. The darker your skin is, the more sun you require to produce the same amount of vitamin D as fairer skins. Anyways moving away from the science talk and towards the make-up bit…

My first post will entail my make-up summer essentials for my eyes (should be up on my blog tomorrow) and then each other face area shall follow. This just prevents each post from being extremely long. Hope you enjoy :)

Summer 2012, Nice France

Bobbi Brown - Luxe Sparkle Powder in Veil *LIMITED EDITION*

The packaging is not the usual black packaging but instead mirrored. 

I saw this as I was walking past the Bobbi Brown stand and had to swatch it to see what it was like.

It is the most stunning shimmer I have ever seen (extreme I know).

It can be used in a multiple number of ways. Defined as a 'sparkle powder' that can be used as a body glitter on nights out or on holiday. It can also be used as a shimmer highlighter and eyeshadow. Personally I prefer it just as a light body glitter on my décolletage and I cannot wait to properly use it when I go away this summer :)

 These photos do not give this glitter powder justice, so definitely go see it in the store and swatch it :) Also don't forget it is limited edition so shall not be on the shelves long if you want it.

• It is limited edition and costs £36.00
• Where you can buy it from: Selfridges, Harrods, John Lewis
• Bobbi Brown website (USA)

Youtube!!

I have decided to join Youtube!

I have loved blogging over the past year and I've decided that it is time for me to try Youtube.
Of course I will still blog, but I hope to join the two together.

This is the link to my welcome video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvyDG5Vdlc8

This is the link to my first proper video, Colours of the Rainbow TAG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T4MP86DZCM

Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Conditioner

Although I love my Nuxe lip balm, I'm always on the hunt for an even better lip balm. I also feel the Nuxe lip balm is more suited as a night treatment because of its thick consistency. It is also quite matte which is not what I usually want my lips to look like during the day.

Jo Malone is such a smart luxurious brand, selling lovely candles and shower gel along with many other products that are well known and loved. The lip conditioner is part of the Vitamin E Collection that Jo Malone offers. I have not tried any of the other products from the collection as of yet but I have been using this lip balm for quite a while now and am quite pleased with it.

If you didn't know already, I suffer from Eczema and have extremely dry cracked lips all the time, which means not only do I have to be careful what I put on my skin but I also have a large interest in finding products that work well.

The lip balm is extremely soothing on the lips and doesn't sting at all when you apply it. It has a subtle vanilla scent and a syrup-like consistency (although I wouldn't describe it as sticky). It keeps my lips moisturised for a long time and doesn't need to be reapplied multiple times throughout the day. It is presented in a simple yet elegant black tube which is the perfect size to store in small handbag if needed. I quite like that its not in a tub because I hate having to dip my fingers in which is actually quite unhygienic especially if I'm out for the whole day.

There is something really addictive about this lip balm that I do not think other cheaper lip balms have. Yes, it is extremely expensive for a lip balm and you could easily make do with Carmex or Vaseline but it is always nice to treat yourself sometimes and buy things on the one off. You may even find, like myself that this lip balm actually significantly improves your dry lips whereas the cheaper brands are just a temporary fix.

• £22 for 15ml
• Jo Malone Vitamin E Collection
• My review on Nuxe Paris Lip Balm

Nars blush in Sin

My Nars blush collection is really growing now with the addition of Sin!

This is a gorgeous deep rose shade with a slight shimmer that when applied doesn't overpower your face with glitter. 

This blush is much more wearable than other Nars blushes such as Orgasm, and a little definitely goes a long way in application. It reminds of of my Benefit blush in Dallas which I also love, and has a very similar texture as well as colour.

It is slightly more softer in texture than other Nars blushes I own. It is also not a difficult shade to match with a lipstick with as there are many many lipstick and glosses that are similar and/or complementary colours to Sin.

I still think the packaging is slightly annoying because although its sleek and neat, it also gets dirty easily.

• £21.00
• Link to my previous Post on two other Nars blushes.
• http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk
• John Lewis
• Sorry for the lack of posts! Been extremely busy with uni. xoxo