BECCA | SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTER & JACLYN HILL CHAMPAGNE POP

I've already tried to justify why I bought these two products in a previous post - let's just say I was ill, I felt sorry for myself, the laptop was in front of me, and before I knew what I was really doing they were added to my basket and paid for...oopsy.  

It's best not to focus on the past, so with this in mind we shall move quickly past this blip in my spending ban (two MAC lipsticks are on their way to me as well, but it was Mother's Day and I feel like my dog Rocky would want me to treat myself on his behalf).

So: First up there is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter, £30 (top swatch), which I picked up in the shade Moonstone.  I have been using this under my foundation to boost my skin and give it a healthy looking glow.  I was a bit worried about using it at first, because illuminators and primers can be oily and sometimes break my skin out, but so far this one has been fine and has been a great match for my skin tone.  It manages to create a lit-from-within look and sits perfectly underneath my makeup, complimenting it rather than making it look unnatural or over the top.

The Jaclyn Hill highlighter, £30 in Champagne Pop has been talked about a hella lot in the blogging world lately, so naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about.  I love highlighters, and this one is no exception, it is by far the most intensely pigmented one I own and the texture is so buttery that it looks like it will smash to pieces if I nudge it.  I absolutely love the colour, you only need a tiny amount to cover both cheek bones - use too much and it does look ridiculous!  

I'm really happy with both of these products, I've been using them every day and my complexion does look much better - even if it is cheating!

Have you tried either of these products?xx 

REVIEW | CHARLOTTE TILBURY FILMSTAR BRONZE AND GLOW

I don't feel even a little bit guilty for treating myself to the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow palette (£49), because it has been on my wishlist for months now and I think that it is actually an achievement that I resisted it for so long and only bought it when I had run out of my last bronzer.  So really I guess that makes it a well deserved treat.  

Obviously this beautiful little palette has been raved about on so many blogs, and you can't really escape it right now; however I think it is with good reason - it looked so good in the photos I'd seen, and now I've tried it myself I totally get why it is so popular.  

I bought the light version, and when it arrived the first thing I admired was just how good it looks.  Gold packaging is an instant win in my books, and having a mirror in a palette i also something I love, as it makes them extra handy useful for keeping in your handbag.  

The bronzer is a soft brown shade; I have been using it to carve out some cheekbones and it really does work - it's perfect for my skin tone and looks natural too thanks to there being no orange tones in it.  Since I wasn't bless with visible cheekbones, I trace the shape with my brush by slightly sucking in my cheeks which makes it easy to see where you should contour.  I also take it up to my temples, blend it around my jawline and also down the sides of my nose to make it look slimmer.  

The highlight shade looks really subtle in the palette, and compared to some other highlighters that I've used it doesn't look very shimmery at all, so I was a bit dubious about how well it would show up.  However, it is actually a gorgeous soft shimmer that both looks natural and makes my skin look 100% more glowy and radiant, in a way that I've never found another product to do.  

Quick warning: below is a selfie taken from my phone which best shows up how it looks.  Apologies in advance for the complete un-bloggerishness of the picture, but since rain has made the light awful for photo taking today then it will have to do!  

I hope that gives a good idea of how it looks on, my skin is certainly not that glowing without help so Bronze and Glow has immediately been put into my daily make up bag, and I can't see anything replacing it anytime soon either. 

Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow?  What do you think of it? xx

REVIEW | AUTOGRAPH PURE LUXE POWDER HIGHLIGHTER

I think I can safely say that I have too many highlighters.  They are among my favourite products, because I love how a good one can lift your complexion and fake a look of dewy skin!  My all-time favourite has always been Benefit’s High Beam, even though a couple of dupes have come close.  Recently though whilst stopping in Marks and Spencer for a sandwich (I don’t like sandwiches usually but M&S ones are delishhh!), I had a wander around the beauty section just to see what they had to offer and this powder highlighter immediately caught my eye.  It is set in a gorgeous pattern in a pot with mirror that shows off the luminous rose gold colour, and it looked too good not to buy.  At £15 it’s not a budget buy but it’s a little bit less than High Beam, and I wanted to try a powder one for a change. 

I apply this after blusher to the tops of my cheeks and around to my temple, and also dust a little down my nose and across my forehead; basically anywhere that I think would naturally catch the light.  I apply it using the Real Techniques blusher brush and tap any excess off because the last thing you want is shimmery fallout!  It applies really easily and the slightest dusting is enough to highlight all of the parts that I want to.  The finish is amazing, it leaves a subtle rose gold iridescent glow that I really love.  I think it would be easy to go overboard with this and apply too much, but when you get it right it really looks lovely and compliments the contouring of blusher and bronzer.  It looks like it could be fairly glittery, but it is finely milled and doesn’t leave me looking like I’m fresh out of a school disco back in the 90s, so that’s a major plus!  If you have ever tried Topshop Highlighter in Crescent Moon then I would say that the finish of this is fairly similar to that. 

I definitely recommend this highlighter, it isn’t by a brand that I would usually shop for but it goes to show that trying something different can be a good thing with surprising results.  If you’re a big fan of highlighter like I am, then I reckon you would love it!  Anyway.. look how pretty it is!!

Does this look like a product you would try? xx

Review | Benefit High Beam Highlighter

Benefit High Beam Highlighter, £19.50

 

Hey :)!  Me again, I’m really enjoying blogging every day so far, but I’m dreading fitting it in this weekend since Saturdays are always so busy because of work (and it happens to be pay day weekend) but I shall try! 

I have previously bought a budget version of this product called High Lights by Technics.  That has now run out and I had nothing against it at all apart from it could sometimes be a little bit of a nuisance to blend, but for something like £1.99 I really didn’t mind.  I decided to splash out on Benefit’s High Beam because 1) I have used it before and really loved it, and 2) I was near the Benefit store so..I went in and purchased it before I could think rationally about my finances. 

I think that this highlighter really completes my look, it adds a lovely iridescent sheen that looks healthy and glowing.  It is ideal if, like me, you struggle to naturally achieve the dewy/glowy look and want a quick realistic fix.  I apply this on the apples of my cheeks on top of my blusher, on my cupid’s bow and just below my eye brows, and I really love the effect it has.  It catches the light in the best possible way, and adds definition that I wouldn’t naturally have.  If you prefer the ‘no make-up’ look, then it probably isn’t for you because you can tell you’ve got it on, but to me it looks lovely and I wear it every single day!

It is ideal for people with pale skin like me, as it a very pale, pearly pink colour, and blends beautifully with my natural skin tone.  I have also tried Moon Beam but that has a slightly more yellow tone so wasn’t quite right for me. 

 

Have you tried High Beam? xx