Makeup Menu #2 | Spring/Summer

beauty
The weather is slowly beginning to warm up here in England which means it's time to switch up what's in your makeup bag. Heavy, matte foundations are out to be replaced by lighter, dewy-er finishes. Vampy lip colours are to be swapped with soft hues and chiseled cheeks are swapped for an all over bronze. This is how I'll be switching up my makeup bag this spring/summer. 

BASE: Winter is a time for full coverage, matte bases but summer makes way for a lighter base. My pick this summer is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation - review here -, it has a light coverage but can built on and when mixed with medium coverage foundation like the L'Oreal Infallible - review here - it creates a radiant base which still offers coverage. Personally I'm not a big fan of tinted moisturisers but if you're in the market for that kind of base the Bourjois CC Cream is a good option or the Bioderma Photoderm Max Tinted Cream*.

EYES: To add a summer edge to my usual neutral shades I've dug out my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette*, awash with pink toned neutrals it adds a lighter more fresh look to the eye opposed to using browns. If you don't already own the Naked 3 I'd recommend picking up the L'Oreal La Palette Nude in Rose instead as the colour scheme is very similar but the cost is a lot less and actually the shadow quality is better than the Urban Decay palette. I've also been using more cream shadows recently, the Bourjois 24hr shadows are a great cream to powder formulation, the one shown is the shade Petale De Glace but I also love the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, especially the shades Pink Gold and On & On Bronze.

CHEEKS: Recently I've switched out my powder blushes and bronzers for cream versions to add to the summer vibe of lighter skin. The Bourjois Cream Blush in Nude Velvet has been a favourite as its a perfect peachy pink shade which suits a lot of skin tones, it's also a cream to powder formula so it lasts a long time on the skin, Revlon and Max Factor also do some really nice cream blushers too. For bronzer I've been using the Maybelline Fit Me concealer - review here - in the shade 35 to add warmth to the perimeter of my face, there is a lack of cream bronzers on the high street - apart from the Bourjois Bronzing Primer which annoyingly broke me out - so using a concealer a few shades darker than your skin tone is a good option. 

LIPS: For lips I've recently been using the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight, it's a warmer toned nude to my usual Kate Moss x Rimmel pick - review here - so is a nice change for summer. For a brighter option I love the Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms especially the shade Vivacious which is a bright fascia pink, these crayons are super pigmented and moisturising - full review here.

What are your picks for this spring/summer? 

~ Jade xx

The Contouring Edit | Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit & Maybelline Fit Me

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Contouring is a step we all take to make our cheeks more chiseled and our noses more straight. It’s a step I prioritise in my makeup routine - along with my brows - and one I hate to skip. 

For my contour in the past I have raved about the Sleek Face Form Kit in ‘light’ - review here - which I still love, however recently something new has entered the ring, the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit. This new little gem from the high street contains a contour shade, a bronzer and highlight shade. The contour shade is the best high street contour colour I’ve tried - even better than the Sleek version - as its very ashy and pigmented which is the perfect combination to create realistic contour as most contour shades from the high street are too warm toned which doesn’t create a shadow but rather a brown stripe across your cheek - not a good look. The bronzer is pigmented and completely matte which is great to add warmth to the face without it looking like mud, which bronzers with shimmer can do. The highlight shade is great for highlighting under the eyes because it is also matte. It has been my first time using a matte highlighter and I can say I prefer it to shimmer ones. I often find that shimmer highlighters look too overdone like you’ve had a fight with a fairy or touched cheeks with a Kardashian whereas a matte highlight still brings light to places you want to bring forward without everything being too reflective. These powders aren't the mist blendable though so it's better to start light and add more rather than going straight in with a lot of product and not being about to blend it out.

Face of the day #3 | 02.03.14

better skin

Products used:
Topshop highlighter ~ crescent moon

It's finally beginning to get warmer in England - despite the still miserable weather forecast of rain - which means fresh, spring time pink lipstick can be worn again - not that you can't wear it at any point of the year as there aren't any rules to makeup. I picked this particular one up from boots the other day and have been loving it. It lasts a good four hours and doesn't dry out the lips, also the colour is gorgeous. Satin taupe has been mentioned a number of times here on Aquapearl but now those of you that haven't bought it yet - though you definitely should - can see why both Lucy & I love it. It's just great.



Are you looking forward to spring makeup trends?

~ Jade xx

Maybelline fit me concealer | Review

concealer


I’ve been testing this concealer out for the past few months now and it’s safe to say I really like it - I’m on my second tube already. The packaging is nothing to be wowed over but it’s the product inside that counts. The concealer itself is quite a liquid-y consistency which makes it easy to blend which is why I love to use this concealer under my eyes and around my nose as it’s light and natural so it doesn’t crease or look to heavy but still has really good coverage - I use the real techniques contour brush to apply it. I have used it as a blemish concealer also and really liked the semi-matte finish it gave but with enough coverage to cover up my spots, however due to my oily skin it didn’t last throughout the day unlike my MAC pro long wear concealer which I also love. If you are going to use this concealer as a blemish concealer I would recommend putting some on the back of your hand before applying it for otherwise the bacteria from the blemishes will sit in the doe-foot applicator and be spread around your face, creating more blemishes. The shade range isn’t the greatest for this concealer - my local Boots only stocks four shades, two for fair skin tones and two for medium skin tones although there are six shades total. I wear shade 20 of the ‘fair’ skin tone range which is incredibly yellow, although this is great for me as I have very yellow undertones in my skin anyway for someone like Lucy who has pink-ier undertones it wouldn’t work although she also has fair skin. That being said it’s very affordable priced at £5.99, blends really nicely and has good coverage for a high street concealer. Maybelline is fast becoming one of my favourite high street brands along with Rimmel as I’ve also been enjoying Maybelline mascaras and the colour tattoos a lot recently also.



Have you tried the fit me concealer? If so what do you think of it?

~ Jade xx

Photography information

Canon 600D with 18-55mm lens, Canon 24mm lens or Sigma 70-300mm lens. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens or Canon 24mm lens. Any edited photos are edited using Photoshop CS6. Picture source is given for any photo used that is not directly ours.