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

Repurchased products

batiste
I often post my favourite products in ‘current favourites’ posts however I’ve never mentioned those products which may not be the most exciting or new to the world but are so good that I’ve had to repurchase them, some of them not just once but time-and-time again. So, I compiled a list of some of the products that I’ve repurchased over the years, some of them I’ve mentioned before, others I haven’t and some are necessities which you may not traditionally think of as being favourite products but you repurchase them anyway.

L’oreal Infallible foundation | This is a product which I have spoken about before and written its own post on - which can be viewed here - it’s an all round great foundation that I’m currently on my third bottle of.

Revlon Colorstay concealer | Again this is a product that I’ve written its own post on - which can be seen here - but this is my favourite concealer which I don’t think I’ll be leaving behind anytime soon. As soon as I ran out of this I had to go and buy a new one, and to my annoyance Boots was sold out.

Rimmel Stay Matte powder | I’ve used this product for years and so have lost count of how many times I’ve actually repurchased it. I’ve differed before but this is a product that I always go back to.

Boots Botanics Shine Away Moisturiser | This product has featured in a previous ‘current favourites’ post - which can be seen here - and after using it all up I had to buy another right away. I’ve tried many moisturisers in the past that are all directed at oily skin that all promise to give shine control but none have ever followed through until I came across this baby. 

Batiste dry hair shampoo | For the days when you can’t be bothered to wash your hair or your between washes but your roots are looking a little greasy dry shampoo is always the answer. Batiste is a dry shampoo I’ve been using for years and although I’ve tried others none quite eradicate oil like Batiste does.

Bio-oil | One of those master oils which vanishes hyper pigmentation, scars and marks but also adds moisture to the driest skin. I’ve gone through a few bottles of this and it’s great. I love a good multipurpose a product and I’ve even used this on the ends of my hair when things are looking a bit dry but I don’t have a hair oil on hand.

Toni & Guy Glamour drops | My favourite hair oil. Perfect if you have frizzy hair or if things are looking a bit dry, also great to smooth down anything that keeps sticking up. Its also not heavy so it won’t weigh down your hair.

What are your repurchased products? 


~ Jade xx

L'Oreal infallible 24hr foundation | Review

foundation
L’Oreal recently re-packaged and re-formulated their longtime running Infallible foundation so, I decided to pick it up to try after the disappointment of the Maybelline foundation I was wearing at the time (review here).

“High coverage, long-wear foundation that hides the appearance of fatigue and blemishes. Now with Hydrating Hyaluron Complex the 24H non-stop formula stays on and feels fresh from day to night.”
I have oily and spot prone skin so I like my base to last all day without a large amount of shine and this foundation is pretty good at both. The formula is almost gel like which firstly means it's easy to blend into the skin - I’ve been using the Sigma F80 flat-top kabuki brush - and doesn’t sink into pores - win! - but also lasts a full day without moving around too much - even without using a primer, which never happens for me. 

It has a satin finish which I like as I normally go for matte foundations, due to my oily skin, however they then leave my face looking dull and dry, whereas because this foundation has a satin finish without being too dewy, my skin still looks healthy but not oily. This foundation also doesn’t cling to any dry patches or melt away on oily patches so it's good for most skin types too. Coverage is very nice too, it covers nearly everything but is still lightweight and doesn’t look heavy.

 I also really like the packaging of the infallible foundation as the glass bottle looks nice and doesn't feel cheap unlike some high street foundations can - although the glass bottle can be a pain if travelling - and the pump gives the right amount for a light layer, this foundation is also easily buildable if you want a fuller coverage.

It doesn’t contain any SPF which can be a good or bad thing. It’s good for use during nighttime or when there's flash photography as there won't be any flashback however, it does mean that you’d need to apply a face SPF when wearing it during the day - especially in the summer.

The colour range is a little disappointing as there is only eight shades and they’re all fairly light. However, they do have yellow undertones opposed to pink which I much prefer as yellow skin undertones are more natural on the skin and tend to match the majority of people more. Also, I’ve found that the foundation oxidises slightly, it’s not overly noticeable but the colour does darken slightly throughout the day so it would be better to go a shade lighter if you’re between shades. 

The foundation is also scented which may be a problem for those with sensitive skin - though I haven’t had a problem - and for a high street foundation the price may be seen as a little high at £9.99 (though L’Oreal is currently on offer in Boots).

Have you tried any new foundations recently?

~ 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.