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

I recently picked up the Stila In The Light Palette whilst in Boots and I haven’t put it down since I bought it - in all honesty I think its better than the original Naked palette from Urban Decay *gasp*. The palette contains ten neutral toned eyeshadows, four are matte and six are shimmery.

I’ve recently started to use fake tan and have been loving it. 

The St Tropez Bronzing Mousse formula is streak free, easy to apply and long lasting.

Before I fake tan I always exfoliate and the Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub gets the job done, 

smells really good and leaves your skin feeling soft and hydrated as it contains Shea butter.

The Boots Botanics Mattifying Gel Cream is the perfect daily moisturiser for anyone with oily skin. It’s budget friendly, 

hydrating and due to the gel formula it leaves skin matte enough that theres no need for a primer.

For targeted spot treatment I’ve recently been using the Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil. I put a small amount onto a 

cotton pad and dab onto any active acne. It’s effective, natural and cruelty free, what’s not to like?

I’ve been going back to old favourites recently and the shades ‘Naked’ & ‘Sidecar’ from the original Urban Decay Naked Palette

are my current favourite eyeshadows. I use naked in the crease and sidecar all over the lid - to avoid the chunks of glitter

 from sidecar going everywhere I suggest putting your crease colour on before your lid colour.

What are your current favourites?

~ Jade xx

1. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation - shade 51, Vanilla

For a lot of this year I was using Rimmels Match Perfection foundation in shade 100, Ivory which I did like and was great for the summer as it is light weight and sheer, but buildable. However, when it came to buying a new foundation I wanted to try something new as I wanted a bit more coverage and I wasn’t so keen on the smell of the Match Perfection. So, I went for the popular Healthy Mix foundation. I had tried this before but wasn’t amazingly impressed as it seemed to go patchy throughout the day; but I wanted to give it another go as it has been re-formulated since then, and my skin has changed also so I was keen to see if it suited me any better. And so far, I have been enjoying it!

Products used:

Revlon nearly naked foundation - 103 shell

Maybelline fit me concealer - 20

MAC pro long-wear concealer - NW20

Revlon nearly naked powder - Light

MAC eyeshadow - omega

Maybelline colour tattoo - pink gold

Urban decay eyeshadow* - Toasted

Sleek blush - rose gold

Rimmel natural bronzer - 021 sun light

Topshop lipstick - Brighton rock

Revlon lash potion mascara - Blackened brown

This eyeshadow look has been my go-to for the past month or so if I’m in a rush or don’t have a specific look in mind. It’s really quick and simple with a base of my favourite cream shadow - which makes any shadow used stay put all day - and a swipe of my favourite shade from the naked palette. It’s quite low-key however I have teamed this with ‘hustle’ eyeshadow from the naked palette on the outer corner and added some winged liner to amp it up for a more night-time look.

What’s your go-to look?

~ Jade xxx

First impressions: the colours look pretty much exactly the same though some of them are slightly different - for example the MUA version of the Naked ‘Hustle’ is more brown than purple, the Naked ‘Sidecar’ has larger chunks of glitter, and the MUA version of the Naked ‘Gunmetal’ is more blue toned. The Naked eye shadows are a little softer than the MUA, which means they are easier to blend but means they may crease more on someone with oily eyelids.

(Naked palette left to right: Virgin, naked, sidecar, buck, half baked)

Although the MUA packaging might look a little cheaper, and doesn’t have a mirror, it is a lot more sturdy and would be good for travelling. Whereas the Naked palette has a magnetic close, which means it can be more prone to breakage/damage (the mirror on Jade's has smashed). 

The major difference I found with these palettes was the price is that the Naked palette is £36 and the MUA undressed palette is a steal at £4! For a price difference that extreme (you could buy 9 MUA palettes for the price of the Urban Decay palette if you really wanted to) I think you would expect a great difference in the quality of the products, but there really isn’t. 

Overall, I like both of these Palettes and the Naked palette is good if you want a treat, but the MUA palette is a lot more worth your money. 

Do you prefer high end products, or budget bargins? Would you buy a product based on its brand or quality/price?

~ Lucy