Bronzer For Pale Girls

When your pale, make up can be hard! I understand that it must be difficult for most skin tones to find foundations/bronzer/blush to match them but for us pale girls, we fall victim to most shades looking orange. For a very long time I avoided bronzer for this reason, but now it's one of my favourite steps of my make up routine (and one I rarely miss!). 

First off lets talk about the product itself, you want to find one that's quite light that doesn't have orange undertones. Great bronzer's for pale skin are Bourjois Delice De Powdre Bronzing Powder 51 this one looks bright but when blended right can look lovely and natural, plus it smells like chocolate..need I go on? Loreal's Glam Bronze 00, The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder 01 Light Matte and Seventeen Instant Glow Bronzing Powder Light are also great. (These are just the ones I have tried and tested, there's loads more out there)

The most important thing to remember when applying bronzer is to blend it. I used to ignore this tip and have seen pictures of myself where it looks like someone's drawn on me with orange highlighter (not a good look). So to avoid this, I lightly swirl my brush, tapping off any excess from the brush before applying to my cheek bones and take it up to my temples then on my neck. I tend to tap my bronzer on to avoid taking off any concealer. I then take a different brush (usually the Mac kabuki brush 182 that I have just used to apply my foundation) and blend it out further. Using a different brush to blend is key to getting it too look natural and not too florescent! 

Hope this helps you fellow pale girls!

What are your favourite bronzers?

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Everyday Spring Makeup Look

So spring is finally here! (How many times have you heard that recently?) and I always take spring as an opportunity to change switch up my routines, including my make up. I have really been enjoying this natural looking, fresh spring make up look for every day.

First off my foundation routine which includes my bareMinerals foundation and concealer. As I am still battling with acne scars I need a base that give me flawless application, natural looking and last all day, read about my foundation routine in my How To Cover Up Acne Scars post using bareMinerals Original Foundation. 

Next up bronzer and blush, which are my favourite steps. I like to keep my bronzer very natural and the best way to do this is to find one that suits your skin tone and BLEND it well. I have been enjoying Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in the shade 51 and I use this to contour my cheek bones, on my temples and my neck which (once blended) gives my a lovely natural bronzed look. I then take my Sleek Blush in Rose Gold and lightly dust on the apples of my cheeks which gives a natural flush of rosey pink to the cheeks with a little bit of shimmer - perfect for spring.

Next up eyes, I don't wear eye shadow on an everyday basis. So to define my eyes I like to draw a line close to my lash line using a pencil liner I am currently using one from The Body Shop in the colour black. I then take my new favourite mascara Maybelline's Lash sensational.

For lips again I like to keep it fairly natural, I am loving Tanya Burr's Lip gloss in the colour I found nemo (Tanya wins the award for the product with the cutest name!) its a gorgeous coral colour with a glossy natural finish.

What products do you include in your spring make up routine?

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Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara | Review

I love mascara's, if I only had to wear one product (besides foundation lol!) it would be mascara. I'm constantly changing up which mascara I use but think I have found my drug store favourite...Maybelline's Lash Sensational.

In my opinion the name does it total justice. I love the way this makes my lashes look, both volumised and long. You can apply one or two layers for a perfect every day or layer it up for a false lash effect.

It has a plastic applicator, which are my favourite ones. The brush is very similar to L'oreal's Butterfly Effect which was a favourite of mine for a long time.

My favourite thing about this mascara is that is stays put all day. I sadly fall victim too the back smudges under my eye after only a few hours of applying make up, I don't know how but I always seem to be rocking the mascara on my face rather than on my lashes look - but not with this mascara (thank god - panda eyes is not the most flattering look haha) this one doesn't budge all day! 

My second favourite thing about this mascara is the price, it's only £5.99!! A bargain and better than a few high end mascara's I have tried. I really do recommend this purse friendly mascara. I think it's one I will be using for a long time.

Have you tried it? 

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How To Cover Up Acne Scars | The Acne Diaries

Once you've got rid of your acne, your likely to get rid of scars. You might be thinking (as I did) I don't care about scars I just want to get rid of these spots! Well unfortunatley scarring can be just as, if not more difficult to get rid of than acne and, as I found, really difficult to cover! However I finally feel I have found a foundation routine that covers my scars...

Prime

Priming is an important step when trying to conceal your acne scars, it increases the longevity of your foundation keeping you flawless for much longer. There are lots of different primers out there but if you are trying to conceal acne scars I recommend a smoothing primer as some acne scars can be dipped making your skin look bumpy and uneven, a smoothing primer will help you skin texture look more even. I am currently using The Body Shop Drops of Youth Wonder Blur which I am really enjoying, it keeps my foundation on for longer and does smooth my skin a little too, read the blog post I did about it here.

Conceal #1

This is the first step to creating flawless foundation. I use this step to cover the redness of my scarring. I am currently using bareMinerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20 which is a creamy concealer with medium to high coverage that work reasonably well at taking the redness out away the redness. If your looking for a very high coverage concealer then I recommend the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. However the reason I like this concealer is that it has added skin care benefits as it contains lemon peel extract, a botanical brightener that work to visibly brighten skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots and discolourations over time. Whether this actually is true or not I am yet to find out as I have not been using this concealer that long however I like the idea that my concealer can help reduce my acne scars. 

Foundation

This step creates an even base for our make up, blending the concealer we have already applied and adding more coverage. I am currently using bareMinerals Original Foundation SPF 15 as it works really well at evening out my skin tone and creating a natural, yet pretty high coverage base, check out my blog post where I talk about it in more detail here. Use a foundation that you like and that you can build into a good coverage.

Powder

This is a pretty important step as using powder sets your foundation keeping it in place for much longer. You can use a translucent powder such as Rimmel's Stay Matte which is great for setting your foundation and taking away any shine if you have oily skin. Or you can use this step to add further coverage such as Revlon's Photo Ready Pressed Powder which is one of my favourite powders to use as it helps create an 'airbrush' finish. 

Conceal #2

Your face should be looking pretty flawless right now but somehow theres always a few scars that manage to shine there way through the make up. So this step is to deal with them annoying little blitters! I again use my bareMinerals Original Foundation with a flat concealer brush to tap the product over the scars. With this step you need to use a concealer that will blend easily otherwise it can look cakey. Using your foundation with a concealer brush is a good way to get the extra coverage yet it will blend easily into your foundation (as its the same product!) You can then apply a little extra powder to set the concealer however I often don't.

What are some of your favourite concealers?

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The Body Shop's Drops Of Youth WonderBlur | Review

I have never really used a primer, mostly because I'm too lazy to add another step in my already busy skin/make-up routine.

However I have recently switched over to mineral make up, which always works best with a primer. I have used it without a primer and it just doesn't look as flawless or last very long at all. 

Whenever I'm looking for a new product I always look first in The Body Shop, because most of their products are brilliant, and stumbled across wonder blur. 

Priced at £16 it claims to smooth skin texture by reducing the appearance or large pores and fine lines. For me, it does all these things. The first thing I noticed when applying this product is how soft my skin was. When I tried it on my hand in the shop the area I applied it to was so soft and it does the same on my face. I have a lot acne scars some of which have dipped so I need a primer that smooths skin texture, I have to tell you know that it's not a miracle worker but it does stop my foundation sinking into my pores and fines lines I have around my chin and also prevents laughter lines! It really does increase the longevity of my foundation. Also it's non-comedogenic so suitable for sensitive/acne prone skin. 

This paired with my bareMinerals original foundation is my new favourite make up routine that leaves me with natural, 'my skin but better' foundation that lasts all day.

Which primers do you like? Have you tried Wonderblur? 

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bareMinerals Original Foundation SPF 15 | Review

I've always been intrigued by bareMinerals and its promises of flawless, natural foundation and skin improving ingredients, it sounds like another false advertising campaign, right?

So after watching lots and lots of YouTube videos I decided to bit the bullet and give this foundation a try and I think it's fair to say I have not been left disappointed *get ready for an excitable rant*

Oh wow do I love this foundation. It leaves my skin looking so natural whilst still covering all my acne scars. I am not used to using powder foundations and do think this takes a little bit of practise but once you find a way to make it work for you it looks amazing. I like to use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and to really buff it in. Bareminerals NEEDS to be buffed, in a way it sort of activates it, the more you buff the more coverage you get. Its coverage can be anything from light-full as its very buildable, applying it in thin layers is the best way to build up the coverage. Once applying a powder, just to set it, I then take a flat concealer brush and tap on the foundation over any blemishes/scars that it hasn't already covered and this helps to achieve a real flawless look.
Another thing I really love about this foundation is that it lasts all day, in fact it looks better throughout the day! I don't know how it does it but unlike other foundations which can loose their coverage throughout the day bareminerals seems to look even more flawless as the day goes on. For example, the other day I applied the foundation around 10 AM and spent the day out in the cold walking around a gorgeous reservoir, I then went straight out for dinner (without any touch ups) and by the time I got home at 10 PM the make up looked pretty much the same as it did when I put it on, maybe a little shiny but no where near as bad as other foundations would have looked. It also doesn't sink in to my laughter lines like other foundations do, keeping my face looking natural and not patchy.
The main thing I love about this foundation is the way it makes my skin look and feel. I love the 'no make up/my skin but better look' and this foundation gives me that. It's so light weight that it feels like you aren't wearing any make up at all and at the end of the day once removing my make up with my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish my skin doesn't look read and sensitive as it does when using a foundation with lots of chemicals in it. I truly believe that (slowly but surely) this foundation is improving the condition of my skin and being someone that has suffered from acne breaking/scarring for a very long time now I really am grateful for that.

Have you tried it?

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Soap and Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick | Review

I love glossy lips and these lip crayon's by Soap and Glory have become my go to every day lip products, I love them!
What's good about them? They are a quick easy way to get a sweep of colour, shine and slightly fuller lips. These gloss crayons contain Soap and Glory's famous lip plumping formula without the uncomfortable tingling feeling that you get with the other Sexy Mother Pucker products.
The colours are lovely, not a huge range of colours but 5 staple colours. My favourite every day shade is Nudist. It's a lovely nude colour with slightly brown undertones that gives you a 'my lips but better look'. Also the gloss lasts a lot longer than some of my other lip glosses so that's an added bonus! They are also super moisturising so great for use in the colder months where chapped lips can make your lip stick look awful.
Despite all these good traits of them I do have a favourite...the smell!! Oh wow, they smell gorgeous, like Cadbury's mini eggs, yummy, making them quite addictive to apply.
These lip crayons are a bargain at only £8 and in my opinion totally worth the money.

Have you tried them?

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