As promised here we have this years make up menu. It's funny how I always tend to shoot and write this style of blogpost at the same time every year.
First we had the rather colourful orange mascara and HEAVY eye liner and mascara post, next we had a much more natural affair as I learnt to love my natural face and to be perfectly honest, not an awful lot has changed over the past year. I still love a more natural make up look, I've given up liquid eye liner once and for all and the sixties spider lashes that I loved so much have been replaced by a more natural fluttery look. Everything I used in my last make up menu blog post I still love, but the products I'm sharing today are those that have really made a difference to the way both myself and the world see me, products I enjoy using every day and products I tell all my mates about so naturally had to share with you too.
So first up lets talk base, I've been a HUGE fan of the It Cosmetics CC cream (I wear shade light) for well over a year now and still LOVE it for days when I want a slightly higher coverage but my goodness let me talk to you about the Chanel Les Beiges Eau De Teinte. At first I wasn't sure what this little beauty was, whether it was a foundation or whether it was something that sat underneath but as soon as I popped this on to my skin I knew I was in love with it.
Wearing it alone, it's the perfect coverage for me on a daily basis. It's lightweight, hydrating and super refreshing as it's composed of 75% water. The pigments are meant to melt into the skin on contact creating a "radiant bare-skin effect" which I think it does beautifully. It seems to blur my skin and add the most beautiful radiance to it, providing a really sheer coverage to allow my actual skin to shine through in a truly gorgeous and natural way.
Having used it solidly for the past two weeks since it launched I can safely say that it's a game changer and something I will forever have in my make up bag. It is divine!
I'll then cover any blemishes and darker patches of skin for my acne flair ups with the trusty Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, a product I've used for around 6 years now and am yet to find any other concealer that matches it when covering spots.
I'm certainly not shy when it comes down to bronzer, I love the stuff and tend to pack it on most days. For a dusting of bronzy goodness across my entire face I'm LOVING the Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting Bronzer (I wear shade Luminous Bronze Light) as it's the perfect shade for me and has a touch of glow in it to add to my much loved radiant look.
I'm also really into the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzer Stick as once again it's a creamy formula so provides a really lovely and natural glow to my cheekbones and creates a gorgeous and natural contour to the face. I simply use a stippling brush to work it into the skin, it's super quick, super easy and super beautiful.
When it comes to the eyes there are only two palettes for me right now. The first being the Estee Lauder x Violette Oh Naturelle palette which has quite frankly EVERYTHING I could ever need in a palette. The range of shades is totally beautiful with both mattes and shimmers, nude tones, pink tones and a great black shade which is perfect for creating a smoky eye. In these shots I am wearing a mix of No14 and and No9, a look I've been gravitating towards a lot lately due to how easy it is to apply and how easy it is to style with.
In a similar vain the other palette I am LOVING right now is the Zoella x Colour Pop Brunch Date palette. Again this has everything you could ever want from a palette if you love nude tones on your lids, however, it's got some really fun shades too like the electric blue, something I love rocking on an evening out.
To prime my lids ready for eye shadow I've recently discovered the Marc Jacobs Eye Primer and I love it. Not a single smudge or crease takes place with this baby and I think I even prefer it to the Nars Eye Primer that I've used for years.
To finish off my eye look I adore the Hourglass Cosmetics Caution Extreme Lash Mascara and have bought a good 5 tubes of the stuff since discovering it last year. It's perfect, super quick and easy to use and achieve the dark and full, yet natural and fluttery lashes I love so much of late.
Brows is one part of my face that I just cannot be without, I'm obsessed with my eyebrows and the brows of others! Since getting mine microbladed last year (read about it here) I've honestly never felt so confident without make up on. The difference microblading has had on the way I see myself and feel about the way I look really is astounding and I would totally urge anyone who's thinking about it to go for it.
However, a year down the line and the colour isn't quite as dark as I'd like it to be so I do like to apply some products to get the desired look. The first being the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade in shade Medium Brown which I find really easy to use when following the outline of my brows. You only need the tiniest amount of this stuff but once you get to grips with it it's a really wonderful brow product. To set my brows and sometimes on it's own, I just LOVE the Lumene Eyebrow Shaping Wax for a little bit of tint to my brows and to add some texture whilst keeping them in place all day.
Adding to my glow is a new product I've been enjoying playing around with lately from Glossier Play. The Highlighter Concentrate: Niteshine (I use Champagne Gleam) is a truly BEAUTIFUL highlight that I am quite literally chucking all over my face. It provides the skin with the most natural healthy glow that I can't get enough of, I think this would be totally amazing on holiday but until then I'm popping it down my nose and on the tip of my nose, on my cupids bow and above my cheekbones for a beautiful touch of summer glow.
And finally for lips, I think one of the biggest changes in my make up menu is my lip products of choice. Gone are the days of matte, matte and more matte, now I'm opting for sheerer lipsticks with a touch of glossiness to them instead. I know, I know, who even am I anymore!? But as I've said I'm enjoying a really natural and healthy glowing look and matte lipstick just wasn't gelling very well with the whole vibe of it. Instead I'm enjoying a slick of lip balm, my fave is by La Mer which looks great over more matte finish lip products too.
I'm also into a tinted lip balm too, I adore this range by Fresh Beauty but seem to keep gravitating towards the Chanel Les Beiges Lip Balm Intense Medium for a touch of colour to my lips.
For a lip that packs a little more punch I've been opting for the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy in shade Hi-Lustre Naked Ambition , it's very similar to my trusted Kat Von D Lolita II but in a much more comfortable lustre finish.
And so there we have a really light, natural and radiant make up look for spring/summer, I truly hope you enjoyed this blogpost and that it has potentially introduced you to some grade A make up. I'd LOVE to hear if you're going to try anything I've suggested and please, as always leave your recommendations in the comments below.
Thanks so much for reading
x M
I’m dying to read a skincare routine! Your skin looks so lovely and you seem to have cleared up the acne that was bothering you previously 🙂
I can’t wait to get my hands on that Hourglass mascara you always recommend once I’ve finished my trusty Maybelline The Rocket mascara which is my usual go-to.