Natural Beauty by Holland and Barrat Makeup

It’s no secret that I love makeup. I love all kinds of makeup, from well known favourites to undiscovered beauty secrets, from bold eyeshadows to understated brows. However, I always believe that makeup should be used for creativity and enhancement of your natural features, rather than to cover up. More recently, I  have been experimenting with Natural Beauty, inspired by the new makeup range now available on Holland and Barrat. So, without further ado, here is my edit of my top makeup favourites from my favourite health shop’s new range.

When it comes to trying out first time products from brands new to me, I always go for lipsticks first. I just think they’re a great tell-tale test of pigmentation, formulation and staying power. So, it makes sense that when I saw Lavera, a cosmetics brand I gave their Lavera Trend Sensitiv Beautiful Lips lipstick in 09 Maroon Kiss a go. Created from organic flower extracts from roses, lime blossom and mallow, this is a lovely dark red shade that not only colours lips but protects them. It’s a pleasure to wear and is perfect for evening meals out or drinks after work.

For a more subtle daytime look, I like to use the Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm Red Dahlia. As the name would suggest, this is a lip balm which is thoroughly natural and hydrating for the lips, giving them just a hint of shade to perk up your natural colour throughout the day. It uses obtanical waxes and shea butter nourish and soften dry skin, and now lives in my handbag for when a lip rescue remedy is needed!

Moving on to skin, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out a vegan foundation and slected the Beautiful Movements Mineral Foundation in Naked to try. This mineral foundation is completely cruelty free and uses no animal products, so is suitable for vegetarians and vegans – something which I am trying to expand on in my makeup collection. Although it is not high coverage, it contains a naturally antibacterial blemish clearing formula which means it is suitable for most skin types. I like to use this on ‘no makeup, makeup days’ to give my face a subtle even finish and light dusting of colour.

To apply, I use the Beautiful Movements Foundation Brush also from Holland and Barrett. Again, this is completely cruelty free and vegan, something I look out for in all my makeup brushes to ensure that I don’t use any with animal hair. Made from synthetic fibres, this brush is so, so soft and ideal for using with a light hand of mineral makeup. 

Next up is probably my favourite product I have been testing; the Yes To Grapefruit CC Cream in Light. I have to admit I can be quite the foundation snob (you only get one face, so you need to make sure what you put on it is right, yeah?) and so I wasn’t holding out much hope for a £12.99 CC Cream. However, I totally own up to the fact that I was SO wrong! This has become my Holy Grail CC Cream. Yes it’s light in coverage, but it provides a finish that definitely evens out my skintone and adds a touch of luminosity – think ‘your skin but better’ style. It has SPF 18, is cruelty free and contains no parabens, so is totally natural and good on your conscience. This is now in my everyday makeup bag and I use this every morning before work without fair. Good work, Holland on Barrett on letting me discover this beauty!

Although you can use CC Creams without a powder, I generally like to add a spot of Lavera Trend Sensitiv Fine Loose Mineral Powder over the top to seal in the base and help it last a little longer on my face. This is transparent so can be used on any skin tone and again is totally vegan. Interestingly, it is talc-free and dermatologically tested, so I know that this won’t be clogging up my pores, either.

Finally, my face has been sorted out naturally and so on to a little TLC for my smile! The Ecodenta Extra Black Whitening Toothpaste with Black Charcoal & Teavigo is my final new discovery from Holland and Barrett’s natural beauty collection for now. It’s a black toothpaste, designed to whiten teeth – yes, really! It’s a bit of an unusual concept to get your head round at first, and having never used a charcoal toothpaste before it was a bit of a shock to the system for the first couple of goes, but charcoal toothpaste has an extra strong whitening effect and has been long known for its dental care properties. As well as whitening, it protects against tartar, provides a gentle antibacterial effect. At £3.99 this is no more expensive than my usual boring toothpaste and honestly, I don’t see why I would ever go back to using a non-charcoal toothpaste now.