What a summer we are having in Manchester this year! One minute we’re trying to cool off in the #UKHeatWave, next we’re trying to dry ourselves off from the torrential downpours that have been flooding the North West. Either way, one thing has remained consistent throughout it all; my fresh-faced makeup routine!
When everyone’s favourite health and beauty store, Boots, challenged me to share my favourite cosmetics products for the Summer Season, I just had to share my favourite high street makeup products for creating a clear complexion. You honestly can’t go wrong with a ‘no makeup’ makeup look (sorry, you won’t find any glitter makeup in this post!).
It’s no secret that I’m a pale baby. I can’t tan, won’t tan – naturally, that is. Instead, when I fancy getting the glow and adding a bit of extra colour to my skin, I always reach for a bottle rather than a sunbed. Not only is it way safer and better for the skin, it’s just a lot more convenient in many ways. Like I said, one day it’s sweltering and the other day it’s showers!
This Summer’s fake tan of choice for me is the Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops. Unlike any other than I’ve ever used, these pigmentation drops are designed to be mixed in with your usual moisturiser, to help you add a little bit of colour to your skin alongside your usual routine.
Not only does this make fake tanning a piece of cake – no need to change your routine at all and no more ‘Thursday night tanning rituals’ – you get all the usual benefits of your skincare regimen. Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops are available for both the face and body, with minimal fake tan ‘biscuit’ scent (nothing that a spritz of perfume can’t aid, anyway!).
Once I’ve applied my usual daily moisturiser and SPF (this time mixed in with my tanning drops!), it’s time to tackle the face! Your complexion is the best base for any makeup look, and is especially important when wanting that subtle fresh faced summer glow.
This Summer 2019, I’ve been swearing by the Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Face Primer. Known for their incredible cruelty free skincare, I trust Ole Henriksen to both help my makeup last longer and look after my skin. A multi-purpose product, it’s brightening and illuminating, meaning this can be worn either as a traditional primer underneath foundation, on it’s own or even as a highlighter on top of foundation. For me, it’s a little too subtle to do the latter with – I like a good strong strobe! – but I frequently wear it on its own or under makeup.
Speaking of which, right now I am loving the BareMinerals Original SPF Foundation in Fair. I never usually opt for a mineral or powder foundation, but this works so well on top of the Ole Henriksen primer! It is the perfect combination of light coverage (with the ability to build it to moderate) and subtle colouring, meaning it evens out my skin tone whilst still letting the illuminating qualities of the Banana Bright Face Primer Shine through!
For my every day work makeup look, I often forego bronzer, blusher and highlighter (both for ease of time and feeling it unnecessary to do a full face of makeup to sit in an office with the same people I see everyday).To set everything in place, I spritz a dusting of the Barry M Flawless Mist & Fix Makeup Setting Spray Dewy over my face. At only £4.99, this is a little bottle of magic that helps to set my complexion in place all day – very much needed with this very indecisive weather – whilst also adding a dewy finish, as its name suggests!
After tackling my skincare, body and complexion, I like to add three little finishing touches that really help to make my features ‘pop’ whilst also keeping my makeup minimal and fresh faced.
For me, eyebrows are a non-negotiable part of my every day summer makeup routine and therefore I always ensure they are groomed to within an each of their life; even if I choose to groom them into an unruly bush on purpose!
At the moment, the No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Sculpting Pencil works a treat for adding soft, hair like strokes to my brows. I use the shade Brown, which is a shade lighter than my natural brow colour, as I like the way it fades between the hairs and blends in naturally. The spoolly brush on the other end of this double sided pencil is also super handy to have to brush out the brows to make the strokes look softer when you’re finished applying them.
I don’t wear any eyeshadow or eyeliner on a daily basis – in fact, you know it’s a big night out when I have my winged liner on fleek – and instead just opt for a lashing or two of mascara. Benefit are best known for their incredible range of mascaras and at the moment I am using the Benefit Rollerlash Mascara. This mascara wand actually features a patented “Hook-n-Roll” brush which can grab, separate and curl your lashes to help them look longer and more voluminous. As an added benefit (get it?!), Rollerlash also contains provitamin B5 and serin, which are ingredients known for their lash-conditioning benefits.
Last but not least – the lips! You guys know that I am a huge fan of a classic, letterbox red lip, but for an every day fresh face it just doesn’t do the job. Instead, I like to choose a subtly coloured lipstick that is also moisturising and conditioning on the lips. The No7 Match Made Moisture Drench Lipstick in shade Soft Tulip does just this. A colour just a little darker than a nude-pink, it works well to add a light and dewy colour to the lips whilst also looking fairly natural and in keeping with the whole ‘no-makeup’ makeup look.
Whenever I do my fresh faced makeup look – which is pretty much every day for work – I like to think of it as a ‘your face but better’ look. Or perhaps I should rephrase that to ‘your face on it’s best day’, which feels slightly less like a backhanded compliment to myself!
The whole idea behind these products I use is that they help to enhance my natural features without covering anything, and still letting my complexion shine through, freckles and all!
What beauty products are you loving this summer? Leave me a comment down below or tweet me @LilyKitten1 to let me know. I’d love to hear from you!
[This post is an advertised collaboration with Boots but all thoughts are my own.]
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.