Today’s Makeup #3: Simple Summer

Oh my actual God it’s been hot this week, hasn’t it? I really cannot deal with the heat at all, anything above 20 degrees and I feel like I’m going to pass out and melt into a little puddle. It’s not so bad when you can just sit around all day doing nothing, but this week seems to have been one of the busiest I’ve had in a while with lots of to-ing and fro-ing around the city. In an effort to make things a little more comfortable, I’ve switched my usual makeup routine for something a little lighter. Although, to be honest, this looks almost identical to my usual makeup, but it feels a lot lighter which I suppose is the main thing.

For my base, I’ve opted for the Liz Earle Signature Foundation in the shade 01 Porcelain. I’ve had this foundation for quite a while now and I really like it, must get round to doing a full review soon! It has a nice, light finish but manages to cover up redness well which is exactly what I want from a foundation. Even though I usually use my fingers to apply foundation, I find this one works really well when worked in with the Buffing Brush from the Real Techniques Core Collection. Having discovered that I don’t really own any bronzers (whaaat? How? Can anyone recommend any for pale skin? Even in this weather I do not tan, sigh), I decided to go for a nice bright pinky flush of blusher instead. This Illamasqua Powder Blusher in the shade Beg is the perfect colour for me – can’t go wrong with a matte dusky rose. It is SO unbelievably pigmented, you literally just need to touch your brush to the pan and you’ll have enough product to do both cheeks. It can be quite easy to go overboard, especially on pale skin like mine, but once you get used to it, this is such a beauty of a blusher. I finished off my cheeks with a very light dusting of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. This is another product which I find can easily look overdone, and so I usually reserve it for evening makeup. But if you’re careful not to use too much it gives a lovely sunny glow to the face.

Moving on to eyes, I’ve gone for something a little more natural looking than my usual cat-eyes, and have dug out my barely-used MUA Heaven and Earth Palette. I really haaaate that the shades don’t have names, but I’ve smudged a medium brown shade (top row, second from left) along my lashline with the Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush (which, by the way, is NOT pixel point…) from the Real Techniques Starter Set. Then I’ve applied a little bit of a light champagne shade (top row, fourth from left) to the lid and blended with a blending brush to soften the line. I’ve also applied a tiny bit of the brown shade on my bottom lid, and a dot of the champagne colour on the inner corner of my eye. To make my eyes look brighter and more wide-awake, I’ve used the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Liner in Nude along my waterline.

For my lips, I’ve used a recent addition to my makeup bag, Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in the shade 15 Rouge Podium. I reviewed the shade Rose Millesime shade a few weeks ago and I love this new shade just as much. It’s a lovely bright red which is easy to wear during the day or can be applied with a heavier hand for an evening look. Here, I’ve applied lots of lip balm then topped with a very light slick of lipstick to give a decent amount of colour without looking too done up. Finally, I spritzed my whole face with a little bit of the Avene Thermal Water Spray. This is probably a bit of a gimmick to be honest (and always reminds me of this haaa), and I don’t use it for any skincare properties, but it’s nice to use after you’ve finished doing your makeup – especially if you’ve used powdery products – to just soften everything. It’s great to use in this hot weather to cool down your face during the day too, so is great to take out and about for a quick freshen up.

Gillian x