A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Whilst my inbox is currently being inundated with bronzing solutions for the current heatwave, I’m slathering on the SPF (broad spectrum of course) and shading myself courtesy of the nearest tree.  Whilst bronzed skin is undoubtedly beautiful, it always makes me feel rather conspicuous.  I simply don’t tan naturally… not at all, my family enjoy a long-running joke that focuses on the fact that I went to Australia to live for a while and returned home paler.

I’d like to say that I’m one of those porcelain-skinned types, milky white with a lit-from-within glow… but I’m best described as blotchy pink/white with more than my fair share of orange freckles.  Throw in a few thread veins and Kate Winslet, I ain’t.  Praise the lord for foundation and highlighter.

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose* is a highlighter that is perfect for us blue-veined types.  Generously packaged in a 50ml tube, it’s a great solution for holiday packing… you know, those rare times (unless you live in Essex) when it’s practically illegal to have a greater clothes to bare skin ratio.  It effortlessly dispenses a pink-toned sheen to emphasise sharp collarbones, chiselled cheekbones and shapely shins!

Non-greasy and buildable, the St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose has a slight fruity scent which dissipates quickly once on the skin.  The packaging is simplistic but hygenic and reflects what I consider to be a very reasonable price point.  For a full 50ml of product, you’ll pay only £12.26.

You can see that the sheen it imparts is definitely cool-toned, which is what makes it far more natural-looking for us cool-skinned paleys than the more usual summer offers from cosmetic companies.  The above photo shows two layers of product to ensure that the camera picked up on the swatch.  It feels light-weight on the skin but I wouldn’t recommend it as a luminizing all-over type highlighter, this is definitely more for spot-highlighting.  I’ve also found that the formula is happy to be applied over foundation, important to me because it’s nearly always something I forget to do until AFTER I’ve applied my blush!

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose is available to buy online from st-tropez.com and Boots.com (where it’s currently only £12 AND on a 3for2 across selected ‘summer products’).

* press sample

Back when I purchased my beloved Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush, I was torn – too many pretty shades and not enough pennies in the purse for all of them.  Sure, I spend too much money on makeup and skincare but I get the guilts like everyone else and sometimes you just can’t twist it enough to justify it, not even to your spendy-self.  Fast forward twelve months and I found myself once again perusing a Shiseido counter.  Just for old-times sake, I reswatched the color sticks and instantly fell in love (again) with Champagne Flush.

From a completely superficial point of view, I love how these things feel so luxurious.  They’re glossy, sexy, and have some beautiful symmetry going on – I realise that I sound a bit crazy right now.  Champagne Flush is one of the most subtle highlighters that I own, which makes it a-ok by my standards.  I’m always looking for a highlighter that I can really luminise my face with and this ticks the boxes on that score.

It’s a pale champagne shade with slightly pink leanings that don’t turn it too silvery, though I would say that it’s definitely best-suited to similar-toned complexions as mine.  It contains no glitter or shimmer particles, it just imparts an allover, barely-there glow.  It doesn’t even really catch the light when you turn your face in the same way that other highlighters do… it just, somehow lifts a tired and dull complexion, giving the illusion that you are far more fresh and alert than you feel.

This is an awful swatch photo but you should be able to make out the pale highlight that runs from the crease where my thumb and index finger meet, backward towards my wrist.  It looks like a ghostly silver and that’s only because I’ve had to build it up quite heavily for the swatch.  I wouldn’t wear it this heavy on my face.

My only wish is that it weren’t in stick form because I’d love a liquid this subtle that I could blend into my foundation directly.  This, would infact, be my holy-grail highlighter if only I could find it – please Shiseido, make a liquid version!

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S6 Champagne Flush is available to buy on counter, priced at around £26

It’s subtle… can you see it?

It’s one of my favourites! I think I’d probably prefer to call this a luminizer than a highlighter, because with a fairly light hand this is perfect for wearing allover the face.  Yes, really.

Quite an unappetising shade in the pot, Cashmere Stockings is a mineral powder that I like to use as a finisher on days when I’m not wearing much colour on my face.  It lifts my complexion without making it sparkly or even shimmery.  To be fair to the product, it deserves a post of it’s own… not just lumped in under the ‘highlight’ category… it’s a little marvel.

Having said that, let’s not get carried away… Cashmere Stockings won’t do anything to cover blemishes, or even out your skintone (unless you’re blessed with already incredible skin) but for me… it softens my pores and adds a satin sheen.  I guess that’s it… maybe it’s no miracle afterall.  Just a good dose of silica and mica in a perfectly mixed ratio.  But it works beautifully for me over a good foundation base.

The physically small container it comes in is a pain in the arse… no chance of fitting a decent sized powder brush or kabuki in there, so I have to tap the product into another lid before picking it up on my brush.  A minor irritation, but an annoyance nonetheless.

I own a 10g pot and when/if I ever get to the bottom of it, will happily repurchase a 20g version ($18).  Anyone up to and including a NW/NC 25 would fare quite happily with level one as a shade choice as it’s fairly (but not completely) translucent.

Cashmere Stockings is available to buy online from Heatheresque (formally The She Space).

So, I’ve had this pot of Eyeko Cream for a disgustingly unhygienic length of time, at least 18 months I reckon… and I still haven’t figured out how best to use it.

I mean, thanks to it’s shimmery-ness… it’s obviously best put to work as a highlighter, but the intricacies of application have so far failed me.

Mixed with my moisturiser?  Hallo disco features!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended before foundation?  Holy huge pores!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended AFTER foundation? Just, no.  Foundation seems to disagree with this product and the whole lot starts “balling up” under my fingers if I apply it ontop.

So you see, I love the shimmer, scent and creamy texture…. but I just can’t make it work for me.

Eyeko Cream is priced at a bargainous £6 and available online from their website.

I’m sure lots of you already have this… any tips ladies?

I love this packaging!  It allows me to dispense just the right amount of product.

And *what* a product it is…

Illamasqua‘s Halcyon Illuminator is a creamy ivory highlighter that would suit both dark and pale tones beautifully.  It’s just about neutral enough to be kind to most complexions and imparts a “lit from within” shimmer.

With a smooth texture, it blends effortlessly wherever it’s placed.  This is (if you haven’t already noticed!) one of my favourite highlighters in my collection and I reach for it often.  Which reminds me, next time I’m near a counter I need to pick up Poised (it’s cool pink counterpart!)

Priced at £13, I consider this to be good value for money when you realise just how little you need to use to achieve a great result.

Illamasqua’s Illuminator in Halcyon is available from counters nationwide or online.

Tell me this isn’t the most forced smile you’ve seen all week:

I’m not her biggest fan… I don’t have any reasoning behind this other than an overwhelming urge to put my foot through the screen when I see her on the telly.  How does she and that grinning text-pest husband of hers get so much work anyway?  One of life’s mysteries…

Talking of work…

La Daly is doing rather nicely for herself with her beauty range at M&S though no?

M&S Daly Illuminating Face Balm is a cream highlighter that some people seem to use in a truly scary way… I quote from the M&S website…

An amazing product. I use this all over my face and simply add blusher.  It makes the face dewy, not shiny.  Absolutely beautiful over a suntan…..this and a bit of mascara and lip gloss…..the business!! PLEASE do NOT discontunue M&S!

Holy shit disco features! Do not use this ALL OVER YOUR FACE.

This stuff is kinda greasy… I wouldn’t describe it as a creme-to-powder formula, but it is totally effective at adding shimmer…

See it’s silvery-grey?  Not the most flattering cheek highlight shade in my opinion… perhaps if it were slightly more opalescent…  I will say though that it’s a dream to blend because it is that bit more slippy than my other cream highlighters.

I use this on my cupids bow, the tip of my chin and browbone.  I literally pat my finger once onto the surface of the pan to pick up enough product.  Staying power isn’t great… probably because of the greasiness but it’s so easy to apply that I need to give it extra kudos for that alone.

M&S Daly Illuminating Face Balm is priced at £9.50 and available instore or online.

I purchased this in my local CCO last year and it’s a valuable addition to my highlighter collection!

A great product to take on my travels as a multi-use powder/highlighter.  The shimmer side is smooth and I particularly enjoy applying this highlighter with a dampened brush for a smoother sheen.

Applied dry, it’s quite a golden sheen which means that on my cool skintone I prefer to use this one in the evening as it’s a touch too obvious for daytime wear.

If you can get your hands on it, I recommend!

Second in my highlighter series is the highly regarded NARS Albatross (£19.50).

Albatross looks an almost pure white in the pan (as the name would suggest!) But when swatched, gives the most beautiful pale gold sheen that flatters most skintones pale or dark.

My one observation would be that it’s quite easy to go overboard with this highlighter.  Instant disco ball.  I generally use a fan brush to pick up the powder before sweeping lightly over my cheekbones.  I also use this on my cupids bow, tip of my chin and on the brow bone.  It’s a beautifully versatile product that I whole heartedly recommend!

Way back in mid-March, I promised you chaps a whistlestop tour of my highlighter collection… and then I forgot to do it!  Well, after a bit of nagging, I’m back on the case!

So, here we go…

I love highlighters, I think that if used carefully they instantly add luminosity and freshness to a weary face.  They help you go from a daytime to a nightime look in an instant and are hugely versatile products that are happy to be dusted/blended over various bits of your face/body.

I have quite a few highlighters and I thought I’d share the ones that I own… swatches and close ups are always useful right?

So let’s get started with…

MAC MSF in Perfect Topping.

From the Sugarsweet collection, this now discontinued MSF can still be readily found on blog sales, discount online websites and ebay (though, be wary of fakes as always).

On my skintone, Perfect Topping is a shimmery warm golden peach/pink… it’s fairly pigmented so I tend to only use it across my cheekbones or a quick dusting over my collarbone.  It’s a bit sparkly to use liberally, but I love it regardless.

Stay tuned for NARS Albatross!