MAKEUP I'VE BEEN LOVING LATELY

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Today we're talking makeup, which I know I don't do that often these days, but that's because I've found most of my firm favourites at this point. However, there are a few products that have made their way into (or back into) my rotation in recent weeks, and I wanted to share them with you.

Let's talk complexion; I do tend to have a few firm favourites that I switch between and this is the one I've been enjoying lately. It looks like Spring could be on its way now but there's been a lot of cold weather that my dry skin has not enjoyed! Of course my first line of defence is skincare, but I also like to keep the glow going using makeup and the Summer Fridays Sheer Skin Tint (Shade 5) | £42 | mini review and demo | does just that. This is a lightweight serum-tint that has a dewy finish (so I wouldn't recommend it for oily skin). It just balances everything out and harmonises my skin tone whilst still showing my natural complexion. It looks fresh and it doesn't settle into fine lines, making it a go-to for me on work days when I want my skin to look nice and natural.

One of my all-time favourite cheek products (which I recently repurchased) is the Nudestix Nudies Matte Colour in Sunkissed | £31.50 | full review. This is a kind of cream blusher-bronzer hybrid tone with a smooth matte formula that can be used on both the cheeks and the lips. I personally love how evenly it goes one, the longevity it has on my skin and how well it lasts throughout the day without going patchy. And the colour is perfection for me; it adds a bronzer-adjacent tan warmth, but has a kind of dusky rose tone that means it adds a flush too. It's great for busy days when you just want to look pulled together with minimal effort since you can dab it across both your lips and cheeks. It's also really easy to throw in your handbag and use on the go.

A recent discovery I've fallen for is the Ilia Lightshift Cream Bronzer in Arc* | £41 | full review. If you hadn't noticed already; I'm a cream cheek person, and I've been reaching for a lot of the same highlighters over and over again over the past 6 months or so, but this is a new entry for my regular rotation. This has such a gorgeously-smooth texture; I've found this is best swiped on with my fingers and then dabbed out with a brush. It has a soft, metallic, pearly sheen that's nothing too over the top and adds a natural, dewy glow to my skin. This is a kind of champagne tone with hints of gold and peach; I find the warm undertone really works for my skintone. 

On the eyes, I've found myself reaching a lot for the Huda Beauty Matte Obsessions Warm Eyeshadow Palette* | £29. I sometimes use this on its own but I often pair it with a cream metallic eyeshadow for a quick and easy all-in-one look. I love the quality of Huda's eyeshadows and have for years; when it comes to mattes, this is a formula I can trust to be creamy and easy to blend out. These shadows have the perfect level of colour payoff for me; it's not too dramatic or unmoving when first applied but I don't need to build on it to get the look that I want. It also lasts really well and doesn't have any fallout. I'm 100% a warm-toned makeup person, and this provides the perfect set of brown and orange basics for any eye look I want to do (whether it's natural and work-friendly or something a little more smoky and dramatic).

Finally, I have some lip products to shout out! I've never really been a lip liner person but the Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 in Terracotta* | £19 | might just have converted me... I honestly forgot the polish that a more defined lip line can give to your makeup look, and I do really like it. Personally, I still probably wouldn't bother with it if I'm wearing a proper lip colour but I like to apply this when I'm just throwing on something quite sheer over the top. It's a twist-up lip pencil so it doesn't need sharpening and it has a gorgeous creamy, but long-wearing texture. I love this colour for my skin tone; it's a warm tan-brown with peachy-pink undertones, that's honestly not that far off from my natural lip colour. I like to use the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla Beige | £23 | over the top. It's one of my favourite lip balm formulas (it's essentially a cocktail of plant oils and butters to deeply nourish the lips) and this is a lovely natural everyday tone; a sort of dusky pink brown nude. 

If I want a fully matte lip look then my go-to is the Ilia Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon in Earthen* | £26. This is a very forgiving matte formula; it has a cream texture that glides right on and doesn't cling to dry patches on my lips (though I do apply a little lip balm beforehand with any matte finish lip product). This gives me the best of both worlds; all-over lip colour with the definition of a liner. I wish there were more shades in this collection that are my cup of tea, because the formula is great! That being said, Earthen is right up my street; a kind of warm brown terracotta that just looks like a rich nude on my personal skin tone.

 

Have you tried any of these makeup brands or products?

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