Hola gals,
So here we are at the start of 2018 and the end of January. For most of us January is a bit of a slog and this January has been no exception for a lot of us. We’re all a little bit over the whole excitement of pulling out the winter woollies, thick tights and cosy socks and are pining for just a glimmer of spring sunshine. I’ve been trying to compensate for the lack of sunlight by giving myself a winter glow by putting some affordable drugstore products to good use. The Makeup Revolution liquid highlighter and L’Oréal True Match foundation I’ve never used before, the rest are firm favourites.
As a naturally pale chica I still want to have that radiant summer glow but modify it so that it’s a little more winter appropriate for my skin type and tone. For reference my skin is oily/combination and these are the products that I’ve found that work really well for me in the winter months.
First of all the body shop Instaglow CC cream is just amazing! It leaves a really lovely glow that lifts the skin from being flat and in need of a boost to looking more moisturised and fresh. Is has SPF 30 (and we’ve all firmly established now that SPF is needed all year round) and protects against UVA and UVB light.
Generally I like to mix the Body Shop CC cream with a gel based moisturiser and the Makeup Revolution liquid highlighter drops. I bought mine in the shade Euphoric Gold. I don’t like popping this on top of my foundation as I think it’s a little too glittery for my liking. However, mixed in with moisturiser, it gives the foundation a little extra something. Up close, and I mean, when you look really close, you can see small glitter particles peaking through but it really doesn’t look like you’re wearing kid’s craft glue glitter on your face at all!
Once all the moisturising is done and dusted the foundation that I’ve been throughly enjoying is the L’Oréal True Match in the shade 1D/1W, Golden Ivory. I’ve found that it is very long-lasting and gives good coverage. I only use one pump of the foundation as I don’t like full coverage even in winter. Any extra coverage I need I make up for with concealer (but we’ll come onto that in a bit). If you like a very dewy foundation then this isn’t for you. I’ve found that it’s a soft, natural finish. Not super matte but not uber dewy either. So, for we gals that are a tad oily it controls that really well and still looks flawless at the end of the day.
I’m not going to talk about this one too much as everyone and their grandmother’s cat loves this concealer. It’s the Colllection Lasting Perfection Concealer in the shade 01 Fair. For some this is still a little too dark for pale skin but I believe they have released a lighter shade which is great for paler people than me but I can actually get on with this one. It’s great coverage and feels extremely comfortable on blemishes and under the eyes.
Let’s be honest, in winter the elements are well and truly against us. Heaven forbid you want to wear eyeshadow and expect it to last all day. Well, we’ve all heard many a beauty guru big up the Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion or MAC’s Paint Pots as a holy grail eyeshadow base. What does the drugstore have to offer? The Collection Primed and Ready eye primer is for me, a hidden gem. I have pretty oily eyelids ( surprise surprise), yet once this is set with powder I find that it helps my eyeshadow to last all day and prevents creasing. For £4.99 can you really go wrong in trying it out.
One of my favourite steps when putting my makeup on is definitely bronzing. In this step I go from looking like an anaemic pancake to looking healthy and bronzed. Can anyone relate? I have my summer bronzers and they’re great. But if I used them winter it’d look like I had a giant brown patch on either side of my face and forehead. For a more pale skin appropriate, melt into the skin type of bronzer perfect for winter I use the Kiko Bronzing Powder in the shade 01. It’s quite warm toned so not ideal for contouring, but if you just want to add a bit of warmth and dimension to your face then I would highly recommend this. Kiko do some great bronzers, they’re soft and smooth and the more shimmery ones are stunning but its worth noting that this one is matte. Despite it’s matte finish it gives the skin the boost it may need.
Last but by no means least is highlighter. This is where the magic happens. One product I’ve recently rediscovered my love for is the collection sculpt and contour duo. I very rarely use the contour pan but it is a good shade, don’t go too heavy with it as when pale it can look a little too dark. The highlighter however is so pretty. If you’re not into natural highlights this won’t be for you, yet if you want a subtle glow this just makes your skin pop. When applied with a fan brush just to the tops of the cheekbones is gives a gentle, lit from within look. There aren’t really any chunky glitter particles (thank goodness!) so you do just get a lovely soft focus glow. You can build it up to be more noticeable but for everyday It’s nice to have something more understated.
I know I haven’t featured a blusher in this but literally any of the Benefit blushers are an absolute winner. For pale skin Dandelion and Sugarbomb are perfecto! If you want something more affordable, Makeup Revolution do some great blush palettes. For instance the Hot Spice palette has pretty much any blush you’ll need. Beware though, the shades are very pigmented, so make sure to go in with a gentle hand. Again Kiko get a mention here as their blushers are gorgeous! Their packaging never fails to impress either.
I hope this has been helpful and if you fancy please tell me your favourite winter makeup essentials or just makeup essentials in general in the comments.
Adios!
x
Otters and Tea 