It's been a while since I've shared a selection of my current most reached for beauty products, so I thought I'd give you a run-down of some favourites that have graced my dressing table as of late.
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Foundation is a product I'm willing to loosen the purse strings for and Chanel's refined formulations are usually worth every penny. Vitalumiere Aqua is one of my holy-grail bases and Les Beige is a summer staple in my makeup bag. When Pro Lumiere was sadly discontinued out of the blue many years back, I was gutted. At the time, Chanel's Perfection Lumiere Long-Wear Flawless Fluid Foundation was released to replace my former favourite and, like always, Chanel's alluring charms had me hot-footing it to my nearest counter. Suprisingly, it wasn't love at first use and my bottle soon got pushed to the back of my beauty drawers. But recently, I gave it another go and my thoughts on it were definitely unexpected!
My favourite makeup looks consist of bronzed, glowing skin - all year round, come rain or shine. Naturally, I'm not blessed with an olive skin-tone, nor do we get enough sunshine to catch a deep tan here in the UK. Instead, I have to rely on my trusty bottles of faux glow and a generous sweeping of bronzer. From powders, creams and liquids, I've tried a whole host of formulas thanks to my obsession, but there's a top tier that I consistently go back to.
Valentine's Day. Whether you lap up the love or consider it a cringe-worthy, Hallmark holiday, I think it's always a nice excuse to celebrate relationships with anyone you care for, not just your partner. If you're single, then getting glammed up and heading for a night out with friends is always a winner and, if you're loved up, it's always nice to make a bit of an extra effort with your makeup, whether you're Netflix & chillin' or going for a fancy, romantic dinner. Last year, I wore quite a neutral makeup look and opted for a bold lip, but this year I wanted to make the eyes the main feature and create something a bit more daring, colour-wise.
New Year's Eve is the night I like to go all-out with my makeup. I'm talking all the sparkle. This year, I'm heading to party so have the perfect excuse to get all dressed up, but to be honest, I'd do the same even if I was planning on just cosying up in front of a film with a bag of pic n' mix. This year, I've put together a look featuring glittery, golden eyes, glowing skin and a classic, red lip.
We may have seen the last of our British summer, now that grey skies and downpours are a regular occurrence, but I'm refusing to give up on the dream of sunny picnics in the park, Mr Whippy ice creams and being able to leave the house sans umbrella. One thing that I can always rely on to bring back that contented, summer feeling is fragrance. Even a raging storm couldn't dampen my spirits after spritzing one of my four favourites.
Finding a foundation that ticks all the boxes is no easy task. I'm the first to admit that I'm incredibly picky; my perfect base needs to feels weightless, look flawless, yet appear natural and luminous. Tall order, right? Many of my fleeting, foundation flings have run their course, but my demanding self always return to one - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation.
Chanel makeup is the ultimate in sophistication. Their colour cosmetics and limited-editions are lusted after by every makeup maven, but I get most excited by their complexion products. Like Marmite, people seem to have a very divided opinion of the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream-Gel Base, either loving or hating it. For me, it's a staple, summer product and, seeing as I just bought a fresh pot, I thought I'd share my love for it.
Not everyone agrees, but I love Valentine's day. Whether you spend time with your other half, get together with your friends or spend time with a relative, it's a nice way to appreciate and celebrate the love you share with others. This year, I think my guy and I will go out for the day and then stay in with a few films, some wine and lots of tasty treats. Usually, we'd don our glad rags and go out for dinner and drinks, but seeing as we're heading to Dubai in two weeks, we thought we'd save some pennies instead.
In the beauty world, some products come and go without much of a buzz, whilst others rocket up to cult-favourite, must-have status, in days. I don't always like to give in to the hype, at least straight away, and let it settle before I take the plunge and make a purchase, to see if the commotion dies down or remains strong. With the constant influx of new products, if a certain product remains in the limelight, then that's an indicator that it's something pretty special. So I thought that I'd give you the low-down on which products I think are deserving of the hype surrounding them.
I can't believe we've already arrived at the end of January; at this rate, summer will be here in a flash! As always in January, this month's favourites consist of products aimed at drenching the skin in as much moisture as possible to fend off the bitter weather, some products to cheer up a gloomy month and a few beauty-related presents that I was lucky to receive for Christmas.
Eye makeup becomes a lot richer and less precisely applied in autumn. Smudging jewel-tones and metallics all around the eyes gives a sexy, lived-in look, that can be achieved in a flash.
