*This is a collaborative post with HoF*
Hello, beautiful people! It’s been a while since I penned (or fingers to keys I guess) a blog post on my favourite beauty bits n’ bobs, but they’ve been some of my most popular and requested posts since I first started TKL in 2015.
A lot of you have stuck with me through my vampy lip phase, my colourful shadow phase…. and now in 2018, I’m feeling a lot more mature, muted, and natural. I’m not quite sure if this love for all things ~ au naturel ~ has come with ripening with age to my mid-twenties, or whether it just means I’m feeling more myself, with less on my face. Anyway, I’m all about that no-makeup makeup look that makes people double take at glowing skin with a beaut bronzed feel.
After embracing my natural looks, I was selected to be involved in the ‘natural makeup look’ challenge by only using House of Fraser’s makeup products from their range. Obviously, I jumped at the chance as I have a number of products that I’m using to nail the muted, natural makeup look for everyday. Plus, I’ve chosen a few products that are very sunshine-friendly and will help to protect my skin & keep me looking dewy, but not oily.
THE MINIMAL MAKEUP PRODUCT BREAKDOWN:
Base: Ultrasun Face Tinted SPF30
I always start my makeup application with an SPF as keeping my skin protected from UVB/UVA rays is really important when it comes to skin health and avoiding nasty skin damage which can make you appear more tired and dehydrated. I love love love the Ultrasun formula (all of them, I’m a convert) as it’s fab for sensitive skin like mine, especially for those who get prickly heat in the summer. This one is particularly for the face and doesn’t feel gritty or greasy, and it has a nifty *tint* for a little colour and coverage so you can wear it on it’s own if ya fancy it.
Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light
(my shade is 2W1 Dawn FYI)
The O.G. Double Wear was my favourite throughout uni as it was so industrially sweat proof that it was perfect to go out clubbing in. These days, I’m not about the cake-face but I also don’t want to compromise on coverage, so this new release from Estee Lauder presents a happy medium. I don’t think this foundation is similar to the original D.W. formula at all, which is a good thing imo…. The formula is almost gel-like and glides onto the skin to give you light-medium formula which is build-able to a true medium. A great foundation choice for the summer months!
Concealer: Estee Lauder Flawless Wear (shade Warm Light Medium)
Even though we’re going for an all natural look here, I decided on a high-coverage concealer as I do have quite a lot of skin blemishes and eye bag issues currently. I usually go for a shade lighter than my foundation, but in the summer months I opt for the same shade to create a naturally even base shade. This concealer is best applied in small dots on the areas that need it most, and blended out with a damp sponge.
Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
Yassss I know what you’re thinking: *Holly, girl… This look is supposed to be dewy?* But unfortunately oily gals still need to powder a glowy look to keep the oil at bay, otherwise makeup breaks down way too fast. This setting powder is super finely milled and doesn’t give you flashback, so apply liberally, or sparingly, dependant on what you’re skin type is. If you’re dry I’d say you can probably completely skip this step!
Bronzer: NARS Sun Wash Bronzer in shade Laguna
This bronzer is a lot of people’s ride or die, and for good reason. This spruced up formula featured the same great shade we all love, but the finish is a stunning sheen which brings your face to life. Simply contour (if you’re into that) then sweep on the cheeks, up the temples, and over the forehead for a bronzed up look. Top Tip! I like to dust a little right underneath my lower lip to add more lippy volume!
Blush/Highlight: NARS Dual Intensity Blush in shade Frenzy
For about two years straight NARS Orgasm was my favourite blush shade, ever. Although I’ve moved on from bright pops of pink, the NARS blush formula will forever hold a place in my little kitty heart. This blush & highlight duo is a space saver, a time saver, and a skin saviour! The bright coral blush shade is more intimidating in the pan than it is on the cheeks, as a pop of peach adds warmth to the face and definitely compliments a tan. Followed by the highlight, which is more of a build- able sheen than a standard blinding highlight.. This means that you can get that glowed up look really easily without going overboard. Plus, the champagne tone suits so many skin tones.
Liquid Highlight: MAC Strobe Cream
I used to wear this every single day for years, but it wasn’t until recently that I fell back in love with this shimmery cream. This product is basically the original liquid highlight formula that everyone who ~ knew ~ what highlighting was, picked up at MAC. It isn’t shockingly poppin’ or blinding, but I love that about this liquid. Best applied with a sponge on the high points of the face, but lazy girls like me can get away with using it with their fingers. You can apply this over powder but it can start to “pick up” your foundation if you use too much….
Mascara: Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes Volume 2
Need a black, thick, volumizing mascara? CT has your back, gurl. The Legendary Lashes formula is self named, legendary. A lot of people in the ‘Biz, like Wayne Goss, swear by the formula and I totally can see why. It’s difficult to justify buying a higher end mascara as you do need to replace it every 30 days for sanitary purposes… but this one is totally worth the splurge if you’re treating yo’self. I have very short, asian lashes and this does wonders for me without becoming clump city, 10/10 would recommend.
Lipstick: Tom Ford Colour in shade Universal Appeal
The lippy of all lippies, Tom Form Colour. The sheer range of shades in Tom Ford’s collection is pretty overwhelming, but you’re guaranteed to find a shade you’ll love. Pricey lippies like this go one of two ways for me: 1. A unique bright pop of colour that sort of says: “this was esssspensive” (KathleenLights-esque) or 2. A muted nude that’s “pop in the handbag friendly” for everyday wear. The latter always ends up better on the use-age factor as I will naturally pop on a nude matte lippy whenever I’m rocking a low maintenance look.
I picked out this shade as from a few online searches, I found out that it suits a lot of different skin tones, and wont pull peach or grey on my olive skin. Plus it would layer really nicely with a clear or sheer gloss to add a little pzazz when required for extra sass. It was definitely a good, true nude pick to finish off this look.
So there it is, kittens. My foolproof natural makeup look for summer with the help of House of Fraser, feat. plenty of bronze, glow, and if you’re brave in this summer heat… as much dew as you can handle!
Are you into a natural look?
What are your natural makeup must haves?
Keep up with me on social media:
Follow me on IG: @thekittyluxe
Follow me on Twitter: @thekittyluxe
