Sunny Summer Beauty

5 min read

Are you in a summer state of mind? I can’t help drifting constantly to the beach in my mind, which is a nightmare, as I won’t be heading there until at least August!

This time of year is when we all start craving our sunny summer holidays, and who isn’t keeping everything crossed that we get the summer weather we had last year?

So, to keep things sunny, here are six sunny beauty buys that will at least have you feeling the summer vibes, even if it is still winter-like outside!


 

L’Occitane Radiance Scrub, £28.

Summer is a great time to slough off the dead skin cells, and this is such a sunny, fruity, delicious scrub, you won’t want to stop using it! It smells SO good, thanks to being enriched with freshly harvested pomelos from Corsica.  The Radiance Scrub contains natural fruit acids that immediately work to exfoliate the skin. You apply a thick layer to clean, dry skin and then let the exfoliating granules slough away those dead cells, leaving you with radiant skin. It’s not drying, it is thick and gooey, and I like to use it in the shower, whilst dreaming of Corsican blue skies and sandy beaches!


Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Hydrating Mask, £22.

I am a HUGE fan of the original Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, and this is a great addition to the range. Apart from the fantastically sunny packaging, this lovely mask with apricot and Swiss glacial water, delivers hydration instantly to where it is needed. So, if, like me, the winter leaves you with some dry spots, then this is perfect. It’s also brilliant for holidays, after a day in the sun, when you want to give your skin a hydration boost.


Delfy Duo Highlighter, £18.90.

This is a brilliant little product from a brand I really like (check them out, they have brilliant nail polishes too). At one end there’s a shimmering highlighter stick, so easy to use, just sweep it on the cheeks, and wherever you want highlighted. At the other end, it’s a liquid highlighter, for a more intense highlighted look – this end is my absolute fave. It’s a light gold, full of shimmer, and is so easy to use – just don’t over-use it. The tin man look is NOT good!


Clarins Summer Makeup Limited Edition Bronzing Compact, £32.

I have a collection of these, I’ve been SO lucky to have been gifted them over the years in my job as beauty writer and editor. Every year, Clarins brings out a fantastic summer bronzing compact, and this one is as lovely as its predecessors. This summer, there are two new colour harmonies in warm and sunny tones to help to create the perfect, golden glow. Sunset Glow (pictured) combines three subtle shades – the iridescent bronzers adds warmth, the highlighter gives that luminosity, and the iridescent pink blush helps sculpt cheekbones, and add a pop of freshness.  Sunrise Glow uses mutli-toned bronzers to sculpt and define. There is one matte bronzer, and two iridescent – light and dark – to sculpt facial contours, and can be used separately or together with one big sweep.

The powders are made with Light-Optimizing+ Complex that uses soft-focus pigments and pearls to help smooth complexion and revive skin’s natural radiance, and also contain the Clarins Anti-Pollution Complex, with extracts of white tea and nipplewort,, and Micropatch Vegetal which forms a network on the skin’s surface to help prevent dehydration.

The new packaging is sleek.


Lime Crime Matte Velvetines Lip Colour, £18, cultbeauty.co.uk

I bought this orange matte lippy to replace a Smashbox one that I love (Always On Liquid Lips in Thrill Seeker). I LOVE the colour – it’s blazing orange, Psycho. But it’s a wee bit disappointing to be homnest. it is quite drying, and it doesn’t last all long enough. The blurb on the website says that it is intensely pigmented and packed with skin-nourishing extracts, including French vanilla, and it won’t leave your lips feeling dry, but I have to disagree. It’s not the worst, and the colour is superb, but it’s not my fave. However, a bold orange or red is a perfect summer lip colour, agreed?


Bobbi Brown Summer High Shine Liquid Eye Shadow, £18.50, available at John Lewis now, and nationwide from May 23.

When these landed on my desk, I was overly-excited. I LOVE a metallic eye. On using them, the results have been mixed for each shade, which is odd. The heavily pigmented Gold Fusion – shown here on my eyes – is amazing! Look at it – and excuse the extreme close-up!

But the Perfect Foil is a wee bit light, and ‘meh’ for my liking. The other two are Copperhead and Molten Petal and both err on the side of being understated, as opposed to big and bold.

But, if you like just a sweep of metallic colour, then they are fantastic. If you want big pigment, use over an eyeshadow primer, I’d say. The Limited Edition shadows are water-based, and you have to be careful when applying them, and make sure you shake them well before using them.

And, get this, they have a fab cooling effect when you apply.