BECCA SIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR

I tired a lot of dupes for this product, but the real thing is the real deal! I have two shades, Moonstone  and Pearl. Pearl is a beautiful, very natural translucent shimmer, it is NOT metallic or too shimmery! It just gives you a well moisturised looking and dewy glow. Strong face shimmer is not acceptable after the age of 10 so please don't wear it on your cheeks ;)

And Moonstone is a much warmer tone, Dior J'adore kind of glow but much more wearable! Not over-the-top, still managing to look very undetectable and natural.

I have to stress that both shades are very daylight friendly! Some highlighters look great in the evening, but too shimmery under the naked sunlight. Edward Cullen in sunlight! but the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors look amazing in daylight, no shimmer particles, nothing heavy or metallic, simply glowing from within skin.

I usually use Pearl all year round and Moonstone in the summer when I want to emphasise tanned skin and get a warmer golden glow. 

They are versatile, on a particularly dull skin day you can wear them all over under your foundation as an illuminating primer, or mix them with your foundation/tinted moisturiser. 

Alternatively, you can simply wear it on top of your foundation, buffed on the high points of your face like top of cheekbones, bridge of nose, upper lip (cupid's bow). 

Also, If you want extra glow on a special occasion I would suggest doing it once, waiting for it to set and then repeating it with a second layer. I did this technique on my wedding day and it looked great and lasted all day/night, I have posted my wedding makeup photos on my favourite foundations blog post, have a look here. 

Here are the swatches, Moostone is on top, Pearl on the bottom, I have not fully blended them in so you can see their consistency and colour better. 

It has an SPF 25, but since you only need to use a thin layer it would not give you adequate protection so if you use it during the day I would strongly suggest to use a good SPF cream before.

The main drawback is the cost but I have used the Pearl for a year and a half and the bottle still looks pretty full! You get a lot of product for the money (50mls) and a little goes a very long way so it will certainly last you a long time. Becca has another two beautiful shades - Opal, a stunning pinkish illuminator and Topaz, a beautiful deeper golden colour. 

Have you tired any of them? What is your favourite illuminator/highlighter?

UK readers can find it here. 

US readers can find it here. 

Love, London Girl  xxx

REVLON'S COLORBURST LIP BUTTERS

Revlon brought out a cute new range of very pigmented yet very wearable lip butters. I spent half an hour deciding which shades I want to get out of a whopping 21! I ended up going for Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple, Berry Smoothie and Raspberry Pie. I thought in the lines of 'one coral, one red, one pink and one deep pink'..

They come in a cute packaging and are very moisturising, something of a hybrid between a lip balm and a lipstick, they have the pigmentation of a lipstick but the moisturising properties of a lip balm. Another great thing about them is that you don't have to wear the shade full on, when they are initially applied, a thin layer gives you a natural hint of colour without the drama, so perfect for a classy day look, but if you realise you have plans in the evening too, you can just add a thicker layer on and you have a good burst of colour. This makes me always carry at least one in my bag so I can quickly go from day to night, perfect!

015 Tutti Frutti: An orangey coral shade, I love to wear this one sheer during the day, it looks fresh and I'm sure I will love it in the summer too! Great all-rounder coral and it is much easier to wear than more opaque orange lipsticks. 

swatched

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035 Candy Apple: A cute tomato red, not orange, very wearable, I love to wear it as a statement lipstick with a simple eye look. 

swatched on the left

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050 Berry Smoothie: very natural 'your lips but better' colour, super wearable pink shade, the one I just can't let go of, wear it everyday. It looks much darker in the photo than it really is, the swatch shows the real colour you get. 

 swatched on the left

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010 Raspberry Pie: Darkest colour of the four, although you can wear it sheer, it is a beautiful statement dark pink, reminds me a little of a beetroot pink, very wearable too and stays on a long time.

All 4 shades from left to right:  Raspberry Pie, Berry Smoothie, Candy Apple and  Tutti Frutti.

Have you tried any other colours? I have my eyes on Juicy Papaya!

UK readers you can get them 3 for 2 here.

Love, London Girl  xxx

FAVOURITE LIGHT BASES FOR SPRING & SUMMER

I know it's not summer yet but I think any girl has days where she needs little coverage (not a full face of foundation) but enough to have a nice glow and even out the skin tone. Here are my most trusted tinted moisturisers that I use on my 'good skin days' or 'too hot to do anything else summer days'.

Laura Mercier's Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser: This is very well known for it's glow-y capabilities, I call it sunshine in a tube. It is the one thing that gives me the most beautiful glow ever! It has tiny microscopic shimmer particles in it BUT you don't look like Edward Cullen in sunlight, these particles are not invisible on the skin once applied.

 It gives you a mega glow, it would brighten up the dullest of complexions on the greyest day of the year! As the name suggests it illuminates your skin, making it look younger and healthier. It has an SPF 20 so it's great for everyday protection, it glides onto the skin very easily, making it a great one-step makeup trick when you have no time but want big illuminating results FAST!

 It's only draw back is that it's not cheap, well none of the Laura Mercier's product are, but I have had mine for over a year and used it a lot (a little goes a long way) and it's still full because you get a lot of product for the money.
My shade is Warm Radiance (for medium skin with pink tones).


Erborian's CC Creme HD: My second favourite is a little less well known, it is a hybrid between skincare and makeup, so it moisturises and has anti-aging properties and evens out your skin tone and gives you a little glow (much less in your face as Laura Mercier's) it is just more subtle.

 This product comes out of the tube as a white cream which you start rubbing onto your face and it changes colour to match your face tone. It is quite entertaining to apply! See photo below where it starts   getting colour.

It has a great SPF of 45 so your daily protection--> check! It it great for covering redness, pigmentation and rosacea since it has enough coverage to mask them but it is virtually undetectable on the skin, it just looks like your skin, but better! It is my go-to skin product in the summer months and on holidays because it checks all the boxes for day and night makeup, your skin looks simply flawless!

Have you tried any of these bases? What are your favourite ones?

Love, London Girl  xxx