The Body Shop Brush On Radiance Pearls

The Body Shop Brush On Radiance Pearls* - £14

Not a day goes by where I don't use a highlighter on my face. Highlighting is such an essential part of doing my makeup. It instantly lifts the complexion & adds a beautiful sheen to the skin. Having discovered theBalm's truly stunning Mary-Lou Manizer a few years ago, it's been quite a while since I've tried a new one. I normally go for pressed powder or cream highlighters but I'd never tried highlighting pearls before. I wanted to see how they measured up to the rest of my highlighter collection. The Guerlain Météorites pearls are well known for their complexion perfecting glow but they are pretty expensive. Luckily The Body Shop do their own version in the form of these Brush On Radiance Pearls & they cost less than half the price of the Guerlain Météorites. Plus check out that gorgeous gold packaging! They look far more expensive than they really are & will probably last forever. These pretty little balls offer a high frost pink-toned shimmer. Although they look quite colourful in the pot they would definitely only work as a highlighter & not as a blush. The iridescent shimmer imparted from the pastel coloured pearls really makes my cheeks pop as it catches the light. It's such a lovely product & it does a great job at perking up my skin when I'm looking a bit tired.

There are loads of different way to use the Brush On Radiance Pearls. I really love how versatile they are. You could sweep over the pearls with a large fluffy powder brush as a finishing touch to the skin or you can use a smaller brush & concentrate the shimmer on the high points of your face. Used all over the face they give my complexion a wonderful healthy looking glow but I really like to make my highlighter pop by packing it onto the tops of my cheeks, down the bridge of my nose & over my cupid's bow. Then I lightly dust any excess powder onto my forehead & chin. These pearls would even work well as a body highlighter to create the illusion of leaner, longer limbs or to accentuate your décolletage. One downside is that I find the balls keep getting stuck inside the bristles of my brush & subsequently fall on the floor when I go to apply the product. If you're after something portable then look elsewhere. They're not quite as pigmented as I would like either. I am fussy about highlighters though as I like them to look almost metallic on my skin. This product would be ideal if you just want something to give you a subtle luminescent glow. Although they're neutral enough to suit everyone I think they would look especially nice on anyone with a cool skin tone. Have you tried any highlighting pearls before?

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The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream

The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream* - £12

Thanks to my current skincare routine, my skin is looking very clear & even toned for once. As a result I don't feel the need to smother my face in foundation as much & have been enjoying using some lighter base products. After trying out the Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream SPF 30 my interest in BB creams has been piqued once more. I really liked the formula & finish of that BB cream but the colour was a tad too orange for me. And so the hunt continued. Recently I've been loving watching Gabby's YouTube videos & noticed that she often uses this All-In-One BB Cream from The Body Shop in her tutorials. The idea of a colour-adapting product was rather intriguing as I hoped that it work a lot better on my pale skin. I got the shade 00 which sounded like a promising choice for fair skin tones. There are also four darker shades available which would cover a large range of skin colours.

Strictly speaking I think it would be wrong to call this a BB cream. The subtitle of 'colour-adapting tinted cream' is far more appropriate as it doesn't contain any SPF & it has no discernible skincare benefits. Straight from the tube the product appears as a thin white cream with tiny little peach beads dotted throughout. These beads are colour pigments that burst as you rub the cream in. It quickly transforms to a flesh tone colour offering light buildable coverage. It feels cooling, refreshing & hydrating on the skin. Applied with my hands it's great for adding a hint of a tint when I'm in a rush & want to look a bit less zombie-like in the morning. Applied with a brush you can really up the coverage and I was surprised by how well it covered up my freckles. It's great that the cream can be used either way depending on how much coverage you desire. The satin finish looks beautiful & lightly perfects my complexion. However after a few hours of wear it does start to look very dewy so I don't think it would work for anyone with oily skin. A good setting powder is an absolute must with this product. Despite the shine that develops throughout the day, it doesn't break down on my skin & the staying power is excellent for a tinted cream. It doesn't cause me to breakout at all either.

Unfortunately as with most base products this cream is too dark for my ghostly pallor. I had high hopes that 00 would work for me but it just looks way too orange. In fact it's even darker on me than the Ginvera BB cream. I would've expected shade 02 or even 01 to look like this so the lack of a good match for us truly pale ladies makes me a bit sad. As this is a colour-adapting product I feel like the colour gets darker throughout the day as well. I can just about get away with it if I apply it with my hands but I prefer the coverage that comes with brush application. Even if I blend it really far down my neck you can still see a definite orange line. I really hoped that the All-In-One BB Cream could join my roster of everyday bases as it does look so lovely on the skin. Sadly the colour is totally wrong for me. If only there was a minus shade available! For now I think it's time to give up trying to find a pale enough BB cream in a UK store. Asia just does them a whole lot better.

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British Summer Essentials

There's nothing quite as unpredictable as the Great British Summer. One day the sun will be shining brighter than ever before... then the next day we'll get non-stop wind & rain. If you're having a UK staycation this year then it's best to be prepared for every eventuality. I've teamed up with luxury accessories brand Folli Follie to give you a few ideas of which things to take with you, whatever the weather. Last month they sent me the most amazing selection of goodies & I'm over the moon with everything I received. Here are my British Summer Essentials...





First of all you'll need a bag to carry around all of your belongings. You'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful one than the Heart4Heart Shoulder Bag*. I was so excited when this arrived in the post, this bag is just incredibly stunning! It is available in five different colours but I think the red looks best. It's so bright & Summery but will look stylish all year round. I love pairing monochrome outfits with colourful accessories like this. I adore the rose gold hardware, especially that clover shaped lock. Everything about the bag just screams quality. Not only does it look gorgeous but there is tons of room inside & plenty of compartments to keep everything organised. It feels sturdy yet lightweight so it's a brilliant choice for your travels.






I was also sent these awesome tortoiseshell effect wayfarer sunglasses. How cute is the little orange case they came with?! The attention to detail is phenomenal. I really like how the four leaf clover theme is carried through their designs. The glasses feel very comfortable to wear & the lenses offer 100% UV ray protection. The wayfarer style is a classic & again the quality is top notch. Something else I've loved wearing this Summer is my black straw fedora hat from River Island. It's helped to protect my bleached hair from the sun & provide some shade for my face. I think it finishes off an outfit rather nicely too!



BRONZE
Although the UK weather is capable of doling out some wicked sunburn, we often don't see enough sun to develop a real tan. Even if you want to catch some rays you still need to wear some form of protection. Shiseido make some truly lovely sun protection products. I really like their Protective Tanning Cream N SPF 10*. It offers light protection & imparts a beautiful glow to the skin. The formula is very lightweight so it absorbs quickly & the tanner gives you a healthy looking natural golden colour. In a similar vein the Nivea Sun Protect & Bronze Spray SPF 10 contains a natural plant extract which helps support the production of melanin. Using this spray lotion will help to protect your skin & boost your ability to get a tan. If you're too busy for sunbathing then you can't beat a bit of fake tan. Admittedly I'm not a self tanning connoisseur but I've been very impressed with Lauren's Way Glam Tan*. The thought of tanning my whole body is quite scary to me but I've been using it on my legs to give them a bit of colour. The spray makes it very easy to apply & the colour is deep yet natural looking - not orange!



PROTECT
If you're incredibly pale like me then you should probably stick to using products with a high SPF. Most people seem to forget that your lips can actually get sunburned so it's important to use a lip balm that can protect your lips. I love this strawberry lip balm from EOS*. This flavour doesn't have sun protection but their lemon drop lip balm boasts SPF 15 so make sure you get that one! The formula is deeply hydrating & feels lovely on the lips. My favourite facial sunscreen is Soap & Glory's Sunshield Superfluid SPF 50. I use chemical exfoliants all year round so I always wear SPF 50 but it's especially important to protect your face during the Summer. I like this one because it doesn't leave a white cast, it doesn't feel greasy & it doesn't break me out. Check out my full review here. I always use this Nivea Sun Protect & Refresh Spray on my body. It offers SPF 50 & the spray is invisible so it won't leave horrid marks all over your clothes. It's easy to apply & feels cooling on the skin. I highly recommend it!



REFRESH
I love spending time in the sun but sometimes the heat can make you feel gross & uncomfortable. To make things a little more bearable during the recent heatwave I relied on these few products. The most important thing to carry with you is a bottle of water. It'll keep you hydrated and stocking up on them at home will save you a few pennies when you're out & about. It's a good idea to carry a dry shampoo with you during the Summer months. Sweaty hair is never a good look. I always buy Batiste products because they're cheap & get the job done. I hadn't tried their Pretty & Delicate Floral Dry Shampoo* before but the scent is really sweet & feminine - a new fave! I love the packaging too. I couldn't live without a bottle of Caudalie Beauty Elixir in my handbag. It's the perfect facial refresher with an addictive herbal scent. I use it throughout the day to perk up my skin & clear my mind. After a few hours in the sun my body starts to feel overly hot & sticky. Arran Aromatics have come up with the best solution for this short of taking a cold shower. Their Aloe Vera Energising Gel* is a wonderful quick reinvigorator for the body. It instantly cools down the skin & works well on sunburn. I always carry a bottle of hand sanitiser with me. If you're eating on the go or having a picnic then you don't want mucky hands. I really like the ones from The Body Shop. They come in loads of different scents but I'm currently using the Pink Grapefruit Hand Cleanse Gel. It smells so nice! A little pocket fan like this one can feel terrific when you're getting hot & bothered. Spray the Beauty Elixir or rub on some of the body gel first then use the fan on those areas. Say hello to instantly cooler skin.



Of course if everything goes wrong & the rest of the Summer is a washout then you'll need a good umbrella. I really like cute bubble ones like this as they seem to keep the rain out much better than your average brolly. Even if it doesn't rain then an umbrella can double up as a parasol so you can chill out in the shade no matter where you are.

What are your British Summer essentials?

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