I Gave Up Make Up For Lent

I Gave Up Make Up For Lent

I’m a beauty blogger and as such I have more make-up and beauty products, than any one person could ever need but does that stop me from buying more? In a word, no. If we were simply talking about replacing the basics, such as replenishing my favourite cleanser or mascara, it really wouldn’t be a problem, in fact it would be a normal shopping habit but I am unable to draw that line. As soon as a new beauty collection catches my eye, I’m fishing around my handbag in search of my bankcard to treat myself once again to a lipstick, blush or eyeshadow that will probably on see the light of day twice – and that’s if we are lucky. It is wasteful and a rut I am determined to get myself out of and that is why I have partnered up with Christian Aid for Lent.

I Gave Up Make Up For Lent

Now straight off the bat, I do want to acknowledge that not everyone participates in Lent for various reasons and that of course is more than completely fine, but for me it is a yearly tradition and this time around, I would like it to mean so much more to myself than simply giving up fizzy drinks – girl it has been 10 years in a row, you know you’ll cave at the first offer of a can of Coca Cola. So this Lent I am giving up spending any money on beauty products full stop – there will be no new moisturiser, lipstick or eyeshadow added to my already ridiculous stash and in it’s place I will donate the money to Christian Aid to help fight poverty.

On paper it sounds easy: girl waves goodbye to lipstick, counts down the forty days, donates to said charity and goes on with her life as normal but there is so much more to this challenge than saving money and not rushing to purchase the latest lip gloss. I’m hoping for a change for life, a more considered attitude towards life’s little luxuries – that’s not to say I won’t splurge occasionally because everyone deserves a treat but a treat is all it should be in my case – not a weekly blow out session at my local beauty counter. Yes April the 13th (when Lent finishes) does seem a long way off but the greater cause here is so much more important than what can I haul next and as mentioned that is a mind-set, I am so actively determined to shake off.

I Gave Up Make Up For Lent

If you are a beauty blogger or not, you can get involved with Christian Aid for Lent in numerous ways: you can of course give up something for Lent in support of the charity (lipstick, fizzy drinks, sweets – the world is your oyster…well unless that is what you aim to avoid for 40 days) and create your own Just Giving page to ask others to support you, or you can donate to those who are participating in the fundraiser via their donation pages – my page is here and if I see any others by fellow bloggers, I will be sure to share them on social media.

We have 34 days left of Lent, religious or not, why not join in and make a small change within your life and perhaps a huge one to those less fortunate?

This is a sponsored and collaborative post but I am donating to said to charity and sticking to my no buy clause.

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An Anti-Haul of Sorts

kklllooo

I forever bombard you with new products, purchases and recommendations but seldom ever mention what I have no plans to make my own for whatever reason that may be. With anti-hauls being all the rage within the beauty community, I thought I’d take the chance to show you what I won’t be buying and why…

1, Too Faced Love Lights Prismatic Highlighter in You Light Up My Life – some shades simply aren’t made for my skin-tone and that is exactly the problem (if you can call it that), I have with this product. The bright, true gold, hue of Too Faced You Light Up My Life translates a little orange-y and looks bizarre, rather than flattering against my light, olive complexion – however if you have a deep skin-tone this will look nothing short of dazzling and may be the highlighter you have been waiting for. I will say the formulation is wonderful and I may treat myself to one of the other two options but this particular shade will not be joining my stash.

2, Anything rainbow or unicorn themed – I am over it, it was fun while it lasted but along with mermaid packaged products there is only so much a gal can take.

3, MAC Fix+ Fruity Juicy – I must firstly say that I utterly adore the MAC Fruity Juicy Collection on the whole and do recommend checking it out; the only reason I am personally skipping the limited edition Fix + is that I never use my original bottle, and I highly doubt adding the scent of coconut will change that. I have to accept that some products simply aren’t for me and that is okay!

4, Kat Von D Shade and Glimmer Palette – Obviously this has yet to be released and as such I have used the original palette in its place for illustrative purposes but what I have seen of the Kat Von D Shade and Glimmer Palette hasn’t blown me away. I like shimmer based eyeshadows but don’t love them and owning a palette without any matte options perhaps isn’t the best choice for me – what I will say is that the shade range is very pretty and offers a lot of variety but I doubt it will sneak onto my wishlist.

5, Byredo Gypsy Water Hair Perfume – I mean do I really need a separate bottle of fragrance just for my hair? In a word no.

6, Anastasia Nicole Glow Palette – I love Anastasia Beverly Hills products and I have a lot of time for anything Nicole Guerriero does or launches, and yet I don’t own the Nicole Glow palette. This is not because I don’t like the shade range but because there is no Anastasia counter in Scotland, as such I can’t swatch the shades and decide if I will get enough use out of the palette to warrant calling it my own. Could this change when I hit New York in a couple of weeks? Definitely but until I get to try this out in person, I won’t be handing over my bank card any time soon.

7, Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadows – I must firstly say that I truly do love the Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadows, there is nothing quite like them but I am fooling myself if I think I can make the deeper shades work. I lack the skill and what looks great on YouTube doesn’t quite correlate all that well into everyday life – for that reason alone, I will be sticking to the lighter shades of the wonderful Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadows.

8, Tom Ford Orchid Soleil Eau de Parfum – Just like not every make-up shade, or product is suited to one person, we can’t all wear the same fragrance and I’m calling it quits with Tom Ford Orchid Soleil. Yes this is a gorgeous sun-drenched, floral scent, that couldn’t be more perfect for the summer if it tried but it seemingly sits well on everyone but me. Hey you can’t win the all.
9, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzers – Hourglass are one of my favourite beauty brands and therein lies the problem, I am so loyal to their powders that I don’t often purchase much else in the form of bronzers and blushes, which really isn’t all that helpful when your job is to write about beauty products. As such I am going to step away from the newly launched shades of the Hourglass bronzers…for now at least.
10, Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks – We are now edging into Summer and each year I dabble with cream formulations, only to become annoyed that they don’t stay in place for as long as I would like. A combination of heat, sweat and oily skin does horrific things to make-up so for the sake of my wallet and sanity, I will not be persuaded to give up my powder blushes for a Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick – even if they are the best around.
Feel free to tell what you won’t be purchasing any time soon and why!

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Summer Beauty Products: Part 2 of About 3,245.

summer beauty products

I will readily admit that I’ve gone a bit gah-gah for the idea of summer; I can’t wait to sit in my garden (if I ever get back to my house to sit in my garden!) and feel the warm sun on me as I quietly work my way through the pile of novels I have waiting. (Obviously this will happen when new baby is sleeping, I’m not planning on abandoning all responsibility! I’m picturing a slumbering Baby AMR, snoozing away in the shade in his/her perambulator, lulled to sleep by the slow droning of the bees and the distant hum of a lawnmower.)

I digress: look at the sexy summer beauty products I’ve pulled together! Those bronzey, golden tones… Let’s see what’s taking my fancy. There’s a “first part” to this post with blue and pink products (got a thing about packaging colours at the moment) and so if you want to read that first, click here.

elizabeth arden serum

Kicking off with a brilliant, brilliant face serum that I started testing pre-pregnancy and can’t wait to get back to. (It’s somewhere in my huge shipping container!) The Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules each contain a dose of serum that’s packed full of ingredients that help to retexturise the skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve the skin’s barrier function. It has a non-irritating form of Vitamin A that didn’t make my skin red or flaky and smoothing results were almost instant. Not cheap, at around a pound a capsule, but you can save a little by buying the refill version rather than the pot shown above. I’ll be back with a proper review later on in the summer, but in the meantime you can find the capsules online here, the refill version costs £46.

I’m really looking forward to testing out Institut Esthederm’s new l’Huile Solaire. My skin gets on incredibly well with Institut Esthederm suncare; it has seen me through times when many other protectants have failed. I even did a direct test, once, in Greece in the height of summer – IE Adaptasun on one shoulder and arm, a well-known high street version on the other – and the Adaptasun side was a sunkissed pale bronze at the end of the day whereas the other arm had reddened slightly. Only slightly – I’m not silly enough to risk my skin for a homemade, rudimentary SPF test and I had been reapplying as per guidelines – but it was interesting to note. You can find the new l’Huile Solaire online here – I’ll let you know how I get on with it when I’ve given it a good try.

Moving over: Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster. I did a full post here, but it’s safe to say that this is one of my ultimate summer essentials. Add a few drops to body lotion and you have your own, customised gradual tanner. Just genius. Find it online here – it’s a couple of quid cheaper than getting it in-store.

hot summer essentials

Estée Lauder’s Bronze Goddess perfume: an absolute classic. I know that “holiday in a bottle” is now something of a cliché, but in this case it’s absolutely true. Lauder should really have the trademark on that phrase, because never has a scent been so aptly described. Coconutty, tropical, heady, the smell of suntan lotion and warm sand. You can find it online here – it’s £47 for a whopping 100ml.

A beautiful nude nail polish from Michael Kors – “Blush” is a bit paler than your average nude, but looks great against sunkissed skin. It needs a couple of coats to get a good, “patent Louboutin courts” kind of finish, and I had to go in with one of those neatening-up pens because I coloured over the lines, but the final result is very chic. £15.50 online here.

Peeking out behind the polish: Vichy Ideal Soleil Mattifying Face Fluid SPF50. I like Vichy suncare – this one is a “dry touch” cream that has no greasy, white residue and sits well beneath makeup. Good, comprehensive skincare and a big tube will only set you back £14. (Escentual.com price.) Find it online here.

That sexy little compact is from the forthcoming Charlotte Tilbury x Norman Parkinson collection and it’s the Dreamy Glow Highlighter. You can see me talk through and demonstrate the collection in my video for The Telegraph here, but here’s a quick look inside the compact:

summer beauty products

It’s a creamy powder with quite good pay-off, a nice warm tone that doesn’t look too “snail trail” on the cheekbones. Coming soon at CharlotteTilbury.com… Ooh, and I almost missed off Laura Mercier’s brilliantly fiery and hot Paint Wash Liquid Lip Colour in Sunblaze. A vibrant, burnished red with a hint of terracotta orange and a slight metallic sheen, the Paint Wash formula is incredibly light to wear but has a long-lasting, intense finish. Find it online here – it’s £22.

That’s me all summered-out now, beauty-wise – I’m off to look at large sunhats and sandals and to lust over the colour-block dress on Hush!

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