Summer Simplicity: Makeup Isn't Beauty

Hi everybody!

I like to think that makeup isn't beauty and this is perfectly fine when having an inspirational-thought-to-yourself moment every now and then. But even I can admit, that isn't practical and that is definitely not what we tell ourselves every morning when putting on the layers of our face, if you get where I am coming from. I would say the ultimate "lie" in the beauty world is the NO MAKEUP makeup look. A bit of a tongue twister but let that set in and you will see that I am not very far off what us girls would do on a day to day basis especially in the summer. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying products that emphasise our natural beauty from natural looking foundations to cream blushers, the list goes on and the range is endless. Make no mistake, I am positive that no one wants to be standing in the summer heat, sweating their makeup off their faces therefore I have compiled some of my most used and most favourite makeup and beauty products for the summer. These are all fairly natural, light makeup products; nothing to dewey or heavy on the skin that might cause discomfort.


The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream
We have been thought from our schooling days to never judge a book by its cover and this is just one of the everyday situations whereby this principle applies. The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream does have a shockingly small packaging but great things come in small packages, and when I say this, I do mean it and I am not just following in the words of a mother trying to console her son/daughter on Christmas morning when the wrapped present under the tree is smaller than expected. I would look at it more as a tinted moisturiser than a BB cream in my opinion just because I find the consistency quite thin and runny. Therefore I do recommend using a foundation brush, face sponge or a beauty blender to help achieve a more even looking finish. However, a little goes a long way with this product, hence the small packaging but the coverage is still good and amazing staying power with a lighter feel on the skin, perfect for the summer. It also claims to adapt to your skin tone, which in my opinion has some truth behind it but I think it got a lot more hype than needed. I got this BB cream from a The Body Shop outlet for £12.00.

Bobbi Brown Surf Eye Palette
Lets be honest, when it comes to bright eye shadows shades, I am not exactly the number one follower. This palette is actually one half of the Bobbi Brown Sand & Surf Eye Palette. Visually, I do think that this palette is more attractive and eye catching, it consists of 8 eyeshadows, 2 of which are slightly more bold compared to the rest of the neutral shades. However, if you prefer more all-neutral shades then I recommend you give the Sand Eye Palette a look but I picked up the Surf Eye Palette as I thought it would be slightly more fun for the summer and I wanted to give fun-coloured eyeshadows a go, or a 10th go. This palette is limited edition from the Sand & Surf Collection but I believe it is still available and I got mine from a Bobbi Brown counter for £48.00

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon
This is basically just really amazing useful eyeshadow crayons and basically they are the most convenient form of eyeshadow ever, in my opinion. This eyeshadow stick is amazingly pigmented and the creamy formula makes it last on the eyes perfectly for a good while. However I find that the shimmer in the eyeshadow really does translate onto the eyes so if you are trying to go for something more matte then this might not be the perfect recommendation for you. The Colour Chameleon is made with an easy-glide formula that stays for up to 10 hours and as promised, it stays very well in place. I got two shades of the Colour Chameleons which are Champagne Diamonds and Bronze Garnet online from Net-A-Porter UK for £19.00. I love these for everyday uses, although the glitter might be slightly overboard, I find that they still look really flattering on the eyes and the way that I do it is just applying it directly and then blending it out with a slightly darker brown/dusky pink in the crease as a transition shade.

Benefit Gimmie Brow
As I am sure countless other beauty bloggers have raved about this for months now, I am about to add to that, I have used this product and loved this product for so long, in fact I have probably re-purchased this three times. I have put off reviewing this product as I assume that so many of you have already taken it upon yourself to give it a go. However, I could not resist the urge to feature this in today's blog post. Basically, it is a brow volumising fibre gel and you build it up for more voluminous brows. I find this product so convenient especially for the summer when you want easy and quick makeup looks. It is also water resistant so that you do not start sweating your brows off in the middle of the day. I apply this simply by stroking the tip of the brush along my brows to get a more defined shape and it fills it in naturally. I got my Gimmie Brow from the Benefit counter for £17.50.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner
I love coloured eyeliner for the summer. I think it is an excellent way especially for someone like me, who is not so daring when it comes to bright eye makeup to include some bright and fun colours to my everyday makeup routine. After a little bit of research, I found that Stila does this product in 29 different shades so you can have a right good time choosing which one you like the best for that pop of colour. When using this, I tend to put it either on my bottom waterline mostly or just on my bottom lash line. These eyeliners are so bright and vibrant and they just scream of summer and all things good and fun. They are also fairly long lasting and another well waterproof designed product so that you do not have bright coloured sweat/tears rolling down your face. I have quite a number of these as I have been collecting them for awhile now, but I got mine for £13.00 each. Some of my favourite colours include Cobalt, Deep Fuchsia and Turquoise.

 

Too Faced Perfect Flush Sweetheart Blush
It was the packaging wasn't it ? Yes, it was the packaging that made me absolutely fall in love with this blush because selling blushes in a heart shaped box is the way to a girl's heart and in this case, spendings. I got mine in the shade Candy Glow, and it gives a beautiful natural and glowing look to the face with and undertone of romance. Going with the whole glowing summer makeup look, this blush is not matte. I'll say it again it is NOT MATTE. However, the glitter does make the natural glow part of the natural summer look, in my opinion. I got this product at Debenhams for £24.00.

As skincare for the summer goes, I think the most important thing is SPF so do look fore a nice BB cream, foundation or tinted moisturiser and concealer that has a good amount of SPF to protect from the harsh sun. During the summer, we all would appreciate the ability to put on minimal makeup products therefore, having good skincare is key. I love using a nice face mask about two to three times a week and a face exfoliator regularly on top the routinely cleanse, tone and moisturise. If you find that your skin is a little more on the sensitive side and you have trouble finding skincare products that don't cause breakouts then I recommend using Simple. I have been using Simple skincare products for many years before, and I stuck to it religiously but somehow seem to have fallen out of it slightly. The usual applies of never sleep with a full face of makeup on, you know as well as I do, that never brings any good. Same goes for makeup wipes as well. I like using a face cleanser as I think it does a much better job and is much quicker compared to face wipes. One skincare product that has really stood out for me this summer will be the Clinique Even Better Eyes. I struggle quite a bit with dark circles and I find that this does a good job at lightening it. Miraculous ? Probably not. One step closer ? Definitely!

All good things must come to an end and speaking of which, this is my very last blog post in the Summer Simplicity series. I hope you have enjoyed this blog series as much as I have enjoyed working on them. Although I talk about many materialistic topics, I also would like to point out that summer is a good time to reflect. Therefore, I hope all of you can find happiness and joy within yourself and take a step back to appreciate the good things in life. I don't want to be the party pooping reminder, but if you are starting a new school year very soon, then I would like to wish you the very best of luck. I also hope you guys enjoy the rest of the summer before the colder months starts coming around. It has been one amazing summer for me and I do hope it has been the same for you as well. Lastly, I'd like to thank all of you if you have been updated on my Summer Simplicity series. If you have not, I will leave the links to all the Summer Simplicity blog posts below if you would like to check them out. Don't forget to check out my other social media sites as well and do comment below sharing your favourite day/experience this summer.

Have a great day ! Xx

-Summer'14

Twitter: @jessieashleyyy
Instagram: @fashion_jessie
Email: jessicashleyyy@gmail.com

To check out my Summer Simplicity blog posts,
Part 1 - Sun, Sea and Sand, click here
Part 2 - Casual Is The Way To Go, click here
Part 3 - Dress It Up, click here
Part 4 - Summertime Snacks, click here
Part 5 - Flowers vs Diamonds, click here