Summer Favourites Part 2 | Beauty Brights

For Comic Con a few weeks back I dressed forties style which included pillar box red lips and nails. I have never dared to wear such bright colours before but it turns out that putting on a bit of red lippy can be quite transforming, inside as well as out! I felt more confident, my smile was brighter and my teeth looked whiter.

Ever since I’ve been reaching for my summer brights more often than not, so I thought I’d round up my favourites!

 

 

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Mayfair Red Lady

£6.49 | Available here

I panic bought this lipstick the night before the event but it turned out to be a great buy. The lipstick is a lovely smooth formula which doesn’t dry out and lasts all day. Seriously. ALL DAY. The only thing with it is that it’s so moisture rich that I have a tendency to end up with it on my hands…. I never realised how much I must touch my lips until wearing this lippy. Moral of the story: blotting is essential!

 

No7 Precision Lips Pencil in Red

£6.75 | Available here

Because my lips don’t really have a defined shape I bought a lip liner at the same time which I use as a base. It’s a soft crayon style and I find it a lot easier to use than a pencil. Also because the line is softer, if I make a mistake I can easily correct it.

 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

£9.99 | Available here

A bright look needs a flawless base. I’ve needed a new foundation ever since I somehow managed to lose my Benefit Oxygen Wow foundation. Lauren from Blonde–vision.co.uk (whose skin always looks perfect!) recommended this one whilst we were at Centerparcs.  The fact that it’s less than half the price of Benefit’s foundation persuaded me to give it a go. There are only 3 shades to choose from so the range is really limited, but the fairest colour is working really well for me and I’d go as far as to say that I prefer it to Benefit now – hurrah for money savings!

 

To complete the look, I’ve been experimenting with bright nails as well. Here are the 3 colours that I’ve had on rotation recently:

Rimmel 60 Seconds Super Shine in Double Decker Red

£2.99 | Available here

I used to think that bright red nails were quite ‘tacky’ looking but now I think it very much depends upon the shade you use. My choice is a glossy cherry red which feels young and fresh rather than vampy. I feel more put together with it on even if I’m in jeans and a tee. 

 

I’m renowned for chipping my nail polish within a day but this one has so far lasted very well. Not bad at all for under £3.

Mavala in Waikiki Orange

£4.25 | Available here

This is a lovely coral colour. I got it free with Elle magazine ages ago but only tried it recently. I love it because it dries really quickly, so I can pop on a coat half an hour before I run out the door and not have to worry about getting finger prints in my varnish. A thin coat goes a long way and although I’ve found that it is prone to chipping, a quick touch up is all that’s needed to refresh it.
 

Essie Nail Polish in Roarrrrange

£7.99 | (as seen in my My Little Box post here)

This is the most daring colour I have ever worn. Unlike Mavala’s slightly pink shade this is full on orange, but it’s such a fun colour that I’m really enjoying the little bit of sunshine it brings to my day.

 

Dusty Girls Tinted Earth Cream for Acne Prone Skin*

£11 | Available here

Moogoo kindly sent me their Earth Cream from their Dusty Girls Makeup Range. It offers sun protection, coverage and soothing properties to help rather than hinder skin prone to breakouts. Plus as with all of their products it contains only natural ingredients.

Whilst I love the Dusty Girls range (their pink ladies mineral blush is an absolute beauty – review here) this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me, mainly because it’s quite a heavy formulation whereas I prefer a sheer coverage. It looks great once on and even gave me a bit of colour, but I had to spend quite a bit of time to blend it out as I’m so pale.

 

So why is it in my Summer favourites then? Well after my recent unfortunate episode of sunburn faded to a hint of a tan this came into it’s own. Unfortunately my tan only lasted about 3 days before I became pale and uninteresting again, so I can’t really warrant replacing this one when it runs out! I recommend it if you have a bit of colour to start with, but for my fellow pasty faces it might be a shade too dark.