Summer Make Up for Pale Skin

For all pale skinned gals – I have managed to create a 'look' for the summer months with a few make up items reserved for when everyone else is glowing.

I'm not a fan of fake tan and I'm never in the sun long enough to get the real thing, but with the right bronzer, highlighter and colours for your cheeks, lip and eyes, the illusion of that much sought after healthy sun-kissed glow can be achieved with very little effort.

Base & eyes

A light base is a must during summer. The Bourjois 123 Perfect cc cream – full review here – is my number one favourite because it's so light but corrects and conceals all imperfections. 

The Rimmel wake me up concealer in ivory brightens up the under eye area, and I add a little bit of the Bobbi Brown creamy concealer kit in porcelain and white for extra coverage. 

I use the Soap & Glory one heck of a blot translucent powder to set my base – again, it's light, but takes away all shine. 

The Rimmel scanadaleyes eyeliner in 005 nude helps to open up the eyes and create the illusion of bigger, brighter eyes. 

I used a very small amount of the Wet n Wild color icon eyeshadow palette in 738 comfort zone and the Maybelline great lash mascara in very black to give my eyes some definition. The colours in the eyeshadow palette are neutral and subtle on pale skin.

Cheeks

Bourjois cream blush in nude velvet. 

This cream to powder blush amazes me every time I use it. Like a lot of Bourjois products, it smells beautiful – like sweets and flowers – and the colour is a perfect peach which looks so natural on the skin. I use the Real Techniques buffing brush to apply this on the apples of my cheeks and it's no fuss at all.

The Body Shop honey bronzer in 01 light matte

I bought this on Essiebutton's recommendation and I can't praise it enough. I am so bored of seeing orange, dark bronzers in the shops which look ridiculous on pale skin, but this one works so well, and it blends in to make it look very natural. I use the Lola kabuki brush to apply this on my cheek bones.

Hard Candy so baked bronzer in 129 tiki

I got this bronzer in the prize package of a huuuuge giveaway on Essiebutton's YouTube channel last year (still can't believe I won) and it is the prettiest highlighting bronzer I have ever used. The gold and peach colours make it perfect for when it's sunny, and when applied on top of the honey bronzer it looks lovely. I apply this at the top of my cheek bones, to the sides of my face and on my brow bones with the Bobbi Brown face blender brush.

Lips

Rimmel apocalips liquid lipstick in luna

This is another product I received in the giveaway prize and I love it. The apocalips range got a lot of hype last year and the year before, and although the formula isn't brilliant for staying power, it's moisturising and glossy but not sticky at all – like a pigmented, high shine lip balm. The colour matches the cream blush and it's my favourite lip colour for the summer.

What are your top summer make up products for pale skin? As you can probably tell, Essiebutton has been my main inspiration for this post – it was her blog and YouTube channel that helped me choose the right products for my skin tone and, in fact, inspired me to start this blog. Check out her site for more pale skin suitable product reviews and tutorials : )

Perfume Memories

Have you ever dabbed an old perfume on your neck and wrists, and a sudden wave of emotion comes over you, and thoughts of people, places, events and stories flood into your brain all at once? This happened to me recently when I swapped my summery scents for my wintery ones. It made me appreciate each one of them, despite some of the bad memories.

When I go back to an old scent after a while of wearing something different, I remember all sorts of things. It can be a uncomfortable, sometimes even distressing, but also wonderful, exciting and heartwarming.

Winter Perfume Memories

Stella McCartney The Print Collection 2 EDP

Perhaps this is not a wintery scent. Perhaps that is what I associate the perfume with as my mum gave it to me last Christmas, and I wore it during the colder months. When I wear it I feel red and green and gold and silver. I feel the warmth of my home after a walk in the cold. I feel my woolen scarf and winter coat and black boots. 

Chloé by Chloé EDP

I first got this when I was sixteen for my Birthday after falling in love with the sample I found in a magazine. I have gone through a couple of bottles of this since then and I think it's a love that will last forever. Chloé makes me think of special occasions, and my sixteenth Birthday when I first wore it. I feel Christmassy and glamorous when I wear it. I feel pretty even on days when I feel ugly.

Summer Perfume Memories

SeeBy Chloé EDP

SeeBy Chloé reminds me of my sister, Sarah, because she had it first. When I wear this scent I also remember the end of the summer just past; new things and change. It's a fusion of sadness, anxiety, excitement and my Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter body butter lotion.

Tam Dao by Diptyque EDT

Although Tam Dao by Diptyque is one of my absolute favourite perfumes, has a unique, musky, I-can't-stop-smelling-this scent, ultimately, it reminds me of a bad time in my life. I got it for my Birthday this year and I was going through a really rough time. University was over, as was a two year relationship and I was feeling pretty lost. However, I refuse to let any of that ruin this gorgeous perfume for me, and will continue to wear it as it is stunning, but it is proving a lot more difficult to disassociate bad memories from beautiful scents.

Love of Pink by Lacoste EDT

Lacoste Love of Pink takes me back to the first year of University. I went to Bristol on my 19th Birthday and had a voucher to spend at a perfume shop that my Grandpa gave me. My sister had the Lacoste Touch of Pink perfume when she was younger and it reminded me of her, but now it makes me think of the Summer of 2011, writing to uni friends, traveling up and down the country on the train to see them, being young and falling in love. I only wear this in the warmer months, as a result, and it isn't one that I would choose first but I like it on a floaty dress and ice creams kind of summer's day.

What are your perfume memories? Have you got a favourite scent? Read more about smell and memory here.

Super Smooth - Soap & Glory

Last Christmas I got my first taste of the much raved about Soap & Glory in the form of the Clean On Me shower gel from a friend, and I was instantly won over by its scent, purpose and ability to make my skin feel super smooth. Since then I have purchased, received and loved many more S&G products and for that, my skin has been SO grateful.

I've always been a bit lazy when it comes to shaving my legs and never really bothered with the whole exfoliate, shave and moisturising lark, but recently I have found myself getting into the routine of using my Soap & Glory products to get my skin looking, feeling and smelling good. All for the sake of pampering myself.

The Breakfast Scrub is my favourite out of all my S&G products because it smells like FUDGE. It says on the lid that it's a maple scent but it just reminds me of my favourite fudge shop. It's so hard not to eat this stuff, seriously. It is also really therapeutic to use (if a bit numbing on the hands). I rub it all over my legs, paying particular attention to my knees because I find that is where the dry patches and dead skin collect (gross).

Then I use a loofer and four pumps of Clean On Me shower gel. It smells fruity but sweet at the same time and I love it. I started using this 500ml bottle in January this year and I'm only coming to the end of it now. I promise I do shower, but this stuff just lasts for SO LONG. It's excellent and I will definitely be repurchasing when it's completely finished.

When I'm out of the shower I slather my arms, legs and body with The Righteous Body Butter until it has all absorbed and I smell like a human marshmallow.

The Soap & Glory Hand Food smells like the body butter and shower gel and will be a handbag staple for me this winter - my hands get so dry and cracked and this stuff really works to soothe and soften them.

Do you like Soap & Glory? I used to be a bit skeptical about the brand because of the packaging - it made me think that the actual product might lack something but I have loved every single one of the products I have tried so far. My skin feels a lot softer, smoother and I am so pleased that the products do exactly what they promise.