Face Facts: Basic Bronze

And it's back to reality...  I got back from Spain on Saturday after a week of sun and playing in the pool and it's safe to say...England is freakin' hot.  I am as boiling here as I was there, except here it's worse because I don't have air-con or a pool to cool off in!

I kept my make up very minimal on holiday - most days I wore absolutely nothing except an SPF during the day.  We only went out a couple of nights, and my look was very basic, but one that I thought enhanced the sun tan freckles that I had going on...

FACE FACTS

Soap and Glory Glow Job

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Bourjois Bronzing Powder & Highlighting Duo

Bourjois Cream Blush in 05 Pink Sunwear

Rimmel Brow Pencil in Dark Brown

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Bronze

The Body Shop Carbon Eye Definer in Brown

Bourjois Liner Feutre in Gold Shine

Maxfactor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara

Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss in Or Feeric

Real Techniques Contour Brush
Real Techniques Setting Brush

Barry M Gelly Polish in Passionfruit

To start, I applied Soap and Glory Glow Job.  I absolutely love this, and have had this around a year now, so I think it needs to go soon, but it's so nice!  It's a chocolate orange scented moisturiser with bronze beads inside, so when you rub it in, it blends out into a nice sun kissed glow.  The only downside, it comes across mighty shiny on my already oily skin, so I covered with a quick slick of Benefit's Porefessional.  It smoothed over my skin, and also matted down the Glow Job.

I contoured and coloured with the Bourjois Bronzing Powder & Highlighting Duo and the cream blush in Pink Sunwear.  These work really nicely together, and added natural definition and colour to my cheeks.  I used The Body Shop Shimmer Waves for my eyes, taking the individual shades from the waves to add some colour to my eyelids, followed by a smokey slick of the Carbon Eye Definer, and some golden highlights along my lower lash line and top inner corner with the Liner Feutre.  I finished my eyes with the Maxfactor False Lash mascara, and topped the entire look off with a lipgloss - I'm not normally a fan of lipgloss, but I wanted something subtle, yet enhancing for my lips!

And there we have it!  My evening make up for a Summer's night in Spain!

Bourjois Cream Blush: 05 Pink Sunwear

Another gorgeous treat which is definitely making it's way into my holiday make up bag...the Bourjois Cream Blush in Pink Sunwear.  The Bourjois pot blush was the first ever blush that I ever bought; it was a constant repurchase through school, and it stayed in my inside blazer pocket for quick boosts of colour on my lunch break!  

The cream versions have been out a while now, but I've never managed to get round to trying them.  Pink Sunwear is an upcoming release from this years Summer collection, and what a beauty it is!

The packaging is a lot smaller than the powder pot blushes, maybe by about half, but it's a lot more compact so it's perfect for popping in your handbag, slotting into your already brimming make up bag, or if you're in school, hiding in your blazer pocket!  Unlike my original pot blush, this one has a magnetic close to make sure your cream blush stays nice and clean!

Matching the pot itself, the cream blush is unlike any other colour I own.  It looks quite an intense copper in the pan, but once blended onto the skin, it's a flawless wash of Summer glow with a hint of pink.  I always favour cream blush in the Summer, and last years holiday cream blush was a neon orange/hot pink duo from Topshop, which I'm sure will make an appearance again this year, but my main go to will definitely be this to help me look like a bronzed goddess...ha, I don't even know why I am saying that, because I have practically zero ability to tan!

I feel confident though that this shade will compliment, and enhance any colour I do get though!

The formulation itself is perfect.  A semi-matte finish with an almost gel like cream formula which doesn't feel sticky in the slightest; it's so light, and applies so easily.  I don't feel like I'm caked, and that's perfect for the Summer months; it's seamless and looks completely natural, like it's my own skin.  You can see below it's sheer enough to let my freckles come through, but it's really easy to build up a bolder colour if you wanted to!

I've been applying this  by buffing it in with my Real Techniques Contour Brush because it's small enough to fit into the pan, as well as work into the apples of my cheeks.  I don't own a flat top brush though, but would love to try application with one, so let me know your recommendations!  Wear time, like the bronzing highlighter duo, is amazing.  I have oily skin, but found that this was still giving me some colour after a full day at work!

Will you be trying the new Bourjois Cream Blushes?

Bourjois Bronzing Powder & Highlighter Duo

What a good week I'm having.  You might have seen on Twitter I've been holiday stressing, and moaning a lot about shoes, but despite all of that I've had a very lucky week - I won some bits from the new Bourjois Summer release!  I'm so happy, because I actually go on holiday on Saturday (argh!!) and I now have some nice little Summer treats to pack away in my make up bag.

The first thing I tried from the new collection was the much talked about Bronzing Powder & Highlighter duo!  It comes packaged in the same style packaging as the original Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer, which is a small, but sturdy, cardboard book with a secret magnetic seal to keep the powder protected.

Inside is a matte bronzer, and a shimmering ivory highlight with hints of pink and gold, which reminds me of a bolder version of the Java Rice Powder.  They've kept the classic chocolate block shapes, and of course, the scent is just amazing.  Sniffing the product was actually the first thing I did, because I love Bourjois scents!  This one smells sickly sweet, like chocolate, but doesn't linger once it has been applied.

  

The matte bronzer is really warm, so I think it'll work best with a tan.  I'm averagely pale at the moment, so I've had to apply with a light hand so that I don't go overboard, and just a hint of colour and contour is there.  I've found it to be really natural though without a tan, and because it's matte, it does a great job at making your skin look naturally sunkissed, but can't wait to see what it will look like when I have a bit of a glow going on.

The highlight shade is also really nice.  I think I'll get lots of use from this regardless of a tan, because it's really flattering.  It is quite shimmery, but it blends out really nicely for a nice radiant glow which compliments  and contrasts against the matte bronzer, so you can get some real shape to your face with some contouring!

I applied the bronzer to the hollows of my cheeks, a little around my temples and hair line, a little on my jaw lines and also a touch down the sides of my nose.  I then applied the highlight down the centre of my nose, and on the tops of my cheekbones.  Wear time is actually really good, and has lasted me throughout a long, hot day at work!  I'll have to report back how it wears on holiday!

I'll be popping up reviews of the rest of the products throughout the weekend and next week!  Stay tuned!

What will you be picking up from the Bourjois Summer collection?