Lily Lolo Mineral Blush

My last post was kind of geared towards fooling yourself into feeling like you've had a summer by the amazing trickery of bronzer. Although we did see a slice of sunshine when the big fat bully of the jet stream left us alone for one measly week, now it's back to the same old. So following on from that post I wanted to just quickly tell you about the latest little purchase from Lily Lolo who make, in my opinion, the BEST mineral foundation in loose powder format I have ever tried (and I doubt I will ever find one I prefer). Amen.

Given how much I like their foundation - I'm on my third pot of Blondie, a light neutral tone - I thought it was high time I tried one of their blushes. So I opted for a new shade, Beach Babe. That's a wishful-thinking-kind-of-name if ever I heard one. But that's OK. That's what we want! Because with this beautiful soft peachy pink and my Neal's Yard Mineral Bronzer, I am maybe one quarter of the way to becoming a Beach Babe myself! HA! All I need now is a beach, some kind of miracle bikini and some scorching hot rays. High Five! (OK and some sunscreen, shut up already)

The shade is very pretty, very summery without any sparkle because (all together now...) I hate glitter. It's just a very wearable colour. The texture is superb. Lily Lolo are really good at delivering a fine milled texture without scary nano-particles that do freaky disappearing acts in your cells and get up to nasty toxic jiggery-pokery when they shouldn't be. No, there's none of that here. Actually, although it is a great summer shade, it would be perfect all your round, as it would look very china-dollesque on a lovely pale, dainty face framed with a big cosy scarf and glossy dark locks. Can you tell I am a little sunshine-starved right now? Anyway...

I also ordered a Baby Buki brush to assist me in my Beach Babe fabulousness and although at first I thought it wasn't going to be a patch on the densely packed dream of the Super Kabuki, as this one has nowhere near the same tightly crammed bristles, it does actually perform perfectly well at popping on a dab of colour to one's grinning cheeks. Marvellous. 

Lily Lolo Mineral Blush in Beach Babe is £7.29
Baby Buki Brush is £7.99
www.lilylolo.co.uk
Tropical Paradise Picture available here. I really want this!

Neal's Yard Remedies Mineral Bronzer

Hello! Welcome back! Welcome back to me really.  I have taken rather a long hiatus I know but as Elvis (and countless others) said, 'you were always on my mind'. So let's press on yes?

It was supposed to be a sunny and dry day today. It isn't. At least it isn't sunny. And in a month where expectations are at their highest and where the reality of the modern British Summer hits home hard, it is a predictably grey and lack lustre day. I don't know about you but I remember hot summers. I remember sunbathing in my garden during the school holidays. I remember revising for my exams whilst stretched out on a blanket in 30 degree heat. WHAT the hell happened!!?? Like the rest of you, I'm so fed up with this weather!

And so to perk myself up and to pretend it is anything like July I have made bronzer a staple in my everyday make up routine. I'm dusting myself with it at every given opportunity in the vague hope I can confuse my own brain into thinking I have seen the sun in this forsaken season before Winter creeps on in.

And this is the thing. This is why this is news. I have never been a fake-tanner though I do like to dabble now and again. And although I admire that sun-kissed look on others - I have always thought it was a bit like a push up bra - just who am I kidding? Only myself really and that's just a bit sad. I'm no Californian beauty with a golden tan all year round and I always felt any attempt at that would just look well, fake. And I hate fake. But I got a bit bored of blusher and nearing an age where my skin's better days are behind me (positive attitude eh?) I definitely need a little help in illuminating, shall we say, my complexion. Stumbling across NYR's new make up line one day on Upper Street, I got particularly infatuated with this mineral bronzer. 

So I realise now a bronzer just lifts your face, makes your skin seem a little more radiant, a little more contoured and is without the need of a stupid mitt to apply it. This kind of faking it I can do!

There are two shades, warm bronze and golden bronze. I opted for the golden. It is a pretty, uncomplicated, golden brown shade, without too much sparkle. I hate glitter. I am not 8 years old. It is particularly easy to apply... Big fat brush, swirlylswirlyswirly in the lid. Tap/shake. Swirlyswirlyswirly on your face, over cheekbones, bridge of nose, temples. Sod it, the WHOLE face.

You can't really go wrong if you have a light touch. By which I mean it is very buildable and has a lot of pigment to it so be warned - I have been wearing this bronzer for a while now actually and whilst I was working it was rather too easy to put too much on a in a dark bedroom at 4 a.m. Arriving at work on board a make up bus surrounded by bright lights, big mirrors and industry professionals did amuse a few times. Nevertheless, many people said how lovely and bright it made me look and took to slapping on some bronzer themselves! 

Tempting as it is with sun-in-a-pot, I do recommend you try and restrain yourself to the high points of your face, where the sun would naturally catch you first as this looks a little softer and helps contour  for a more flattering look. Don't actually swirl it over the whole face, otherwise you may as well just spray paint a David Dickenson shade of foundation on and be done with it.

Actually, I had to make up a quite a well known chat show host the other day for a satellite link-up to New York and he was keen to have a golden glow for the sake of the American audience. Now my make up kit is particularly geared up towards blood, dirt and general fatigue at the moment from my latest jobs so I had very little in the way of "all-round American good guy" kind of products with me. I quickly whipped this out of the bag and indeed it did the trick. Not too glitzty, can-use-on-a-man kind of practicality there. Not too glamourama. Just happy, attractive skin.

And for the record, it is 11% organic, 84% mineral with no talc, no parabens and no silicones. It is infused with antioxidant white tea and some nourishing oils too, like sweet almond. Just how there is an oil in a powder I don't know. But I believe them. I am on board. And I like it. 

Neal's Yard Remedies Mineral Bronzer in Golden Bronze is £16.50 for 5.5g available in store and online.