Summer Makeup Staples: First Impressions/Reviews

It’s that time of year again. For two years now – around July time – I’ve sat down and written a blog post detailing the contents of another big beauty splurge, silently shaming myself for the crazy amount of money I’ve just spent, but not really caring because pretty. This year is no different. Even though I’m not really going anywhere these days, the pull of Cult Beauty, Beauty Bay, Boots – it’s overwhelming. So here I am again today with 5 new beauty products to discuss with you all, because consistency is key.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing what these products look like on my face, and how they apply, go and check out my Instagram for my first ever IGTV! @everythingeleanorblog

Charlotte Tilbury –Unisex Healthy Glow

Let’s start with the first base product to make its way into my collection for a while. If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you may know I really don’t get on with foundation. It always feels too heavy on my skin and as soon as I put it on I immediately want to take it off. That’s why products like Charlotte Tilbury's Unisex Healthy Glow are such a God-send for me. A beautiful, lightweight formula that adds a hint of coverage, this is the closest, cruelty-free dupe I’ve found for the MAC Face and Body foundation that I miss every day. This product comes out white, but adapts to your skin tone the more you blend it in – something I was a bit sceptical about to start with, but it actually works very well. It also has a lovely bronze-y undertone to it – which Face and Body didn’t – making it the ideal fresh base for sun-kissed skin all summer long. I will say though, as this is a product with a very thin consistency, I’ve found applying with my fingers is the best way to tackle it – which can sometimes leave a bronze-y ring around your hairline and edges of your face where the fingers can often miss. A quick fix, but a bit annoying nonetheless. Also, the packaging, as with any Charlotte product, is no-doubt stunning, but a white tube? With a bronze-y product you apply with your fingers? A recipe for disaster. It also seems to be quite a small tube for a pretty expensive product, but I do believe a little goes a long way here, and the gorgeous glowing finish this product gives is truly second-to-none. If you are tempted to give this a go, be prepared for this to become a summer staple in your collection.

Fenty Beauty – Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer in Butta Biscuit

I am a BIG Fenty Beauty fan, but initially I wasn’t too interested in giving the new cream bronzers a go. Although after seeing all the relentless hype online about them, the shade Butta Biscuit just so happened to slip into my basket. I have a history of not really bothering with bronzer for fear it’ll make my fairly cool toned skin seem bright orange, but Fenty’s excellent shade range ensured I’d find something to suit me – and Butta Biscuit is the one. It’s a fairly neutral matte cream that I think would work well for any of my fellow fair-to-light-skinned girls and guys out there.  And it’s an absolute rocket of a product too. Its creamy, gentle formula makes it any bronzer-phobe’s dream, as it applies quite a sheer amount, making it easily buildable, and blends so effortlessly into the skin. It instantly adds a beautiful warmth to my face without it being too obvious I’m wearing bronzer, just as though I’ve been sitting out in the sun for a while – and for that reason, it pairs fantastically with the Unisex Healthy Glow to really add the effect of skin just caught by the sun. A super lovely option to add to a glowing everyday base, as well as any bolder look.

Juvia’s Place – The Warrior Eyeshadow Palette

I’ve been eyeing-up some Juvia’s Place palettes for a while now, and while their famous and courageous colourful palettes are enough to get any makeup fan interested, it was the more neutral ‘The Warrior’ palette that won me over. You just have to look at it to understand why. A 9-pan palette with the yummiest, warmest golden tones you ever did see – somewhat reminiscent of the Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette, but there’s something much more sultry and warm about this one. All of the shades are amazingly pigmented, and an absolute steal for the price you pay. Its such a versatile palette too, with some lovely everyday shades alongside some vibrant shimmers anyone on the other side of the Oceana dancefloor would see (although much better when applied with a finger, even dampened brushes don’t seem to pick up the product as well). The shadows blend beautifully too, so even if they do come off a little too heavily pigmented, it’s nothing a blending brush can’t fix. The palette itself is quite a bit bigger than I expected, but its slimline packaging allows it to be easily stored. I can’t stress how much I’d love a mirror in this palette though – the design on the underside of the cover is really pretty, but a mirror here would be so useful. That being said, much like the Fenty bronzer, I truly believe this is a fool-proof product, and I’d recommended to makeup novices and beauty gurus alike.

IT Cosmetics – Tightline Mascara

I don’t really know what I was expecting when I ordered this mascara, but what arrived certainly wasn’t it. Is that a bad thing? I can’t quite decide. Firstly, the brush is so much skinnier than I anticipated. I love a skinny-brush mascara, but this is almost taking it a bit too far. However, this ridiculously thin brush does grip the lashes right from the root and builds up product at each and every lash, making sure nothing goes untouched. For this reason its really good at defining the lashes, and I think that’s why I frequently opt for skinnier mascaras; I have quite a lot of lashes, so the more a product can make them look separated and distinct, the better. I also have worn this mascara during some really hot days, and didn’t find that it printed or transferred at all, which is a mahoosive plus. But as far as real advantages of this mascara go, that’s about it. I don’t find it holds a curl particularly well or gives much volume at all. It does say that it also works as a primer, but I’ve found it makes my lashes look quite clumpy when I’ve added another mascara over the top, undoing all the nice separation and definition it gave beforehand. The most major downside to this product though is its size. For £21, you get 3.5ml. Comparing that to an old favourite of mine – the Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara – you get 8ml for £22. And because it’s such a thin brush, you constantly have to dip into the tube again to pick up more product as it just all comes off almost instantly. Personally, I know I’m going to run out of this quickly – not because I’m in love with it, but because there’s just so little product – and I don’t think I’m prepared to pay £21 every time it empties.

Glossier – Generation G Lipstick in Leo

 From a pretty disappointing product, to one that has stolen my heart. I had never tried Glossier until I made this purchase, but I will definitely be making frequent trips back to their website after beginning my love affair with the Generation G formula. They are comfortable matte sheer lipsticks, adding such a natural hint of colour to the lips that it hardly looks like you’re wearing lipstick at all. They last really well, and despite being a matte finish, don’t feel drying in the slightest. They also smell really lovely, which isn’t something I usually look for in my lippies, but was definitely a nice surprise – something to perhaps note if you have skin sensitive to fragrance though. I opted for the shade Leo, and I’m so glad I did, because even though it adds just a touch of pigment, I’ve never had such a unique everyday nude in my collection. The pigment adapts to your natural lip colour, and on me, Leo appears as a beautiful light brown with a very slight pinkness to it. It’s the easiest colour to just throw on with any eyeshadow or face makeup, and the blotted effect it gives is so modern and chic. I need more colours, and I need them now.

We may not be able to go and do all that much at the moment, but you can bet I’ve sat in front of my mirror getting creative with all these products on many an evening. I love *most* of these bits, and I’m so excited to don them properly on my next evening out…whenever that may be. Remember to go and check out my IGTV video demonstrating how all these products look on the skin!

Until the next haul...