What Make-Up Did You Wear On Holiday? Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser

So as some of you know, I recently went on holiday to California and did a bit of a road trip from San Francisco – Yosemite – Death Valley – Las Vegas – Palm Springs – LA/Hollywood – Santa Barbara then along route 1 to Monterey.  I absolutely loved it and had the best time!

Before I went I was trying to figure out what Make-up I would wear during the day because when its really hot the last thing I wanted was the sweaty make up running down my face look!

People often ask me what make-up I wear when going on holiday (when I’m just on a relaxing holiday by the pool) I started not to wear any and last time I went away I used the ‘Garnier Ambre Solaire BB Sun Face Protection SPF30’ which worked well but looked a bit streaky on my skin and it was supposed to blend naturally with your skin tone but it didn’t really, it was only £9 from boots, but I found a much better product that I will get onto!

If you are going on holiday and you do want to wear make up to cover your birthmark or imperfection then I would use Veil Cover Cream as it is waterproof and lasts most of the day.

So moving back onto the holiday and what make-up I used!

I found a new product which I LOVE! It is ‘Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser’ in shade ‘Natural Radiance’ it says on the on the bottle lightweight flawless coverage and it does exactly that! By no means did it cover my birthmark but I wasn’t bothered about that I just wanted something that contained sun protection as well as something that will make my skin look healthy and glowing for during the day.

It gives a natural, warm healthy glow with plenty of coverage to hide blemishes, it lasted throughout the day without the radiant glow fading. It contains SPF 2O so it’s ideal for wearing on holiday.

It felt good to be not wearing any make up, I felt free!

Because I loved this product so much I also wore it on an evening, I used it all over my face and then used ‘Young Blood Mineral Foundation’ just over my birthmark and then blended a little bronzer all over to give my face an even look.

It is £34 but it is definitely worth it, I will definitely be buying it again and use it more often than just on holiday! This is a must have item for your make-up bag!

If you're body positive, why do you cover your birthmark?

A question I got asked a few days ago, so I thought I'd write a blog post on it in case anyone else thought the same thing and I felt like I needed to clarify myself.

I cover because it's just part of my everyday make-up routine, like most girls. Just because I am body positive doesn't mean i will be make up free forever, I like wearing it. 

There's no right or wrong in wearing it, I do what makes me happy and if I'm able to help people along the way then it's a bonus.

I used to be the girl that was afraid to go out the house with no make-up on but I'm not that girl now, I'm not bothered anymore, I have accepted myself and my flaws and I'm turning them into a positive and that's all that matters to me. I will go out with no make-up on or I will go out with. I'm still the same person.

I love make-up so if I suddenly stopped wearing it, I wouldn't be me anymore.

I'm sure we have all had those days where your not wearing as much make-up as usual and someone says "You look really tired, is everything ok?"

No, not tired, but thanks for letting me know I look like a heap of shit. 

Make-up is a powerful thing it's every woman's secret weapon.

I would say make-up is a little hobby of mine, I like to try out new make-up looks when I'm bored or watch YouTube make-up tutorials. 

'Makeup is not a tool meant to make ugly things beautiful. It is meant to magnify the beauty that already exists.' 

I-Bronze Rio Bronzer by New CID Cosmetics

Bronzers for me are one of the main items I use for my daily make up. I prefer to use a bronzer rather than a blusher because I think I'm naturally quite pale and I like to add a bit of colour to my face.

The bronzer first of all comes in its own individual cardboard packaging. It's then placed inside a high-tec sturdy flip lid container, which even comes with its own compact mirror on the inside of the lid. 

I came across this product as it was highly rated on www.lookfantastic.com.

I couldnt help but notice just how gorgeous the bronzer is, with its baked look and marbled swirl effect as soon as you open it up, I just love anything that's girly and pretty so I had to buy it!

The swirly, chocolately, pinky gorgeousness creates the most naturally crafted shadow into the cheek bones with a hint of shimmer. 

Finally a product that gives you a sun kissed look without that orangey tone!

Priced at £24.00 you definitely get what you pay for and I would buy this product again.   

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation

I was born with a port wine stain birthmark covering the left side of my face, I love trying out new products to see what they are like for coverage and to see what works best for me and my skin. 

I love Charlotte Tilbury products and I saw they released the new 'Magic Foundation' there was also a make up tutorial on Charlotte covering birthmarks (http://youtu.be/xIJmbsED0K4) so I thought I would give it a go. 

I found this product so easy to apply although over my birthmark it did take me a few coats to give me good coverage. I can't get my birthmark completely covered with this but I would give it a good 8.5/10 for coverage on my skin.

If you don't have a birthmark and you just want to cover redness or blemishes or your birthmark is lighter than mine then this product would definitely give you great coverage. 

The foundation feels really light, silky and comfortable on my skin and it really does give you that flawless effect.

Priced at £29.50 I would say this is a great buy as the quality of the product is fantastic. 

I would definitely buy this product again as it feels great on my skin! 

Perfection in Imperfections

Perfection is overrated. A little imperfection is good for us. Look at a beautiful face in any airbrushed picture and you will see that something is missing. It doesn't look quite right; there's nothing unique. There's a certain amount of perfection in being imperfect.✌🏼️💜

I love pancake day! The healthy option?

I love pancake day! I went for the healthier option... Banana pancakes. They are made from 1 banana, 2 eggs, dash of vanilla essence and half a teaspoon of baking powder. I also oiled the frying pan with coconut oil. 

Firstly blend your banana, then whisk your 2 eggs together and add to the blended banana, then add your vanilla essence and baking powder and blend them all together. 

The only bad thing is the spoon of Nutella I added! But they tasted delicious! 

You can also add blueberries to the mixture which is also lovely and then serve with honey for the proper healthy version :) 

Heart shaped too! 

 

You are who you are...

Hi guys, I've received lots of messages recently asking me how I cope with having a birthmark and what advice can I give? But the truth is I guess I just accepted it as who I am, Ive never let it stop me from doing things I love and as I've grown older I realise it's protected me from unaccepting and unthoughtful people, keep positive and confident in your own skin, you only live once so don't waste your time worrying. You are who you are, embrace it and never let anyone dull your sparkle ✨