My Boots Summer Beauty Lookbook

#AD – This post is in collaboration with Boots

Whats your Summer Beauty Lookbook? I have to admit, when it comes to Summer make up, or make up in general for that matter, I have been stuck in a bit of a rutt.

I do wear make up – but it’s all a bit amateur, and I have to admit I don’t put in a great deal of effort.  Our mornings always seem to be a bit of a rush, and I seem to spend so long getting everyone else ready that the majority of the time my make up is applied rapidly in the car park when I get to work, or if im having a particularly bad morning, in the toilets once I’ve removed my sunglasses and rushed through the office trying to avoid anyone who might get a fright if they saw me in all my fresh faced glory.

I struggle with eye bags, grey tired skin and blackheads, and I am definitely feel out of my comfort zone when it comes to embracing summer make up trends.

I was recently challenged by Boots to do just that. Taking inspiration from the upcoming beauty and fragrance trends for Summer 2019, the aim was to push myself to try something different and determine whether they could lead to a habit change for me. After experimenting with brighter colours, lip shades and creating that ‘sunkissed glow’ at home, could I see myself rocking some of these new beauty looks this Summer? How hard would they be for me to maintain and recreate at home and most importantly how did they make me feel?

Lets find out!

Boots sent me a package of their predicted best sellers for 2019, including some of 2019’s key trends which are:

• Bright colours
• Sunkissed and subtle
• Fresh summer scents

Subtle Skintones

First things first, my face could definitely do with a bit of a freshen up. I have previously been applying foundation and blusher in an attempt to create that natural sunkissed glow and failing miserably. I am extremely fair skinned and my skin is very dry, so despite attempting tinted moisturisers and BB creams, the coverage is poor and the results variable. I was sent the Botanics Illuminating Radiance Balm which not only smells absolutely amazing, but is light and easy to apply – almost gliding on to my skin. Used alone it is a great way to add an immediate healthy glow by veiling tired or dull skin, but can also be used as a primer under make up to create a long lasting and base. Even without make up on, I could see an immediate brightening effect to my skin after application. This product has been a big hit, and I will definitely continue using this. I can imagine in a Winter months this would also be a make up must have!

When it comes to lip colour, I very rarely wear anything other than a touch of lip gloss or Vaseline on my lips, but I have to admit I always get lip envy when I see girls rocking out a bright statement lipstick or the more natural rosy shades. I was sent an e.l.f Matte lip colour in natural. I haven’t had much experience of the E.l.f brand before, but it offers cruelty free and vegan friendly products that are affordable in their price range. This jumbo lip pencil can be twisted up so never needs to be sharpened, and is very easy to apply.  Enriched with Vitamin A, C and E, the matte effect lip colour helped add moisture and hydration to my lips, whilst creating a natural and matt shade. It’s amazing how something as simple as a swipe of lip colour made me feel a bit better about my overall look – perfect for work, and can be layered with lip gloss if I wanted to create a glossy effect for the evenings.

Sunkissed Summer Vibe

As someone who is very pale, I have always been very nervous about tanning at home – I have previously bought tanning products with the best of intentions, only for them to remain in the bathroom cabinet unused, with the fear of orange elbows or tell tale streaks putting me off. Since I had a melenoma in situ mole removed last year, I have to be extremely careful in the sun but am also scared to have a spray tan, as fear I will end up looking like Ross from friends. The struggle is real!

Boots sent me some of these Isle of Paradise self tanning drops, which sounded like a great alternative option! You simply add a few drops of the Isle of Paradise to your own moisturiser and apply as normal – the more drops you use, the darker the colour. I decided to air on the side of caution and added two drops to my normal Clinique moisturiser and am chuffed to bits with the result (although its almost impossible to photograph!). My partner described it as a “day 2 of your holiday” sunkissed glow, and I have to admit, it has almost immediately made me feel a little bit better about myself. No streaks (although they do recommend you wash your palms thoroughly after application!) and no orangey shades – it has created a subtle yet natural shade. Isle of Paradise is also formulated with SuperBalance complex to help reduce redness and calm your skin, and is available in 3 different shades to suit your skin tone. Now that I know how it works, I am going to be a little braver and try a few more drops on the next application. Very easy to apply, no need for long winded exfoliation or tanning mitts, and an overall big hit!

Shine Bright Like a Diamond 

When it comes to colour and bright shades, I have to admit I am a little bit more reserved, tending to opt for a subtle smokey eye or a pale pink nail. This Summer, bright neon shades, glitter make up and vivid pops of colour are set to be all the rage, so experimenting with colour was a real push out my comfort zone

First of all I had a play with the Fenty Beauty Baeside Vivid Liquid Eyeliner Trio. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of this brand yet – Fenty Beauty is Rihanna’s new make up line, which up until recently was only available to buy at Harvey Nichols, it is now stocked in larger Boots stores and online, and has very quickly become one of the most talked about beauty brands on the planet! Fenty Beauty is 100% cruelty free and ready to break all the make up rules to show that one size doesn’t fit all – with over 40 foundation and 50 different concealer shades.
The Baeside Vivid Liquid Eyeliner Trio is from Fenty Beauty’s Getting Hotter collection – and features three individual liquid liners in blue, coral and lime green. The liners have an extra fine precision brush which can be use to glide on eyeliner and create a super smooth cats eye in one stroke.

These neon tropical colours are perfect for Summer months, and depending on how brave you are, you can either add a touch of colour or be more daring to create a bright festival look.

I decided to embrace my inner 90s teen (who didn’t love a blue mascara growing up?) and add a pop of neon blue to my eyes. In all honesty I wasn’t sure what I would make of it but I actually love the overall effect – perfect for brightening up my make up look in the sunshine. They were easy to apply, and super smooth even with a slightly shaky hand! I am not sure how often I would use the green (this may suit darker skin tones better), however the blue and coral shades are really pretty, and I will definitely experiment with some false lashes to see what other effects I can create.

For another injection of colour, I wanted to introduce a bit of brightness to my nails, and the Barry M Under the Sea Range is a great way to do this – with their pearlescent, two tone colour shifting shades helping embrace my inner mermaid! I opted for the blue/green shades of Sea Turtle and Electric eel. They dry quickly and shimmer in the sunshine to create an almost pinky / purply glimmer effect. At only £3.99 each and with a wide range of colours available, these have been a fun bright addition, and unsurprisingly have been a hit with Erin too!

Last but not least, this summer is all about scents so I’ve been spritzing on a bit of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Scandal – a touch behind the ears and on my wrist. With the scent of blood orange, honey and gardenia, this perfume is a subtle breath of fresh air which smells fresh and feminine. I wore this for the first time this weekend and had not one, not two but three people (1 of whom was a total stranger!) ask me what perfume I was wearing. I will take that as a win!

Overall, I have really enjoyed experimenting with different make up and beauty looks over the last week, and it’s definitely opened my eyes (no pun intended) to some of the different make up methods and techniques. I am feeling a lot more confident and embracing the glow! All the items featured are available to buy at Boots online and in larger stores.

Which of the Summer 2019 looks are you most excited to try this season?