5 highlighters for the perfect glow

The cool chill of Autumn has well and truly hit it's peak this week, the chilly weather has certainly pushed me to stay wrapped in my duvet and french bulldog socks all day. You may be wondering whether or not the Winter of 2015 had me trapped in my bed forever... Maybe i fell in love with Bali and just decided to live there? If only... The point is i'm back lovelies and I'm here to stay so why not start the new and improved blog up with my top 5 highlighters that'll give you that sun-kissed glow...without the sun.

I'm a highlighter girl at heart, whether i'm hitting the beach, strolling those Sunday Markets or just brunching it with my girls a good glow is always a must. 

Inglot Sparkling dust shade 01

A loose highlighting powder for a serious glow. The Inglot sparkling Dust is your new beauty best friend if you're after a highlighter/illuminator that packs a punch of sparkle. This highlighter really catches the light, I use this on a fan brush as the consistency means you only need a little to seriously glow up your skin. I also love using this as an eyeshadow by spraying a flat eyeshadow brush with MAC Fix+. 

Tarte Cosmetics Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette vol. II

The Tarte Skin Twinkle lighting palette vol. II, is by far my most loved and most used highlighter out of my collection. The first two shades have been my saviours when being too lazy to fake-tan, these shades are simply perfect for fair skin shades. The consistency is incredibly creamy and so pigmented perfect for the cheekbones and under brow arch!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit- Sun dipped

This is my most recent highlighter purchase, I am clearly obsessed with highlighters and don't plan to stop purchasing or using them any time soon! ABH are the queens of highlight so I'd be a fool not to try out their Sun Dipped Glow Kit, which I believe is a Sephora exclusive. These tones are definitely more suited to more olive or in my case Bondi Sands tanned skin tones but are equally as gorgeous as the Tarte quad. The also have a similar glow as the quad but slightly less creamy so you may need a little more application. 

Mac Mineralised Skin Finish- Soft and Gentle 

A beauty must have! MAC Soft & Gentle has been a cult favourite for years so of course this needed to be mentioned! As this baby is a skin finish it has a more subtle glow when compared to the others but a gorgeous champagne finish for a natural glow. If i want a little extra shimmer and sparkle I spray my brush in a little Fix+ just to build that glow. 

Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Twinkle

Benefit's first ever powder highlighter!  This baby forms part of Benefits Dandelion range and is a subtle pinky-champagne shade perfect for fair skin tones! I also love using this under my brow bone for a subtle pop of glowing pink perfection. This is definitely more of a day wear highlighter as it really gives you that perfect ' glowing from within' look. 

Have I tempted you with any of my faves? Let me know your favourites that i could add to my collection, I'd love to know.

Katie

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Favourite blushes for pale skin tones

Winter is on its way bringing with it the inevitable loss of our rosy cheeks and glowing skin. Blush can completely reinvent a makeup look when your skin is look a little dull. I have a naturally fair skin tone and have over time found a few blushes that have really helped in battling lifeless looking skin. These products would also be great throughout the winter to mimic the natural flush of the sun.

This illamasqua blush is by far my favourite for two reasons, the first because of the name 'Katie' and two for its perfect baby-doll pink colour. This blush is incredibly pigmented and has a very silky light texture that doesn't crumble on the brush or have fall out. I love using this with my Hourglass ambient lighting palette.

Pink and peach blushes are the perfect tones for pale skin tones particularly those with blue undertones. I love the Benefit Dandelion blush which I mentioned in my Benefit box collection for swapping out my usual pink blushes for a gorgeous peach. 

If barbie pinks or ballerina peaches aren't for you then I recommend the range of blushes by Hourglass. They are 'lighting' blushes and so can almost double as a highlight but make for excellent blushes throughout the winter months or for fair skin tones to add life to your skin. This blush is in the shade Diffused Heat and is a rosy poppy shade and very pigmented. 

I love these three products (among others) especially throughout the winter times, although all blushes particularly Diffused Heat looks amazing with tanned skin as well.

Let me know if you have tried these products or which blushes you use to create glowing skin!

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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Benefit boxes collection

Benefit has long been one of my favourite brands their packaging is just to die for in particular their Benefit 'boxes'. I have a few Benefit beauty box products that I have loved for a very long time, some of which are re purchases. I know the selection can be a little over whelming as there are so many different colours and shades to choose from so I thought I would share with you my favourites from the selection they sell. 

Out of all the Benefit boxes I own, Thrrrob is by far my favourite. This blush is ridiculously pigmented with excellent colour pay off. A little goes a very long way with this product which is great as I want it to last as long as possible. I haven't seen this product in store for a while now and I have a feeling it may have been discontinued so i'm using it sparingly. The colour of this blush is the perfect barbie rose pink with a matte finish. I have used this blush on my natural fair skin as well on tanned and it looks great on both. 

Dandelion is a pretty peachy ballerina pink that Benefit describes as a 'brightening' blush which is very true! This blush provides a super delicate and gentle flush to the cheeks. It is not as pigmented as Thrrrob but very buildable. The finish is relatively matte and slightly satin. 

As you can probably tell this blush I have owned for a very long time,unfortunately the Benefit box packaging, while very cute, are not very durable but it's what's on the inside that counts right? Sugarbomb is crazily shimmery with an almost satin finish every time I go to use it I feel like i'm about to apply sugar on my face so use it sparingly! This blush has four different shades which you could use separately but I prefer swirling all the shades together to create a soft pink. When using this blush I use a very little amount without a highlight as it really is super shimmery. 

Hoola is part of the Benefit box collection and is a bronzer...my absolute favourite bronzer might I add. I have just reached pan on this product and it is possibly one of the worst things to happen to a beauty lover! Hoola is the perfect soft brown matte bronzer which doesn't come off as muddy particularly on fairer skin tones. This product is buildable and pigmented but also effortless to blend which is always helpful when it comes to contouring. I use this both to contour my cheeks and nose but also to warm up my complexion. 

Do you own any Benefit beauty boxes? what are your thoughts, let me know which products I should try out!

Katie

You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter.

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