We’re back with our second instalment of ‘Bloggers Corner’! This time, we asked one of our favourite UK beauty bloggers – the very knowledgeable Tamara of green beauty blog Rainbow Feet – to reveal her natural beauty must-haves. Read on to discover her natural beauty favourites and tips on how to use them…
I have a strange relationship with make-up. On the one hand I am attracted to all the pretty colours, sparkly powders and often sleek looking packaging: that feeling of power and confidence that you can get from a quick swipe of red lipstick. Watching myself transform from a girl next door into a Mata Hari, with help of a few trusted beauty products, is a lot of fun! Make-up can be my armour, no matter what face I want to present to the world it is there at my fingertips, waiting to be used. But there is the other darker side to it, it can make you feel inadequate to be without it: like you are somehow not good enough without that extra dose of colour, like letting anyone see you without that veil is making yourself vulnerable. I guess these feelings towards make-up, that are completely at odds with each other, are what guide my choices. I like to experiment with colours, but often go completely bare faced with no trace of make-up. I actually have quite a collection stored in boxes, to suit my every flight of fancy, and I have a box completely dedicated to rms beauty. My go-to trusted selection (which gets updated seasonally) is quite small, not even a tenth of my overall stash, and lives in a Holistic Silk make-up bag. While I normally like to be creative and try new things, for convenience and those occasions where I need to be sure that a product won’t fail me, everything in this bag has stood the test of time and still gives a great variety of looks to suit different moods. I like my make-up to make a statement, but as I am getting older less is definitely more, and while I still have more products then any one person needs hidden in various boxes and drawers, I still believe in quality over quantity. I rely on my skincare and eating habits to give me good skin, and my life experience to give me confidence, make-up is an accessory that gives me joy, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I forgot to put it on.
- W3LL PEOPLE Nudist Colourbalm Stick in ‘Poppy’ No.8: It offers beautiful, slightly see through colour that makes me think of peonies (I honestly think they should reconsider and call it peony). It is a colour balm, so your lips will be kept super smooth and kissable, with a hint of peppermint flavour. You can intensify the colour with a few extra swipes, but while it may look bright in the tube, it is still not as intense as a lipstick, so for me it is more of a daytime product.
- W3LL PEOPLE Narcissist Foundation and Concealer Stick in ‘Fair Golden’ No.2 : I actually dislike foundation as a class. I do grudgingly use it on special occasions, but only on selected areas where I feel that my skin tone is not even, never on the whole face. I really like this foundation for that purpose: number 2 is a great match that allows me to cover redness without having to apply a foundation mask, and it is great at covering individual blemishes that like to make an unexpected appearance from time to time.
- W3LL PEOPLE Universalist Colourstick in Dusty Rose: It’s a gorgeous warm petal pink. This is one of very few creamy cheek colours that I actually like, as it gives a very lovely flush. Even though it is not as bright a colour as I normally would choose for a blush, it somehow just works. It is a little drying on my lips, so I make sure to use a glossy lip balm before applying it. I do like to play match maker with my cheeks and lips.
- Kjaer Weis Eye Shadow in Cloud Nine, Magnetic, Earthy Calm, Wisdom & Blue Wonder: My eyes have become increasingly sensitive in the last few years, but I have never had any problems with KW shadows, and the colours are gorgeous to boot.
- Cloud Nine is the palest colour with just a hint of pearl, I use it as my base colour and occasionally to highlight my cheekbones. It is perfect for that “no-make-up, make-up” look and when used on its own it just gives you a bit of a well rested healthy glow look where you can’t really tell that any product has been used.
- Magnetic is a brown gold, you can use it for just a hint of colour all over the lid, or more concentrated close to the lash line to give a bit more depth to your eyes. I like to use it for a bronzed look, paired up with gold highlighter and a coral or bright pink lip.
- Earthy Calm is a really flattering brown that doesn’t make me look like I haven’t been sleeping. I was almost ready to give up on a greener alternative of a pressed brown eye shadow before finding this one! I like to use it instead of an eye liner, close to the lash line and layered for a more intense colour.
- Wisdom is a taupe that claims to enhance any eye colour. Well, I couldn’t just leave such a boast untested, and it turned out to be my go to eye shadow. It doesn’t look all that special in the pan, but wow! Oh how it transforms your gaze into that of a mysterious seductress. I tend to use it in my signature eye liner-style look, with a bit of flick in the outer corners of the eyes.
- Blue Wonder once applied sort of reminds of the colour of dark denim. I love using it as a twist on a smokey eye, no fancy application techniques needed. I apply a straight thickish line as close as possible to the lash line on the upper eyelid with an angled flat brush, then with a round fluffy brush blend it upwards up to the crease making sure that the colour is most intense close to the lash line. Then, I carefully line the lower eye lid with just a touch of colour right into the lash line. Blue can be a tricky colour to master and certain shades can look a little off: I can’t fail to notice that in a lot of TV dramas strippers and working girls seem to have some sort of horrendous blue rainbow framing their peepers. Well not to worry, this offering is really at the other end of the spectrum, and looks really modern and fresh!
- Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Desired Glow: Sort of in between a blush and a bronzer, it gives you that just back from the holidays vibe and works perfectly with any of the above eye shadows.
- Kjaer Weis Lip Tint in Passionate, Goddess and Dream State:
- Passionate is what I would call a “your lips but a better shade”. It’s perfect for daytime or when you want your eyes to take centre stage.
- Goddess is described as burgundy, but looks more like a deep raspberry pink on me. Regardless, it creates a full on temptress pout. You can tone it down for day time with a light touch, but I like it as night on the town colour paired up with ‘Wisdom’ eye shadow on the eyes.
- Dream State is my perfect nude. The only thing that would make it better in my eyes is if it came in a traditional lipstick tube. It is not as pigmented as ‘Goddess’, so it does let some of my natural lip colour shine through – but that might be exactly why it suits me so well, when many other nudes just make me look like an extra from a night of the living dead.
- Kjaer Weis Mascara: This mascara has earned its place due to a few factors. While it doesn’t give the most va-va-voom effect to my eyelashes, I really like the ingredients in it, it doesn’t melt off even in the summer heat, it never irritates my eyes and the packaging is refillable with a recyclable cartilage. The fact that it is small means that by the time that I need to change it (you should really change your mascara every 3-4 months), it is actually used up so I don’t feel tempted to keep it past its prime. It keeps eyelashes nicely separated without the dreaded “spider legs” effect.
Other products that I use as part of my skincare regime include: Gressa Lip Boost in ‘Bare’ and the Real Purity Blush in Cajun….plus many other lovely brands which you can discover on my blog!
