Brighten Up Your Skin

Having tried and found Benefit's lip and cheek stain Benetint too dark for my skin tone, I was really intrigued about using their complexion highlighter - High Beam.

I'd heard a lot of good things about High Beam before I purchased the product for myself and many times I discovered that friends had rushed out to buy the latest edition of a magazine, as it came as the free sample.

Once I tried High Beam, I could see exactly why everyone had been raving about it for so long, it was subtle yet effective and gave my skin a dewy, healthy glow.

It is designed to be worn over your usual make-up, in order to accent your cheek and brow bones, whilst enhancing your complexion, giving it a natural, glimmering finish.

In order to apply High Beam, carefully dot it along your cheek and brow lines and gently blend it with your existing make-up.

With this product I find that less is more, as if you use too much, it can detract from the make-up underneath. High Beam is a wonderful finishing product and ensures that your skin looks healthy and lustrous.

If you prefer a darker highlighter or want to add more of a golden sunkissed shimmer to your complexion, Benefit have also created the highlighters Sun Beam and Moon Beam.

The Perfect Foundation

I find that foundation is a very hit or miss product for me and it's quite difficult to find the perfect shade, coverage and consistency.

I have a slight olive tint to my skin, so a lot of foundations make me look an orangey colour, which I really can't stand. Although I do like looking tanned, there is nothing worse than when your face looks a completely different colour to the rest of your body.

For many years I struggled to find the right shade, settling for the lightest shade of tinted moisturiser, (which wasn't even sold in the UK, only the US), as all the foundations I tried were just too dark/orange. I was happy with this for a while and still use it in the summer when my face is tanned or I want stronger SPF in my make-up; but I felt that it was too dark for my skin all year round.

I then went on to use a powder foundation which seemed to suit me very well for a long time. This was until I bought a new one (in exactly the same colour) and found that it was patchy, two-toned (not in a good way) and coming out darker than usual. I'm not sure if it was just a faulty compact, but it really put me off using the foundation again.

On the other hand, when I'm in a rush to get ready, I don't even bother wearing foundation, I just wear concealer in the places that need covering up. I have found the perfect shade of concealer, (No7 Quick Cover Stick in Medium), which gives great coverage but makes my skin look natural, the barely there look. Therefore, I wanted to find a foundation that made me feel the same way.

After years of trial and error and frustration, I have finally found the perfect foundation: MAC Studio Fix, Powder Plus Foundation in NC20.

The thing that I love the most about this particular foundation is that you can't tell the difference between the colour on my face and the rest of my body. Unlike other products, I don't have to extravagantly blend the lines between my face and neck, there are no lines to blend! It's easy to apply, gives great coverage, last for hours and doesn't dry out my skin.

Don't settle for a foundation just because you've worn it for years or you can't be bothered to shop around; keep searching, once you find the perfect shade, you'll feel more confident because of it!