Hi-shine | Ofaneverydaygirl

#Firstworldproblems: My face is so dull.

With that out and exposed, I will take you on a journey of how I try ever so hard to look like I've got the J.lo glow. She is the queen of glow. Backstage fashion show shots of models are full of girls looking fresh and flawless recently. Now, I  like to believe that they have used 101 products, so I feel good about myself. Shameless, I know?

So here are the things I have  in my draws for something plain and simple, which just highlights and gives a glow. I do not wear foundation. Possibly shocking? Therefore, I heavily depend on the little bits and bobs to give me a 'Hi, yes, I am an alive human being' look.

1. Topshop highlighter in Gleam.
Now,  this is a pot of gleam. Exactly what it says on the tin. The consistency is quite thick and you need near to none. The colour is quite rose-gold-ish, and is quite obvious. It can look stark if not blended in. When I wear highlighter I want it as seamless as possible and part of my face; if that makes sense. Normally people tend to put a streak and it is very obvious. Therefore, I use the real techniques foundation brush, which allows to reach a greater surface area.

2. Simple Luminating radiance cream.
I bought this assuming I would wear it as an all over face cream, and when I did- it was a disaster. Simple somewhat failed in this product because the shine is just too much. It makes your face look greasy and shiny in a bad way, not that looking greasy ever looks nice. Especially if you have spots and bumps it truly exasperates them. So on that front it is a no-no. However, I decided to use this as a highlighter, but on major surface areas of my face. I take about 1/2 a pea size on my fingers and spread it in a c shape from the tops of my cheekbones to the top of the corner of my eyebrows. I even bring it to the corners of my temples to give a healthy glow- assuming its a natural gleam succomed from happiness , sun and natural beauty. I do bring it down my nose, however you have to be careful as it is quite glittery.

3. Topshop Brighter pen.
This is a replica for the YSL touche eclat, with just the 'meh' packaging. I shove on a load of concealer for the under eye bags of ever lasting darkness but it just makes me look more ill. Therefore, I run for this, as it truly does brighten. Concealer on its own is quite mattifying and can leave you looking very non-dimensional, if that makes any sense. Its blunt. Whereas, the creamy consistency and added 'not so obvious' glow of the highlighter adds some liveliness under the eyes, making them awake, rather than looking very obviously that you are trying to cover insomnia.

4. Clarins lip perfector in 02.
The smell is a dream. The packaging is a dream. The colour is subtle yet uplifting and gives a lovely sheen that just is the perfect nude/ light pink sheen. A staple, really.

5. Avon shimmer glow dust
I have had this forever, and I remember how I used to brush this on my face forever as I couldn't see anything transfer on my face. But trust me it does;  you just need daylight. This can work as an all over shimmer and great for the collar bone. The colour is quite tan and gives some added warmth. I started using this again, and it really is great for some added warmth to the face and decolletage. Remember not to over do it; as it is released from a brush in small amounts.

6. The body shop blush in Petal
I remember buying this, on the basis of the sales assistant claiming its the top-seller beauty product of theirs and is a true love. The highlighter is lovely, but is quite sparkly. The blush is lovely but yet again, quite sparkly. Building the colour is better than just putting too much in the first place.

7. Flomar eyeshadow in 401
I picked up this quad from Madrid. This Italian brand product is super pigmented and gives a 'deep' colour pay-off. The highlight shade, has somewhat of a yellow undertone, and is very sharp in shine so a little dab is needed. This is the best inner eye highlight i have used, as it does not look too stark and out of place. I sometimes dab on the product to reduce the shine. A GO-GO in my eyes.

8. Utensils: The angled brush is very small, therefore reaches a smaller surface area and prevents too much unneeded shine. I use this for the body-shop highlighter, and highlight in a c-shape. The Real techniques accent brush is the holy-grail for highlighting the inner eyes. The shape is perfect and all I do is do a quick dab of the brush in the eye-shadow (just a DAB) and then dab once on the inner corner. If you want a more concentrated inner eye shine, dab once more, or how ever many more times. Lastly, the pointed foundation brush is great. Again to reach a larger surface area (top of cheekbones), and not give too much of a concentrated look.