My 300th post - FOTD

A while back I asked you my wonderful readers what type of posts you would like to see more of and one of the lovely suggestions that I got back was to do more Face Of The Day (FOTD) posts or makeup looks in general. As this is my 300th post today I took a little trip down memory lane looking at all the posts I've done previously, as a reminder of where I started and what I've done since then, and I was genuinely surprised that I haven't done more FOTD posts - after all I wear makeup almost every single day, I change the products that I use constantly so it's unlikely that two looks will ever be exactly the same, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to do more of these types of posts.

The look I'm showing you today has been a bit of a go to look ever since I did my Clinique haul, that I talked about in Clicking with Clinique since I used this to try out a few of the products I had bought. I've also worn it quite a lot since I haven't really been in the mood for wearing complicated, heavy or dramatic statement makeup and this look gives a natural glow and emphasizes my features without being too imposing which you can create in less than 5 minutes. For my foundation I've used the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Corrector (£28) in the shade Medium, which is perfect for a light to medium coverage, for an even skin tone adding a hint of colour and a lovely subtle radiance. For me it's important to get the foundation right, especially when you're aiming for a light and natural look, so I applied the CC Cream using my MOXI O1 Foundation Brush (£13.50) which is brilliant for creating a streak-free, flawless finish.

Since the CC Cream is very long lasting and wears well throughout the day it's been great for these amazing warm days we've had, and I've been 100% confident that my foundation has stayed in place. Because of the colour correcting properties I haven't had to bother with concealer, which has been a very welcome time saver so I've just moved quickly on to do my eyes using another one of the products I bought, Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes (£17). When I first tried chubby sticks for eyes last year I never in a million years thought I would come to like them as much as I have - they are so practical, quick and easy to use and the soft texture is pleasant to wear as well as long lasting. The latest shade I picked up is Whopping Willow, a delicate, golden sage green and which might look a bit unusual but on the eyelid it settles beautifully creating a very natural look with a tiny bit of depth.

To frame my eyes, I've used my trusted Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (£2.99) in Hazel for a bit of definition and color since otherwise I'll look as mysterious as the Mona Lisa, although on her no eyebrows is a stroke of genius and on me it's just plain wrong. This fuss free eye brow pencil has a soft and formula with just the right amount wax which makes it easy to apply exactly the amount of color you want with a minimum of effort without compromising the long wear. For my lashes I opted for Maybelline Colossal Volume Express (£7.99) in Black, since I never want to compromise on lash length or volume, regardless of which makeup look I'm going for. This was the first time that I tried this mascara, so I'll save my comments on it for a separate review that I'll be doing in a few weeks time so if you're curious about it, don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for that review.

For a look with subtle glow and color, you can't skip the bronzer and although there are loads of brilliant bronzers on the high street, I keep coming back to the amazing MUA Bronzer (£1) in shade 1, which I have mentioned a few times previously. The powder is light and fine with good pigmentation and you only need a quick dab with your bronzer brush in the pan - I use the Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer Brush (£13.99), to pick up enough product to cover all the area that the sun would naturally reach - temples, forehead, chin and tip of the nose. I also use the MUA Bronzer for some sculpting and during the summer, I'll often choose to skip the blusher and just use this shade on the apples of my cheek too. I really like shade 1 - it's a golden light bronze that adds lots of warmth to the face without that orange tone that you often see.

Last but not least and perhaps the most difficult decision - what to wear on the lips? Since I wanted something soft and girly, but with enough color to bring it all together and keep it from being too pale I decided on my Tanya Burr Lipgloss (£6.99) in Afternoon Tea. This is a lovely non sticky (yes they do exist) moisturising candy smelling formula, packed with pigmentation that creates a glossy slick finish that lasts for hrs and hrs. Out of all of the lovely 12 colors in the Tanya Burr Lipgloss range, the creamy coral pink Afternoon Tea is definitely my favorite, and if you haven't already tried these lipglosses, you're missing out on a amazing product so why not treat yourself this weekend to one of the fabulous shades. So that's it - all done, a nice and casual summery look, and if you check out my Instagram, you'll also see the outfit I was wearing this particular day. Even though this is the face of the day, I have a feeling this quick and easy natural glowing look might also be the face of this summer for me. What makeup do you use for your favorite natural look at the moment?

Clicking with Clinique

One of the first premium brands I ever used when my passion for beauty things started many moons ago was Clinique, more specifically their 3-step skin care system and their mascaras. Unfortunately the skin care products didn't seem to do anything for my skin at the time, and I soon found other mascara favorites so except for fragrances it's been a loooong time since I bought anything from Clinique - that is at least up until a few weeks ago. This season Clinique has launched some beautiful makeup which is why I found myself a sunny morning at the Clinique counter in Boots planning on treating myself to one of their gorgeous Cheek Pop Blushes, but you know what they say about best laid plans so instead I ended up trying (and buying... how did THAT happen?!) a few other products and here's a sneak peak at what I bought - more detailed reviews will follow.

I was never really interested in BB Creams but I'm much more curious about CCs and DDs - feel as if I'm talking about bra sizes here.., so when the extremely helpful assistant suggested that I try the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Corrector (£28) I jumped at the chance. The CC cream is intended to increase radiance while it also adds intense hydration, the color correction evens out your skin tone and it has a built in SPF30, which is always an extra bonus. The cream feels very light on the skin and so far I'm very impressed with the color it gives and the wear.

Another product I had wanted to try ever since it was released is the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara (£12) and since at the moment I have quite a few volumising mascaras with monster brushes that work fine for the upper lashes but almost always make a mess when I apply on the bottom lashes I have a great excuse for getting it. I haven't tried the mascara yet but I'm very excited to see if it lives up to its excellent reputation. I quite unexpectedly ended up with a couple of chubby sticks as well; to all beauty junkies joy there are so many lovely lip crayons in all price ranges and colors available on the high street to choose from, and I have tried quite a lot of them but never the original Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Balm (£17) which of course is a gap in my chubby stick knowledge that I had to fix, so when I saw the beautiful shade Mighty Mimosa I just had to get it even though it is a bit more expensive than other great lip crayons. The formula seems lovely and nourishing and the color Mighty Mimosa is a beautiful sheer light peachy pink, just perfect for a natural summer look (a color swatch is available here on my Instagram). It's not just pretty colors that are sure to draw me in, anything that's slightly unusual automatically catches my eyes which is what happened with the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes (£17) in Whopping Willow. I've tried this formula before and know that it's easy to work with and wears very well throughout the day, but even if I hadn't tried it before I would have bought it anyway because of the unusual color. Whopping Willow is a light golden straw green (have a look at a swatch on my Instagram) and since I've got a bit of a tan at the moment it is perfect for highlighting my eyes. I didn't get the Cheek Pop Blush that I originally was after, but instead I've rediscovered Clinique and since we've definitely clicked there will be many other opportunities to get that!