Summer Glow

Tropic Skincare Summer Releases

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Tropic Sun Skincare

Tropic Sun Skincare

Tropic Skin Care has released some fantastic products for the Summer and I have been putting two of them to the test. Their Summer essentials include Mineral Sunscreens, a Self Tanning range, Shimmer Treats and a soothing Aftersun Lotion. So Tropic have everything you need to see you through the Summer.

Tropic Tinted Skin Shade

This is a tinted facial sunscreen and is available in two shades, Light to Medium and Medium to dark. This is a water-resistant SPF50 mineral sunscreen, it provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protection whilst also giving your skin a healthy natural tint.

As we are all aware sun exposure can be dangerous and sunscreen is an essential part of preventing premature ageing, reducing sun spots and skin discolouration and of reducing your risk of skin cancer. So when I can find a sunscreen that also provides a little coverage I’m all over it. I like products that are a 2 in 1 and I love that this Tropic Tinted Skin Shade gives me a natural healthy tint of colour whilst not compromising on the quality of the SPF protection.

As I said I have the Light / Medium shade and have been enjoying using this alone as my base for a couple of weeks. It gives my skin a beautiful touch of colour and a healthy glow. It also evens out my skintone but still lets my freckles show through which I like. It feels comfortable on my skin, is very easy to apply, blend (I use my fingers) and to top up throughout the day. It is the perfect product for creating a lightweight, fresh Summer look and perfect for taking with you on holiday. I have been using a facial SPF daily for a couple of years now and having one that gives you the benefits of high SPF protection, is tinted and contains lovely skincare ingredients to just ticks all the boxes.

• Extracts of passion flower oil, high in omega 6, retain your skin’s natural moisture

• Australian aniseed myrtle and wild hibiscus flower extract actively eliminate free radicals and promote younger looking skin

  • –  100% mineral sun protection
  • –  Free from toxic chemicals
  • –  Broad spectrum (UVA/UVB protection)
  • –  Kinder to the environment
  • –  Gentle on sensitive skin
  • –  Water resistant

I’m so impressed with how lovely this looks on my skin and how nice it feels. It is one of those products you look forward to using every day.

Tropic Suncare Products 2017

Tropic Summer Goddess Shimmering Body Oil

This shimmering body oil is 100% Summer in a bottle, it looks so pretty and smells beautiful too. It makes me wish I was heading to IBIZA on holiday but sadly that is not happening, although I do live in Cornwall so I have been slathering this all over my limbs to get that radiant holiday glow.

• With organic virgin coconut and golden jojoba oils to hydrate and nourish skin

• Scents from Tahitian and bourbon vanilla keep you smelling delicious

This won’t make you look like you have covered your body in glitter but instead makes your skin glisten with a subtly shimmery, golden glow and the gorgeous oil hydrates and nourishes the skin keeping it looking and feeling its best. I give it a quick shake to disperse the shimmer particles then I  massage a good amount on my arms, legs and décolletage. It instantly makes them look golden and gives them that sexy holiday glow and the

This is a limited edition product so if you want it you best be quick.

Tropic Skincare New Summer Releases

Tropic Skin Care are a Vegan and Cruelty-Free brand and their products are free from,

Parabens • SLS/ALS (sodium/ammonium lauryl sulphate) • unsustainable palm oils • formaldehydes • phthalates • alcohol • MI (methylisothiazolinone) • petrochemicals • mineral oils • gluten • lanolin • triclosan • beeswax/honey • harsh preservatives • toxic chemicals • microbeads

Tropic Skincare is available online at www.tropicskincare.co.uk

*This post contains PR samples

Current Favourite Bronzers

- Vicki 1 Comment

Current Favourte Powder Bronzers

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Soft & Gentle

Such a cult favourite and I never once regret purchasing this, I have used it so many times over the past few years & it still looks like new. Its such a pretty highlighter that can be used for a subtle glow or built up to be more intense. Its a peachy, warm tone with gorgeous champaign shimmery sheen and it reflects the light to give you that healthy look. Its not subtle so don’t get this if you don’t like shimmer, you can use a light hand but the shimmer is still going to show up.

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Starlet Mosaic

This baked highlighter is very shimmery, so no muted glow here! I love the four individual colours and have often used them as eyeshadows but they’re great to swirl your brush through all of them and it gives the most pretty peachy, bronze glow. I use this on my cheekbones for a beautiful highlight and it brings warmth and glow to my complexion.

MeMeMe Shimmer Brick Bronze

MeMeMe Shimmer Stack in Bronze

This isn’t as finely milled as the other products in this post but the colours and pigmentation are beautiful and intense. This gives the cheeks a bronze glow that instantly warms up your look. You get 5 colours in the stack and they can be used individually as eyeshadows and I think they work very well like that but I do prefer to sweep my brush across them all and use it as a glowing bronzer. It does have a metallic finish so you are not going to get a subtle finish with this but its such a good way at warming up a look and making your skin look fresh, healthy and glowing. This is like a holiday in a bronzer. Oh & this product has a really big mirror which is very handy, but I have so say the packaging feels quite bulky and I tend not to travel with it. I need that extra space for lipsticks.

Current Bronzers

Soap & Glory Wonderbronze

This is a very pretty multi shade bronzing highlighter, its great at giving your skin that sun kissed look without having been in the sunshine. I just swirl my brush round all the colours and apply it with my duo fibre brush, using this type of brush I find I don’t pick up too much product on my brush as I like to use this product more in the day time so I try to keep it quite subtle. Its lovely and lightweight and I find this lasts a really long time on my skin. When the colours are mixed its very similar to the MeMeMe offering but just slightly more peachy.

Essence Sun Club all in one Bronzing Highlighter in Sunglow

Without a doubt Essence is my favourite budget beauty brand, their product selection and quality is incredible and they always bring out the cutest limited edition ranges throughout the year. I have quite a few cheek products from them but I just love this bronzing highlighter, its so compact and easy to travel with. I like the see through packaging and you get 9g of product for only £3.50, total bargain. This has a slight coconut scent which always reminds me of holidays and it gives you a gorgeous sun kissed glow. Its a lovely copper with a little pink in there too. I am obsessed with this & Its always in my current makeup stash!Favourite Powder Bronzers

Primark PS Love Bronzer 

This Primark offering was also a complete bargain & its not bad at all, I wouldn’t say it has the best staying power but I use this when I am only going out for a couple of hours & generally during the day. It hasn’t got enough of a glow for me to use at night but as a budget friendly offering its quite good. Although if you can get hold of any of the Essence bronzers then I would recommend those first. This PS Love bronzer gives a touch of warmth to the skin as well as a slight highlight, its quite subtle compared to the rest of the ones I have mentioned but I think thats because the pigmentation isn’t as good.

Bronzer Swatches

Laura Mercier / Soap & Glory / MeMeMe / MAC

Have you tried any of the bronzers I have mentioned and what bronzer do you reach for most often?

Glow On & On

- Vicki 6 Comments

Makeup

I like to wear minimal makeup during the Summer months & these are a few of my favourite products to achieve that Summer Glow. First up are a few skincare products. The lovely but very expensive Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask* is great if you’re pushed for time, I apply this in the morning and leave it on for 20 minutes, if I’m not wearing makeup I will just massage the excess in to my skin and this looks very glowing (not shiny). It is very hydrating and plumps my skin and is packed full of vitamins and anti ageing ingredients to restore the vitality and freshness of young skin. I’m scared to say I’m contemplating purchasing the full size. The Origins Brighter By Nature Peel Pads are like my secret weapon in the fight against dull skin. I love products that promise to give me radiant skin and these peel pads are damn good. The fruit acids exfoliate your skin and remove all the dead skin to keep your skin looking healthy – perfect in somewhere thats quite polluted as they help remove that deep down dirt to reveal healthy bright skin.

Helping to revive my dull complexion is the Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base, I either mix this with my foundation or apply it as a primer.  I have the shade Champagne, a gorgeous slightly golden colour which adds a subtle highlight to your face, evens out my skin tone and helps cover my redness. This is very lightweight but still hydrating (which is important for the warmer months) this sits nicely on my skin, not greasy in the slightest. I think I am going to pick up the rose shade too.

The Benefit Hollyood Glo is a liquid bronzer in a bottle. This is perfect at giving you that sun kissed, healthy look without having to have stepped foot outside. I love that you can use this to achieve a subtle glow or apply lashings to make it look like you have been on a two week holiday to the Maldives. This bottle has been my go to Summer Holiday in a Bottle for years, I like to apply it to my cheek bones & down my nose, I love how little product you need, its my best kept secret (so don’t tell anyone …. it is discontinued). This is perfect for a night out as it keeps the skin looking fresh, healthy and dewy.

My under eye area is naturally dark so I always need a little extra help in brightening under there. I have been really enjoying this Avon Magix Eye Radiance Brightening Wand, it dries to a velvet texture and feels very smooth under my eye. It just adds that little extra pinky cream brightness to what can look a little dark. This isn’t a concealer but an extra step in hiding those pesky dark circles. The only thing thats a little annoying about this product is the doe foot applicator, I wish it had a pump.

Adding a little powder highlighter to my cheeks is a fool proof way of giving the skin an iridescent sheen / glow and I have quite a few products that I love. I managed to narrow it down to 3, the Milani Baked Blush in Rose D’Oro which is a beautiful pigmented peach blush with a gorgeous golden shimmer running through. For those of you that don’t like to wear shimmer this won’t be for you but I like to use this when I have a tan to give my cheeks a flushed look & add a glow to my cheekbones. Its gorgeous but not subtle!

USA Products

Mac MSF Soft & Gentle this isn’t shimmery but adds a flattering sheen to the skin, its beautiful when the light hits & makes you look like you have had the best Summer Holiday! This is also baked and very finely milled, it never looks powdery or too over done just beautiful on the skin. The Me Me Me Shimmer Stack in Bronze is another gorgeous bronzer & I often use this as eyeshadow too as you get 5 gorgeous shades. This adds a golden bronzed glow to the skin & looks sun kissed and healthy. I like that you can achieve a subtle glow by using the lighter colours or if you prefer to for a little more colour the darker colours add a deeper wash of colour. Very versatile. The packaging is a little bulky but you do get a decent sized mirror which is a big plus.

Me Me Me Makeup

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow Stick  in Golden Pink – this cream eyeshadow is great for those days you don’t want to wear much makeup but want to enhance your tan & make your eyes look bright and pretty. I sweep this all over my lids and just blend out with my finger, its as easy as that. This has great colour pay off, blends really well and has a metallic looking finish . You can add as much or as little colour as you like. Its easy for on the go & lasts all day long, even in the heat it won’t end up sliding off your face!

Golden Pink

When it comes to Summer lips I like to wear something subtle and nourishing. My lips tend to really dry out in the sun but I have found the No7 BB-Lips add a subtle wash of colour & sheen to the lips whilst keeping them hydrated. This contains Anti- Oxidants and SPF15 help to prevent UV damage by protecting the lips from the environment and sun. A great lip product to throw in your beach bag.

Let me know what your top Summer Skin products are, I’d love to know if you use any of my favourites.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own. 

Summer Glow With The Body Shop

- Vicki 6 Comments
Bronzing Beads

I like to use bronzers as we get in to the warmer weather and being quite fair bronzers often fill me with dread. I don’t like to look overly tanned or look like I’ve applied my bronzer with a heavy hand. When this Brush on Bronze* arrived from The Body Shop I was a little afraid. In the pot it looks quite orange and I thought they were going to give my skin too much colour but once I applied it, it actually looked quite pretty.

Bronzing Beads

If you lightly sweep your brush over the bronzing beads and tap off the excess powder you can apply just the right amount of colour to your skin. I like to apply this over the top of my forehead, across the tops of my cheeks and down the bridge of my nose, all the places the sun would naturally bronze. I used the pretty Bronzing Brush & did experience a little shedding from this brush at first but I washed it after the initial application and that seemed to do the trick, no more shedding. The Bronzing Brush is very soft and didn’t pick up too much product, Its dense enough to sweep on just enough colour and I was able to blend it out so it looked natural and glowing.

This wears well on me, I do get quite oily skin throughout the day & always spray my Urban Decay Setting Spray so that helps everything stay in place. After a long warm day this was still where it was meant to be looking bronzed & glowing so thats a thumbs up from me.

Bronzer

The Brush on Bronze has a slight highlight quality to it too, as there is a subtle shimmer running through it (nothing too disco ball). Its nice during the day but this also looks so pretty as a night time bronzer, I just applied a little more product & I also took it across my chest area for a warm bronze glow.  If you’re looking for a warm bronzer thats not muddy at all this gave my skin a glow without looking orange (no one needs that look). This bronzer is one of The Body Shop’s Best Sellers & I can see why, I know that these are going to be a staple in my Summer makeup bag. I don’t like to tan so bronzers are a great natural way for me to put a bit of colour on my skin!

The Body Shop Bronzer

I do find these bronzing beads to be a little bit messy so keep that in mind if you have a cream carpet or are wearing light coloured clothing, make sure you have a tissue handy & tap off the excess product, also be careful not to knock the beads out as they are pigmented and will get bronzer every where. Although saying that if you look after these they will last you a really long time, a little product goes a long way. I really want to try a few more makeup brushes from The Body Shop I always forget they have such a great selection & quite affordable too.

Brush on Bronze* – £14.00

Bronzing Brush* – £16.00

What is your go to summer bronzer?

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own