Effortless Everyday Glow: Get Ready with Me for a Bronzed Makeup Look

Hello and happiest New Year to all of you shopinistas out there! I am finally coming out of the travel / jet lag haze and making my way back to the keyboard to spill the tea on some daily make up tips that I use everyday. Before we break down the routine and the products involved, I’ve got to confess a few things:

1. I wear make up every single day - even if it’s a stay at home day with nothing scheduled but a dog walk in the woods!

2. I apply my face ONCE in the morning and will only touch up if I’ve got an evening plan - I carry zero makeup in my handbag, except lippy.

3. I am inherently super lazy and am constantly on the look out for tricks/procedures/methods of make-up application to shorten the time spent on the daily morning routine.

4. For me, dewy skin is the only way forward! I want a healthy glow, without a lot of sparkle, so I’m always trying new primers, foundations and moisturisers that promise me youthful, sheer coverage and that coveted JLo GLOW!!

5. Lastly, I much prefer the appearance of my face with a sun kissed tan. Given that I live in a climate with a cold winter season and more clouds than sun year round, this dream of mine can only be realised with self tanners and bronzers - otherwise known as “Lisa G’s Holy Grail” of cosmetics and the perfect shade of which I am forever seeking!

Now that I’ve laid out the guidelines with which I shall approach this topic, Grab a cuppa and let’s break down the transformational products that I use to set me up each morning for a great day ahead!

If I’m being honest, girlies, I never rated this “Skin Prep” stuff until the years of direct sun exposure sans sunscreen and fun living really started to show on my face!! I’m definitely not here to tell you that any cream can undo all of the damage we’ve done, but when the ultimate goal is “DEWY” that skin has

been layered up with serum and moisturiser to create the perfect stage for your fresh face of makeup :)

1. In the mornings, I will start with the Triple Hyaluronic Acid Serum from Beauty Pie - straight out of the shower on clean skin. This is a fab BP product for your base layer of moisture!

2. Depending on the look of my skin, I will alternate the Youthbomb 360 Radiance Concentrate serum from Beauty Pie - the 15 active ingredients in this serum really packs a punch and brings the skin straight back to life!

3. Next up is the moisturiser - again… I’m currently rocking one from Beauty Pie! I have tried many more expensive versions of this step and this super affordable face cream is equally moisturising and leaves the skin dewy and ready for make up!

4. This last step isn’t a daily one, but more of an “as needed” when the skin looks pale, tired and wintery! The Awesome Bronze Self Tanning Mist by Beauty Pie (yesssss… more BP!!!) instantly brightens up my face, neck and décolleté and deepens to the perfect sun kissed glow, which lasts a couple days with daily cleansing. I’m just going to say it, girlies… literally everyone looks a little healthier with a tan! This formulation comes in light/medium and medium/deep… I’ve got the darker version.

The bottom Line: I spend a small fortune on make up, skin and hair care each year, so this whole Beauty Pie membership club concept is well worth the price to join for me… Imagine having access to the exact same products you’re buying at Space NK and Sephora at a fraction of the price… just without the brand name printed on the bottle. It’s bloody genius and if you’re not a member yet - what’re you waiting for???

My entire daily morning routine is made up of 9 main cosmetic products: liquid bronzing drops, concealer, cream bronzer, cream blush, tinted moisturiser/light weight foundation, black waterproof eyeliner, glitter eyeshadow stick, black mascara and a dewy setting spray. This whole sitch takes me about 15 minutes to apply and makes all of the difference to my mood, attitude and self confidence each and every day!! I’m not exaggerating when I say that applying make up is something that I was raised to believe was a non-negotiable and I’ve never really questioned this fact until the covid lockdowns - specifically the 2nd and 3rd lockdowns. It would have been super easy to just forego the entire vanity-related process and lean into the daily track suits, the scrubbed face and the “why bother” approach, but that simply isn’t in my DNA and the days that I put my face on were notably brighter days for me in a pretty dark time. Further… as I age (your girl is 53), I find that taking the time each morning to “get ready” for the day is a ritual of self care and is a necessary element to my mental well being and definitely sets the stage for my productivity for the upcoming day, too. It’s an interesting phenomenon, this… but I’d bet that most of us feel a bit more like ourselves with just a little extra effort put into the start of each day :). Let’s break it all down, shall we?

1. After moisturiser, I go in with the Saie Glowy Super Gel in Sunglow. This is tough to find here in the UK, but I’ve linked the product on Cult Beauty and I’m sure with some searching, you can track it down here! US girlies: I got mine at Sephora :). Anyway… this is a great super lightweight, bronzy highlighter that can be worn under foundation or on its own. I use this on the high points of my face: top of forehead, bridge of nose, temples and just on top of the cheekbones for a sun kissed glow that just really solves all of the worlds problems!!

2. Next up: Concealer! I have tried a lot of formulations in this category of make up as the skin under our eyes can look wrinkled, dry, darker and just plain tired - none of which I am interested in, thanks! My current fave is the Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer by Charlotte Tilbury. I use shade 5, but this product comes in an astonishing 30 colours with cool, warm and neutral undertones to combat any redness or darkness in your skin. I’d definitely recommend a colour consult at a beauty counter before choosing your shade - rather than trying to colour match online! But… I’m on my second tube of this since it’s launch and I’m now a lifer! For me, the concealer goes under the eyes (obvs), in the inside corners of my eyes, across my eyelids, quick swipe up the temples for a lift and just around my nose.

3. Bronzer is one of the more “transformational” steps in my routine as it contours and brightens all at the same time! Right now, I’m loving the Nars Bronzing Cream in Laguna 2. The cream formulation makes this super blendable and it melts into the skin to a give a super natural sun kissed effect that makes me look and feel as if I’ve been away! Yes, please!!!!

4. Foundation is a controversial step and there are so many schools of thought on this product! Sadly, as I age, I definitely feel like the colour of my face is less even and more “dull”, if you will. So I am forever on the hunt for the perfect light to mid coverage that will even out my skin tone and leave a perfect dewy finish in its wake. Not an easy ask, admittedly, but I’ve found a few that I’ve loved. Currently, I’m using one by Bobbi Brown’s new line: Jones Road. It’s called WTF (What the FOUNDATION) and it’s a super moisturising balm that has the perfect coverage for those of us who fear that full covereage mask. They do offer a colour match test on their website, but it’s sold at Liberty in London, so I’d always recommend a consult to get that colour perfectly matched!

5. Blush is another step that I find really makes a difference on more mature skin… I do recommend finding more of a pigmented colour than you’d expect to wear and then blending it out to a pretty pop of colour… showing off those cheekbones and giving a healthy glow to your skin. I always go with a cream formulation (powder is the opposite of dewy - haha) and the one I’m using at the moment is by Nars: The Multiple and the colour is Orgasm Rush. This product is called The Multiple as it’s got several uses: wipe it on cheekbones, eyelids and lips for a warm, tied-together look. This colour has a bit of a metallic sheen to it as well, so it really reflects light and doubles as a highlighter on the cheekbones! I love a product that ticks a lit of boxes and The Multiple is exactly that!

6. I line my eyes every single day and always use waterproof formulas so regardless of sweat, weather or even tears… the eyes remain in tact!! On the inner rim, I use this Sephora 12-Hour Colorful Contour liner in Black Silk. Love that it’s now available in the UK as I used to stock up on every visit home as it’s super affordable and causes zero irritation to my eyes, despite wearing contacts every day! Since I don’t wear eye shadow very often, I will swipe a black metallic shadow stick across my top lash line further bolden my eyes. The Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Black Glitter is my go to year round and I’m asked constantly what I’ve got on :)

7. OK… now onto the all important lashes! Again, I feel like our lashes lose so much volume as we age and I am not interested in a sparse couple of short sticks surrounding my eyes!!! Sooooo… the mascara that I am currently backing was discovered from one of those instagram ads and it actually WORKS!!!!! My Amazing Lashes is the name and long, thick dark lashes is what it provides!! Enough said :)

8. I always “set” my makeup with a dewy finishing spray and right now, I am loving the Rare Beauty Always an Optimist 4 in 1 Mist. I feel like this step just keeps it all in place and is one more dewy finish step to get my face through the day without a touch up!

As I’ve said… I spend about 15 minutes each day on this process and it makes all of the difference to my productivity, my confidence and my overall attitude and approach to the day ahead! If putting on your face each day is something that fallen by the wayside as life becomes more full of chores and obligations that keep us from going out, lunching with friends or heading to town for a shop… consider bringing this few minutes of self care back to your morning and see if it doesn’t lift your spirits… even if you’re not leaving the house for anything other than the dog walk in the woods :).

As always, let me know if you’ve got questions, suggestions or any feedback at all and chat soon…LGxx