Fake it ’til you make it. Products that give you GLOW.

I’m frequently asked what makeup I use – especially when I’m bringing the glow products out. Which, these days, is every. damn. day. Welcome to my new Series: Fake it ’til you make it.

When you are 20 something you spend 2 minutes on your base – and ages on your eyes.
When you are 40 something you spend most of your time on your base – and I stopped wearing eyeshadow years ago.
Pigmentation, discoloration, uneven skin tone – it can all be covered by a good base and concealer.  And these days I even use a primer – albeit a primer designed to give a ‘glow’ to the skin.

Both of the products below have saved my face on more than one occasion. They take me from ’40+ just got out of bed didn’t sleep the kids are sick/being noisy and I may have drunk too much wine’ to ‘WOW she CANNOT have FOUR children how does she do it? she looks so FRESH’ in a matter of 15 seconds (and that’s not easy):

First up:

Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow

 The launch of Charlotte Tilbury’s range last year was one of the better-executed launches I have seen in a long, long time. Specific, strategic and she owned it. When a small group of us were given early access to the products before the launch I could literally feel her passion. Makeup is her life. And where it becomes obvious is in the product. Wonder Glow for example, is something she said was perfect for ‘doing the school run’. Although I doubt Char has ever done a school run in the car with no bra and a pineapple bun (I digress) – I knew there and then that this would work for me. It was a product made for me. And it’s beautiful. Light, luminous, luscious. Gives the skin a beautiful glow and makes your skin look radiant.

And the other must-have primer in my kit is….

pixi Flawless Beauty Primer

This product was originally gifted to me by pixi after my glowing review of the Glow Tonic. And I honestly didn’t pay it enough attention until earlier this year during my Nana’s sickness when I was travelling a lot up and down the motorway and not getting enough sleep and working and..and..and….

I had lunch with Petra – the Founder of pixi – just before Christmas. Petra is a force of nature – if it’s in the make-up world she’s seen it, done it, worked with it, sold it – she basically worked her butt off to get where she is and has done it with compassion and a deep, deep understanding of women and their needs. This primer literally makes me look like I’ve been on holiday. Relaxed, with a little colour and glowing – this does it with one pump. It’s called ‘Flawless’ – it should be called ‘Effortless’.

If you have a face, I highly, highly, recommend these products and suggest that you check them out.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow is £38.50 and available online and from Selfridges and net-a-porter.

pixi Flawless Beauty Primer is £20.50 and available online and from ASOS and Target.