W7: Summer make up haul

Make up. I’m not lying when I say I don’t leave the house without it (on my face, that is, not just like, randomly). I’d love to be one of those people that just woke up and put BB cream and one layer of mascara on, or you know, went without it altogether, but sadly it’s not to be. Acne scarring and stubby eyelashes will do that to you.

And frankly, I’ve made my peace with that. Especially in the summer. Summer make up is my absolute favourite. Nude tones, bronze skin, shimmery coral cheeks and bright lips are all big winners in my book.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was contacted by W7 Cosmetics and asked if I wanted to sample some bits from their summer range, I’ll admit I was dubious. For one, I’d never actually even heard of them and for two I had no idea what they wanted to send. And believe me when I say I’ve been sent some curious looking excuses for make up before.

Turns out you should just always say yes to these things, because I ended up with some amazing things that, put to the test, have become regular staples in my make up bag – some so much they are used on a daily basis.

If you’re looking to update your summer make up (before summer runs away…if it hasn’t already) then here are five key pieces I’d thoroughly recommend:

Bronze Queen eye palette: This is, without doubt, my absolute fave product of the whole selection sent to me. The colours are perfect for my skin tone (fair, with a generous layer of St. Tropez, just FYI) and there’s not a single one here I wouldn’t use at some stage or another. To be fair, these would probably suit any skin tone; I’m just obviously over excited about the fact that I’ve FINALLY got my hands on a decent selection of matte eyeshadows. All of the shadows are quite strongly pigmented, and the colour payoff is great – they tend to last all day on me, and that’s without a primer underneath (ain’t nobody got time for that everyday). The gold glitter is nothing to write home about though; if it were more finely milled then it would be perfect, but I ended up with big chunks of glitter all over my face. I can’t actually find this on their website so it’s either not out yet or due to be launched soon. Keep your eyes out!

Hollywood Bronze & Glow, £4.95: Obviously this is a dupe of Charlotte Tilbury’s bronzing palette of the same name – HOWEVER, this is like, ten times cheaper. It’s also my second favourite product – and one I now wear every day without fail, so there’s that too. Both are finely milled powders with plenty of shimmer, so great for an instant glow on the cheeks.

The Cheeky Trio, £9.99: A bronzer, blusher and highlighting trio, this is perfect for anyone who wants everything in one place. The bronzer is excellent for contouring (and with oily skin I’m ALL for a decent bronzer that doesn’t have ten tons of shimmer in it) underneath the Hollywood Bronze & Glow, and the blush is the perfect shade of coral and sits really well when used on top of both bronzers. The highlighter, however, wasn’t the best. Maybe it’s just because the Bronze & Glow’s highlighter is so much more shimmery in comparison, but this took a long time to build and even then I couldn’t really see it. Two outta three ain’t bad though, right!

In the Mood Natural Nudes Eye Palette, £4.95: I’ve actually only really used one shade from this palette properly so far. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just prefer the Bronze Queen palette so much more at the moment, and I’m also not a massive fan of all the really pale nude shades, to be totally honest. Again, these are all highly pigmented matte shades with good colour payoff. You’d probably have to build the lighter shades up a bit though, depending on how strong you like to wear them as they are really subtle. This will, however, be perfect for our holiday in a few weeks time as it’s so small, and I’m planning on using the darkest shade as an eyeliner. If you’re looking for something very basic to get you started with nude eyeshadow then for less than a fiver you can’t go much wrong here.

Liquid Kiss Lipstick in Can Can, £4.95: Oh my days, this year I’ve become OBSESSED with lipstick. I only ever used to wear it on nights out and that, but recently I’ve started experimenting with it during like, ordinary days too. Only problem being, I end up with more on my mug of tea than I do my actual lips. This, however, is the answer to everything. This IS everything. I put this liquid lipstick (is that a thing?) on after lunch one day last week and 6 hours, 3 drinks and a biscuit or two later it was STILL there. Not only that but it didn’t actually come off at all until I used make up remover. There was not a trace on my mug, my pen (I’m a pen chewer, soz) or my teeth at all. And it’s completely lightweight – one of the things I really hate about lipstick, and which kinda puts me off wearing it at all is that you can feel it on you lips, but this is pretty much invisible. I only remembered I was wearing it when I caught sight of myself every now and then. For the price, I would say this is the best value for money, and would be well worth looking into if you have a wedding or party coming up before summer’s out.

*FYI, this is obviously a PR collaboration. W7 were kind enough to send me this selection of make up to test out. However, as always, ALL thoughts are my own and nothing ever gets reviewed here that I wouldn’t genuinely recommend to a friend.*