The Winter Glow Givers

Winter is coming and for me I know that means saying hello to a dull, grey, ghoulish complexion. I love dewy skin all year round, I feel a glow can really make you look so much more alive, even if your wearing barely any make up. So I thought I would share some of my favourite products for helping your skin to look radiant through the colder months. Two of these products are more of a primer type thing, where as the other two I would call a typical cream highlighter formula. Though personally, I would use most of these products over or under make up. 

The first is the M.A.C Strobe Cream. This is a product which used to be talked about frequently online, but I haven't really heard anyone mention it in years. It has always remained one of my favourites, a creamy formula which feels moisturising on the skin and leaves an amazing dewy glow. This product really is a multi-tasker, you can use it under, over or mixed in to your base and it never fails to inject some life into your skin! A great cheaper alternative is Hocus Focus by Soap and Glory. Personally I find this a more subtle illuminator, which makes it great for day time. I can imagine this would look lovely on darker skins, as it has a more golden tone to the highlight. Soap and Glory products are reasonably priced and really easy to get hold of in Boots stores too. 

Next up is the NARS Multiple in Copacabana. This is a cream highlighter which is really pretty dabbed onto the tops of the cheekbones, it has a slight shimmer to it that makes it the perfect highlighter for evenings. This product is the only one out of the four that I wouldn't recommend using under your base, as you don't want any shimmer to travel to unwanted parts of your face whilst applying your foundation! 

I have repurchaced the M.A.C Cream Colour Base in Pearl so many times, it is such a perfect all round highlighter for my skin tone. I use this in so many ways... under or over my foundation, mixed with cream blushers, or even as an eye base. The formula is creamy and easily blended, and I find the end finish I get much more natural than a powder highlight. 

Xen Tan Round-Up

As a long term tanning addict I have tried and tested quite a few over the years. I wear tan pretty much all the time, and Xen Tan is a brand I've loved for a while now. I find them to be the most long lasting on my horribly dry skin, and love the natural colour they give.

So lets start with possibly the most hyped up tan of all time.. the Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe. A quick note about this product is that I don't actually find it to be all that dark. After one layer, I'm left with a natural glow, so normally I would use this for two consecutive days to get to the colour I want. This product also doesn't really have a guide colour, on my pale skin tone it shows up slightly, but on anyone darker than me you really wouldn't be able to see where you have applied, which may be a worry for some! Aside from that, due to its luxurious and moisturising formula, I find this the most long lasting tan that I've tried.

The second product I've tried from Xen Tan is their original Dark Lotion Weekly Self Tan. This is a really great all rounder, it leaves you with a lovely olive toned tan, feels moisturising on the skin, and I think you get a good amount of product for your money. I also really like the packaging of this tan, it may not be as fancy but the pump is really practical as it helps you use an even amount of product round your body.

The most recent addition is the Xen Tan Moroccan Tan.  From first application I fell in love with the seriously dark colour of this product. I love a really really deep tan, and this pulls that off on my pale skin with out looking too orange or un natural. The formula is more of a gel consistency as opposed to the other two which are true lotions, but due to the Argan Oil enriched formula, the Moroccan tan still feels moisturising.

Its worth mentioning that all of the Xen Tan products smell lovely too, Absolute Luxe and Dark Lotion have a warm marzipan sort of scent, while Moroccan tan smells of coconut and holidays!

Price wise, none of these tans are the cheapest, I find the pricing is on par with the likes of St Tropez, but I think Xen Tans range of products perform much better.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any other suggestions of tans that I would like then please comment below, I'm always looking for an excuse to spend money!