Summer beach-inspired make-up

Swatches: Top left to right: Topshop Head Over Heels cream blush,   Mac Dressmaker, Dressmaker lipstick, Gosh Blue Grass eyeliner                      Bottom left to right: Urban Decay Naked matte eyeshadow, Mac Woodwinked eyeshadow

Inspired by the heatwave here in the UK, I decided to opt for some appropriately beachy colours today.

I applied my SPF50 face cream (I'm currently trying out a new one from Institute Esthederm, which I'm loving). I skipped any kind of foundation because, let's face it, who needs layers of product in this heat? I did, however, need a little help in some areas, so I applied Origins' Plantscription Anti-aging concealer in 01 Light to even out my skintone. This concealer is light and easy to blend and gives a decent coverage without drying the skin out. It won't fully cover discolouration, but it tones down under eye circles and red marks.

I then applied a very light amount of Topshop's Head Over Heels cream blusher- it's a beautiful bright peach, ideal for Summer when I have an ever-so-slight colour to my pale skin.

I primed my eyelids and applied Urban Decay's Naked eyeshadow (a light matte brown) all over the lid. I swept some of Mac's Woodwinked to the outer corners and blended into the Naked shade. I don't really suit Woodwinked all over the lid, but this is a good way to wear it as it adds a shimmer and warmth to a neutral shade like Naked without being too much.

The mascara I used was L'oreal's Volume Million Lashes, which I reviewed yesterday. It's working well so far and gives good volume and colour.

The Pièce de résistance was a gentle application of a vibrant blue eyeliner on the lower waterline. I used Gosh's Let's Twist eyeliner in the shade Blue Grass, which is quite franky, beautiful! I've been wearing blue or green eyeliner a lot recently as it works well with my eye colour. The trick is to be sparing with it.

Finally, I went for Mac's Dressmaker, Dressmaker on the lips. It's a wearble orange shade (a lustre formula). Unfortunately it was a limited edition shade from some years ago, but Mac have recently re-released some lovely vibrant Summer colours in their permanent collection, so they're worth looking into.

And here we are: my beach-inspired make-up look!