Radiance, not Sparkle. My edit for Summer Skin that looks Real.
The soft gleam of hydrated skin, the gentle bronze of a few days in the sun - these are the products that get me there.
We talk a lot about sun protection in summer, and rightly so. But, there’s something else that happens to skin at this time of year. Something subtler, harder to bottle, but instantly recognisable; that lifted, luminous looks that creeps in a few days into a heatwave or holiday. Like a pregnancy glow, only seasonal…
Yesterday, I put a pitiful amount of effort into getting ready to go and meet a friend - a couple of dabs of concealer, a splodge of bronzer on each cheek and some lip balm - yet when I looked at a picture of myself, I thought, ‘Oh yes, it’s that Summer skin thing!’
Few products can truly replicate this magic, but these are the ones that I think do it best.
KJH Brand Hyper Shine Lite Pigment, £25, is a truly extraordinary cream product. I tend to use it everywhere; eyes, lips and cheeks, mainly because it’s impossible to get it wrong.
I’ve been using the Lite Bronze, almost exclusively, over the last few weeks and will likely extend to the Lite Copper for when I want a slightly different finish.
The pigment is silky smooth yet you can’t pick up too much, even if you’re smooshing the No1 Brush, £19, directly into the pot, as I do.
If you’re just starting out with it, I suggest a light coverage on high points then put the brush down and take a look at what it has done.
You’ll see luminosity, not sparkle. Radiance, not shine. Glass skin, not grease.
The colour is equally beautiful, giving that summer skin that looks real and believable. At this point in the season, I can’t imagine wearing anything else.
The second I heard about the Space NK Caribbean Shores Shimmer Body Oils, £16, each, I knew they were going to be the product of the summer.
If, like me, you were a child of the 80s then you’ll associate any kind of summer body oil with a truly irresponsible use of low factor sun protection. While these have the shimmer and gleam of those oils, they are also all about hydration and giving skin that lifted, plumped, hydrated glow.
Available in three shades; Pearl, Golden and Bronze, you can enhance your natural skin tone effortlessly. They aren’t greasy, absorb quickly and leave behind a pleasing sheen that makes it look as though you’ve moisturised every day for the last year and have been drinking enough water. Plus, these glorious golden tones don’t transfer onto your clothes.
Then, there’s the scent. It’s a cliché to say ‘holiday in a bottle’ but it really is. Juicy mandarin, creamy coconut, exotic jasmine, sandalwood and caramel. It’s beautifully subtle and not at all sickly or sweet.
Use this once and you’ll be addicted to the look, feel and aroma all summer. Trust me.



As soon as I applied the Studio 10 Peptide Serum Treatment Gloss, £27, I knew it was going to be my go-to gloss. It’s a serum so it’s super soft, but it has the stick of a gloss without the, erm, stickiness.
Think lip plumping and lip nourishing with a pleasingly shiny finish that your hair won’t stick to. I line my lips with a neutral lip liner, such as the Rimmel Lasting Finish 8Hr Lip Liner in Tiramisu, £3.99, and then drench them in Spritz - a fizzy champagne gloss. It is utterly glorious and also has a pleasingly sweet taste on the lips.
I cannot talk about summer makeup and those textures and colours that beautifully enhance without mentioning Reeson Lid Elixir in Toasted Cinnamon, £29. I love every single product that Ree has produced with Reeson, including the original Lid Elixir, but the smoothing, lifting and kissable bronze of this Lid Elixir might be her greatest triumph yet.
I put a dot on my fingertip, apply directly to lids then use a brush to blend. Another foolproof product that makes it look as though you did so much more to get such a sun-kissed, bronze glow.
In summer, less really is more, especially when the right products bring out your glow.
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I would really like to try the hyper shine pigment. How do you think they would be on more mature skin with texture?
Please, please, please can you do a video of you using all of these things together. I find it really overwhelming deciding where to put what. Thanks in advance x