Beauty: Sunflowers

Can you BELIEVE that we’re over half way through August already!? This summer has flown by in the blink of an eye – #nevernotrhyming – and in no time at all it will be fashion week and then full blown autumn. Personally, this has been one of the best summer’s I’ve ever had, and I’ve had some crackers, so I hope it’s been equally magical for you. There are also still a couple of weeks left before it’s officially time to swap our chiffon and florals for knitwear and burnished hues. Enough time, in fact, for one more sunny season beauty how to…

Clockwise from left:
YSL Beauty Couture Eyeshadow Palette in Mauresques, £38, available here
YSL Beauty Babydoll Kiss & Blush lip and cheek colour, £26, available here
YSL Beauty Touche Eclat Blur Primer, £33, available here
YSL Beauty Les Sahariennes Glow Balm Powder, £37, available here
YSL Beauty Touche Eclat, £26, available here
YSL Beauty Jaune Babouche Nail Lacquer, £17, available here
YSL Beauty Brun Henne Nail Lacquer, £17, available here

As with literally everything in life, I’m pretty all or nothing when it comes to makeup. Thanks to whatever cocktail of genetics and circumstances that shapes my personality and determines my behaviour, “go hard or go home” has always been my modus operandi and this has only become more the case with age. Face paint wise, this now seems to mean begrudgingly whacking on the merest whiff of mascara or spending rather more than 5 seconds trying to perfect something fancy involving the latest delights I’ve managed to get my mitts on. This particular look was inspired by my sunflower print co-ord ensemble and involves a whole lotta hazy summer colours from the ever wonderful YSL Beauty. So without further ado, let’s do this thing.

Step 1. Prime & Prep

YSL Beauty Touche Eclat Blur Primer, £33, available here
YSL Beauty Touche Eclat, £26, available here

Where would we be without our trusty touche eclat!? Currently I still have just enough of my holiday colour to get away with going foundation free (not for much longer, boo) so my first stage in this look was YSL Beauty’s delicious Touche Eclat Blur Primer with makes your face feel a level of smooth so satisfying it should probably be illegal. This product works brilliantly with foundation applied over the top or just gives you a fresh glow used on its own. After that I used my Touche Eclat to cover up eye bags and blemishes. Again, where the hell would we be without it!?

Step 2. Bronze & Contour

YSL Beauty Les Sahariennes Glow Balm Powder, £37, available here

Even when going sans foundation, everyone wants a little non-provided-by-nature glow and perhaps a hint of contouring. I’m no Kimmy K when it comes to, well, anything. But after quizzing every makeup artist who’s been assigned to my visage in recent months about how the hell to do it, I at least have some vague idea how it works. YSL Beauty’s Les Sahariennes Sunkissed Blur Perfector is literally perfect for achieving a subtle and very easy level of bronzing and contouring. I swept it super lightly over my face using the brush end of the double ended applicator that came in the pack. Then I used the sponge end to apply slightly more heavily on my cheekbones and nose before blending.

Step 3. Les Yeux

YSL Beauty Couture Eyeshadow Palette in Mauresques, £38, available here

A) Sunflower AKA Highlighter

As you probably know, when it comes to eye shadow palettes I tend to freestyle a little. It is in fact only now that I’ve actually looked at the packet my YSL Beauty Mauresques palette came in and realised that I totally skipped the base shade and one of the main colours… Oh well. Instead I kicked things off using the palette’s “highlighter”, a gorgeous sunflower yellow hue perfectly suited to this look. Using the rounded sponge end of the applicator that came in the pack I basically plastered it all over my eye socket, sweeping up towards the brow.

B) Bronzed Copper

I’ve got a lot of love for this burnished bronze! It has a warmth and richness to it that feels so perfect for hazy summer nights. After cleaning the same rounded sponge applicator – ok that’s a lie, the bronzed copper was darker so it felt pointless but I did clean it afterwards… maybe – I applied the shade starting from the outside corner of the eye and swooping inwards to achieve the below effect.

c) Sultry Brown

Firstly, “sultry brown” is YSL Beauty’s words not mine but it is a perfect description for the shade I used for step 3. Using the narrow brush end of the applicator I began from the outside corner of the eye, applying the palette’s darkest colour much like eye liner directly above the lash and then building up to create the converse triangle effect we all know and love.

Step 4. Nails & Lips

YSL Beauty Babydoll Kiss & Blush lip and cheek colour, £26, available here
YSL Beauty Jaune Babouche Nail Lacquer, £17, available here
YSL Beauty Brun Henne Nail Lacquer, £17, available here

Last but most certainly not least, those all important finishing touches! I thought that both YSL Beauty’s Brun Henne or Jaune Babouche nail laquers would be perfect for this look, and obviously opted for the more offensive striking sunflower yellow shade. Then I finished the look off with Babydoll Kiss and Blush, a handy pinky concoction that you can apply to lips or cheeks as you see fit… Hello bargain.

Et voila!

What do you think of this sunflower inspired makeup look? Would you give it a go before summer is over? See the outfit I paired it with here.

Love Ella. X

Images by Holly McGlynn