Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat

Before I get into today's post I just want to say a huge thank you to all those who commented on my last one (read it here.) Talking about things that haven't gone as I would have wished is something I have always found difficult, especially when it comes to something so important to me, but I'm so glad I did. Sharing problems and lessons learned with friends - actual or virtual - can be so therapeutic, and I can't tell you how much every encouraging word meant to me. Thank you all so much - you guys are the best!

As I mentioned in that post, I've got lots of plans for this blog for the new year, but it's going to take some time before I can get to work on any of them. After spending a lot of 2014 travelling from our home in Kent to Yorkshire for business, my husband and I have decided to move north, at least for a little while. So for the moment, most of my free time is being taken up with all the necessary preparations for the move. It's exciting, as I'm really looking forward to living in a different part of the country for a while, but frustrating too, because I want my blogging time back! Still, in the meanwhile, I'll try to post whenever I can.

And now, let's get back to what's really important - makeup!

I was thrilled to receive an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush from my sister for Christmas. If you follow me on Twitter you might recall that I've been lusting after one for a while! Seeing pictures of them in magazines and on other people's blogs, I thought they looked incredibly beautiful, and when I read somewhere that they are supposed to add depth and dimension to your cheeks, they shot straight to the top of my wish list. I have a small, narrow face. Forget contouring - what I really want is a product that will make my cheeks look fuller!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush is available in six shades, and my sister was advised to choose Diffused Heat for me after describing my colouring to the sales assistant.

Isn't it stunning? I almost couldn't bear to put a brush to it. You know when you wake up early in the morning and find that it's been snowing all night? You desperately want to run out and make footprints in it, but you also don't want to mark that perfect blanket of white? I get that feeling sometimes about beautifully presented makeup, and I definitely had it about this. (Is that weird? Let me know in the comments if you feel the same!)

Anyway, once I got over that, I got down to the swatching! The consistency of this is so fine it feels like silk on your fingertips. As you sweep it across your skin and the colours mix together, you can see that there's a subtle sheen to it, like a blush and highlighter in one. The pinky shade of Diffused Heat is very natural looking, and it's not the colour of these blushes that make them so special, but the way they glow. Looking at the swatch on my arm, it was like I was gazing at it through candlelight, and once applied to my cheeks, it looked like I had just been for a long walk on a crisp, cold day. Basically, this stuff makes you look not so much like you are wearing a pretty blush, but that you are quite literally glowing (in a lovely, subtle way) with health.

I hope these next shots give you at least a vague idea of what the product looks like on. The colour really is as described on the website - soft-focus - and it was almost impossible to capture, especially for someone with a lot to learn about photography! Still, I did my best.

I've really been enjoying wearing this. I can't get enough of that "healthy glow" look, and the luminosity that is this product's big selling point really does give a plumping effect to the cheeks, which is a huge bonus in my book. It also lasts for a whole day's wear, which surprised me given how fine it is. All in all, it's a big thumbs up from me!

Have you tried these? I'd love to know your thoughts.

Kate x

New Year, New Goals, and a Lesson I Learned in 2014

At the turn of every year, like most people, I like to set myself new goals for the twelve months ahead. Eat more fruit, get organised, magically morph into Blake Lively... all the usual things! But lately I've been trying to do something else as well - to take stock of all the things I've achieved in the past twelve months. Sometimes I think we get so focussed on where we are striving to get to that we forget to give ourselves credit for how far we've already come.

 

2014 started with a big lesson for me. I have always taken it for granted that if I only work hard enough for long enough, I will eventually achieve my dreams, but at the beginning of last year I was forced to accept that despite years of hard work, my dream of having a novel published just wasn't going to happen for me, at least not any time soon. It's something I'd wanted since I was about twelve years old, so it's safe to say that I began the year feeling pretty lost and miserable.

 

And then I decided to start blogging.

Do you believe that everything in life, even the bad stuff, happens for a reason? Well I have to confess that I never have, but it's true to say that without experiencing the heartache of having my novel rejected, it would never have occurred to me to try something different. I would never have imagined in a million years how much I was going to enjoy blogging. I haven't been doing it long and still have so much to learn, but already it has brought me so much pleasure and opened up a whole new world of possibilities. So the lesson is, while it's great to chase your dreams, it's also good to keep an open mind. Dreams can come in all shapes and sizes and it's OK to find a new one!

As I think about what I want to achieve in 2015, I find that a lot of my goals are centred around my blog. Improving my content, working on my photography skills, perhaps even a brand new layout. I can't wait to look back in twelve months from now and feel proud of how far I've come!

What do you want to achieve in 2015?

Kate x