January is infinitely depressing, is it not? I often feel like being cryogenically frozen for January and being defrosted when it gets into the second week of February. Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Because obviously I wouldn’t want to miss that spectacular money-making swizz that is St Valentine’s Day – imagine all of the sickening press releases I’d miss! I’d never find out which well-known brand of product Angelina Jolie used to achieve her full Valentine’s Day pout!

Where was I? Oh yes, January. Dull, lifeless, pallid skin. Tinged an odd shade of grey. Sound familiar? I’ve been experimenting with things to counteract the greyness and I thought that you may be interested. I will probably do a video on this soon so that you can see the bits and pieces in action, but I’m still in my playing-about-phase and not ready to commit to film just yet!

I use all of these things over clean, moisturised skin, but that’s because I have no particular blemishes at the moment. If you need coverage underneath, just use your usual foundation and/or primer as you wish! Perhaps, if you usually use a mattifying foundation, consider swapping to a mattifying primer and using a regular, dewier foundation over the top for a bit of radiance!

Discoveries:

1) That Dior Nude Glow Complexion Enhancer is still my favourite peachy product. Part of a past collection, it’s no longer on sale except for at Escentual.com, where they have limited stock. (Even more limited since I got in there, ha!) This enhancer gives a gorgeous apricot hue that seems to counteract any dullness or greyness – if ever there’s a day when I really can’t be arsed to put any makeup on but I look awful, then this is what I reach for! It’s £28.50 but so far it’s lasting extremely well – I’m only halfway down the first bottle!

2) That VitaZing is the next best thing. Actually, Number 3 is, but only if you regularly eat caviar for breakfast and have a butler called Giles. (It’s expensive.) VitaZing is a moisturiser with very warm tint – it’s brilliant for any but the fairest of complexions. There have been reports of it ‘breaking people out’ (Youtube comments, mostly) but I have never had this problem. I don’t find it heavy or rich in the slightest! £26 from Boots.com

3) That Omorovicza’s Complexion Enhancer is absolutely divine. I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about it before? It gives an almost tanned look but it’s very simple to use – I use it just like a moisturiser and then double check in the mirror to make sure I’ve rubbed it in properly! It does give some coverage – enough to ‘blur’ imperfections and even out the skintone, but the effect is completely natural. (Again, as with the Vitazing, the warm tone isn’t suited to extremely fair skin.) The Telegraph named this the best stealth concealer and I have to agree! It’s £74 (*faints*) from CultBeauty.co.uk

4) That a touch of highlighter or luminzer can work miracles. One of my all-time favourites is Becca’s Pearl Perfector, but that does tend to go out of stock quite quickly! At the time of writing, CultBeauty have it in stock for £33 – you get a hefty bottle for that price that’ll probably last you for almost all of your adult life! (Not a joke.)  Blend a little onto cheekbones over the top of foundation, or mix a bit with your moisturiser or base to give a subtle all-over glow. I know that this is an age-old trick that everyone harps on about, but it really does work. If you make sure that you have an illuminator to hand when you start your makeup, you’ll begin to include it in your routine and then you’ll wonder how you lived without it! The trick is not to go overboard – you don’t want to look metallic or pearlescent!

5) That prepping the skin with an amazing exfoliant is probably just as important as what you put on it. Dull, dry skin can be instantly reformed and renewed in a matter of minutes with the right products. I use a fast-acting mask. Or not so fast-acting, if I have a little time to wallow in ze bath! I am adoring Alpha-H’s Liquid Gold mask (not to be used before regular LG or indeed any other exfoliant – it’s powerful stuff!) for it’s super-strength formula. Yes it tingles, no it’s not relaxing, but it works. Can’t say fairer than that! £46 from BeautyExpert.

I have also become quite enamoured of Manuka Doctor’s Bee Venom Face Mask. Sounds gimmicky but I think that the results are excellent. The thought of putting bee stings all over my face (a slightly abstract concept at any rate!) didn’t really appeal, but after the initial tingling had faded (it’s as tingly as the Liquid Gold!) there wasn’t any particular discomfort, and my skin looked smooth and radiant afterwards! The Bee Venom mask comes in at £49.99 and is available at Holland & Barrett. 

6) Final discovery, that a brisk walk in the cold does wonders for the complexion. So long as it’s not raining, because rain makes everything miserable, get off the bus a stop early or walk to the shops instead of driving. It’s a good habit to get into at any rate, you’d be surprised at how these little trips add up and help you to keep in shape.