The 10 products you NEED to have in your post-lockdown makeup bag
The recent weather may not have quite matched up to last year’s sultry heatwave, but we have plenty to look forward to right now. Yes, we are soooo close to freedom, we can almost taste it – the return of parties, weddings, festivals, late-night giggles and terrible attempts at karaoke with more than just a scattering of people. Understandably, we are gearing up for a summer like no other; a chance to dress up and wear makeup again. Excited? Us? Hell, yes.
If you found yourself mostly makeup-free during the pandemic (no, tinted lip balm doesn’t count) as normal life begins to return, you’re bound to be reaching for that dusty makeup bag once more. Of course, since we’re emerging into a warmer season, some of those heavy foundations and darker hues that were last used before lockdown 1.0 won’t really be up to scratch for sunnier, balmier days. What you need is a makeup bag overhaul – and we are here to help.
So, where do you start exactly? Well, since we are seasoned pros when it comes to testing out products (all part of the job!), over the past few weeks, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to hunt out the ultimate holy grail products to see you through 2021’s Summer of Fun, and whittled them down to the ones we genuinely adore.
Our glow kit features 10 epic, summer-ready makeup products that will see you through day and night. From a radiance-boosting primer to a light-as-air SPF30 CC cream, sun-reflecting shimmery blusher and won’t-budge-in-the-heat setting spray, if you’re going to buy any new makeup over the next few weeks, it has to be one (or all) of these.
The great news is they are all available at Boots – which seems to really be upping the ante when it comes to stocking a heap of cool, exciting makeup brands right now. And you won’t have to spend a fortune either as they all come in at £20 and below. Ready to get shopping?
Scroll down to shop our Ultimate Glow Kit now…
1/10Collection Gorgeous Glow Stick in Blush, Boots
This easy-to-use blush stick is brilliant for travelling or when you need a quick pop of colour on the go. It’s super-blendable and you can build it up depending on your desired intensity, plus you can add it to your lips too.
2/10Sleek Makeup Highlighting Elixir Illuminating Drops, Boots
When you want to ramp up the glow, these illuminating drops are like little bullets of gold that will catch the light giving you the most gorgeous dewy gleam – a complete godsend for highlighting qweens.
3/10Soap & Glory Glow and DewIt Pressed Highlighting Powder, Boots
When you want velvety powder that gives you a subtle hint of a glow wherever you decide to pop it, this Soap & Glory one is the bee’s knees. Dust it over foundation for a perfect finish.
4/10NYX Professional Makeup Makeup Setting Spray, Boots
While we love the summer sun, we don’t love what it does to our makeup, which is why this setting spray is an absolute must-have in your post-lockdown makeup bag. Spritz it over your finished look and it will keep your face looking fresh and shine-free all day.
5/10NYX Professional Makeup Honey Dew Me Up! Plumping Primer, Boots
We couldn’t not include this gamechanging honey-dew-melon-infused primer in our glow edit. It not only neutralises redness and discolouration, it’s also teeming with lovely light-reflecting flecks to keep skin looking radiant all day.
6/10Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso, Boots
We’re obsessed with Milani blushes that are each sunbaked on Italian terracotta tiles to give them the most natural-looking hues. Luminoso, a juicy, pearly coral is our favourite shade for days when you want to enhance a just-back-from-Ibiza tan.
7/10Collection Bronze Glow Shimmering Powder, Boots
We all know the power of a good bronzer to make you feel good, which is why we’re totally nuts for this purse-friendly one that offers a natural, sun-kissed sheen worth dusting over cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, forehead and jawline for instant complexion-warming.
8/10XX Revolution Skin Glow Tinted Moisturiser Booster in Radiate, Boots
Available in five shades, this dreamy lightweight and buildable tinted moisturiser – with added pearly particles and skin-loving niacinamide and papaya extract – is ideal for days when you don’t need a full face of coverage, but still want to beam.
9/10XX Revolution Hi-Glow Palette Vividness, Boots
Your one-stop shop to glowing-on-the-go, this cruelty-free and vegan palette offers a blush of colour, highlight and bronze in one with three syrupy sunset hues that will make you look like a seriously bronzed goddess.
10/10e.l.f. Camo CC Cream in Medium, Boots
There’s no place for a heavy foundation when the weather heats up, which is why we love this colour-correcting cream that covers where you need it most without feeling heavy (plus it’s packed with skin-plumping collagen, peptides and niacinamide, as well as SPF30).
Shop more post-lockdown makeup essentials now at boots.com
