Body & beauty

Jo Fairley: Natural Shimmer

Our columnist lets us in on all her make-up secrets for the festive season

Lustrous. Gleaming. Glimmering. Candlelit. Such lovely words. And those should be your absolute watchwords for beauty at this time of year. Trouble is, there’s a tendency for some make-up brands to tip over into glittery-Christmas-tree territory, come the festive period. Shimmer and glow, however, are a different matter. A touch here and there – rather than all over – can give a sense of flattering radiance, adding a hint of lustre to lids, brow-bones, the top lip, even the bridge of the nose or the lips themselves. Think of this, then, as the grown-up guide to gleam…

RMS Beauty Luminizer x Quad

An absolutely brilliant, downsized palette with four ‘luminisers’, which are basically highlighters that melt into skin, aren’t greasy, and have just the right amount of glimmer. I’d recommend playing around with the four different shades, to see which works with your complexion (some work better with cool complexions, some with warm) – and of course, you can play with layering them, for a custom effect.

Ere Perez Chamomile Eyeshadow Palette – Gorgeous

My hunch is this will become a go-to at any time of year, outside the party season, as it offers three matte base shades and three shimmers, for accent, in earthy and neutrally gleaming shades (peach, gold and a coppery tone). They go on quite sheer, which ensures there’s absolutely no ‘fear factor’, but are buildable for more intense effects when needed.

Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer

A gleaming upgrade of Burt’s Bees much-loved lip balms, infused with vitamin E, coconut and sunflower oils and sweeping on to deliver comfort and a lip-smoothing, subtle pearlised shine. The Rhubarb shade will flatter literally every complexion. If you don’t believe me, give it a try.

Axiology Lid to Lip Balmie

I just love these: chunky, balm-like crayons infused with nourishing oils and butters, with zero-waste packaging. They work on lips and eyes, in four shades: Champagne (a goldwashed nude), Frosting (pearly white), Caramel (sunset copper-y gold) and Chestnut (deeper bronze/copper). The first two shades would be better to add a focal point of gleam on lips, NB, rather than all over! Good for highlighting the Cupid’s bow, though.

Jane Iredale Golden Shimmer Face and Body Lotion

This works either as a radiant primer to create a lit-from-within look, with foundation – or if you’re scared of shimmer, think about using it on your body: shoulders, décolletage, forearms and even on the front of the shins, to create the optical illusion of longer legs.

Jo Fairley is the co-founder of Green & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible. Head online to see her latest projects at josephinefairley.com

Article by

Jo Fairley

Co-founder of Greem & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible

Jo Fairley is the co-founder of Green & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible. Head online to see her latest projects at josephinefairley.com

Discover more

Article by

Jo Fairley

Co-founder of Greem & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible

Jo Fairley is the co-founder of Green & Blacks and author of The Beauty Bible. Head online to see her latest projects at josephinefairley.com

Discover more