Look outside the window; summer is officially here.

With that in mind I am throwing caution to the wind and preparing myself for warmer days and balmy nights. Like me, your body has probably been cocooned under jumpers thick tights and a winter coat. It’s time to shake off the shackles of winter, and prepare your body for some exposure. This is a list of what I am using in the hope that summer will be hot and long:

Bioderma Sebium Micelle Solution
Bioderma is the product of the season; beauty bloggers, fashion editors and beauty editors and make-up artists all rave about this product so I was anxious to try and see if it lived up to the hype. It does. After washing my face instead of toner I use this product and I’m surprised at the amount of dirt on the cotton wool pad. It gives your face an extra clean without stripping away any of your natural oils and as I use the one for combination skin, it has a great job of keeping my T zone oil free. There’s a reason a bottle of the solution for sensitive skin is sold every six seconds worldwide.

Radical Skincare Instant Revitalising Mask
This mask contains antioxidant multivitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene which will help to maintain the health of your skin. It sloughs away dead skin and leaves you with a bright and clean complexion. Use it once or twice a week on clean dry skin, leave on for a few minutes and wash off for baby soft skin.

Cath Collins Lily Fandango Eau De Toilette
Summer calls for a light fruity fragrance and I really like the citrus and green notes in this perfume. It’s sweet without being overpowering or sickly and its oriental base notes add a slight sultry sophistication.

This Works Perfect Heels Rescue Balm
Summer calls for flip-flops and sling backs and as your feet have probably been stuck in boots for the past six months, chances are your heels are cracked and your feet are dry. Get your feet ready for exposure with this rescue balm. For best results, exfoliate your feet first and then massage the balm into your heels and all over your feet before bed.

L’Occitane Summer Cherry Moisturising Gel
Once the Sun is shining your limbs in particular are going to be bare, so get them ready by slathering this moisturising gel all over yourself after your bath or shower. It smells great, is easily absorbed and leaves your skin feeling hydrated.

Barry M Textured Polish Range
These colours shout summer and pastels are all the rage this season. In my opinion they aren’t as textured as the nails inc ones, but at only £4.99 a bottle, they are cheap and cheerful and do the job well enough.

LCN Polish Strip Off Base
Using this reminded me of being a teenager; does anyone else remember when peel off polish was all the rage? Simply paint on instead of basecoat, apply your usual nail polish and when it comes to removing simply peel it off. It really is that easy. It even works underneath textured nail polish which even with normal remover can be really difficult to get off.

Tresemme Platinum Strength Leave In Conditioner
This leave in conditioner is perfect when you’re washing your hair in a hurry. Instead of using my usual conditioner I just washed my hair, added a generous amount of this leave in conditioner and styled as usual. My hair felt healthy strong and shiny. If you are one of those people who washes your hair in the gym, or washes your hair frequently during the week this leave in conditioner will help speed up your routine.

I’ve got these products in heavy rotation this month:

Yves Rocher Pure Light Foundation – £20/30ml
I have to confess that Yves Rocher was not a name I was familiar with. Speaking to an older friend, I found out that they’re a venerated French brand that have been around for ages; a testimony to their lasting appeal. After taking a look at their beauty range (lipsticks, polishes and more) I was more than pleased to discover they have an extensive foundation collection.

Yves Rocher Pure Light Foundation reminds me of YSL Le Tient Touche Éclat in a way; it leaves the skin with light and luminous medium coverage and is best kept for good skin days. The foundation contains rice extract which is rich in botanical inositol which helps to improve the skin’s radiance.

Guerlain Cils d’Enfer – Maxi Lash mascara – £22/8.5ml
I love mascara; if there’s one product I can’t live without it’s mascara. Even on my laziest day, I will still apply at least one coat. As you can imagine I get through a lot and am always on the search for next best thing. Cils d’Enfer – Maxi Lash mascara is my first try of a Guerlain product and I’m sold. Not only does it smell lovely (unusual for a mascara, no?) it lengthens, thickens, separates, curls and volumises all without clumping and feathering. For a luxury brand, I think it is rather reasonably priced too.

YSL Beauty Top Secrets Flash Radiance Skincare Brush – £38
I’ve made no secret of my love affair with YSL Beauty, their products are simply divine. This Top Secrets primer is no exception. It’s novel in that you squeeze the bottle and the primer trickles down into the brush which is a more uniform and hygienic way of applying the product. It’s non-drying and it does a fantastic job at not only keeping your make up in place all day, it also helps minimise the oil which normally gathers in my T zone by the days end. Does YSL Beauty make any products that aren’t amazing? I know it’s gushy but their stuff really is that good!

Benefit Stay Don’t Stray Primer for Concealer and Eye shadow – £20.50/10ml
Until I got this product, I didn’t know primer for concealer or eye shadow was even a thing! The primer comes in two shades: light/medium and medium/deep. I tried medium/deep which I thought was going to be too light but because you only dab a tiny amount under your eye and over your eyelid it actually does suit darker skins and when it’s rubbed in, it’s virtually invisible. I don’t wear concealer under my eyes so I can’t comment on its efficacy there but it does do a good job in holding eye shadow in place. Other than lipstick I don’t reapply my makeup throughout the day; once it’s gone it’s gone. Most days I wear my Benefit Glamorous Nudes eye shadow and using the Stay Don’t Stray Primer meant the shadow stayed colour fast a lot longer.

Anna Sui Fairy Dance – £36/50ml
These Anna Sui collectable tin houses come replete with one of each of her bestselling fragrances; Secret Wish, Flight of Fancy, and Fairy Dance. The tins are so cute and have hooks inside to transform into a collectable jewellery box. I’ve got the Fairy Dance fragrance and tin and get comments not only on the scent but also on the tin as it’s so eyecatching. Collect all three to make your own little village or snap one up for a friend (one you really like so you aren’t tempted to keep the tin and its contents for yourself).

What’s new in your beauty bag this month?

As much as I try I just can’t seem to get to grips with false lashes so I was excited to try out Freezeframe Instant Lash Brush On Extensions.

They are all the rage in Australia and won Glosscars Best New Lashes, were winners of the ‘Lashes Face Off’ Road Test (beating all other major global brands) and are the number 1 selling lash product in Australia.

Freezeframe Instant Lash Brush On Extensions are different from other lash extensions in that you simply brush them on. Although it looks like mascara, it isn’t. The tube contains lots and lots of tiny lash extensions and you gently brush on (to the tips only) and wait until they bond to the ends of your lashes. Keep brushing them on until have your desired lash length.

As you apply the extensions, they attach to your natural lashes, then to the tiny extensions you’ve added and so on and so on. You can add up to 4 – 8 mm this way. As you’re only applying to the ends of your lashes (I repeat, not the roots) it helps to use an eyelash curler first so the tips of your lashes are very visible.

Wait a few seconds then apply your favourite mascara. As you can hopefully see in the photo below, the lash extensions are a decent length so while they definitely extend your lashes, it still looks very natural.

The difference is immediately visible; in fact my extended lashes were almost touching my eyelid that’s how long and curled they were.

I am a huge mascara fan; I’m constantly on the lookout for products to elongate, volumise and curl my lashes and the Freezeframe Instant Lash Brush On Extensions certainly deliver on this front.

Freezeframe Instant Lash Brush On Extensions – £29

Rihanna could have been mistaken for one of the models at the Rihanna for River Island launch in London in March.

We got the low down from her long time make-up artist Mylah Morales on how to recreate her glamorous look. Mylah is a fan of Per-fekt Beauty products which she regularly uses on Rihanna as a base and/or primer before applying makeup.

She said: “The per-fekt beauty products are unique in that they act as a modern multi-use alternative to traditional foundations and powder bronzers and blushes, creating a healthy and youthful look to boost your natural skin colour. Also formulated with Niacin to boost skin circulation, antioxidants and Vitamins A and E, the products protect against premature ageing of the skin.’

At the London leg of the Rihanna for River Island launch, Mylah used Per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel in ‘Vine’, Body Perfection Gel in ‘Exotic’ and Skin Perfection Gel in ‘Decadent’.

Per-fekt Beauty Lip Perfection Gel in ‘Vine’  is a signature colour for Rihanna. It includes alpha lipoic acid Vitamins A & E, hyaluronic microspheres, peptides and jojoba. It enhances the appearance of lips offering a modern alternative to lipstick and lip gloss as well as offering a lip treatment and plumper. You have to really pile it on to get the same depth of colour as Rihanna but it looks really good against all skin tones.

Body Perfection Gel in ‘Exotic’ gives the honey toned Rihanna a silky smooth glimmer. The gel contains hyaluronic filling spheres, ceramides and shea butter which enhance the appearance of the skin offering a traditional alternative to bronzer, self-tanner and the sun. It also firms, tones and tightens the skin.

Rihanna and Mylah swear by Skin Perfection Gel in ‘Decadent’ to prime her face before applying makeup. It has Smartcolor Technology, alpha lipoic acid and Vitamins A & E to enhance the appearance of the skin for a flawless look whilst colour correcting. Think of it as an alternative to traditional powder, primer and concealer. It looks light in the tube but it when on it is invisible and really does give your face an airbrushed finish.