This summer’s launches seem to have all been centred around one thing… body shimmer. Whether it’s setting sprays filled with pigment or body oil full of glitter, the beauty industry really has gone mad for it and I’m not mad about it! As someone who loves anything shimmery, glittery and giving off major summer vibes, I’m there for it! I’ll talk through what I’ve picked up so far as well as about a few products launching over the next few weeks that I need to add to my collection for sure!

So I know it’s been a while (again), I’m seriously slacking on the blogging part at the moment! I’ve still been taking lots of new photos, aiming for at least once a week (usually on a Saturday or Sunday). I upgraded my phone from the IPhone 7 to the IPhone 8 Plus and I’m obsessed! The camera is soooo much better than the 7, like I literally did not think it would be that noticeable but it really is. I went for the gold one and was pleasantly surprised when it arrived with a nude enamel looking glass back, with rose gold edges . I couldn’t be swayed to go for the X as the thought of no home button really didn’t appeal to me! I’ve also been having a few issues trying to make use of my iPad for my blogging. If you didn’t know, Matt did amazing in the birthday gift department this year and got me a Rose Gold (obviously) 256GB cellular IPad Pro. I purchased the Apple IPad Pro Smart Keyboard and Pencil to go with it and I’m obssesed. There’s something so satisfying about using this keyboard but I couldn’t tell you why!

Anyway, back to my blogging issues! My blog is supported and ran on Blogger.com. Helpfully Blogger removed their app from the App Store a while ago claiming they weren’t getting the usage stats so they wanted to focus their attention elsewhere! Cleary a Google Apple clash of heads behind the scenes but there we go! That aside, I then found myself stuck in a situation where I couldn’t find anything that was compatible. I tried using Blogger.com in Safari and Chrome and loading the Desktop Site rather than the mobile version but neither worked. Both browsers were restricting my viewing in the ‘Page Elements’ and ‘Layout’ sections. I literally can’t scroll down! It’s so frustrating! So instead I looked elsewhere and eventually downloaded a free version of BlogTouch Pro which seemed to be the recommended third party substitute in the App Store. I liked what I saw so I downloaded the paid version to gain full functionality. There are still a few niggles, it’s really difficult to conform the style (font colour, size etc) to match my blog theme, and it’s impossible to add captions to images, but, it works and it’s better than neglecting my IPad and blog altogether!

A drawer full of shimmer ♥

Moving back to the summer glow and the products I wanted to talk about, as you can probably tell from the picture above it’s quite a mixed bag! The concept of  body shimmer for summer didn’t really make sense to me until I was in Ibiza! As I became more tanned day by day, I began reaching for some of these products in the evening as they really complimented my tanned skin! It probably also helped that the Superdrug after-sun I took with me was filled with shimmer and sparkle and smelt like white chocolate! The aftersun was an absolute bargain by the way, 200ml for £3.49, available at Superdrug.

Trying to trim down what makeup products I was going to take with me to Ibiza was such a long and hard process! In the end, I chose to take the Sol De Janerio Copacabana Bronze and Ipanema Sunset Glow Oils with me along with the Iconic London Prep, Set and Glow facial sprays in ‘Original’ and ‘Glow’. This was mainly because most of the other shimmer products I had were all housed in glass bottles meaning extra weight in my suitcase which I could’t really afford to spare… my makeup bag weighed 5kg by itself!

Starting with Iconic London prep set and glow facial spray, these sprays caught the beauty communities’ attention for a number of reasons. Packed full of revitalising ingredients, the product boasts to leave your skin feeling refreshed and glowing after use. I’ve really fallen in love with Iconic London over the last two years. Their products are consistently high quality, cruelty free and most, if not all are 100% Vegan, including the facial sprays. The packaging was pretty simplistic, mirroring what we’ve already come to expect from the brand. A transparent spray bottle featuring the bold black statement logo and flush black lid. The nozzle was very similar to the Urban Decay ‘All Nighter’ setting spray, somewhere between the Marc Jacobs Coconut Mist and the Tarte Radiant Skin Mist. The sprays are now available in two sizes, 75ml for £16.00 or 120ml for £18.50 available on Iconic London’s website.

So what are the revitalising ingredients? The spray contains cucumber and chamomile intended to breathe life back into your skin. It’s also enriched with Vitamin E, Antioxidants and Green Tea to condition your skin and caffeine to aid tackling those dark circles under the eye. ‘Glow’ was very much a bronze shimmer pigmented spray, whilst I found ‘Original’ to be a gold champagne. Both were very beautiful on the skin and would definitely be complimentary to all skin types. The only thing that be considered a down side for some users was the amount of shimmer that would transfer to your clothes and surrounding area. Personally, the more shimmer the better but this may seem slightly annoying for some users. I absolutely loved this product and used it religiously for the two weeks I was away and since I’ve been home! It compliments sun kissed skin so beautifully!

Iconic London’s Prep, Set & Glow in ‘Original’ and ‘Glow’ ♥

Moving on to the body oils from Sol De Janeiro, these were released around the same time as Fenty’s Phase 1 of the Beach Please! collection. I saw a lot of comparisons going on, with the likes of my Queen Huda Kattan prefering this over Fenty’s offering. Safe to say by then I was intrigued so decided to purchase both variants and see what the hype was about. This was my first purchase from the brand via Cult Beauty and after trying them, I’ll definitely be going back for more!

The products come in two shades: ‘Copacabana Bronze Glow Oil’, a deep rich golden bronze, and ‘Ipanema Sunset Glow Oil’, a lighter rose tinted champagne molten gold. Both are enriched with the new signature Cheirose ’77 fragrance, a gorgeous fragrance containing wild fig, citrusy pomelo and Brazilian Gardenia. Both apply seamlessly, no streaking, greasiness or stickiness and wash off easily. What I really liked about the formula of these as it wouldn’t take long for the formula to be absorbed by your skin, with each product leaving a pigmented shimmery tint to the skin. You also don’t need much more than a two pence piece size amount in your hand. Both are in 75ml plastic bottles, with striking metallic decorative lids which make the bottles stand out. Once you remove these (they literally just pull off) the bottle is sealed with another small screw cap. The vivid yellow of the cardboard packaging screams summer, i absolutely love the colours associated with this brand. All in all, absolutely loved this product. I think the brand is relevant and exciting, and as a fairly young/new brand, I’m excited to see what’s next!

MAC Fix+ in ‘PinkLite’ and ‘GoldLite’ with the two new Hyper Real Glow highlighter palettes in ‘Get it Glowin’ (gold) and ‘Flash + Awe’ (pink) ♥

So moving on to the remainder of my collection, There are the four bottles of shimmering body oil and the Fenty Beauty body lava. I’ll start with the new products from Fenty Beauty as this was part of another 2018 launch that was eagerly anticipated by many. Limited Edition, Fenty Beauty released two shades of a new product to their range, ‘Body Lava’. A deep golden brown bronze shimmer ‘Brown Sugar’, and a rose tinted molten gold ‘Who Needs Clothes?’. 

Each bottle contains 90ml for £46. I personally was quite suprised at the price point on these items as Fenty managed to get the foundation/primer at £26 with the luxurious glass bottle and pump but the body lava was too beautiful to resist. The body lava formula consistency was different to any of the other products I’ve mentioned as it had more of a gel consistency, and the bottles came with pumps similar to those seen on their primer and foundation, consistent with the luxurious glass bottle. The chrome rose gold effect packaging on the lid and pump are a really gorgeous addition! So, how does it wear? I’ve seen so many reviews slating the product for being too greasy or too sticky but I haven’t experienced that on occasion I’ve wore the product! I can only imagine those people are using far too much as I literally used 2-3 pumps to cover my arms, legs and chest! It smells amazing and is extremely long wearing but easy to shower off when needed.

Moving on to the final four products, picture above on the right. The Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Shimmering body oil, The Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Now Wild Palm Oil, and Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc. Starting with the two products from Estee Lauder, the Bronze Goddess range has been part of their summer release for the last few years. I don’t own a lot of Estee Lauder products although I did recently purchase their double wear foundation as I loved the sample I was given!

These two products are aesthetically stunning and the smell is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. I literally can’t even describe how obsessed I now am with the Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche scent. The fragrance contains bergamot, warm amber, tiare flower and vanilla combined with coconut which explains a lot as I seem to be drawn to anything with Vanilla and Coconut. I really need to invest in the perfume to be honest! The pink version contains 45ml for £29.50, and the gold Hair & Body oil contains 50ml for £38. I managed to pick up both for £57.38 from thefragranceshop.com during a promotion! I believe the pink one has sold out but the gold one is still available on there but be quick! 

The Tom Ford Soleil Blanc is £72 for 100ml and available in most retailers. A slightly high price point (ridiculously high) but as soon as I saw it I needed it! It really is your classic gold shimmer body oil! The Victoria’s Secret one has more of a rich golden tone to it as well as an extremely strong but summery fragrance. Much much cheaper, only £25 for 100ml in a beautiful sturdy classy glass bottle. Both are easy to use, non greasy, fast drying and leave your skin glowing!

The next one I’ll be definitely adding to my collection is the new Becca X Chrissy Teigen collab launching at the beginning of July! Past launches I regret not purchasing are golden body oils from La Mer and Chanel (obviously because of limited funds and high prices!).

Do you guys own any shimmery products you’d like to recommend? If you own any of the same ones I have, do you love them? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading guys!