Get Your Glow on - Nars Illuminator in Copacabana

I love a highlighter and I love Nars so this product was a rather obvious choice for me. Nars Illuminator in Copacabana is a pretty, iridescent, pale pink shade. This is a super-sheer highlighter, that when applied to the cheekbones gives the loveliest light-reflecting glow. It can also be mixed with foundation and gives a luminosity to the skin like you've never seen before. A word of warning, a little goes a very long way - so whilst £22 is quite a lot of money, I'd say its well worth it, the tube lasts a very long time. This highlighter is also available in Nars' other trademark hues - Lauguna, Orgasm and Super Orgasm. Copacabana looks great when my skin is at it's palest, in the dead of winter, I might invest in the Laguna for the summer months. This is a great multi-purpose product and a useful addition to any make-up bag. Have you tried any of the other shades?

Old favourites: Benefit and Nars Blushes

Benefit Coralista
This is not a new product and probably resides in the the majority of beauty enthusiasts make up bags, however, it is a goody. Many a pallid and washed-out day have been saved by it's gorgeous peachy coral glow. Coralista is super-pigmented, with a subtle golden shimmer - adding light and life to my sorry February complexion, lasting all day. I'd say the shade will suit most skin tones, and can be layered for depth of colour. As with all Benefit products, the packaging is fun and original, slightly chunky to keep as a staple in my make-up bag. I have the older version - which I think has slightly more product but no mirror in the lid of the box. I don't find the brushes particularly great, I tend to keep them but never use them. If you don't have this in your blush collection, I would definitely recommend it - it's my go-to glow for a grey day.

Nars Orgasam
Again, this is a much-hyped cult product, it has received a whole lot of love from many a beauty blogger. This divine blush gives a healthy flush to the cheeks, the most perfect pink glow. It's uber-pigmented, with a golden under tone that catches the light. This is a blush and highlighter all in one when worn higher on the cheek bones. The staying power is great - it last all day. My one and only peeve about this product is its packaging - the simplicity of it is sleek, though the rubbery texture its made from gets grubby so easily. Saying that, it fits easily into my make up bag and has a handy mirror in the lid. I held off buying this, trying other Nars blushes instead, I really don't know why I waited as it is just fabulous.

Top Two High End Foundations: Nars Sheer Glow & Clarins Skin Illusion

Having already written a post on my two high street foundations, I thought I'd follow this up with a post on my top two high end favourites. I'll hold my hands up, I'm a complete foundations junkie - I'll willingly try almost anything that gets a mention in a blog, and so,I found these two gems.

Nars Sheer Glow: Light 4, Deauville
This is my absolute go-to foundation when I want to feel better about myself - it gives my skin the most amazing finish - dewy, glowy, need I bang on? This much raved about foundation gives a medium coverage, that's buildable and not at all cakey. I usually apply this with my fingers - I've tried using a brush, though find it soaks up a bit too much product. The hydrating formula sits weightlessly on the skin and covers over imperfections like redness or hyper-pigmentation, giving a light-reflecting satin finish that lasts a good 6 hours, slightly longer if I set with a loose powder. I can't praise this foundation enough, if you fancy spending on a foundation, look no further - this is the one.

Clarins Skin Illusion: 107 Beige
I was brought up on Clarins, my mum is a massive devotee of the brand and I used to "borrow" her collection of products as a teenager. So, with my inherited fondness of this make, I've tried a few of their foundations in my time. My all time favourite was their discontinued True Comfort foundation, in a quest to find a replacement, I stumbled across this beaut. This is a light and silky formula that gives a gorgeous perfecting, healthy-looking, satin finish to the skin. It just about sees me through the whole day, with a little powder on the t-zone at lunchtime. It feels hydrating on the skin and gives me that radiant glow we're all searching for. Before I finish - I can't fail to mention the fragrance when applying this, I can't quite put my finger on it but it's certainly fruity, though I can't say I notice it linger. This is a definite star in the Clarins line-up, definitely worth a go.

Do you have any top foundation recommendations?