BEAUTY SAVIOUR: CLARINS LIQUID BRONZE SELF TANNING

When one of my friends hits me up with a, "Wow, Amy. Your skin is looking good today" or a "Erm, since when did you go on holiday?", I can guarantee that, nine times of ten, I will have applied my trusty Clarins Liquid Bronze the night before.

This stuff is honestly just glow-y, gorgeous goodness in a bottle. Now, we know by now that I am a certified makeup addict. For the most part, I am not one to wake up and opt for the minimal look - I enjoy my process of contouring, highlighting, baking and just generally snatching the face. I can't lie, though. Recently I have been going completely foundation free because the results of this bad boy are just too good to not show off.

The Liquid Bronze Self Tanning lotion works like any other gradual tan product. You apply it, preferably at night, to your face, neck and décolleté, and by the morning it has stained your skin and turned you into the bronzed goddess that you always aspired to be.

However, this product is much classier than your average £3 bottle of St. Moriz tan. And that's no shade on St. Moriz...I love St. Moriz. But where a more affordable tanning product might work for general body application, it might not work so well for the face. The times I have attempted to smother a bog standard tanning mousse on to my face, I have ended up resembling something of a spotty Oompa Loompa. Not a strong look. Yet, an application of Clarins' lotion does not break me out and leaves me with a naturally bronzed and glowing face. At £20 a bottle, I'd say you get what you pay for. It never looks patchy or fake, but rather delivers a healthy, sun-kissed result that could genuinely pass as a natural tan.

If I had to nit-pick one teeny, tiny issue with this product, it would be that it does leave a bit of a lingering scent on your skin, which could give the game away if you are wanting to give the 'I woke up like this' impression. My own boyfriend has been known to pull away suspiciously after a kiss and exclaim, "you're wearing fake tan aren't you!" Damn, cover blown. But to be honest, this really doesn't bother me. I would expect most fake tan products to have that distinctive, biscuit-y fragrance (anyone else think fake tan always smells like biscuits?) and in comparison to other brands, this scent is very subtle. I wouldn't let this put you off; I really am nit-picking here and the slight smell is well-worth the results.

So there is my biggest beauty secret for you all to go take advantage of! You're welcome guys. If, like me, you want to look like you've just come back from a week holiday in Spain (when in reality you've been lounging around in your pants, watching Netflix), then definitely make sure to go pick up a bottle for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT: NYX VIVID BRIGHTS

Do any of my fellow noughties kids remember the days of electric blue mascara and eyeliner? Not exactly a look I thought I'd be revisiting in my twenties, but after seeing a series of Instagram beauty Queens rocking a dramatic, blue, winged liner, I decided to jump straight on the bandwagon and take it back to secondary school.

...And I hate to admit it, but I bloody loved the result!

I think the trick is to keep the rest of the makeup really simple. My 12-year-old self was just really doing the most when it came to makeup. I'm talking glittery pink eye shadow, blue mascara and - Lord, forgive me - foundation lips. However, paired with a neutral eye shadow and nude-brown lip, a thinly-drawn, blue wing makes a real statement whilst still managing to look sophisticated and elegant.

As someone who doesn't often stray from the neutral tones, it was so much fun to experiment with such a colourful, statement product. In fact, it's even inspired me to try out a few other colours. Having spotted a few yellow winged liner looks floating around Instagram, I reckon this will be my next makeup mission.

NEW IN: MAC LIPSTICKS IN MATTE ROYAL AND HEROINE, WITH SWATCHES

Just a quick post today to show you these beauties from MAC that I bought this week. Now that we are heading into Autumn, the bold, dark lip colours will be making a more regular appearance, so I decided to add a couple of new shades to my collection.

I rarely wear purple lipstick - I'm much more of a classic nude or red kind of girl. But I have been seeing some really stunning makeup looks on Youtube and Instagram recently that feature vibrant purple shades, and so am going to take the plunge and be more experimental this Autumn/Winter. I know these two colours look a little intimidating but, paired with really minimalist, simple eye makeup and base, I think that they could look really classy and striking. We'll see!

I usually get on very well with the matte formula by MAC, and I can tell from just swatching the products on the back of my hand that they are still moisturising enough to not dry out your lips, but matte enough to not look glossy; a look I'm not to keen on for myself. I haven't tried the lipsticks on yet, but keep an eye on my insta as I'm sure I will post a picture when I do: @amymcmillann_ 

NEW IN: THE BODY SHOP SHADE ADJUSTING DROPS REVIEW

I'm struggling to understand why a makeup product like this has not actually appeared on the market before now, but my God am I pleased The Body Shop has finally done it!

As soon as I heard about these lightening and darkening drops, I immediately had to rush out and get them. As someone whose skin colour can change quite dramatically depending on both the time of year and also on when I decide to apply fake tan, this sounded like the product I didn't know I always needed. No longer will I have to buy multiple shades of the same foundation at ludicrous prices - these little bottles at £10 each are much more cost effective. The pipette allows you to control just how much darker or lighter you want your foundation to go, and you really do not need much to alter the shade.

I have currently only used the darkening drops, as my skin is slightly more tanned due to this lovely summer weather we have had recently, and I have really been loving the product so far. It has a wonderful formula that doesn't change the consistency of my foundation, or alter my ease of application. I was also slightly concerned that the darkening drops could give my base an orangey-tinge, but thankfully this has not been the case. The shade adjusting drops allow for a more subtle, bronze shade, without looking tacky or 'too much'. I am excited to see whether the lightening drops will be as much of a success once we enter into the cooler months (and I start looking more like a ghost again).