My Beauty Prism: Autumnal Beauty by Ateh Jewel

As Summer turns to Autumn, take a moment to refresh your beauty regime and reset your mind

It's time to face up to the fact that Summer is almost over and Winter is coming. But as the nights draw in, there is no better time to focus on setting up some positive self-care rituals for the months ahead.

This year has been a challenging one and with continued uncertainty on the horizon, the path ahead is far from smooth, but as always, I'm finding solace in the transformational power of beauty. I've ditched the lounge wear, and no-makeup approach to home-working for a more polished look as I've finally embraced the fact that this is the New Normal for the forseeable.

So this week, I'm looking at a few new-season updates that will put a spring back in your step, from high impact mascaras to statement lipsticks. Enjoy!

Skin revivers

Sleepless nights, multi tasking and staring at screens all day can leave skin looking tired and ashy. Investing in a new dewy foundation is key. Make up artist Zoe Taylor who has worked with Rihanna, Victoria Beckham and Kiera Knightley agrees, “Right now there is a massive movement towards embracing makeup once more, a freedom of expression and a true moment of no boundaries."

Healthy skin is just as important. Whether you are constantly wearing then moving your face-mask or working in air conditioning/heated environment all day, a long wearing foundation which is light but has buildable coverage is vital. I am using the new CHANEL Les Beige Healthy Glow Foundation Hydration and Longwear, £41 and its GREAT. I love that it’s buildable, so you can get extra coverage where you need it”. 

Fresh skin and foundation is central to getting back into the saddle of wearing make up once again all day long. Reach for The Body Shop’s Fresh Nude Foundation, £16, which is packed full of skin hydrating rose extract and skin soothing community fair trade organic aloe vera from Mexico. For stressed out skin, Trinny London’s new BFF De-Stress Tinted Serum, £39, is a game changer. She explains; "For years I've been researching how to fight the signs of stress on my skin. The effects make my face feel tired, lacking in energy and haggard. There was nothing out there really addressing the issue with the level of ingredients needed to target stress, so I set about developing a formula with enough punch to actually achieve proper results”.

Her foundation comes in 12 shades catering to all skin tones. The foundation is packed full of skin plumping hyaluronic acid and anti-oxidants to help calm the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on the skin. 

Flawless makeup

After 6 months of treating everyday like a Sunday, a full face of slap may seem a but much. But for a super easy and quick routine here are some quick go to products to create a flawless look. REN Clean Skincare’s Perfect Canvas Clean Primer, £40 is a silicone free primer, which is great at helping to smooth fine lines and pores with the help of agave extract. Once you’ve primed your skin you can go in with Clinique’s new Even Better All - Over Concealer + Eraser, £23, to help blur the appearance of any spots or under eye darkness which can be used all over the face without looking cakey. The new formula is laced with skin brightening vitamin C and energising caffeine.

I always turn to blush to wake my face up and make artist Daniel Sandler agrees, “You can always rely on blush to immediately add freshness to a complexion and give lack-lustre skin a natural flush. A soft, pop of colour on the apples of cheeks gives you the prettiest bloom. My rule of thumb, when it comes to placing blush, is this: First apply colour onto the apple of cheeks gently blending up and onto the cheekbone towards the ear. This will give you two things, a rosy glow and a more sculpted, lifted cheek”.

Try Daniel Sandler’s award winning Watercolour Liquid Cheek Colour in Divine and Hot Totty, £16.50 each, for a streak free fresh flush, which is enriched with vitamin E and jojoba for nourished skin. 

Brows are also a quick way to give structure to the face. A thick defined brow can make you look refreshed and lift the eye area. I love the queen of LA brows Anastasia Beverly Hills new Brow Pen, £23. The brow pen comes in 9 shades and has a shade for blondes to dark browns and granite. The fine tipped pen helps to mimic hairs for a long wearing and waterproof formula. 

The eyes have it

Celebrity make up artist and author Lisa Potter Dixon nails it when it comes to the eyes, “Face masks are the new normal, so eyeshadow is the fastest way to make a statement. Go for pastels, coppers, bronzers and glitter pigments, which look stunning on the skin”.

I love colour and eyeshadows always make me feel really polished and business like. If you want just an easy wash of neutrals Bobbi Brown’s Real Nudes Eye Shadow Palettes, £34, looks great on all skin tones with bronzes and chocolates, which can be built up to create an easy smokey eye or sheer wash of colour. Don’t be scared to use colour as a neutral like Avon’s new Lisa Armstrong Dazzle Stick Eye Pencil in Crystal Quartz, £10, an amethyst, which is super creamy and blends on super quickly and easily with fingers. For another quick beauty trick, try using The Body Shop’s Eye Colour Stick in Bogota Emerald, £8, which gives intense long lasting colour and is enriched with Community Fair Trade babassu oil and beeswax. I love using this vibrant colour to either sweep across the entire lid or to give the eye a little kitty kat flick at the corners. I also love the fun pigment rich colours in Huda Beauty’s new Purple, Sand and Khaki palettes, £27 each. Each palette has a great mix of shades for all skintones with shimmer, matte and sheen shades, which pop on the skin.

Finish off the eyes with lashings of mascara. My mantra is 'go large or go home' and make up artist and instagram star Katie Jane Hughes agrees; “Go bold and nothing else…just a good 10 coats minimum of something like NARS Climax Extreme Mascara, £22. I also love The Body Shop’s Happy Go Lucky Mascara, £12, which really helps to define the eyes with its non flaky formula made with Community Fair Trade Beeswax from Cameroon and Community Fair trade organic coconut oil from Samoa.

Statement lips

There is something delicious about popping open a new lip colour. It’s both playful and a huge confidence boost. I’ve been enjoying make up artists and sisters Sam and Nicola Chapman’s limited edition MAC Cosmetics Lipsticks. Amplified Lipstick in ‘Sam Chapman’s Dream Red’, £17.50 . This is a bold blue red, which looks great on my darker skin tone as does the Cremesheen Lipstick in ‘Nicola Chapman’s Perfect Nude’ £17.50 which is a peachy creamy coral. Nothing beats a vivid red for impact and I love The Body Shop’s Matte Lip Butter in Manhattan Marigold, £7, which contains no carmine, feels super light and is enriched with Community Fair Trade Murala oil from Namibia. 

Lip stains are also a huge trend especially with all the masks we are wearing. YSL Beauty’s new Verins À Levres Water Stain Glow Lip Gloss £30, has a nude shade to suit all skin tones. I love the the 204 for my dark skin tone while 203 looks great on lighter skin tones and 213 on olive skin tones. The gloss is super comfortable on the lips and looks like your lips are blushing.

Don’t forget to look after your lips with Tinker Taylor Beauty Lip Kit, £64 which is skincare for lips, a 3 part sequence of Lip Scrub, Lip Oil, Lip Balm to be used once a day and then balm or oil throughout the day. It’s vegan and palm oil free for a high quality sustainable beauty choice. 

Make-up bag refresh

I love a spanking new make up bag the way I did a new pencil case at school, which always marked a moment to refresh. Use it as a chance for a fresh start and edit of your products. Dubbed the most powerful woman in beauty, Caroline Hirons new The Kit Bag, £30, is a must for make up fans who like me, don’t do minimal when it comes to beauty. The bag is roomy and wipeable in her signature bright yellow. 

I’m also loving Makeup artist Jillian Dempsey’s bag, who has worked with everyone from Kate Winslet, Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Stewart’s. The Jillian Dempsey Makeup Bag, £35 is super chic and durable as it’s made from heavy duty Nylon with rose gold zips and 2 pockets, which will leave you feeling proud as you whip it out. 

For some colour therapy, I reach for the Scamp & Dude Swag Bag Neon Pink Leopard and Lightning Bolt Print, £28. The power pink just makes me smile. The bag is again roomy and made from 100 % cotton. The bag also doubles up as a clutch or to stash bits and bobs, which is super handy for whatever life throws at you! Enjoy!