GRITTY PRETTY X HARPER & HARLEY: HOW TO MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

One of the greatest joys of my job is collaborating with like-minded creatives.

One of those über talented creatives (who also happens to be one of my friends and now my office buddy) is Sara Donaldson – the immaculately-dressed force behind fashion blog powerhouse, Harper & Harley.

With Sara now sitting just two desks beside me, we decided to team up and create a beauty post that combined both of our skills – Sara’s being her recent foray in photography (and a love of all things minimal) and mine being swatch styling (more on that later…). Throw in a ’90s R&B playlist and a bit of Snapchat and we have the perfect recipe for a creative, productive and fun afternoon full of laughs.

On hand capturing this was the crew from Fashion Bloggers, hit reality TV series on the E! network. The wonderful team came into our office to film the reality of what goes into creating a blog post – from coming up with a concept (hello Pinterest!) to the creative execution and the written follow up.

Hopefully, last night’s episode gave you a bit more insight into the world of creating digital content; and the importance of creating something original.

With Sydney recently experiencing it’s coldest day on record this year, Sara and I were discussing our dislike for winter. While both of us tend to prefer a natural makeup look, we sought to come up with an edit of the best bronzers and highlighters to give you a gorgeous glow – in the dead of winter.

Bronzers, in particular, have become somewhat of a ‘ride or die’ product. Some women are happy to forgo mascara if their skin has warmth and depth. And, I dig that. A lot. When it comes to finding the right bronzer for you, it’s important to consider different textures and formulas. If your skin tends to be dry, a liquid or cream bronzer can be better for you – it’ll melt into the skin beautifully without leaving a powdery residue that can, for some, look ageing.

Whenever I’m testing products, I always play with them – pouring them out onto the back of my hand or onto white paper. Swatching, a technique I mentioned earlier, is something I learned (after years of practice) during my days as a magazine beauty editor. You know those perfectly imperfect spills of lotion, lipstick or nail polish that you would see on a magazine page? Yeah, I used to do those. Fun, right!? While it might seem easy, last night’s episode shows that there is definitely an art to swatching and getting something that is essentially messy to look neat, again, takes plenty of practice. It’s a lot of fun and one of my favourite parts of the job (except when I’m forced to crush up an $80 bronzer – now that hurts!).

Switching gears to application and it’s best to think of bronzer as a shading product – it should sit along the hollows underneath your cheeks. This will give the appearance of more defined cheekbones. It can also be cleverly used to contour your nose. Personally, I prefer to wear it along my cheeks and where the sun would naturally kiss my face – along the hairline and jawline.

While bronzer will undoubtedly make you look like you’ve been on holiday during winter, there are other forms of glow-makers to consider such as illuminator and highlighter.

The perfect compliment to any bronzer, these glow-wonders reflect light, making your skin look radiant. Not sure how to use them? Simply dust or dab them onto the high points of your face: upper cheekbones, brow bones, the bridge of your nose and your Cupid’s bow (above your top lip).

Don’t forget to watch Fashion Bloggers tonight at 9:30pm on E!.

You can also watch the episodes a week after they air on E! online.

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