Slapp On Holiday: Island Edition
Borneo is the largest island in Asia. It’s home to rainforests, mountains, white-sand beaches and some fantastic food. Also - it’s hot. Sweating-off-suncream-hot, cream-lipsticks-might-melt-hot. For a British girl this heat is unreal, and for a representative of Slapp on this globetrotting excursion, this heat is a problem. Between greeting Orang-utans and Crocodiles, and scurrying in the shade to hotel yoga sessions, I was tasked with figuring out some way to actually wear all of the amazing makeup I had packed.
I’ve made a list of holiday makeup champions, now tried and tested in one of the most beautiful places on earth!
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Swan - Available in 'My Matches’ in the Slapp App
It’s no secret that this foundation has a fan club, and I finally see why! The formula goes easy on the skin and it still affords you a flawless coverage. It being medium-to-full in nature was just what I needed, any more and my base would have slipped off or done my pores a disservice.
The best features were the oil-free aspect of it, the Coconut Water infusion to hydrate and soothe skin, and the ever-broadening shade range for all varying skin tones, which, as someone at one extreme of the skin tone spectrum, is appreciated. I found myself mainly wearing it for dinners with no sun in sight, and (gasp) air conditioning available - but this product was also a ride or die in the hot daytime, when I could actually find some shade.
Watch this space for a full Foundation Appreciation review!
Illamasqua Sketch Stick Eyeshadow in Trip - Illamasqua
Even though I had optimistically packed an eyeshadow palette, my hopes were pretty quickly dashed by a reality check. Powders aren’t the best friends of humidity, and as such I am so relieved to have packed some chubby eyeshadow pencils as a contingency plan - the best of which, without argument, was the Sketch Stick made by Illamasqua. Mine was acid green, and I loved the simplicity of a monotoned eye once I had tried it out.
The vivid shade speaks for itself, and the creamy consistency of the pigment makes it wonderful to either draw on a thick, block line that can be built upon, or to be dabbed all over your lids and blended with a finger into a stunning smokey eye.
The product also held its own in the heat (probably better than I did), and remained unmovable once set. The range of shades available in these sticks are electrifying and unapologetic - I simply picked one and paired it with neat mascara. Definitely thrilled, to have tried something new.
NYX Lip Lingerie in Babydoll + Coloured Raine Matte Lip Paint in Sugar - ASOS + Beauty Bay
In the heat I’ve found that creamy lipsticks simply don’t work for me. I’m too busy sipping gallons of water during the day, to be able to re-apply as much as necessary, and if I can avoid another melting product on my face it’s a miracle.
This is the weather in which liquid lipsticks seem to excel; they dry down in a flash thanks to the heat, and they don’t chip or crack as they can do in colder climates.
My two favourites are strategically nude for my skin tone - this means that if I do need to reapply after a meal, the damage is minimal and less noticeable than a hot pink or bright red.
NYX’s formula is more elastic than Coloured Raine’s, but Coloured Raine’s formula truly dries and sets, so it’s simply a matter of preference! Or, you could just combine two nudes for a beautiful ombré.
Too Faced - Bulletproof Brows in Universal Taupe - Too Faced
This 24hr product has been my brow go-to for years; I’ve repurchased over and over. What I haven’t done, however, is push it to the edge of its long-wearing capabilities… It does say “bulletproof” on the label, after all!
The next best thing to deflecting actual bullets was surely water sports? After crafting sharp points and perfect arches with the angled brush, and smoothing out hairs with the spoolie on the double-ended wand, the product dries quickly.
When I took to the water I was fully prepared to leave the pool looking more like The Creature From The Black Lagoon than Cara Delevingne, but guess what? They didn’t budge.
For over half an hour of diving, splashing, and rubbing my face, what I had to show for it were eyebrows as perfect as when I entered.
The Body Shop Big and Curvy Mascara - The Body Shop
What first drew me to this mascara was the wand. I’ve been purchasing new cruelty-free products when my old non-cruelty-free ones expire, and as such The Body Shop’s mascara caught my eye.
The wand in this mascara is unusually narrow, which promises to lift, curl and separate lashes in a much more “no frills” manner, and this is intriguing.
On application it’s smooth and light, unlike some mascaras which come out of the tube thick and heavy, and whilst it’s wet, it’s entirely buildable, which is ideal for a holiday - you can tone down or emphasise the look depending on the occasion!
I had worried about the formula being flaky as it dried hard, but to my delight it’s been fabulous and flake free every time. Available also in a waterproof formula, this mascara could survive a swim, or two.