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Beauty Hacks

These make up filters are the nearest thing to real-life Instagram

Verity Douglas
Writer and expert6 years ago
View Verity Douglas's profile
If you think about it, Instagram filters are sort of like an extension of our make-up - slightly enhancing what’s already there. So why not cut out the middle men and pick products that have a filter effect in real life? We’ve selected our most-favourite blurring, highlighting and 'soft-focus finish-bestowing' essentials, to get skin selfie-ready in a flash.
For a Valencia-esque glow… If you’re suffering from uneven skin tone or a dull complexion, {BECCA} have your back with their {First Light Priming Filter} - its hydrating formula has a flattering lavender tint. How does it work? We’re glad you asked - this sheer tint complements your natural skin tone to brighten and invigorate, while neutralising grey or ashy tones. One Cult Beauty customer said that this gave her 'grown up' skin a youthful lease of life... we'll take that.For the professional polish of X Pro II …Want the type of skin that looks like you travel with your own team of make up artists and a lighting crew? Let us introduce you to Kevyn Aucoin's {The Neo-Setting Powder} - the latest launch from the maestros of 'red carpet make up'. This triple-milled powder bestows a delicate veil of blurring pigment to minimise pores and imperfections without caking or creasing; the perfect finishing touch to your foundation or just to brighten up a bare complexion. (Tip: ZOEVA's {Powder Brush} will make application a breeze).For a healthy sun-kissed Early Bird allure … We do love a bit of 'Early Bird' to make us look like we’ve spent two weeks in St. Tropez, so in its honour we’ve picked Charlotte Tilbury's {Unisex Healthy Glow} which grants a believable, sun-drenched effect. It's essential for hangovers, stressful weeks, endless winters and any other time you need to transform a tired, 'haunted' visage with a healthy-looking tan. Better still, it’s got imperfection-blurring micro-spheres and is oil-free so won't smother your skin.For Amaro-level brightness…Sometimes our skin needs a little lift and better than a Fairy Godmother’s magic wand is {BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector}. It blurs imperfections and imbues skin with a backlit radiance – slather over bare skin for subtle radiance, or use it as a highlighter for cheeks, corners of the eyes and anywhere else the light naturally strikes. With a cocktail of skin-loving ingredients - including nourishing avocado oil, protective antioxidants and anti-inflammatory witch hazel - it also supplements your skin care.For the flaw-blurring effect of Mayfair…Whether it’s redness, dark shadows or pigmentation, Laura Geller’s clever colour-correcting {Filter Finish Baked Radiance Setting Powder} is a patchwork palette of yellow, peach, violet and green to even out, brighten and blur like nobody’s business. The super-fine powder pigments don’t settle in creases or clog pores, and it's ideal for 'fixing' your base, or too add a subtle, photo-ready veil to naked faces.SHOP COMPLEXION >>
Verity Douglas
Writer and expert
View Verity Douglas's profile
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
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