Thursday 13 September 2012

Toe Dipping In The Beauty Blog Pond!

Welcome to my Beauty Jungle!

I'm never happier than when I'm in front of a mirror with a brush in my hand, usually a Trish Mcevoy #29 Tapered Blending or #54 Va Va Voom Smudge!
My obsession began at 14 years old with little more than a black Kohl pencil & a tube of Rimmel Black Cherry lipstick & has now, sixteen years later, blossomed to such an extent that I'm about to take the plunge and train to do it professionally. So what better time to start to share my Make Up Musings with the world!

For my first post I thought I'd give a guided tour of my monthly beauty haul. This month I've had a binge on all things base; primers, foundations,concealers & highlighters.

 I'm yet to find my Holy Grail of foundations, partly due to my confused skin (oily one day, dry the next, sensitive, acne prone & porey) & partly because I'm forever searching for the next wonder product. My fail safes are Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, Max Factor Lasting Performance or Miracle Touch & Rimmel Wake Me Up. Its pretty safe to assume that I am product whore! Anyway, what did this months haul throw into the ring? Well.....

L'Oreal Visible Lift Foundation

This claims to smooth away fine lines leaving a flawless, natural complexion. It contains vitamin E and Pro-retinol.  Its oil free and retails at around £14. Love the consistency, reminds of vitalumiere aqua. Love the finish, it gives slight glow and leaves me looking healthy but I do need some fairly substantial concealing with it as I like (& need) quite a full coverage most days. I haven't tried powdering this yet but it lasts around six hours without a primer. It smoothed out the fine lines under my eye nicely and I like the fact its SPF 17. I'll probably use this quite a lot as an easy everyday foundation.

Revlon Age Defying Spa Foundation

I think this product is now discontinued, it caught my eye on eBay when browsing. it comes in a tube with a brush applicator which streaks really badly so I squeeze it to the back of my hand then use a foundation brush to apply as normal. It contains stone minerals and a 'vitamin C fusion' which claim to energise and revitalise the skin whilst giving a SPF of 18. I've only tested this once, it gave a medium to full coverage which I liked and had a radiant finish, I didn't need highlighter as my cheek bones were super glowy. I think its probably a bit rich for me as I felt quite greasy straight after application but it lasted fairly well without powder but I think I'll like it more when dusted with my trusty MAC mineralize finishing powder. Quite a good 'pick me up' foundation but has a heavy floral smell which I found a bit off putting.


Jemma Kidd Front Cover Touch Up concealer, Mannequin Skin Complexion Enhancer & Dewy Glow Radiance Creme.

 

Concealer; comes in a pen with a brush tip costing around £10. Works well on my blemishes but not so good for my dark circles, just couldn't build the coverage up enough. Found the pen gives far too much product out with each click but blends nicely over my foundation. I bought 01 fair which has a strong yellow undertone which neutralises the redness of my blemishes well. 

Complexion Enhancer; I like and dislike this product in equal measure. I like it as a highlighter applied with a stippling brush or sponge both under  and over foundation. It gives a love very subtle shimmer not unlike Benefit High Beam or Moon Beam. It lasts well and makes a nice base for a light wash of matt eyeshadow. I dislike it as an addition to foundation. I mixed a couple of drops into a matt foundation and ended up looking like my head had been replaced by a disco ball!! Next i tried it as a primer, using very sparingly, same result and my foundation just slid off. I'll try it as a primer again once the winter arrives and my skin is drier and in need of radiance boost. Has a very subtle scent and a little goes quite a long way so good value for money, think it cost around £15. 

Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme. Few words come close to expressing my absolute adoration for this product. I love a highlighter but I also want it to be super natural, undetectable, just my skin only better. This is what this product gives me. It doesn't shimmer, its not greasy, it just works its own clever magic to make my cheek bones jump out. I usually use Trish McEvoy Duo Highlighting mineral powder but its expensive and hard to find, since this gem arrived I've hardly touch the Trish. The first time I applied it I wondered what the fuss was about as it seemed to disappear until I stepped back from the mirror and noticed I looked so healthy, the right areas were highlighted so subtly but so notably. I'm now on a mission to get one of these little beauties into every make up bag in Britain!!!I'm using it at least twice a day and it hardly looks touch, its going to last ages, excellent value for money at less than £20. This deserves Holy Grail status and I don't give that out lightly.



Benefit The Porefessional Pore Minimising Balm

I absolutely love Benefit products and this is no exception. I was a bit dubious about the colour when I first opened it but it goes on clear. it got a lovely fresh smell that isn't at all over-powering I love the texture and the way it disappears instantly leaving my skin feeling matt but not dry or tight. I haven't found any foundation that doesn't blend more smoothly over this balm. I can see my Revlon Photo Ready primer lasting twice as long now I have this in my box.

So that's what I made of my Pay Day Presents this month. October's Wish List contains conclears, nude lipsticks and cream blushers. Any suggestions?


 

2 comments:

  1. The latest concealer I've been using and decided is a keeper is Estée lauder's double wear concealer - the lady recommended that I choose the shade light/medium even though I'd have picked up the light usually. I was a bit dubious but turns out she was right- the extra pigment in the light medium gives great undereye coverage from just the tiniest amount allowing me to keep the amount of product on to a minimum (I have dry skin around my eyes).
    As for MAC's hue as a nude - I can't make it work - its too pale and looks a bit Nicki Minaj for me. You can try mine!

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  2. I always buy orange looking (peachy!) concealers for under eyes, quite like the revlon beyond natural but its a bit greasy. Oh I sound so picky. Thinking of trying a mineral one (lily lolo) but powder concealer seems so wrong!Never tried Estee Lauder for foundation/concealer but I love their eyeshadows so might be worth a look.

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