L'OREAL INFALLIBLE MATTIFYING PRIMER

I never used to make the extra step of using a priming base for my makeup, until a few Chirstmas' ago I received a sample of a Smashbox primer, and I've never looked back. I've tried my fair share of high end and drugstore, with my favourite being the Benefit Porefessional, but last time it came to restocking my primer it was a while off payday and I couldn't justify the price so I settled for the L'Oreal Infallible Mattifying Base. 

One thing I praise this primer for is its ability to smooth the skin - it pretty much perfects the skin for foundation and helps product to settle really flawlessly into the skin. In terms of the mattifying claims, it does reduce the shine initially, however isn't something that lasts all day as I do tend to have to touch up my shine. Despite this, it does make my makeup last far longer in the day.

One gripe I do have about this is that if you apply too much and straight after moisturising it tends to form into little pieces (I'm sure you know the ones I mean although I can't quite explain it) so bear that in mind. For £7.99 though, this is a pretty impressive primer and is rather similar to other formulas I have tried from higher end brands, and is really worth the try.

I've heard great things about the matte foundation too, and I'm kind of eager to try that out too - does it live up to the hype?

BORN PRETTY STORE BRUSHES

Recently I had some brushes sent to me from Born Pretty Store, in the form of this 5pc face kit*. I wasn't expecting much as they were extremely budget priced, but I'm actually a huge fan and have been getting a fair amount of use out of the collection. If you use the code EVANH10 you can also get 10% off the store.

My favourite brush is the one pictured in the first demo picture, and the one on the far right on the top picture. It's quite a dense, tall pointed yet round foundation brush, and one I imagine to be quite similar to the currently hyped Louise Young LY34 brush, making it perfect for a quick foundation application. The second demo shows the round buffer brush, which is slightly smaller than the rest. I like to use this for cream/liquid highlighters, especially Benefit High Beam.

The flat top brush is quite a nice one for concealer, and I also like the angled slightly rounded top pne for cream blush, especially the more natural colours as it is the perfect shape for focusing the colour along the cheekbone and up onto the temples for that cold flushed look. I assume the flat top angled brush would be rather good for this purpose too.

All the brushes aren't too dense that they are unworkable, so they aren't stiff when blending, but they are just the right density to get a flawless finish. I've really been enjoying the multi-use aspect of this brush set, not to mention I quite like the sleek monochrome look of them.

THE PRIMER COLLECTION

Using a primer is often a step that I miss out in my makeup routine, because I have struggled for a while now trying to find the perfect one, and sometimes I'm just too lazy. I do however have quite the compilation of primers so I thought I would categorize them and ramble.

BRIGHTENING: So, we all have dull skin days at times and on those of mine I quite enjoy the Bourjois Luminous Serum Primer, which doesn't have any shimmer in, but just seems to make the face look radiant. It really is glowy skin in a bottle, and although it doesn't help with longevity it is worth it for the glow.

SMOOTHING: Smoothing primers tend to be quite heavily silicon based at times so I do often experience breakouts after using them. The first is a love hate relationship primer; the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, which is really smoothing, and keeps makeup on all day (I like to use it just on oily areas when I am using BB Cream or glowier bases), and I have just got back into using it so I will report back if I get any breakouts. I also have the Proactiv Smoothing Primer but I don't use it too often as it smooths but doesn't help with longevity all that much.

BRONZING: In the summer when you want to rack up the tan or in the winter when you are fed up of your pale skin, a bronzing primer is always a good'un to have in your stash. My personal favourite is the Bourjois Bronzing Primer which I also like to use over foundation around the outer areas of the face and on the cheekbones for an extra glow. I also like the Too Faced Primed and Poreless Tinted Primer as it is almost a mix of the Bourjois and Smashbox primers in one.

This post has actually inspired me to use my primers more often, we'll see how it goes tomorrow morning aye?

A PERFECTED COMPLEXION

I talk about my bad skin quite frequently on my blog, but all seems to be getting a little better, and hopefully after a recent prescription of some antibiotic treatments, things are looking good, which I thought was the perfect time to be showing what I use when my skin is looking better and how I achieve the perfect base.

Starting on the skincare front, I have started to branch out to more expensive brands because I feel like if your skin looks good, your makeup is almost guaranteed to look good as well. The Origins Clear Improvement Mask gets a use almost every Sunday, and although some people find it tight and drying, I love the effect it gives the next day when I wake up. The La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] has been getting a lot of use from me as a corrective serum product and I have been seeing improvements.

A new love for me is the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, and although the colour is a touch too dark for me, I think with blending it looks pretty good because of its natural finish. Blended with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, it gives such a lovely finish - somewhat dewy without the shine.

I have indeed rekindled my love with the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. In the winter this is a little drying but now the weather is slightly improving I am in love all over again. I think I could do with repurchasing this again, I'm struggling to get any product out. A slightly less heavy offering (but one that still brings coverage to the table) is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, which has a satin finish and looks really natural on the skin.

For powder, I'm sure most of us hate the stuff because no-one likes a cake face, but I have discovered that using a light dusting of the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder with a the Contour Brush in precise areas just banishes the shine without looking flat.

What are your secrets to the perfect complexion?

COLLECTING AND SPENDING POINTS

Loyalty cards and points cards are where it's at in the beauty world, as I am sure most of us can't resist
getting a treat free of charge. When you do the maths, it can be a little staggering to find out how much you have actually spent in order to gain those beloved points, so maybe put the calculator down on this one.

I only have 2 points cards, as I don't have the likes of Space NK locally, so I only have the option to get some pennies back from Boots and Superdrug.

The Boots Advantage Card is the one which gives you more points for your money. Coming in at 4 points per pound you spend, and then each point counts as 1p, it isn't too bad. In theory, its 4p back from every £1 worth of purchases. The only downside is that you have to have the entire amount of points equivalent to the product price in order to make the purchase, whereas with the Superdrug Beauty Card, you can spend your points in multiples of 100 towards any product.

If you are unsure what I mean, maybe this will help. For Superdrug, if you had 364 points on your card - equivalent to £3.64, you could put 300 of these towards your product. Did that even help you? But, there is a downside to this one too, you only get 1 point per £1 spent, so really you would end up spending a minimum of £100 in order to get £1 off a product.

Nonetheless, the spending part is very fun. Being on my spending ban, I needed (read: wanted) a new foundation, something a little lighter to coincide with my 'wear lighter coverage' New Year's resolution. The Rimmel Match Perfection was on the till, and I can tell you, I am very much enjoying that foundation as my go-to base, so points well spent if you ask me...

NANSHY MAKEUP BRUSHES

As you know, I am a huge fan of the Real Techniques makeup brushes, but sometimes, I am on the hunt to find new brands that are just as high quality. When some Nanshy Brushes* dropped through my letter box, I realised a new love could be kindled.

Face: The star of the show for me is most certainly the Round Buffer Brush*, which seems to me like it could be a very close match for the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I'll make it short. I love this. Like, love. It blends and buffs liquid foundation like a dream, pats in concealer beautifully, and even does a pretty darn good job with blush. Dare I say, this might become my new favourite brush.

Eyes: To begin with, the have the Blending Eyeshadow Brush*, which I find is a touch too stiff to fully blend out any crease colour, but does a brilliant job at applying it to the lid neatly, and feathering out the edges. The Eye Crease Brush* is a good'un for (as the name suggests), putting colour in the crease. Now, this does a tiny bit of the blending for you as you sweep it through the crease, but more so focuses on putting the product in place - and must I say, it does it well. Finally, is the Tapered Crease Brush*, which is a little smaller than I anticipated, but even so, works really well for taking the eyeshadow along the lower lashline, and slightly feathering the edges too.  Although it isn't originally what I thought it to be, I have found a well-fitted use to it.

Nanshy, I am impressed.

 

BEST 5 OF 2013: FACE

Yep, another set of awards for the top products of 2013. This time, I'm am giving you the low-down on all things face related, so that goes for base, concealer, blush, highlight, etc. etc. And, I will tell you now, base products are my weakness, so are lips, and eyes, and basically makeup in general - oops.

Revlon basically rocks my world when it comes to foundations and bases.The shades match my pale skin perfectly, and the formulas work pretty well where things get quite oily on my face, but don't get cakey on my drier cheeks *claps*. So, for the higher coverage option, Revlon Colorstay in Buff (Oily/Combo) is the bomb dot com, literally. This covers all my blemishes, redness, and scars (with a tiny bit of help from a concealer), but still looks natural, and is pretty flawless. Then, for the lighter offering, Revlon Nearly Naked in Vanilla is perfect. This still covers most things, more so simply blurs the skin, but looks radiant, without being shiny.

Then, onto concealer. Of course, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair does it for me. Oh, how I wish this was the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer but my purse won't allow it, but for a mere £4.19, this covers everything. Sometimes people complain about it being cakey, and I have had some bad experiences, but on my combination skin, this just does so well at covering, and lasting all day. I have been through a good 3-4 of these in varying colours this year, and after buying the Bourjois offering, I think this one still wins that spot in my heart.

Blush. This was the year that I fell in love with cream blushes, and more so now that I own the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. This Topshop Cream Blush Duo in Up in The Air was purchased in the January sales last year, and I have been loving it all year through. The formula = perfect. The colours = perfect. The lasting power = perfect. What more can I say.

Finally, as you can see by the pan-hitting going on there, the Sleek Face Form in Light was obviously going to gain a spot in this post. The highlight and contour are the best parts of the palette, but the blush is lovey too. The contour is the perfect colour, so I'm getting any orange lines going on all up in my cheekbones, and the highlight adds the nicest pink/champagne glow you ever did see.

What were your favourite products of 2013?

 

BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX SERUM

I didn't think Bourjois could get any more praise on their range of base products, until their newest addition - dubbed the Happy Light foundation - hit the shelves. Although it isn't what I am reviewing today, it is on my shopping list, just when I finish this bottle of the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. 

This is in shade 52 which is too dark for me, but I got it when I was tanned after my holiday, and so I just have to blend it down my neck and I'm all good. 
I can't entirely blame it on this foundation, it could have been when I have used different skincare, but I noticed that when I use this, for a good few days simultaneously, I have been getting a few blemishes here and there. As I say, it could be coincidence, and I hope it isn't this, as I love this foundation. And trust me, it is no event when I get a blemish, more a daily occurence...

This is the 'good skin day' foundation. Light coverage, maybe teetering on the edge between light and medium, but buildable, and concealer can do its job where needed anyway. As for the radiance, I have combination skin, and so this doesn't look as good on me after a few hours wear as it would/does on Megan (her skin is normal/dry and it looks incredible on her all day!), but with a blot, and a powder touch up, it serves me well. And I do look healthy.

I think once I get through this bottle (which I must say is perfect for travelling), I will be skipping away to Boots to get my hands on the Happy Light offering, and lets hope there are no breakouts to follow.. *crosses fingers*

 

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION

2013 is the year that Rimmel's products are bringing it across the board when it comes to drugstore/highstreet makeup finds. Their releases have been causing everyone to get a little excited, and although this wasn't released this year, the hype has been at its peak. 

The Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation claims to offer an 'Anti Fatigue Effect and Radiant Glow' and it also offers SPF15. There are small amounts of shimmer in it, but I have never before seen it on my face, but I have done in the bottle, but it isn't anything that has bothered me yet. Although, because this is such a radiant foundation, with my combination skin, things can get a little shiny throughout the day, so this is a weekend base for me, as I can easily reach for the powder or blotting sheets whenever I need them, which is probably twice a day (or less), just to tide things over on the shine-front. 

The coverage is a good medium I would say, and one pump goes all the way over my face. The consistency is quite thick, which I actually quite like, as it feels very creamy when you buff it into the skin, but not heavy whatsoever. Another thing would be that the colour range isn't the best, with the palest offering of Ivory 100 being too dark for my skin, and so sometimes when I want to not have any product on the cheeks as they have no blemishes and look fine, I can't do that as I look like I have a mis-matched centre of my face...

Other than that, if you can deal with a bit of blending to even out the colour, and if you can deal with a little touch up of the powder here and there, than absolutely go and buy this yourself, and if you are the bargain hunter I am, go into ASDA, as the often sell it for £4.98 in there - bargainous.