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?

THE BEST OF BENEFIT?

THE BEST OF BENEFIT SET

I got this Benefit set for Christmas 2014 from my grandparents and it claimed to have 'the best of' the brand featured inside, and I thought I'd give you the run down on the best from 'the best' seeing as I've had more than enough time to trial these minis. 

The PoreFessional Primer - When I first tried this I was a little skeptical, as it was a very silicone based primer, and on the first few uses my skin seemed a little unsure, but as I got into it I began to actually love how it made my makeup apply and appear, and I am now making my way through a full size and I can't bear the thought of a day without it. 

High Beam - This is another favourite, a liquid pink pearl highlight which gives the most amazing glow. With a light hand this is gorgeous on top of the cheekbones, brow bones (pretty much anywhere you would highlight), or use it mixed in with a less glowy foundation. I even mixed this in with my moisturiser a few times for a subtle hydrating glow. 

Benetint - One that I didn't know how to use without looking like a clown with dark pink circles on the cheeks, but now I seem to have managed the art of Benetint, you could say. A little patted into the fingertips then lightly pressed into the cheeks and lips gives a subtle tint - that literally stays all day.

Hoola Bronzer - The cult classic; the one everyone raves about. This is great - a warm matte bronzer that when applied with a light duofibre brush gives a natural looking bronzed glow. I have to remind myself to use this as I often just reach for Nars Laguna, but this mini compact is a firm high flyer in my bronzer stash nonetheless. 

They're Real Mascara - A word of warning; do not poke yourself in the eye with this wand. The plastic bristles and odd ball shaped end to the wand really does make you cry a little, but I guess it can be excused by the wonders it does to the lashes. Although perhaps a little to wet when I first got it, after being left to dry out for a while it was the perfect formula for my lashes - but this one gets quite a few mixed opinions in the blogging world. 

They're Real Gel Liner - Gel liner in a pen excited me, and it was alright while it lasted. This stuff ran out fast - mainly because I would twist the bottom for ages then a huge blob would appear. This was super black, and gave the most dramatic line I think I've ever worn - and I even got a few compliments from it. My only complaint is that if I rubbed my eye at all (not advised with liner anyway, but I was going for it), it would begin to flake off. I think this one is about preference to be honest, but the new coloured versions do excite me. 

Boi-ing Concealer - I liked that you got 2 colours of this, because with a tan I could mix the two and then when I was paler I could just reach for the top one. This is pretty brightening, so under the eye use was the best for me, although it didn't beat my love for the liquid formulas across my concealer stash. Admittedly, with a hydrating primer or eye cream underneath it sat better, but apply too much and you have a cakey situation. 

So, there you go. The best and the 'try for yourself because I'm not quite sure''s, but all in all I will admit that nothing was a mega disappointment, so I was pretty impressed by this set and would definitely buy this for someone who hadn't tried any Benefit products if it comes out again this year. 

THE TWO GO-TO PRIMERS

Ask me a couple of years ago, and I would have told you I didn't wear primer, but as time goes on I've grown a bit of an obsession. Recently I've nearly made my way through a Bourjois Luminous Primer Serum, and in conjunction with the glow I like to use something a little more shine absorbing down the T-Zone for a longer lasting finish, and that comes in the form of one of these two on a daily basis.

The first is the Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Primer, one I hated at first but my skin got used to it rather quickly and I began to use it daily. I would like to point out that these two are rather silicone based, so bear that in mind as well as your personal preferences. This completely smooths the skin and fills in any pores, so that my chosen base goes on seamlessly. It definitely helps my makeup last much longer especially in the school day where it tends to slide off and on days I forget in a rush I do feel and see the difference.

The PoreFessional by Benefit is not much different, and is the newest to my collection in the primer family, and it's been almost a battle between the two as they are both so similar. This one is slightly peach tinted but doesn't translate onto the skin at all, and it does just a good job at keeping makeup on, and it has the same silicon consistency - something that does not bother me and works for my skin. It's another staple, and I will be sad to see these minis run out and I recon there will be a repurchase on the cards.

To be honest, I recon I will go for whichever option is the best value/cheapest when it comes to repurchasing as honestly, side by side on my hand I cannot tell the difference between them. Which do you prefer, or do you have a budget alternative?

DR LEWINN'S BASE ADDITIONS

I was a little skeptical when a package containing 2 Dr Lewinn's products dropped through my door as I'd never really heard a great deal about the brand, other than their nail products which have been hyped by the likes of Lily Pebbles, but I hadn't seen any raves about their skin products, so obviously I thought I'd give them a go and share the feedback.

They are both anti-ageing products, and this isn't something that really bothers me nor interests me, I just use the products for their other purposes other than diminishing the appearance of wrinkles etc. which I'm not really sure I show any of being the age of 15 going on 16.

The first product is the Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Illuminiser*, which is basically a liquid highlighter. It's a stunning pale champagne colour, which adds a hint of candlelight sheen to the sheekbones, nose and brow bones (and wherever else applied). I tend to use this on these targeted areas using a contour brush or bigger eyeshadow brush, and buff it in, and I will tell you now, it the right light you get some serious glow. I'm yet to try mixing it in with foundation but that does interest me quite a lot so I'll report back on that one.

The second product is the Skin Perfect Anti-Ageing Primer*, which comes in luxurious frosted glass type packaging. It doesn't carry the silicon texture that a lot of my primers have in common, so it's a nice addition to my collection. Although I can't entirely nail what this does specifically for my skin, it makes my base apply far more evenly and it also fades slightly lower, at a more even rate too.

Over all, two pretty good products. In my opinion, I recommend the Illuminiser over the Primer if I were to pick one for you to pick up, but definitely look into it if you are tempted. Have you tried anything from this range before?

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?

BOURJOIS HAPPY LIGHT LUMINOUS SERUM PRIMER

Primers are few and far in my collection, as they either make no difference to me, or overly silicon based (they tend to break me out), and since the Bourjois Happy Light release hit the shelves a while back, I have been tempted to try it out myself. Despite my combination skin, I have been obsessed with glowy, dewy skin and powder is always by my side if things get a little shiny so it seemed the perfect time to give this a go.

The texture of the Luminous Serum Primer is really nice, it is very much a serum as the name suggests - lightweight, and skins into the skin quickly leaving a smooth base to begin your makeup. There isn't actually shimmer in this which is a massive plus for me, but it honesty adds so much inner glow and radiance to the skin without it.

In terms of increasing longevity of makeup (although this doesn't claim to do so anyway), I don't see much difference and sometimes I feel like my makeup does disappear at the very end of the day but for the majority of the day with a stunning sheeny glow its worth that sacrifice. Might I add, the scent really reminds me of baby shampoo, but I'm not complaining by any means.

This has easily become a Spring/Summer staple for me, and perhaps we'll be seeing an embrace of even more illuminating products from me...

BOURJOIS BRONZING PRIMER

BOURJOIS BRONZING PRIMER £9.99

It's pretty rare that I will buy a product on a whim, fall in love with it and then review it within 2 weeks, but just that is happening right now with the Bourjois Bronzing Primer.

I don't actually use this as a full on face primer on a daily basis (but occasionally when I am feeling extra pasty it's always an option), but I prefer to focus it on my cheeks, temples, neck, and hairline (basically where you would generally apply a powder bronzer) either over or under my base product, and it just seems to look so natural and seamless.

When I wear this, I genuinely can't tell that I have anything on, despite the fact that you can see I am slightly bronzed -  it just looks and feel like my actual skin. I was thinking that the texture would be very silicone based, but it's actually not like that. It seems to be a soft, gel-like mousse in the pan, and that kind of works into the skin as well. It just seems to glow from my cheeks, and I have had people *cough* Megan, asking me what bronzer I was wearing whilst sporting this.

I have used this every day since I got it, and considering that I had just fallen for the Soap & Glory Solar Powder Bronzer, this stuff must be good.

For just under a tenner, this is seriously something I recommend going for if you want a little splurge in Boots.

THE EYE PRIMER PARTY

As much as I don't get along with many face primers, not a day goes by without me using an eye primer. No-one likes a creased eye look, nor a liner wing that's halfway down the lashline.I have 4 in my collection, all of which I find work for different things.

My favourite of the bunch is the Avon Eye Shadow Primer in Light Beige which is slightly tinted so it colour corrects the eye and mattifies (without drying whatsoever) the entire lid and preps it for anything you are putting on top - shadow, cream products, or just liner. It's great.

The next offering is the MUA Pro Base Eye Primer, which was actually my very first post on this blog. I raved about it then, and although this is still great and extremely budget based, I feel like the Avon one just beats it for me. But, this one still does the job well and if I didn't have the Avon one in my life I would still be using this daily.

When I am doing a dramatic eye, or anything involving a touch of colour, I reach for the Dainty Doll Frankie Girl Eye Base as it is so pale that it totally blanks out the lid with a creamy coloured layer, which makes any colour stand out more and mattifies so there is no creasing.

Finally, the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer (mini) has been in my collection for a short while now. I did rave about this originally, but the last time I used this I had a bit of creasing going on. I'm hoping it was a one off because I really liked this one beforehand.

What are your favourite eye primers?

THE BEST OF 2013 - BLOG POSTS

It is very quickly coming to the end of what was a great year for myself and especially my blog. Today, I will be going through the 5 most popular posts from this year here on my blog, and do not fret, I have some beauty installments of this coming soon too. 

So, please beware of the awful photography (maybe this was a bad idea), I mean the 3rd most popular post on here was the first post I wrote on this blog, so that could be embarrassing. 

#1: ELLE MAGAZINE FREE BENEFIT LIP GLOSS MINI
So, this was a post where I got a little excited that in ELLE Magazine you got a free Benefit lipgloss, and you lot seemed to enjoy that post thoroughly too, coming in at the most popular post of all time on this blog.

#2: URBAN DECAY NAKED 2 PALETTE
You all just seemed to love this post, and it comes in at the second most popular post here on the blog. I still cringe at the fact that I put 'Ooh, Eyeshadows' as the caption on one of the pictures, but lets pretend that isn't there.

#3 MUA PRO BASE EYE PRIMER REVIEW
This was a bad idea, the centred writing and the small picture makes me want to vomit. But, we can accept that this was my first ever post, and since it was posted, I have realised how large pictures, and left-aligned writing really polish off the post.  

#4: DAINTY DOLL CONCEALER - ABRACADABRA (03)
When I posted this, I wasn't expecting it to be in the top 5 of my posts, but apparently so. Just to let you know, I never use this concealer, but somehow I was singing its praises in the post. Maybe I hadn't realised that radiance existed...

#5: PRIMARK DISCO PANTS
This was one of those posts that I thought a lot of you would enjoy reading, because who would pass up a pair of disco pants for £16?! Since this post, I have bought a pair of burgundy disco pants from TkMaxx, and they are a lot softer and less baggy, but these Primark ones still have a good place in my wardrobe. 

Those were the most popular posts on the blog this year (which I started on March 4th, and I cannot believe how fast it has grown!). If you are interested, coming in a 6th place is the AUTUMNAL OUTFIT post. Keep your eyes peeled for the skin, nails, and makeup versions of this post in the next few days. 

 

OIL FREE SKIN WITH PROACTIV

Having an oily/combo skin type isn't all about being matte, more so just preventing shine. That doesn't mean you can't go for a dewy look, it is simply a trial of testing out what looks best. Proactiv's makeup range, is said to allow us to do just that.

The Oil Free Smoothing Primer*, smooths the skin, and preps for the next step, whether you want to go in with Tinted Moisturiser, BB Cream, Foundation or Concealer. I am not one for primer, as most of the ones I try, like this one, is silicone based, and with a collection of water based products, they don't mix. If this is the case, you canwear it alone on no makeup, or light makeup days, and it will slightly perfect the skin. I like this, but I never wear it, as explained above.

Then we have the Sheer Finish Mineral Pressed Foundation Powder*,  a mattifying pressed powder, but wears off to a really nice gentle dewyness throughout the day. I am not sure why this is called 'foundation' and then 'sheer'... as it definitely drifts more towards the latter - not much coverage is involved with this. Another thing...it smells a bit like sherbet, and I am not sure how I feel about that.

I could imagine that this would be a great duo for those with extremely oily skin, or even combination skin, to banish any excess shine on the face all day.

Dainty Doll Frankie Girl Eyeshadow Base | Review

Hi guys!

Dainty Doll is a brand created by the Girls Aloud star, Nicola Roberts, and I love it. I had my eye on this eyeshadow base, which I have spotted on the likes of Fragrance Direct and other discount places, but...I found this little guy in a POUND SHOP! What?! I nearly jumped around on the spot. I also got an eyeshadow, which will be shown soon in the next few weeks.

This eyeshadow base is a very pale white-beige, which and is a semi-matte, but still has a slightly sticky texture on the eyes, to help the shadow cling to it. Because it is so pale, it really helps the colour intesity too.

I used this the other day, and noticed hardly any creasing with my eyeshadow, and that is an achievement, as normally mine slides off during the day - not a good look. But this really helps that, so I am pretty happy with it!

Have you tried this? Try having a browse in any discount shops or maybe in pound stores, I keep seeing some good bargains in there!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow, and comment!

Lauren x