QUICK-FIXES FROM ANATOMICALS

Sometimes, you need a quick fix for your face. I for one am a sufferer of big under-eye bags and circles and occasionally some rather groggy looking pores (nice). When these sachets came in my letterbox, you can imagine I was pretty excited to give them a go.

One evening last week left me with a few less hours of sleep I would normally get which left me with dramatic puffy under-eyes and I seriously needed something to sort them out. I immediately cracked out the Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer* (love the play on words there), and slapped them on under my eyes. These are pretty strange to get used to; thick gel pads that stick on your under-eyes that are somehow cold and cooling even though they have been sitting in room temperature – as I said, strange. They definitely did wake me up and reduce some of the puffiness, but I will say the effect wasn’t as incredible as I was expecting, although I will use the rest of the pack.

The World Pore 3* pore strips came into use when I wanted to get a bit of a clarifying thing going on around the nose. These are different from pore strips I have used in the past, as they aren’t sticky so you have to put some water on your nose (I like to make it quite hot to open up the pores even more), then put the strip on as it adheres this way. After about 10-15 minutes, I peeled it off to be left with a rather interesting looking pore strip and a much smoother feeling nose (I’ll spare you the details).

If you want to try out these kinds of products, I definitely would recommend Anatomicals. They are pretty budget friendly, with good advertising and witty slogans, and is a brand that always leaves me wondering what else is in the range. 

BOBBI BROWN TINTED EYE BRIGHTENER

I'm sure I have mentioned more than enough times but I have serious under eye woes, and whether I sleep for 1 hour or 12 hours they are always a bit dark and with puffy bags and I have tried my fair share of concealers, brighteners and more in an attempt to banish them and although I still haven't found the perfect product, this comes pretty close.

I have the shade Porcelain which is actually a bit light for me, but seems to enhance the brightening effect even further. It is quite a light consistency, making it ideal for under the eyes and I have never found this to crease of me at all so huge points there. It blends seamlessly and just seems to lighten up the under eye area with such ease.
I think when buying this you have to bear in mind that this is a 'tinted' product, it isn't designed to work like the heavy duty corrector, but certainly doesn't go unnoticed when you use it - it has become an essential part of my daily makeup routine. Not everything is covered but sometimes using something a little more correcting with this over the top is a nice idea, or just this alone when you are looking for a more fresh faced look.

I picked this up in a CCO for £13.75 which was an amazing price, but I probably wouldn't have an issue with repurchasing at the full price of £20. I do really like the Kiko Natural Concealer but this is a nice high end alternative and if you want to try something without buying the full on corrector if you under eyes aren't such a huge issue (or even if they are, like mine), I really recommend this.

If you have tried any holy grail status under eye products, let me know as I am always open for adding a few more to the makeup bag...

NATURAL LOOKING CONCEALERS

Concealing is one of those steps I enjoy in my makeup routine - delicately tapping on precise dots of product really is quite satisfying. But sometimes, the end result isn't as satisfying, especially when you look like a you have caked on your concealer with a paint brush, which is why I have been on the hunt for new additions to my collection that look a little more natural.

For under eyes, on top of something a little more heavy duty, or alone, my favourite offering is the KIKO Natural Concealer in 01. As the name suggests, it is natural, and very fresh looking. It is brightening, a little dewy and has a more pink tone to counteract any more darkness under your peepers. I am almost out of this, which is a shame because I live rather far from London. Maybe an online order...

For both blemishes, under eyes, and a little dewy highlighting, we have the Sheer Cover Conceal & Brighten Trio which offers 2 shades of concealer, and a light cream to highlight, which brings the glow to a new level. The concealers have a fairly light coverage, but can be built up to cover blemishes and banishes some of the under eye darkness you may have.

One which has been gaining more and more use from the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer. I have recently rediscovered the Serum Foundation from the range too, and the two go hand in hand for a natural base. This is fairly yellow, but once blended just matches seamlessly to the skin. I'd give this one a  medium coverage status, with a satin finish, but not one that looks or feels drying in the slightest. A new love perhaps?

I am a bit of a concealer junkie, I confess. I am predicting that we'll be seeing another concealer-centric post fairly soon...

TWO NEW CONCEALERS

I'm a slight concealer junkie, and although I will always be loyal to the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, I like to try new ones now and again, and I have recently found two which I do really like.

I have been using the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer for around a month now, and I am really enjoying it. It has the typical Healthy Mix smell, which makes using it 10x better. Scents aside, the actual product is great too. It is quite yellow, but I find that once blended it looks fine, and offers a good coverage. It sets to a satin finish and I have never found it to look cakey whatsoever, which is a big winner. I tend not to use this one under my eyes, purely because I much prefer the next offering for that.

So, they Kiko Natural Concealer in 01 has been getting daily wear under my eyes. It is slightly pink so helps to cancel out darkness. I have ridiculous under-eye puffy bags that runs in my family so I have learnt to live with them but whatever I can do to take the harshness away I will do. I really like the way this wears, as it has never creased on me at all, and I find it to look so natural.

Two new concealers in my collection which I am getting on with so well. I can guess that at some point, I would repurchase these once again if they run out before I find anything even better.

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MY FIRST KIKO PRODUCTS

Kiko. A brand I wasn't all that aware of, until when spending the day in London for my birthday with Megan, and we strolled past the store - and some purchases were made. I wanted to get a product from each category I guess; eyes, lips, and face, and I did that, and I love every single one of the products I got, and now I have a craving for more.

I got 2 shadows, 137 which is a stunning red, which instantly reminded me of MAC Cranberry, which made me throw it into my basket, and for £2.90 a shadow, it was rude of me to only buy one. So it appears I was liking the red eye colours on this day, because 133 was also purchased. This is more wearable, but still has those red tones in it. Basically, it's a warm darkish brown, which has those burgundy tones in it that make it that little more interesting. This and my crease get along very well.

The Natural Concealer in 01 made its way onto the till and now as a daily product on my face. I saw that this was slightly pink toned, and after hunting for something for under my eyes for quite a while at a reasonable price, this £5.50 offering intrigued me. Okay, okay, the coverage isn't that great, but it is light, sets nicely, doesn't crease, and gives a little correcting and brightening action under the eyes, and you know, I really like this little one.

Finally, the Smart Lipstick in 912 came home with me. This made me think of MAC Impassioned (Kiko, you are on point with the MAC esc. products), so I snapped it up straight away, and for £3.90 I have no regrets - in fact, I want more. This has been making me love a bright pout, and for a budget price, a few more shades are on my wishlist.

Have you tried Kiko?