The Queen of Mineral Make-up

Bare Escentuals - Try Me kit

I am a watcher of QVC but only for make-up or skincare products, basically because you can get some really good brands such as Bobbi Brown, Liz Earle, Smashbox and Bare Escentuals on some very good deals, obviously you have to keep an eye out for the deals as sometimes with the postage they can be just the same price as in the shop, however I got an absolute bargain with this Bare Escentuals Try Me Kit - 5 products plus the brush for £20.50 (I think) and on easy pay which means you spread the cost interest free. The other great thing about QVC as you can try the products at home and if you don't like them you can send them back and get a refund.

Having wanted to try some mineral make-up for ages and have wandered past the bare escentuals counter in Fenwick's, I tuned into their hour on QVC birthday weekend and decided to purchase the starter kit, and could not have been more excited when it arrived!

Left to right: Primetime, Fairly Light Foundation, Intrigue Blush, Original Mineral Veil and Secret Radiance

Back: Flawless Face Brush

What's great about this starter kit is you get a full size foundation (which I got in fairly light and it's great for my pale skin tone), and four samples sizes plus the brush as well, and because you don't need a lot of each on your skin they will last for ages so very good value for money!

I have always been wary of powder foundations (massive liquid foundation girl) as they don't seem to give you much coverage or last the day, and I must admit that I was sceptical watching them on the TV saying that this gives you excellent coverage................but hey were they right and I am a convert to Bare Escentuals.

Above is the foundation open and it has a great twist and lock mechanism in it (which is only in the full size products) to stop the powder from falling out all over the lid. Basically you then use the lid as your palette and do the "swirl, tap and buff" technique to apply the foundation onto your skin. Swirl, tap and buff is swirl your brush in the powder in the lid, tap off the excess and then buff into the skin, buff more into the areas you need more coverage and hey presto your covered!

For a powder it is lovely and light on your face and because it's mineral powder it's good for your skin so even better, plus even though I then added the blush, secret radiance (gives a nice glow to your skin) and the mineral veil to set it didn't feel heavy at all which was great and it lasted really well throughout the day which is more than I can say for some liquid foundations. I also used the primetime underneath which was silky on the skin and you only need a tiny bit which added to te lightness on my skin!

All in all I would say to anyone to give these products a go as they are really good, and I am definitely putting a few of their items on my wish list!



It's all about the matt effect..................

Soap and Glory - Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Palette

I haven't posted anything for a while even though have taken lots of photos of things that I have tried I just haven't had chance, so I am now back on track and bringing you a couple of posts on things I have bought recently that I have been excited to try!

The first of which is this Soap and Glory eyeshadow palette. I absolutely adore Soap and Glory products especially the moisturisers which smell absolutely gorgeous!!! Imagine then my excitement at spotting a whole new section in the makeup department in Boots full of Soap and Glory maek-up (!!!!), of which I had to sample some immediately!! I bought two products the other will come in a later post but this is my first one....................

I am not normally a palette girl but I am actually coming around to them more and more and wanting to branch further into them as they are a great way of trying lots of colours or looks without buying loads of products! This palette is a lovely size and the shadows are decent in size as well and I absolutely love the embossed soap and glory text in the pink shadow it just looks fab and makes you not want to use that colour and spoil it.

This palette has the following colours:

Top left - Vanilla

Top right - Pink T

Bottom left - Mudhoney

Bottom right - Aubersheen

They are all matt shadows except for the Aubersheen which as per it's name has a subtle sheen to it and is a lovely colour. The Vanilla is great for taking across the socket and right up to the brow, and the others are great for creating definitions. They can be either put on subtly or built up for more depth.

I would say that this is a great one for doing your daily make-up look because of the colours being more subtle, however I did spy a couple of different palettes such as a grey and black one so that may be another purchase to make!

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Concrete you say...............interesting

Models Own - Concrete Mixer Nail Varnish

Another trip to boots resulted in another Model's Own nail varnish and I love love love this colour!!! It's called concrete mixer and the name says it all it's a lovely shade of pale grey which is perfect for a day look but also looks a little bit edgy.



As stated in my previous post about Models Own nail varnish the coverage is great and only takes two coats and gives a nice thick glossy finish which is good. I did these on a Sunday and had it on all week, this start to chip on the Tuesday but only tiny bits again, and I do need to invest in a top coat which I think will be my next purchase nail varnish wise!

I am definitely impressed with this brand for its varnishes and really looking forward to try the crackle effect one which I got when I got the Purple Ash varnish, so watch out for a post coming soon.

x

Are you 'that gal'???

Benefit - "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer

I obviously have a little bit of a thing for Benefit, my make-up bag is not full of Benefit but I have a few bits of it, I probably would have more if there foundations and concealers were the right colour for my skin tone. Having been dipping into the world of primers for a couple of years now I decided to try "That Gal". It's a bit pricey at £21.50 which initially put me off, however I'm finding now that you need to pay a little bit more to get a decent product!

This has a gorgeous smell..........almost like strawberries..........and the texture is lovely on your skin and it does feel quite cooling. It has a distinct pink colour too it, however this doesn't translate to your skin and does blend in lovely and leaves skin with a nice dewy glow (which if you were brave to go without foundation this would be perfect on it's own). This then gives you a lovely base for either a liquid foundation or just a powder finish on top, all in all I would definitely recommend this as a primer to try!

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Defined lashes???????

Models Own - Hi-Definer Lashed-Up Volumiser

As I have said I am a mascara addict, it is one of my make-up weaknesses!! I have however been quite good for few months now and I have only been using my Benefit Bad Gal instead of going out and buying loads of them till I find I have about 5 on the go!!

However I have relented on my goodness and have purchased two mascara's, one being the above Models Own one. I picked this one as it had a nice thick brush (again something I go for in a mascara). Now it's name should say it all as it's called Lashed-Up Volumiser, however I was disappointed by it, it is not as good as Bag Gal at all (!!!) however is ok for a day look but doesn't leave your lashes feeling any thick or full of volume than a normal mascara. I think it's something I'll use for work and then probably won't re-purchase as it was a disappointment and it seems to be drying out quick which means it won't last long.

It's difficult being pale............

No 7 Stay Perfect Foundation - Alabaster

I cannot stress how hard it is finding a foundation for pale skin it's like searching for the Holy Grail...................

It's amazing the differnt tones you get for the palest shades in many make-up ranges, I've noticed they rcan look yellow, orange and some sort of peach colour, none of which is my skin tone (frustration usually sets in at this point!!). The other thing is that I've noticed some ranges only go as light as ivory which is often not pale enough and very limiting when you are on the search for a colour match! I have also found not to rely on the lighting within shops to give a true colour match to your skin tone, alway always always go out and look at where you have tested the colour in the actual day light as they can look so so soooo different!!

Anyway moving on from that mini rant I have found a good matching colour for my skin in the form of this No 7 Stay Perfect Foundation in the shade of Alabaster. After the disappointment that was the Maxfactor Ageless Elixir foundation (which I am in two minds to get rid of even though I've only used it twice, but convinced it brought out loads of spots from the grease!!), I went in search for another one and chose this one. I bought this on Sunday at Boots (with a £5 off No 7 voucher), and have worn it for three days now and so it's working well, the colour is a good, the consistency is thick but not too thick that it feels like it doesn't go on well, and it lasts ok for the day (although could do much better). I also like the packaging as it is in a glass bottle so it looks more expensive than it was even though it's a mid price range (£15.00).

All in all I am quite happy with this and if you have pale skin like myself I would suggest trying a swatch on this against your skin tone as it's one of the paler ones I have found!

Happy foundation shopping!

x

The battle against redness!!

Eau Thermale Avene - Anti-redness Light Moisturising Cream

I have problem areas of redness on my face, such as round my nose and cheeks, so trying to find a primer to even out my skintone or anti-redness moisturising creams that work is one of my many challenges. I read in a magazine an artcle about anti-redness creams and this one by Avene came out with 5/5 stars so I thought I would try it. In my haste I purchased it off Amazon, however I was in Boots and found it in there so I could have saved on the postage (I am too impatient sometimes!).

This is quite expensive (£13.50) for say the size (40ml), but cheaper than say Elemis anti redness cream (which I have tried and was a bit of a disapointment). This has a very pale green tinge to it (green is good for balancing out red skintones), and feels very nice on the skin and has a nice light moisturiser smell to it. It is "formulated with a high content of Avene thermal spring water, known for it's soothing and anti-irritant properties" so I was expecting big things.

I have been using this for just over a week underneath my make-up for work and think the results are ok. It seems to blot out a good percentage of redness and makes a very good base for primer and foundation, and is a good moisturiser in general even if not using it for anti-redness. I am going to continue to use this as when my make-up is off I can see a tiny difference to the redness so I am hoping it may continue to help with this!

After spying the Avene range in boots I think I may look into some of their other products to use as well.

x

Ashes to Ashes

Models Own Nail Varnish - Purple Ash

I didn't think any nail varnish would become a contender against Nails Inc but I think I may have found one in Models Own! I decided to peruse the Models Own stand, and I love anything purple (in any shade of purple) and picked up this one called purple ash which is like a muted purple colour which is great for work nails if you don't want to go OTT.

I bought this last Saturday and cracked it open last Sunday night while watching Downton Abbey (my fave show). I applied two coats, you could get away with one but the finish wouldn't be as good, which is the downside to it, as with Nails Inc you can apply one coat and it looks great.

 I have worn it all week for work and it only started to drastically chip on the Wednesday and only little chips, and I'm still wearing it today and it looks ok although quite chipped. I will be taking it off later to probaby replensish my nails tomorrow with a different colour.

Overall I would say these are really good nail polishes and at less than half the price of Nails Inc a bargain at best with the same sort of finish! Very pleased with this colour as well!

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