Concealer

Balance Me #FACEtheday

- Vicki 2 Comments
BalanceMe Tinted Wonder Eye Cream

Balance-Me #FACEtheday

On the theme of #FACEtheday balanceMe have released a few products to help us do just that. They kindly sent them to me to try out along with some delicious healthy snacks and tea. I’m a complete tea addict and have to say that my early morning cuppa is one of the only thing that helps me #FACEtheday – a Pulsin Chocolate Brownie always helps too (so tasty).

Balance Me Instant Pore Minimiser £22.00

Its aimed at smoothing pores, plumping fine lines and giving your skin that flawless finish. This is an incredibly lightweight product, and is light enough to use on top of your moisturiser. Its quite fluid but doesn’t feel oily or greasy. I like to use it under my makeup too because it gives such a nice finish to my foundation and my makeup applies so smoothly.

It contains a blend of Active Botanical Oils including rosehip, frankincense and bergamot. As well as lots of other skin beneficial ingredients –

  • Visible pores – Acacia Gum refines and lifts the skin’s surface to instantly tighten and blur enlarged pores
  • Mature skin – Acemlla Oleracea Extract relaxes muscle contractions to reduce depth of fine lines and wrinkles while preventing future signs of ageing
  • Normal skin – Hyaluronic Acid instantly smooths and plumps for a flawless, refined skin surface

I found this did give me that smooth, soft focus finish and even brightened my complexion. It was great at lessening the appearance of fine lines, especially on my forehead but I think in terms of seeing a lifting result this wasn’t instantly visible. I think this is a result that may happen over time and be a long term benefit of using this product. It gets my seal of approval but my only criticism is that I wish it was fragrance free because the scent is quite strong.

 

Balance Me Tinted Wonder Eye Cream*

If you struggle to look bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning without applying half your makeup arsenal then I think you will love this simple but effective makeup skincare hybrid. I have naturally dark under eye circles, so even when I want a makeup free day I still find that I have to apply a little concealer to that area just to add a touch or brightness so I was excited to learn that this Balance Me Eye Cream is tinted and offers not only coverage but also hydration and radiance. Its so easy to use and get noticeable results.

It contains some great skin beneficial ingredients,

Cucumber Seed Oil: Gently cools, calms and moisturises skin to reduce puffiness and brighten skin tone

Rosehip Oil: A powerful and vital skin antioxidant that encourages cell growth and renewal.

Arctic Cloudberry Seed Extract: Rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin E this wonder-berry creates a barrier, protecting skin from environmental damage.

A little product goes a long way and as I said on no makeup days this gives my under eyes enough coverage to look fresh and awake and much less dark. Its smoothing and lightweight, I have been using this religiously for a couple of weeks now.

New balanceMe Skincare

*PR Sample

New P.S Love Primark Makeup

- Vicki 2 Comments

Primark Makeup Haul

Its been a pretty long time since my last review of the Primark Makeup range which is called P.S Love (click here for my previous review). They have added quite a few new products to the selection and I was overwhelmed by the choice so I tried to get a selection of different products. So many of the products had been opened & used which wasn’t cool so I had a hard time finding products that were still sealed. I haven’t had much time to play around with everything but I thought I would just initially show you what I bought & put up another post in a couple of weeks letting you know how well it lasted & if I would recommend anything.

PS Love Primark Makeup

PS Love Velvet Matte Lipstick Crayon £1.00

This lip crayon is such a perfect colour for me its in a lovely deep plum shade and it is very pigmented oh & its a matte finish. I wore it for an hour or so and it felt quite comfortable on my lips and the colour looked beautiful. It doesn’t seem to have a scent which is good as often the cheaper options have a waxy scent. I think the shade I bought is perfect for Winter and I am already planning to get a couple more of these, I’m sure I saw a red shade.

Primark Bronzer

PS Love Bronzer £2.50

This looks like a shimmer brick and I do like wearing this kind of bronzer because you get that soft colour from swirling your brush though all the shades and it also acts as a highlighter. It looks quite pretty in the pan and It doesn’t seem to have glitter in which is great news – just a pretty hint of iridescent shimmer. Although when I swatched this not all the colours were intensely pigmented but I am hoping it looks ok on and it might be more subtle which isn’t a bad thing.

PS Love Primark Bronzer

PS Love High Coverage Concealer For Blemishes £1.50

This comes in a sweet little pot & they did have a few shades to pick from, I have the shade ghsdfgh and it feels very creamy and I was surprised at how good the coverage is. I haven’t tested it out for a whole day. I would have to powder over this because it is creamy and I have oily skin but I am excited to see how well this does after a proper day.

PS Love Lift & Curl Mascara £2.00

How cute is the purple packaging? Also the wand is quite similar to the Benefit Roller Lash. I always like testing mascaras that promise to keep a curl because I think thats quite a claim. The formula is quite wet & I don’t think it separates my lashes very well but we will see how well is wears throughout the day. I am hoping I don’t end up with mascara all down my face.

Primark PS Love Makeup Haul

PS Love Liquid Concealer for Undereyes £1.00

This comes in the standard doe foot applicator which I like & find easy to apply under my eyes. It’s a very creamy consistency but not too thick. It was easy to blend out and didn’t look too heavy, I picked quite a light colour and it worked well for my skin. So far I really like this and was surprised at how good the coverage was. I only wore it for a couple of hours and it lasted well. Next time I will apply a little setting powder and see how it fairs over a whole day.

Primark Concealer Swatches

PS Love Eyeshadow Quad £2.50

The last eyeshadows I tried from Primark were not great but these colours looked really pretty so I thought I would give them a go. All four shades have a frosted finish. They look wearable and not overly sparkly but they are quite powdery. I like the both the more bronze shades they are 100% my kind of shades. I am not holding out much hope of them being great but we shall see.

PS Love Eyeshadow Quad

Off the bat I like the concealers and the lip crayon they seem to be good quality. I will have to properly test everything and I think use a primer with the eyeshadows. Let me know if you have tried anything from the Primark Makeup range and what you would recommend.

Current Concealer Collection

- Vicki 7 Comments
My Current Concealers

Even if I am not wearing a base (foundation, tinted moisturiser) I do like to wear a little concealer, just to cover a few blemish scars & make my dark circles look a little less dramatic. So here are my current concealers, I store them in a MUJI drawer & that fits them all in just perfectly.

My Current Concealers

Seventeen Phwoarr Concealer – LOVE this, the quality is so good for an affordable full coverage concealer. I use this to conceal spots, imperfections and some redness on my nose & chin, I wouldn’t use it as an under eye concealer. Only because its a little heavy and tends to gather in my fine lines. I have to say it rivals my beloved Benefit Boiing the only thing separating them is that the Seventeen one is a little more creamy & at a push the Benefit one lasts slightly longer.

Benefit Boiing – I have repurchased this so many times,This stuff covers imperfections like a hero! I’ve used it for years and can always rely on it to cover redness, blemishes and dark spots. It stays in place a heck of a long time, this stuff is heavy-duty. It’s a full coverage concealer but it doesn’t look heavy on the skin, you can blend it in so it looks even and not cakey at all. The formula is creamy and I find it works best if applied to the skin with your finger and blended out with a brush. A little goes a long way so start with a small amount and build up if you need too.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer – This only has a couple of uses left in it & I have enjoyed it but wouldn’t repurchase it. I used it as an under eye brightening concealer & think it did a good job of making my dark circles look brighter & my under eye area more awake. The reason I won’t be repurchasing is I found the product dried up quickly in the tube despite the lid being on very tight.

Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Brightening Illuminating Concealer  Love this – it is that perfect combination of concealer and highlighter. I bought it whilst in America This is really hydrating, which I need and that means it doesn’t crease. It’s quite lightweight but still offers good coverage. It isn’t heavy duty coverage but if you’re looking for a light to medium coverage I recommend trying this. I took the sponge applicator off as I didn’t like it & thought it was quite unhygienic.

Concealer Collection

Yves Rocher Radiant Youth Corrector Pen* – This is a clicker pen style concealer, which I like, I have the shade 1 which is a peachy pink colour and this works well to brighten and diffuse the darkness under my eyes. It is by no means a full coverage concealer and when my eyes look particularly dark I like to use my Bobbi Brown corrector as an extra step and use this on top for a little extra coverage. The formula is lovely and creamy and feels hydrating too.

Bobbi Brown Concealer Kit – It took mw ages to get this to work for me, the product used to sink into my fine lines but if I make a real effort to hydrate my under eyes the product looks OK. It is a creamy concealer so it is going to crease a little throughout the day but combined with the Bobbi Brown Corrector (which I LOVE) they make a really good combo & make my under eyes look bright and healthy. I tend to use this more in the evening as its quite heavy coverage & it is expensive so I like to keep it for special occasions.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer – This is a very budget friendly product, it is very creamy and hydrating, I have the shade Light & I use it under my eyes to brighten & make it appear that I’ve had 10 hours sleep. It does a pretty good job. I like it more than the Collection one (a lot more) as I find this blends better and is less drying. I have the shade 001 Light.

My Current Concealers 2015

Seventeen Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer  – This is quite a blogger favourite & it was recommended to me so many times, I’m very glad I bought it as it is a very very good concealer for blemishes. It gives good coverage without being heavy or looking like you have tried to cover up imperfections. The staying power of this is up there with high end concealers. If you buy one product from this post make sure it is this one!

Sheer Cover Conceal & Brighten Trio* £24.95 – I only really use the concealer shades in the trio and they’re good at counteracting dark under eyes and concealing flaws. I like to use them together and think they work much like the Bobbi Brown kit. They’re not as creamy as the Bobbi Brown ones but they are easy to blend and they don’t dry out the area. I think this kit is a little pricey but it is handy to travel with as it has a decent mirror & its perfect for having in your handbag to reapply / touch up on the go.

Rimmel Match Perfection Illuminating Concealer – This is good for brightening the under eye area, its not the best at covering blemishes or imperfections (as it does have an illuminating quality to it). It is quite creamy but looks fresh and bright and if you use a lightweight powder over the top it stays in place nicely all day.

Sleek MakeUp Corrector & Concealing Palette – This doesn’t get as much love from me as it deserves, I think thats because I have an abundance of similar concealers. I think when I have used up a couple of the others I will use this more. You get a peachy correcting shade, a concealer shade & a yellow toned powder (good for highlighting and keeping concealer in place). This is really well packaged in a slim sturdy palette with a nice sized mirror. I might take this with me next time I travel. Oh & this also has SPF15 in which is unusual for concealers.
Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

October Beauty Purchases

- Vicki 13 Comments

Over the past few months I have made a real effort to shop my stash & use up products that are open before purchasing new ones & I’ve been doing so well. I haven’t bought much at all since the Summer & it feels great to rediscover some gems I have had in my collection all along. Although a beauty addict has to do a little shopping every now & then I’ve bought a few new products during October, I celebrated my Birthday at the beginning of the month & used a gift card to treat myself to a few things.

October Beauty Purchases

Essence Hello Autumn Eyeshadow Palette ‘Walk In The Park’ – This just had to come home with me, cute simple packaging & my perfect neutral shades. Its got it all. Autumn is my favourite season and this palette just called my name. I have used it a couple of times & the shadows are ok, a little crumbly but you can tidy up the fall out after you’ve finished. I would recommend a primer just so you get the best colour pay off. Its a nice slim palette & ideal for throwing in your makeup bag. I can’t wait to use it a little more.

Essence Studio Nails 24/7 Nail Base – I haven’t used this yet but I have an Essence topcoat that I love so I have high hopes for this & if there is one thing Essence do very very well its nail products.

Essence Nail Care Pen – I have been getting very dry nails & my cuticles are looking terrible so I’m hoping this helps hydrate & protect them. It’s enriched with Vitamin E and is meant to nourish nails & cuticle beds, so thats just what I need.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer – This was a recommendation by HelenRamblesOn, I was after a concealer that covers blemishes without looking heavy and this has been working out great for me. It does have quite a strong sweet scent which is slightly odd but it doesn’t linger too long. The concealer is creamy and easy to blend, it gives good coverage & more importantly it stays in place, after a good few hours (not 18 as the name suggests) the areas I want to conceal are still covered & the product is still in place, so I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a budget friendly blemish concealer.

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner –  I am a big fan of liquid liner and I really like using the felt pen style nibs. I haven’t used this yet but I have swatched it & it is very black and the nib is quite thick but seems easy to use. The swatch dried down quickly on my hand & didn’t rub off until I physically washed my hands. So it seems it has good staying power. For the price, if this wears as well on my eyes as it did on my hands we might have a winner on the eyeliner front. Watch this space.

Collection Big Fake Curves Mascara – I am a Mascara junkie and I love trying new ones. Over the past couple of months I have used up quite a few and so I’ve been on the look out for a new one & I liked the sound of this Collection offering. Who doesn’t want big lashes without the hassle of wearing false ones! The wand is MASSIVE but after using up my Yves Rocher & Origins Gin Zing Mascaras & really liking those (they both have big wands) I thought what the heck lets give that big wand a go. I will let you know how I get on, if you have tried this mascara let me know how you got on with it.

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Powder – The beauty that is Essie Button swears by this powder & her skin looks FLAWLESS, so I had to give it a go. I love my S&G Solar Powder although the cardboard packaging sucks, I was pleased to see this powder was packaged in more robust plastic compact. I have used this a few times & it might be a little early to declare my love for it, but I like the way it sits & how little product you need to set your makeup. It makes my complexion look smooth but not unnatural. Its working out very very well so far & it is the only face powder I have packed for my 3 week stay in Scotland so that must say something.

Indeed Labs Fade To Bright – I’m always on the hunt for products that promise to brighten and keep my complexion looking radiant & this calls out the big guns in that department. It comes with lots of promises in terms of improving uneven skin tone, restore luminosity & maintaining moisture levels. During winter I feel like I have dull skin & this is going to be my skin saviour (fingers crossed). I have been using it for 1 week & I like the creamy consistency although it is a serum it feels hydrating and leaves my skin smooth. I will let you know how radiant my skin looks after a few more weeks of use.

Allure Magazine – I am so happy my local WH Smith now sells Allure. I love flicking through its glossy pages & lusting after all the make up & skincare. I have it with me in Scotland & I will be reading it cover to cover.

Let me know if you have tried & tested any of my new purchases or let me know what treats you have bought lately.