Sunday, 23 June 2013

Review: Benefit's Stay Flawless Primer



I previously mentioned that I had attended Benefit's 'Stay Flawless' event in Bristol, and you can read the original post here.

Luckily for me and M, we share the same foundation colour even though were opposite in hair colour and MUA's often think I will be much darker on account of my almost black hair.
So basically my point is over the past few weeks we have both tested it out in various situations and have come up with the following review, hope you enjoy!

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At the event I was lucky enough to be given not only the Stay Flawless Primer but also their infamous Hello Flawless foundation and their foundation brush, which was so exciting!

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The brush is really light and your typical 'foundation' brush shape which I don't actually own at the moment. The brush was pretty good and easy to clean, it applied foundation quite easily but I did find it left a few brush marks on my face. I'm more used to using bigger brushes like RT's Buffing Brush, which probably just means I need to change my technique more than anything else!

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So..onto the star of the show!

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I loooooooooooooooooove the packaging of the primer and the foundation.

The primer, shown below, has beeeeeeeautiful monochrome polka dot packaging with silver and pink accents. With writing almost like a handwriting scrawl I'm in love and couldn't have designed it better myself. Fun but simple and very chic!

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The primer is in a stick like product. I love this.

I like feeling like a 3 year old again stealing my mums lipstick and drawing on my face with it, which is basically what this feels like!

The instructions state that you draw all over your face in circular motions, then apply Hello Flawless as quickly as you can. This worried me initially as I wasn't sure what 'quickly' meant, but basically as long as you apply it straight after the primer you're fine and nothing crazy happens!

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The primer is obviously easy to use and feels exactly like applying a balm or hydrating lipstick onto your face, if you get what I mean! It feels a little tacky but not too bad.

The shade that I was given was 'Believe in Me' Ivory. I think that giving shades names like this makes them so much more interesting and memorable, I've not forgotten the shade that I use after being colour matched for it!

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Here's the blurb:

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Lots of promises for a foundation!

After applying this over the primer I can agree that it is hydrating, luminous and brightening. You barely need anything from the bottle to apply to your entire face and I felt like it really did cover all of my flaws.

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I also like that the foundation has SPF 25 so helps to protect against environmental effects.

You can see my pictures below where I only have the primer and foundation on. It applies pretty flawlessly and I think my skin looks brightened.

You can see in the pictures that the pores on my nose are only just visible, the bags under my eyes are covered and although I have scars on my face from acne you can't see them when this is applied.
As the foundation is so thin (runny if you like!) it blends without caking into your hairline and being blotchy.


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This was all looking so promising for me and I was so impressed. Unfortunately for me however, after a few hours of wearing this the make up tended to slide and clump together on my face regardless of what i did. I always set my face with powder after and even used the Hello Flawless powder but this problem hasn't gone away.

I was full of hope when I wore it out to my first day at work but unfortunately I did have to sort my face out at lunch time where it had slid and I had to rebuff and repowder my base back to flawlessness. I think this is a lot to do with how my skin has changed and not necessarily just the primer/foundation combination.
When I wore it to the gym one day and did a body pump class, the make up actually fared pretty well, which just goes to show it can and does work! My make up honestly looked as fresh as it did when I applied it a few hours before and I was impressed as normally i come out looking like a sweaty tomato.

Having used it for a week before giving it to M to test, now I've got it back I plan on trying it out with different foundation and primer combos to see if it's just because of my skin (which is a constant issue for me anyway!) I feel that for my skin type I need a heavy duty absorbing primer for the foundation to stay for longer, and a drier foundation such as ColorStay for the primer to be at its best.

Fingers crossed this will solve my problems!

Have you tried Stay Flawless or Hello Flawless?? What did you think?


L xxx


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The Hello Flawless foundation was one I'd wanted to try for a while. It seemed to boast everything you'd want from a foundation. SPF, oil free and brightening. When L told me she was lucky to get this at the event I was so disappointed my exams had meant I couldn't go.

She lent me the products to try for a couple of days to see how I got on with it. The foundation was a perfect match to my skin and blended in flawlessly. It has a really light texture and is quite a runny foundation, that provided a light natural coverage leaving my skin looking so healthy.

Unfortunately for me it just didn't last too well on my skin. I think me skin is too oily for this foundation even though it's oil free. I can see anyone with normal or dry skin absolutely loving the formula and finish of this. It left my skin with such a gorgeous healthy glow (without being glittery or shiny) I'm gutted it didn't last all day on me.

If any of you have found products to make this foundation last better on a oily complexion I'd love to know as I loved the finish.

Love M

xxx


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Saturday, 22 June 2013

Cold Turkey June


Good morning all!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was starting a spending ban for the entire of June, absolutely no spending whatsoever, so I thought I'd tell you how i was getting on so far and what I'm lusting after!

I feel that as I only have 3 posts to write a week it would be a waste to write about it weekly so every few weeks I'll give an update. I'm hoping to continue the ban further than June but at the rate my wishlist is increasing I'm not so sure that will be achievable!! Maybe I'll give myself a limit to spend at the end of June, and restart it again for July?!



I've so far not bought any cosmetics or products of any kind, so firstly lets congratulate me on that amazing feat! I'm actually enjoying using up my stash as I'm finding lots of half finished things that I can easily finish and get rid of, which is ultimately giving me more space that I desperately need.

I have however had to buy a few extra clothes for work, I did buy some initially that I thought would tide me over for a couple of months until I could justify buying more. But unfortunately as the lab is hot, long sleeved tops are out on account of having to wear lab coats, and vests aren't allowed cos of the whole bare shoulders/cleavage thing.
Sooooo I had to hot foot it into town and pick up some more tshirts that are acceptable in the work place.


The top 3 are all from New Look, and I managed to get them all for £5 when they had a 'Tshirts for £5' day and then student discount so that was pretty good!

The stripy tshirt is from Dorothy Perkins where I also picked up a black and white leopard print tshirt too, both were £10 and I got my 15% student discount too. So although I technically broke my 'no spending' rule it was pretty important to have clothes for work and I didn't stretch that out too far!


Obviously having been shopping I saw a massive amount of stuff that I want....siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
Most importantly, I need some new trainers for the gym and I've also got my eyes on some Supra type trainers.

I've got my eye on a specific pair in particular that I'm sure you will have seen, but here's a photo collage of what I'm lusting after at the moment!

(none of these images are my own obviously! Otherwise they wouldn't be on my wishlist...but if you click on them it will take you to the original link, mostly from google)


Mmmm pink Nikes!!


Infamous Illamasqua Maneater lipstick, saw it, tried it, loved it, need it.


Antipodes Manuka Honey Mask, love in a product!


Naked 2, the only palette I'm missing from the Naked collection.


This is actually my image! Origins Make a Difference Gel really did make a difference, it's high on my wishlist again as a definite repurchase.


This is OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand in Jinx, just look at that beautiful coral with gold shimmer. I have the miniature version which is not going to last at all, I need the full one!
I am hoping my American friend will be able to send me one over as a gift...but not too sure now the international rules have changed.


 

 


Following on from the OPI theme, I am still lusting after these 5 polishes from their Bond range back around Christmas. I need to get my hands on Moonraker, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, Casino Royale and You Only Live Twice.

These have been on my list for so long that at the end of this month I think I'll have to purchase them just for sanity reasons!

What are you guys lusting after at the moment?

My brain has suddenly gone crazy lusting after everything I can't have.

I have £15 of Debenhams Beauty points to use by the end of this month....would you buy the Illamasqua Maneater lipstick, or the pricier Urban Decay Naked 2 palette?
I need somebody to decide for me!!!


Here's hoping that going 'Cold Turkey' will mean I can pay off my credit card bills and start afresh.


L xxx


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Friday, 21 June 2013

NOTD: China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy


I don't know about you but I am a massive fan of brights nails for spring and summer.

Mostly I've worn pinks over the past few years but recently orange has made an appearance in my life, particularly neons!

Cue this beauty:

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Flip Flop Fantasy (phew what a load of F's!) is a super popular nail polish from one of our favourite nail brands China Glaze. It is from their Spring/Summer 2012 range so has been out for a year but I was obviously way behind with this. 

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Admittedly it applies a little streaky on the first coat, but the second seems to combat this 9 times out of ten, and once you've got the application right 2 coats is the perfect amount for this.

It's so beautifully bright but also complimentary for any skin tone I think.

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I picked this up from Amazon for around £7 which is a pretty good price. Considering how wearable the colour is I'm going to bet that this will be my number one choice for summer!

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The texture is so creamy it just looks amazing, a pastel neon is the only way I can describe it!

I love China Glaze not only for their beautiful colours but also that their polishes don't contain Toluene, DBP or added Formaldehyde and any chemical nasties removed is an added bonus!

I just wish they were easier to get a hold of in the UK!

What do you think of this colour? Are you a China Glaze fan?


L xxx



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Thursday, 20 June 2013

The Lipstick Tag


Hi all!

I saw this tag the other day on The Lipstick Blog and fancied filling it in as it seemed fun and a bit different to other ones I've done before. Her blog is great and makes my lipstick wishlist sooooooooo long! So check it out and complete this tag too!


How many lipsticks do you own?
I just had a quick count and came to 39, so I'm gonna say probably 45 as there must be a few lurking around. This includes glosses and lip butter type products too.
What was your first ever lipstick?
I'm not really sure to be honest. In my view as I only started collecting them just over a year ago I'm going to  go with my first MAC one as that's really where the obsession began! I bought both Russian Red and Creme Cup at the same time.
What is your most worn lipstick?
I can't even fathom the answer to this. It really depends on what I'm doing! I tend to wear 17's Beehive during the day for work, pinks such as MAC's Insanely It and my favourite red is MAC's Russian Red for going out.
What is your favourite brand for lipstick?
MAC would probably be my impulse answer, but Revlon lip butters feature quite often in my handbags too.
What is your favourite finish?
I tend to like hydrating lipsticks, so MAC's Creme Sheen probably fits the bill or Sheen Supreme! 
What was the last lip product you bought?
I think it was Maybelline's Shockingly Coral or it could be MAC's Sunny Seoul, they were bought too close together...
How many lip products do you currently have in your handbag? (Including balms and glosses)
Haaaa, currently 2, but only because I swapped bags! Before I had 9...oops! Me and M both love doing 'Lipstick Lucky Dip' and picking a colour by rummaging around in your handbag without looking!
What lipstick do you use to rock a red lip?
My all time fave is MAC's Russian Red. One of my firsts which I'll never forget! ;)
How do you store your lipsticks?
I have them in a box with drawers, they currently fill the bottom drawer with some room, which will obviously be filled soon!
What lip products are you currently lusting after?
I always lust after MAC lipsticks but I'd love to own a Chanel or YSL one too, maybe in the future! I've also got my eye on a Laura Mercier one too!

Hope you enjoyed this tag, I had fun filling it out and realising I need to use what I've got more!!

Let me know if you do the tag as well and link it in the comments :)


L xxx



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