Each month I am guilty of the same thing, online shopping
and routine weekly shopping trips that really give my bank a beating. With
January offering a heap load of offers, sales and discounts, how could any
beauty junkie resist? I certainly couldn’t. Especially all these new exciting
beauty releases, I just couldn’t say no.
Without too much rambling on, here’s what I have been splurging on
during the past few weeks.
Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Face Primer | £20.50
After a flawless base? Look no further than this product. I am not one for silicone based primers, I just find them greasy and tacky on the skin, I was slightly worried that this would just be another one to disappoint. I could not have been more wrong. The texture of this primer is highly similar to a serum/gel; it does have that slight silicone feel at first but once settled into the skin (which takes minutes) it completely vanishes, which I love. It minimizes the appearance of pores, extends the wear of my foundation, controls my excess oils throughout the day and creates the perfect canvas for my foundation. Everything I thrive for in a primer. I also double this up as a moisturiser in the morning as it is hydrating enough to do so. It really is a great all rounder product.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer | £16
The new releases just keep coming don’t they. As soon as I saw this I knew had to get my hands on it. I can’t say I was personally a fan of the Brow Wiz, after a few days of owning it the product snapped and I couldn’t use it again, absolute bummer as the formula was brill. I did buy another to see if mine was just a faulty odd one, but it did the same. Unlike the Brow Wiz, this has an angled triangular nib; perfect to outline, define and fill in those sparse areas of your brows. This pencil can be used in three different ways; the sharpest point can be used to create fine hair-like strokes, the back side of the pencil to create thicker hair-like strokes (I use this method for the front of my brows) and finally the pencil on the widest side to create much broader strokes. The pencil on this is very thick, nothing compared to the Brow Wiz, so you really need to apply this with a light hand, as it’s easy to muck up and accidentally double the size of your brows. These are available in 10 shades that I believe are the exact same as the Brow Wiz. One criticism of this product is that I can see that the triangular nib is not so triangular anymore, which doesn’t really bother me personally, but for some it’s worth taking note if you’re considering buying it.
Estee Lauder Enlighten EE Cream | £34
EE? I’ve heard of BB & CC creams, but apparently there’s all these other alphabetical magic creams rocking up in the beauty world. Light bases are the new hype for me; I am slowly beginning to appreciate my good skin days by wearing little or no makeup. EE stands for even effect and that is certainly what this product does. It’s luminous, flawless and healthy skin in a tube. If you’re after a sheer lightweight base that still looks like your skin, just better, this may be a winner for you. It minimises the appearance of dark spots, pores, scarring and redness, also has an SPF of 30, great for those summer months. Immediately after applying I noticed my redness was gone, my pesky spot scars were visibly reduced and I just had an all over healthy, radiant glow to my skin. My only moan is the smell, it has quite a fragrance too it, but it does die down after application.
Zoeva 233 Cream Shader | £7.50
During December I went on a cream shadow stick craze, I just loved the compact of them, how I can just chuck it in my handbag if I wanted, and the shades, I just couldn’t get enough of the sparkles. I could never really grasp which way to apply them best though. I tried blending out with my fingers but I just found it sheered out the pigment, so this is where Zoeva came in. An actual brush dedicated to cream shadow. Hallelujah. This has the perfect sized brush head for your lid, two or three strokes and you’re sorted. It is pretty darn dense too so it applies cream shadow like a dream, no more worries of a sheer shadow that’s for sure. It also is pretty easy on the eye with the rose gold detailing.
Zoeva 317 Wing Liner | £5.95
Everyone needs a winged liner brush in their kit in my eyes and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get one from the Zoeva range. They’re just the perfect multi-purpose brush that can be used on the eye to create a sleek and defined cut crease or to simply add a little something to those brows. I previously was using the MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush, but this is a lot denser than the Zoeva 317, meaning my brows just were a little too harsh for an everyday look. This brush is very flexible and slightly larger than the MAC 208, which I prefer as I use less product as it fills my brows a heck of a lot quicker. Another way I like to use this brush is adding a soft line of a deep brown eyeshadow as close as I can to my lash line just too add a little more natural dimension to my eyes. The perfect little extra for an everyday makeup look.
Zoeva 114 Luxe Face Focus | £12.95
This is one for the highlighting gals. Described as a ‘flat flame’ shaped brush (which is a bit of a random description) this is the perfect fit for under the eye to set your concealer in place, highlight and brighten. It’s a lovely fluffy brush yet it’s still dense enough for precise application. I personally use this brush across my cheekbones and my cupids bow as it gives a nice even application of highlight and it blends everything out easily. A true must have for your make up brush collection.
CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation | £36
This product has only been out since the 15th January, so I don’t want too spill too much as I want to do a full in depth review for you all. I really couldn’t resist splurging on this product as soon as it was released, I am really digging the light bases at the minute as my skin is becoming a lot better blemish wise, and with my love of the PERFECTION LUMIÈRE Velvet foundation I was excited to get my hands on another CHANEL base. This foundation is described as an invisible layer that creates a natural healthy glow to any skin tone, whilst it evens out the complexion it displays the freshness and radiance of beautiful skin and allows the skin to breathe whilst protecting it from any harsh environmental conditions. All of the above I can slightly agree on, for my oily/combination skin I found this was a nice base to work with, it lasted on my skin which is most important for me, and it just added that glow that I thrive for, but did not leave me looking greasy in the slightest. I still do have some mixed thoughts on this foundation, not just for my skin type but for others too, so keep your eye out for my in depth review coming this week or next giving you the complete low down on this base. This foundation is available in only 9 shades within the UK, which is very limited, so if you’re looking at splurging on this foundation I would definitely recommend going to your local counter to get matched.
Benefit The POREfessional Matte Rescue | £21.50
How exciting. It’s been a while since Benefit has released anything-base wise, or is that just me thinking that? Anyway, this is described as invisible finish mattifying gel that instantly minimizes the appearance of pores, it’s lightweight and a water based gel that overpowers shine and absorbs excess surface oil, leaving a natural matte finish on the skin. It also contains diamond powder (how fancy) that is known for it’s soft -focus blurring effect, ideal to target those pesky pores. I am still stuck as to whether to use this as a primer or to use before my primer, so it just sort of depends on how I’m feeling, lazy or not. I must say it does live up to it’s claims, and for anyone suffering with severely oily skin or just has the oily t-zone you will find this your new holy grail as I haven’t seen a product that controls oil like this. The product is a blue gel, which looks quite scary, but applies like a dream and sinks into the skin instantly (don’t worry the blue gel turns transparent). Straight away I noticed my skin didn’t look dull and overly matte, it does have a lovely natural finish. My pores aren’t minimized any different to any other pore targeted primer, which is a bit of bummer, but the way it controls your oils throughout the day is seriously amazing. It isn’t meant to increase the longevity of your base, but I actually found it did by a significant amount, I can wear my foundation for at least 9 hours of wear without it looking any different to when I applied it at silly o’clock in the morning, but by around 11 hours, which is when I usually take my makeup off, my t-zone is only the slightest bit oily, no where close to when I don’t use this product. A new holy grail we have here.
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup | £30
I promise this is the last base product I am nattering on about. I used this product years ago when it was the talk of the beauty world, but found it way to heavy on my skin so gave up with it. I then tried the double wear light which I fell in love with as it was the same principle of the original double wear, just in a lighter formula. I have now gone and re-purchased the original double wear to try and get on with it again as it’s raved about so much, especially for my skin type. I must say this time round I really do love it. I find without a primer, especially some form of radiance primer it is quite dull on the skin as it is a very matte base, so first I apply my trustee Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, then add just a pea-sized amount to my Sigma F82 Round Kabuki Brush and I can achieve a flawless medium coverage base. I know some of you might fear this foundation, as it is known for serious full coverage, which can be achieved if desired, however if you just simply go in with less product and a lighter hand, you can achieve a medium coverage that lasts all day. Available in 29 shades you are bound to find your match. Definitely worth checking out, especially for my fellow oily to combination skinned girls.
Have you been treating yourself to any beauty products this month?
Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Face Primer | £20.50
After a flawless base? Look no further than this product. I am not one for silicone based primers, I just find them greasy and tacky on the skin, I was slightly worried that this would just be another one to disappoint. I could not have been more wrong. The texture of this primer is highly similar to a serum/gel; it does have that slight silicone feel at first but once settled into the skin (which takes minutes) it completely vanishes, which I love. It minimizes the appearance of pores, extends the wear of my foundation, controls my excess oils throughout the day and creates the perfect canvas for my foundation. Everything I thrive for in a primer. I also double this up as a moisturiser in the morning as it is hydrating enough to do so. It really is a great all rounder product.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer | £16
The new releases just keep coming don’t they. As soon as I saw this I knew had to get my hands on it. I can’t say I was personally a fan of the Brow Wiz, after a few days of owning it the product snapped and I couldn’t use it again, absolute bummer as the formula was brill. I did buy another to see if mine was just a faulty odd one, but it did the same. Unlike the Brow Wiz, this has an angled triangular nib; perfect to outline, define and fill in those sparse areas of your brows. This pencil can be used in three different ways; the sharpest point can be used to create fine hair-like strokes, the back side of the pencil to create thicker hair-like strokes (I use this method for the front of my brows) and finally the pencil on the widest side to create much broader strokes. The pencil on this is very thick, nothing compared to the Brow Wiz, so you really need to apply this with a light hand, as it’s easy to muck up and accidentally double the size of your brows. These are available in 10 shades that I believe are the exact same as the Brow Wiz. One criticism of this product is that I can see that the triangular nib is not so triangular anymore, which doesn’t really bother me personally, but for some it’s worth taking note if you’re considering buying it.
Estee Lauder Enlighten EE Cream | £34
EE? I’ve heard of BB & CC creams, but apparently there’s all these other alphabetical magic creams rocking up in the beauty world. Light bases are the new hype for me; I am slowly beginning to appreciate my good skin days by wearing little or no makeup. EE stands for even effect and that is certainly what this product does. It’s luminous, flawless and healthy skin in a tube. If you’re after a sheer lightweight base that still looks like your skin, just better, this may be a winner for you. It minimises the appearance of dark spots, pores, scarring and redness, also has an SPF of 30, great for those summer months. Immediately after applying I noticed my redness was gone, my pesky spot scars were visibly reduced and I just had an all over healthy, radiant glow to my skin. My only moan is the smell, it has quite a fragrance too it, but it does die down after application.
Zoeva 233 Cream Shader | £7.50
During December I went on a cream shadow stick craze, I just loved the compact of them, how I can just chuck it in my handbag if I wanted, and the shades, I just couldn’t get enough of the sparkles. I could never really grasp which way to apply them best though. I tried blending out with my fingers but I just found it sheered out the pigment, so this is where Zoeva came in. An actual brush dedicated to cream shadow. Hallelujah. This has the perfect sized brush head for your lid, two or three strokes and you’re sorted. It is pretty darn dense too so it applies cream shadow like a dream, no more worries of a sheer shadow that’s for sure. It also is pretty easy on the eye with the rose gold detailing.
Zoeva 317 Wing Liner | £5.95
Everyone needs a winged liner brush in their kit in my eyes and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get one from the Zoeva range. They’re just the perfect multi-purpose brush that can be used on the eye to create a sleek and defined cut crease or to simply add a little something to those brows. I previously was using the MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush, but this is a lot denser than the Zoeva 317, meaning my brows just were a little too harsh for an everyday look. This brush is very flexible and slightly larger than the MAC 208, which I prefer as I use less product as it fills my brows a heck of a lot quicker. Another way I like to use this brush is adding a soft line of a deep brown eyeshadow as close as I can to my lash line just too add a little more natural dimension to my eyes. The perfect little extra for an everyday makeup look.
Zoeva 114 Luxe Face Focus | £12.95
This is one for the highlighting gals. Described as a ‘flat flame’ shaped brush (which is a bit of a random description) this is the perfect fit for under the eye to set your concealer in place, highlight and brighten. It’s a lovely fluffy brush yet it’s still dense enough for precise application. I personally use this brush across my cheekbones and my cupids bow as it gives a nice even application of highlight and it blends everything out easily. A true must have for your make up brush collection.
CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation | £36
This product has only been out since the 15th January, so I don’t want too spill too much as I want to do a full in depth review for you all. I really couldn’t resist splurging on this product as soon as it was released, I am really digging the light bases at the minute as my skin is becoming a lot better blemish wise, and with my love of the PERFECTION LUMIÈRE Velvet foundation I was excited to get my hands on another CHANEL base. This foundation is described as an invisible layer that creates a natural healthy glow to any skin tone, whilst it evens out the complexion it displays the freshness and radiance of beautiful skin and allows the skin to breathe whilst protecting it from any harsh environmental conditions. All of the above I can slightly agree on, for my oily/combination skin I found this was a nice base to work with, it lasted on my skin which is most important for me, and it just added that glow that I thrive for, but did not leave me looking greasy in the slightest. I still do have some mixed thoughts on this foundation, not just for my skin type but for others too, so keep your eye out for my in depth review coming this week or next giving you the complete low down on this base. This foundation is available in only 9 shades within the UK, which is very limited, so if you’re looking at splurging on this foundation I would definitely recommend going to your local counter to get matched.
Benefit The POREfessional Matte Rescue | £21.50
How exciting. It’s been a while since Benefit has released anything-base wise, or is that just me thinking that? Anyway, this is described as invisible finish mattifying gel that instantly minimizes the appearance of pores, it’s lightweight and a water based gel that overpowers shine and absorbs excess surface oil, leaving a natural matte finish on the skin. It also contains diamond powder (how fancy) that is known for it’s soft -focus blurring effect, ideal to target those pesky pores. I am still stuck as to whether to use this as a primer or to use before my primer, so it just sort of depends on how I’m feeling, lazy or not. I must say it does live up to it’s claims, and for anyone suffering with severely oily skin or just has the oily t-zone you will find this your new holy grail as I haven’t seen a product that controls oil like this. The product is a blue gel, which looks quite scary, but applies like a dream and sinks into the skin instantly (don’t worry the blue gel turns transparent). Straight away I noticed my skin didn’t look dull and overly matte, it does have a lovely natural finish. My pores aren’t minimized any different to any other pore targeted primer, which is a bit of bummer, but the way it controls your oils throughout the day is seriously amazing. It isn’t meant to increase the longevity of your base, but I actually found it did by a significant amount, I can wear my foundation for at least 9 hours of wear without it looking any different to when I applied it at silly o’clock in the morning, but by around 11 hours, which is when I usually take my makeup off, my t-zone is only the slightest bit oily, no where close to when I don’t use this product. A new holy grail we have here.
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup | £30
I promise this is the last base product I am nattering on about. I used this product years ago when it was the talk of the beauty world, but found it way to heavy on my skin so gave up with it. I then tried the double wear light which I fell in love with as it was the same principle of the original double wear, just in a lighter formula. I have now gone and re-purchased the original double wear to try and get on with it again as it’s raved about so much, especially for my skin type. I must say this time round I really do love it. I find without a primer, especially some form of radiance primer it is quite dull on the skin as it is a very matte base, so first I apply my trustee Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, then add just a pea-sized amount to my Sigma F82 Round Kabuki Brush and I can achieve a flawless medium coverage base. I know some of you might fear this foundation, as it is known for serious full coverage, which can be achieved if desired, however if you just simply go in with less product and a lighter hand, you can achieve a medium coverage that lasts all day. Available in 29 shades you are bound to find your match. Definitely worth checking out, especially for my fellow oily to combination skinned girls.
Have you been treating yourself to any beauty products this month?
don't worry you're not the only one who has a splurge every month! I've been wanting double wear for ages....
ReplyDeleteCharlotte / charlottespicks.blogspot.com
I'd like to think so! I just have gone and bought another Bobbi Brown palette too, I need to stop myself sometimes! Definitely worth a try!X
DeleteThose brushes are so beautiful! I need a wing liner brush actually, I'm currently using just the Real Techniques liner brush but I find it a little fiddly and not very smooth to apply. I haven't treated myself for a while actually, trying to save up money!
ReplyDeleteSally ~ DiagonSally
These are lovely reviews! All of these items look amazing, especially the Chanel foundation and Zoeva brushes. It feels good sometimes to have a splurge with products like these because you know they're worth spending a little bit extra. Plus it feels good to treat yourself too haha :)
ReplyDeleteAngie xx
Silk and Sapphire
OOh such pretty products!
ReplyDeleteSophie-rose.co.uk
x