Super pigmented, matte eyeshadow palettes

Good matte eyeshadows are very difficult to come by which is a pity as matte textures are more forgiving as they don't emphasize lines and wrinkles. They're also great to use for everyday wear or when having photographs taken for you won't end up looking like a sparkly mess.

Suppliers of theatrical make-up offer a wide variety of matte palettes with superb pigmentation.
You do need to master the art of being light handed when using these products as well as tapping excess product off your brush prior to applying it to the face cause you might end up looking rather clown like...

So if you're into your palettes and dense pigmentation then read on as this might prove to be a bit of a treat...

Ben Nye Pressed Colour Palette

Ben Nye offers sleek eyeshadow/blush palettes that won't break the bank. The eyeshadow and blush pans are of a generous size (more of a blush sized pan), they have a smooth texture and are incredibly pigmented. One quick dip of the brush into a shadow pan is all you need for great colour pay off and then remember to blend, blend, blend...


Grimas Palette

Grimas makes fantastic eyeshadow/rouge, lipstick and foundation palettes. What's great about them is that you can have a lot of product and still save space as you can stack them on top of each other - sort of like a tower! They have a variety of pre-made eyeshadow palettes to choose from, most of them are matte but they do offer a pearlescent one as well. Just as with the Ben Nye shadows, these too are super pigmented so apply with caution.


Kryolan Palette

This sort of palette comes with an assortment of either 10 or 20 eyeshadow/rouge colours. The tin like container resembles a pencil box and is pretty durable - I've dropped mine once or twice and nothing's happened to the shadows - but still do not try this at home:)
The shadow pans are also of a generous size and very soft and smooth. They do however have a fragrance about them - nothing unpleasant but it might irritate those who'd rather have scent-free make-up. I'd say that out of the three palettes, this one has eyeshadows with more of a buildable coverage as some of the lighter shades have more of a sheer coverage.

Model Co Beauty Fix Airbrush Face

Model Co Beauty Fix Airbrush Face is a make-up fixing spray that sets and seals your make-up making it smudge-proof, tear proof and water resistant...and I swear by this stuff!

The first time I purchased this miracle in a bottle, I decided to put it to the ultimate test.
I put my make-up on and sealed it in place with this spray. Upon spraying it onto my face I felt a bit of a stinging sensation but it lasted only a few seconds - however, no one else has complained about this sensation and I fix everyone's make-up with this spray.

So back to my ultimate test - now that I had my make-up all fixed in place I thought that I needed to cry but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't shed a tear...where are those tears when you need them, hey...
Luckily I had a light bulb moment and decided to splatter my face with water. Well I couldn't believe it but the make-up hadn't budged and the more I couldn't believe my eyes the more I splattered and still not a single smudge in sight! I was sold!

Although it is quite pricey, I can't remember the exact price but I think that it's twenty-something pounds for a 58.18ml bottle, it is still well worth it. It's great for a night out, a busy day or hot weather as the only thing that you'll need to touch up on will be your lippy.

So with this spray you will be all set and ready to face yet another no touch up day!

P.S. Oh and no worries - you'll still be able to remove all your  make-up at the end of the day - just use your regular cleanser.

Mini Body Shop Purchase

The Body Shop has come out with a couple of new products for their spring collection. One of the products that I was keen on trying out was the new Kiss of Colour Cheek Blush in Golden Coral as I'm mad about using coral shades throughout spring and summer.

The blush comes in a little white, round, compact container with a cute mirror on top. Upon opening the blush, you're faced with a sponge applicator which is coated in the blush colour.
The sponge is very soft and has a spring like effect. You apply the blush by pressing the stamp to the apple of the cheek and then blending out the product with a blusher brush.
The coral shade is a lovely and fresh peachy colour (I'm wearing it in the picture).

 I am also very impressed with the staying power of this blush as it looks just as vibrant and fresh at the end of the day as it did when applied in the morning time - and this is without using a make-up setting spray! This blush retails for £10.

The other thing I bought (this isn't part of the spring collection) was a Vanilla Perfume Oil.

If you like the smell of vanilla essence and cookie dough then you're going to love this scent. I dab some of it onto my neck and wrists and then rub some into my hair and clothes. The scent isn't very over-powering, it just lingers around you very softly and you can smell it whenever you move around - yummy! The price is £6.50 for a tiny 15ml bottle but it will last forever.
The scent isn't that long-lasting so be prepared to re-apply at least once throughout the day. But this isn't a major set back as the bottle is so small that you could even carry it around in your pocket.

Handy make-up wheels

Make-up wheels are super convenient as they take up very little space and are great multi-taskers. 
Here's three wheels that have become staples within my make-up kit and get the job done:

1. Ben Nye Cream Rouge Wheel - an absolute must-have for cream blush lovers. This fabulous wheel offers 6 beautiful shades ranging from natural to vibrant. The colours are incredibly intense so they need to be applied with a very light hand. You can use the colours individually or mix and match to create your own unique shade. Sometimes I'll take a blush brush and just swirl it over all of the shades before applying to the cheeks. Remember to set your cream blush with a light dusting of powder. Cream blush is perfect for normal, dry and mature skin types.
This palette can also double up as a lipstick palette.

 2. Smashbox Cream Highlighter Quad - another great multi-tasking palette with a multitude of uses. Use it on the eyes, lips, cheeks, shoulders or decollette. These highlighters are very soft, sheer and easy to apply. They provide a subtle shimmer which makes the skin look radiant and youthful.

 

3. Temptu Concealer Wheel - this is a silicone based concealer and is thus long-wearing. It looks very smooth on the skin and isn't cakey. The soft creamy consistency makes it very easy to apply. The wheel contains 5 different colours which means that it is very handy when you take into consideration the fact that every imperfection on the skin has a different undertone. With this wheel you can mix and match the colours to get a shade that suits your skin tone.
The darkest shade also works great for contouring.

Body Oils

I know it doesn't seem like it but spring time is almost upon us. Therefore it's almost time to reveal a bit more skin...pale and pasty skin which we've been keeping under wraps these past couple of months.

So how do we prepare to bare some flesh?

Personally I think that body oils are a great way of re-hydrating the skin and giving it a sexy glow.
I've got two fave body oils that I've been buying for a while now as I absolutely love their versatility.

The first one is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Oil. 

This oil smells just as delicious as Palmer's regular moisturisers. I apply it onto damp skin upon leaving the bath or shower and then pat dry with a towel. The whole process is super quick and the results are amazing. It dries rather quickly, doesn't leave an oily residue, leaves skin feeling silky soft and makes you smell all yummy. The chocolatey scent isn't over-powering but is quite long lasting as you'll be able to smell it on your skin even a couple of hours after application. I also like pouring a little bit into my bath for an additional dose of moisturisation.

My other must-have oil is from The Body Shop and it's the Spa Wisdom Polynesia Monoi Miracle Oil.

Here's a couple of ways in which you can use it:

• smooth it onto your skin prior to taking a bath or shower as the steam will help your skin absorb the oil
• rub some into damp hair and leave on for a while before shampooing
• use as a regular massage oil or body moisturiser
• pour a bit into your bath water
• use as a hand moisturiser and massage into nails and cuticles

It truly is a gem. It has a very lovely flowery scent and dries incredibly quickly. I tend to use it quite often as a hand moisturiser - just used it a second ago actually and was able to get back to typing following application - it really does take only a couple of seconds to dry.

Leichner Camera Clear Tinted Foundation

 

Leichner foundation is a professional foundation used by Photographic studio's, Television, Theatre and by professional Make up artists worlwide.

I had read a lot of very positive reviews about this foundation and decided to give it a try. I bought my first tub a couple of months ago and decided that I wanted more!

I'm soooo hooked.
I feel that it is absolutely perfect for my skin - I have normal skin which ocassionally can get a little dehydrated/dry or just be dull looking. Leichner foundation has a very rich and creamy consistency. I'd say that it is very similar in texture to rich moisturisers such as Nivea or Dove.
It comes in a little 30ml tub and will probably last ages as very little product goes a long way.

In order to obtain a sheer coverage only a little bit of product needs to be used, but you can build up the coverage as you need. For a natural daytime look you must apply it sparingly and work it well over the skin. Should you get too liberal with the application, you will achieve a heavy and mask like effect - it is afterall a foundation designed to be used for photography and the stage.

Although it is necessary to powder the face following application due to the fact that it is a rather greasy foundation, I don't tend to powder just because I like the sort of glowy/dewy finish that it adds to my skin. But bear in mind that my skin isn't in the least bit shiny. Persons with oily skins probably wouldn't be too pleased with this product. I would only use this foundation on mature clients or clients with dry or dehydrated skin types.

When my sister saw this foundation and tried it out she too decided to purchase one for herself. She has very dry, sensitive skin and is a regular at the dermatologist's but finds that it works for her and is already planning on stocking up. Her boyfriend's hooked as well (he plays in a band and thus likes his make-up) - says it makes his skin feel extremely moisturised.

For me personally Leichner Camera Clear Tinted Foundation & the Temptu silicone based foundation are currently my faves.
Has anyone out there given it a try? What did you think? I'm really curious to know!

Greetings all!

So I can't believe that I've finally got around to writing a blog. This is the first time ever that I've attempted such an undertaking and I'm all giddy with excitement.
I do hope to be a diligent blogger...