Handy Palettes for your kit!

If you're a make-up artist then these very sleek, lightweight and versatile palettes from Maq Pro are sure to come in handy.

Foundation Palette

The palette is flat packed and features six wax based colours that provide a very natural make-up finish which doesn't sit on the surface of the skin. The formula has light-reflecting qualities and leaves a nice glowy sheen to the skin.
Four of the shades work well as all over foundation bases, with the darkest colour coming in handy for the purpose of shading. The lightest shade is great for highlighting or mixing into the darker colours for a lighter effect.
There is also a green corrector colour which is absolutely brilliant at neutralising any red tones in the skin as well as blemishes.

Swatches: 

Concealer/Lip/Cheek Petite Multi-Use Palette:

Starting from the top we have a dark neutral brown shade that is great for contouring.
Next is a very pale pink/apricot tone that is used under the eyes to correct dark circles.
In the middle we have the same green corrector (red tone neutraliser) that features in the larger foundation palette.
This is followed by a lilac shade that can be used to counteract a sallow looking complexion.
The last colour is a shimmery golden tone.

The bottom row features tones that make for great lip and cheek colours.

I'm really excited about having come across these handy palettes as there really is so much that you can use them for and they always come in handy at every job. An additional bonus is that they take up so little space!

I believe that these Maq Pro palettes are exclusively available from PAM LONDON and they happen to stock many more varieties...happy days!

buy from AMAZON

P.S. Hope you're all well and it's good to be back blogging!

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector

B.B. Creams or Blemish Balms are all the rage in Asia. I'd say that they must be doing something right if the perfect looking complexions of Asian ladies are anything to go by.
Hence, I was quite excited to learn that Garnier had released their own version and it was easily accessible, being sold both in Boots as well as Superdrug.

Unfortunately I have yet to try the Asian version of a B.B. cream so I won't be able to compare Garnier's offering to the cult cream - however, those of you whom have tried both, please oh please leave a comment below and let me know what the differences are.

I find Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector to be the perfect no fuss, time-saving multi-tasker. You simply wash your face in the morning and spread this all over your face (just like you would a moisturiser) with your fingers...though I have tried it with a buffing brush and liked that as well. No need for moisturiser beforehand.
The consistency is thick but it spreads very easily.

It blends out really sheer and simply evens out the skin tone. If you've got blemishes or dark under eye circles then you'll need to cover those with your concealer as this cream will not deal with those issues.
It is very hydrating, contains an SPF of 15 and has a bit of a dewy finish.

It's definitely not a substitute for foundation and although I haven't noticed any miracles as of yet, I do enjoy this product and prefer it to that of tinted moisturisers due to its thicker texture.

Will I repurchase in the future? I'd say yes as it's perfect for those days where you're in a hurry and can't be bothered with moisturisers, primers, foundations and your UV protection. Also great for when you just need to nip out to the shops or have nothing else planned than to run a few errands and don't want to spend time getting all glammed up but still want to look a little perfected:)

Yaby Foundations

My make-up kit was in need of a little revamping within the foundation department so I'd decided that it was time to try out something new. Taking my kit with me on jobs can sometimes be a little too heavy and bad on the back. I've decided that from now on I'll be looking into items that are compact and light.

Yaby, founded by make-up artist Liz Yu, was designed with the working make-up artist in mind. The products are all about providing great quality and taking up minimal space.


Yaby Liquid Foundation

 Ivory, Vanilla, Buff, Peach Cream, Honey, Pecan

As you can see these come in little 8ml squeezy tubes. The tip of the tube is removable, allowing you to fill the tube up to 12ml, meaning that you can add in another shade to create your desired colour.
This foundation has a very thin consistency and once applied it mimics the skin's natural texture - seriously - you will not be able to detect it on the skin. The foundation is very layerable without there being any caking in sight. It doesn't sit on top of the skin but melts right in. This is an ideal product for those who love a very light and natural feel to their foundation and have a generally good complexion that only needs a little evening out. Blemished skin types will definitely still need to avail of concealers for more heavy duty coverage.

Yaby Cream Foundation

Ivory, Buff, Honey, Cream

Apricot (corrector), Custard, Ginger Snap, Caramel

The cream foundations come in 30mm refill pans and are actually meant to be placed in a palette. Initially I had purchased four colours to begin with but I was so blown away by this foundation that I'd decided to get four more. Whenever I saw the pan my first thoughts were that I'd use this product up very quickly. However, once you master the application you'll really be surprised as to how little of this product you actually need to use.
Correct application of this foundation is key! Master the application and you'll be delighted with the results.
The key is to scrape a tiny bit out of the pan with a spatula and then to work it on the back of your hand so that it becomes more smooth. Then using a foundation brush (my preferred choice for this product) or a sponge, you take a tiny amount from the edge of the product and start applying using a buffing motion, working a small area of the face at a time. Application takes a little longer than when using your standard foundation, but the results are totally worth it. Just be patient and practice getting it right - I was a little disappointed in the beginning whenever I was applying it the wrong way but now I'm just amazed at how great this product performs. It just makes your skin look perfected.
This cream foundation is incredibly pigmented and although it is a full coverage product, it allows you to achieve either sheer or full cover.

Have you tried any of these?

Sleek Make-up

I've had quite a hard time getting my hands on this brand. My local Superdrug doesn't stock it and whenever I'd head into a bigger town, all they seemed to have were empty Sleek displays with a few testers and nothing else...very infuriating...and bloody pointless.

There were two items that I was really curious to try out so I just bought them online and couldn't wait to blog about them...

Sleek Pout Paint & Blush

Sleek Pout Paints are dupes for OCC's Lip Tars, although OCC's colour range is way more extensive than Sleek's.
Saturated in colour and intensely pigmented, these need to be applied with caution as very little goes a very long way. I'd also suggest applying them to well moisturised lips as they can feel a little drying and emphasise any dryness.

I got three shades -

Peachy Keen, Milkshake, Minx

Pout Paints can be mixed together to create your own unique shade. They also sell a blue one (Peek-a-bloo) which can be used to add depth and warmth to other colours or white (Cloud 9) which is used to lighten your chosen shade. 

Sleek's Peachy Keen is also almost an exact dupe for OCC's Cha Cha: 

Left: Sleek Pout Paint in Peachy Keen  Right: OCC Lip Tar in Cha Cha

I'm also finding the packaging of the Pout Paint's to be a lot more practical as the lip tar ends get quite messy and result in product wastage. 

Pout Paints retail for £5 whereas the Lip Tars are £9 - both contain 8ml of product.

Now onto the blush...

I did of course feed my obsession for peach and got the shade Life's a Peach. 

Life's a Peach is a gorgeous, matte pure peach shade and when I first used it, I was delighted to discover that it was almost identical to MAC's Peaches blush - which just happens to be my ultimate favourite blush ever. 

In the pan they don't look very similar:

...but when swatched:

Left: MAC's Peaches  Right: Sleek's Life's a Peach

I'm delighted with my purchases and can't wait to try some other goodies from this brand. Any suggestions?

Mattes for your lips

If you're a fan of matte textures then I suggest you check out these little gems from Collection 2000.

Velvet feeling, matte looking and moisturising lip creams - and let me just add that they smell delicious.
These come in four shades: Cotton Candy (pink), Angel Delight (beige), Fairy Cake (coral), Powder Puff (nude).
Cotton Candy and Fairy Cake are bold, bright and perfect for summer. Angel Delight is proving to be my absolute favourite. It's a great neutral shade that's perfect for every day wear and neutral looks...I need to stock up on it! Powder Puff is a true nude and the perfect accompaniment for an intense smoky eye.

These lip creams glide on easily, feel soft on the lips and once they set they create a stain like effect. They're also incredibly long lasting - you'll only need to touch up after eating or drinking - other than that you may rest assured that they won't be going anywhere.
Overall, I truly adore them!

Another bargain that I came across in Superdrug was this lipstick from Beauty UK, retailing at £2.99 (same as the Cream Puffs). 

I've walked past this brand countless of times and it's never really intrigued me until I spotted this shade.

It's called "Snob" and my first impression was that it bared a rather uncanny similarity to Revlon's Pink Pout Matte Lipstick (which I love), but when compared with Pink Pout, Snob seems to have a bit more of a lilac hue to it.
The textue is completely matte and the lipstick has a minty scent to it.
This colour is perhaps a little bit too "brave and daring " for my usual look but I seem to be liking it anyway.

Latex Free Make-Up Blending Sponge

I have never tried out the Beauty Blender as I've always fared well with foundation brushes and couldn't quite justify spending £20 on a make-up sponge. These make-up sponges however retail for £3.99 and are available here in the U.K. from www.love-makeup.co.uk as well as www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk.

The principle for using these is the same as with the Beauty Blender - you need to dampen them, they expand in size and then you work liquid and cream make-up products into the skin by using a bouncing motion. The pointed end is used to apply foundation or concealer around the nose or eyes.

Left: dry sponge  Right: dampened sponge

Initially I only purchased one sponge, just out of curiosity and to do a trial run, but after using it only once I knew that I needed more. These are incredibly easy to use and apply liquid and cream foundations like a dream, leaving you with a truly (yes I'll throw in the cliche) flawless finish!

I wholeheartedly recommend these. This might sound dramatic but they will transform the way in which you apply your foundation, helping you achieve a truly natural and well blended finish. 

If you've tried the Beauty Blender as well as these then please leave a comment below and let me know how they compare.

Nude Cleansing Facial Oil

This past while I've been trying out some new cleansers, most of which I've been rather impressed with. I'm not going to mention them all in one post, I'll do a separate one on each...

So to start off...as the post title states...it's Nude Cleansing Facial Oil.

Now I'm sure that you've heard loads and loads about this one - it has after all been labelled as a "miraculous" cleanser. Having read all the wonderful reviews, I'd finally decided to check for myself what all the fuss was about. I do have to say that the fact that it is an oil was the biggest selling point for me. As I have mentioned before - I absolutely freaking LOVE oils - be it facial oils or body oils - I just love smothering myself in them.
I do also keep a little bottle of olive oil in the bathroom that I occasionally like to use as a facial cleanser...works a treat.

Now onto my thoughts regarding Nude's cleansing oil...

The oil should be warmed between the hands and massaged onto a dry face, then a small amount of water is applied in order to form a light milk. As you're massaging the oil into the face you can actually see all the make-up becoming dislodged and melting away. I love the fact that it is completely gentle on the eyes; any cleansers that start irritating and stinging my eyes are a complete no no for me.
It did take me a little while to get used to the scent which is rather difficult to describe...it's not that it's unpleasant...but you do immediately feel that you are using a natural product.

So does it do a great job of cleansing? Hell yeah! This surely is a magnificent cleanser, but I find that I need to use more than the suggested 1 to 2 pumps of oil. I use 3 pumps for the first cleanse and then follow up with 2 more...but I do tend to go rather heavy on the mascara. So around 5 pumps in total me...leaving my face squeaky clean.

Will I continue to repurchase and make this cleansing oil a regular within my bathroom cabinet? Probably not.

Although it is an excellent cleanser that I really can not fault in any way or form, for some reason it has failed to really "wow" or excite me.  I feel that there a lot of cheaper cleansers out there that do just as good of a job as this one and cost a lot less. In fact, I feel that I got the same sort of results by using regular olive oil as a cleanser.

Have you been "wowed" by this cleansing oil?