Ciate Cookies and Cream Paint Pot

If you love having your nails painted in nude or neutral colours then look no further. Ciate's Cookies and Cream nail polish represents effortless chic.
It's a light taupe/grey shade that will go with anything and everything. Perfect for daytime, nighttime, work or going out...it's one of those safe and fuss free shades that you can't go wrong with.

My nails aren't exactly in the best shape to be modelling a polish colour but here it goes anyway:

Have you tried it yet?

MAC Mineralise and Face & Body Foundation

MAC Mineralise SPF 15 Foundation

I purchased this foundation on a whim, having read absolutely no reviews on it beforehand. I guess that what drew me to it was the fact that it is a cream based product, hence my favourite texture for a foundation.

The texture is indeed one to die for - smooth, creamy and incredibly buttery - thus resulting in effortless blending. It gives medium to buildable coverage, offering a natural looking finish similar to what you'd be able to achieve if using a tinted moisturiser.
It feels moisturising on the skin so it would be ideal for drier skin types.

Although I can't really fault it in terms of it's compatibility with my normal (and at times dehydrated) skin type, I probably wouldn't repurchase this one in the future. It's one of those products that I've been happy to try, do not regret buying but it also hasn't managed to wow me in any way or form. I think that it's purely down to the fact that I have tried other cream based foundations at a fraction of the cost and they have worked just as well if not better.

MAC Face and Body Foundation

MAC's Face and Body Foundation on the other hand was a well researched purchase...and a very overdue one at that. Lured in by promises of a foundation that provides a dewy, moist finish, I knew that it had to be mine. Yes this was indeed an overdue purchase...however I shall from now on ensure that this foundation  always remains within my reach.

Face and Body foundation has, as you can tell, made quite an impression on me. I purchased it online and thus hadn't a clue as to what shade to go for. I'm an NC30 and when I e-mailed an artist to help me out with the shade, she had suggested C4. I guess that it wouldn't really matter if you had gone for a shade lighter or darker due to the consistency of this product being so thin, but nonetheless my instinct seemed to be telling me to opt for shade C3 and so I did. C3 seems to be an ideal match and I'll probably opt for C4 in the summer time once I start intensifying my fake tan.
The coverage is sheer but buildable without becoming cakey. Application feels a little weird at first as the product seems to slide around a lot but once it sets it stays put.

This foundation is now officially a staple for me. Perfect for everyday wear due to it's sheer coverage, leaving the skin looking like skin, only better. Being a fan of creamy textures it seems rather weird that a foundation of such a runny consistency could impress me so very much.
However it's all about the finish for me  - natural and moist.
So if you're a fan of heavier coverage and a matte finish, I'd suggest you give this one a miss.

Have you tried any of these? Thoughts...

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.