Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foundation. Show all posts

Thursday, 16 January 2014

Makeup Forever's Infamous HD Range

Warning! Lengthy review ahead! :)

When I went to Marbella last month, I may have squealed and started clapping like a lunatic when I spotted Sephora! We aren't lucky enough to have it here in England and although the spanish Sephora doesn't carry all the brands that the US version does, they still have a few to get excited over, Makeup Forever being one of them. It's a brand that's notoriously difficult to get hold of for us Brits so I knew I needed to take advantage even with the hefty price tags! 





The first thing I made a bee line for was the HD foundation. Every blogger, vlogger and beauty lover will have heard of this super popular foundation. With a promise of flawless, airbrushed skin and a full coverage making it perfect for photos, it's definitely something I wanted to try even with a £32 price tag. It's a liquid formula (I wear the shade 127) and has a very runny consistency. I've been applying it with a Real Techniques buffing brush or a Sephora flat foundation brush (if you'd like a review on that then let me know in the comments). One thing I will suggest, is to make sure your skin's free from any dry patches, because this will cling onto dry skin like a mutha! I make sure I've exfoliated, moisturised, then applied a good quality primer ten minutes after the moisturiser. You definitely need to do some prepping before applying this. 

I prefer how my skin looks about half an hour after application, once it's had time to settle on my skin. At that point my skin looks even and just generally better than when it's first applied. It's full coverage-ish and the reason I say 'ish' is because I feel I have to apply quite a lot to achieve that. Comparing it to another high end full cover foundation such as Laura Mercier's Silk Creme, I only need a small amount to cover my entire face and still get that flawless, even finish, whereas with the HD foundation I find I'm using a lot more product which is quite disheartening when I've spent so much on it. This might be down to the fact it's such a runny liquid, whereas the Laura Mercier foundation is a thicker, creamy formula. 

Anyway, once applied and set with powder, this lasts all day. And I mean all day. I've set it with about three different powders and it still has fantastic staying power. This baby ain't budgin'! And that's hugely important to me when I'm judging a foundation. I hate my base wearing off by lunch time and making me look like a patchy mess, never a good look! So thumbs up for longevity. I have combination skin at the moment, so I get oily through my t-zone. This applies matte, but after about 5-6 hours I have shine that needs powdering. 

If you're a dry skin gal I'd say this may not be for you. The fact it clings to dry patches means it's probably more suited to the combination-oily crowd. In summary, this gets a 7/10 from me. I loved it at first but after a fair few uses, I'm not happy with the fact I need to use so much product and seeing as this is so hard to get hold of, I'll be saving it for 'special occasions'. My personal preference is definitely something thicker and creamier in consistency.

Wow that was pretty in depth! But again, it's super expensive so I wanted to give a full, honest review :) 

Onto the next one! 



The Makeup Forever HD powder was a bit of an impulse buy because I hadn't heard as much about it as the foundation but I'm not going to beat around the bush here... I love it! This retails at £24.95 which is definitely a lot for a powder. It's a loose powder which is translucent on the skin, so anyone can wear it. It has the handy netted bit (technical term!) so it doesn't distribute too much product and you don't end up with it all over your clothes, floor, child, dog etc. As soon as I apply this to my skin, it creates a velvety feel and adds to the matte effect I get from my foundation (or mattifies an already dewy foundation). I've never used a powder quite like it! The smallest amount completely transforms the feel of my skin and this baby locks everything down! Nothing's going anywhere under this, so it really helps to keep my makeup in place all day. 

I'm normally a pressed powder lover, but I've been converted. I'd say this has much more of a wow factor than the HD foundation and it gets a 10/10!

Essay over! Sorry for such a long post! I do hope you enjoyed it though and more importantly I hope this has given you some food for thought if you were toying with the idea of buying either of these HD products.

I have found a British website that stocks MUFE products, so check out this link





Thursday, 4 October 2012

BDellium Make Up Brushes

A little while ago I discovered a makeup brush brand that I fell in love with : ) Yes, I know.. I fall in love ALOT when it comes to beauty products but these really were a great find!








BDellium tools make synthetic vegan brushes that are 100% cruelty free and they pride themselves on that.

I originally came across BDellium on twitter and after reading up on them I decided to buy one of their brushes to see what I thought. They have so many to choose from! But at the time I wanted to try a new foundation brush, so I purchased the 953 duo fiber brush from their Maestro Series. I've been racking my brain to try and remember where I bought it from, but I honestly can't remember! I just did a google search at the time and found a UK stockist. It cost around £11.


953 Duo Fiber brush

I've used this a lot since I bought it and I absolutely love it. It gives a lovely finish when applying liquid foundation but I've recently been using it to apply my Chanel Soleil tan (cream bronzer) and I've also used it with cream blush and it's just perfect! It blends so easily and creates a really professional finish : )

I decided to purchase more brushes as I was so pleased with the 953 and I wanted to try something from their Green Bamboo Series... For the simple reason they looked so cute! I haven't got any green brushes so why not try something a bit different?
I decided on the 955 Finishing brush (for foundation) and the 957 Precision Cheek Kabuki brush from CutECOsmetics. They arrived super quickly (yay to CutECOsmetics!) and I can't describe how soft these brushes are, they're such great quality and the fact that they're cruelty free makes them an even better buy.
I'd totally recommend having a browse on the CutECOsmetics website, they only sell eco-friendly, cruelty free products and they have sooooo many goodies to choose from : )


BDellium Green Bamboo 955 Finishing
Brush £10.95 CutECOsmetics



                         BDellium Green Bamboo 957 Precision Cheek
                              Kabuki brush £12.95 CutECOsmetics

Green Bamboo Brush Descriptions

"The Finishing Brush creates the perfect light finish whilst being suitable for blending both face powders or water-based foundations."

I've been using this to apply my foundation and it does an excellent job. It creates a light, airbrushed effect and I'll definately be alternating this with my favourite foundation tool - the beauty blender : )

"The Precision Cheek brush has an extra soft and dense flat bristled head for a professional blushing effect. Ideal for application with liquid, cream or various powder products."

I've only used this one with powder blush and it blends beautifully. It's so soft but like the description says, dense so you can really blend in the product.

My BDellium collection is pretty small right now, but I fully intend to keep adding to it and branch out to some eye brushes as well! I should also mention that they're super easy to clean. I leave them to dry over night (they don't really need that long) and in the morning they're ready to use and are as soft as they were brand new.




I'd recommended this fantastic brand to anyone looking for great quality brushes but not wanting to pay MAC prices! These brushes are just as good.

What are your favourite brush brands? And is it important to you that your brushes are cruelty free?

Friday, 11 May 2012

Jinkksy Summer Treats & Fondant Blazers

I've not done a Friday Faves post in a while but today it's making a comeback!
In Cornwall the weather has been shocking as per... It's quite frustrating when you wake up, see the glorious sunshine streaming through the window, drag out your sandals and toss aside your jackets only to be greeted the next day by rain, wind, cold temperatures and general depression :( This said, I've still been feeling summery! I'm optimistic (or in denial) that we WILL have an amazing summer weather wise. So my favourites this week are slightly summer themed.

Jinkksy Summer Stackers

I've been following Jinkksy on twitter for some time now (a company owned by the lovely Debbie Georgiou) and she is literally taking over the world with her glamourous array of bling bracelets and sparkly anklets. Loved by celebrities and us mere mortals, there's something for everyone. Jinkksy have just launched a range of summer stackers and as soon as I saw them I fell in love! (I'm a sucker for anything pretty and chic), I have officially added it to my wish list but the only problem is I can't decide which colour is my favourite! I'm leaning towards the mint. Or bubblegum. Ok, sherbet mix... Arghh it's too hard to choose!

 Bubblegum
 Mint Candy
 Ocean Spray
Sherbet Mix
 
Summer Stackers £42.00 from www.jinkksy.com

YSL Touché Éclat Foundation

I'm sure everyone's heard of the miracle product that is the Touché Éclat highlighter. It's earnt its status as a cult classic in the cosmetic world over the years (apparently they sell one every 10 seconds!) and is a staple in most women's make up bags. Well the geniuses behind the instant eye brightener are now launching a foundation. I'd love to try this product simply because of the rep YSL have for the highlighter, I have very high expectations for this one! Le Teint Touché Éclat will be available nationwide from July 9 in 22 shades (love this!)


Fondant & Neon Blazers

Fondant is a big trend this summer (think fondant fancies and other sugary treats) and I absolutely adore it. The girly pastel shades are totally my thing and I'll be buying into it for sure :)
Im a lover of blazers and have been for some time... I like how throwing on a well-tailored blazer can add instant sophistication to an outfit and you can pick one up for £20 and yet look like you spent £100. You can wear them with jeans and a baggy vest, or over a cocktail dress to add another dimension to your outfit. So a blazer in a sugary sweet colour is my idea of perfect... I also love the neon yellows, pinks and oranges around at the moment.

This lapel-less blazer from Zara is just gorgeous, I love the zip detail.


Topshop

Miss Selfridge

Bourjois 1 second nail polish remover

I know there's quite a few reviews about this product in the beauty blogging world, so I didn't want to over do it and dedicate a whole post to it, but it definitely deserves a mention! It's a great product for those of us that can't be bothered to spend ages scrubbing away at our nails with regular polish remover... You literally have to dip your finger in the little pot, wait a couple of seconds and viola! Polish free nails :) I love this product simply for its time saving aspect and I've been using it for a couple of weeks now. I change my nail polish colour a lot so it's a must-have for me and at £3.99 from Boots or Superdrug you can't go wrong.


x Daniella Beauty Junkie x




Friday, 20 April 2012

To Ombre Or Not To Ombre...

It's time for my Friday Faves guys and gals! And this week it's all about the beauty products :) so lets dive straight into number one... 

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation 
It's always being compared to MAC's Studio Fix fluid (Iv personally never used that particular MAC product *cue gasps and shocked faces* so I can't comment) but I've been using Revlon's raved about Colourstay liquid foundation for about a week and I'm really pleased with the result...


(excuse the amateur photography skills!)
It has quite a thick consistency but I'd say it gives medium coverage which is perfectly fine for day time and its so lightweight when it's on! I've been using 'buff' which is a light beige shade, but another great thing about Colourstay is they have a HUGE range of shades, so you're bound to get an almost perfect if not perfect match... 
It also comes in normal/dry and combination/oily versions. I have oily skin and I struggle to find foundations that keep my skin matt all day but this is one seems to do the trick. I use my elf blotting papers now and again, mainly out of habit, but overall this is my current favourite foundation for day time use and I'd definitely recommend trying it... I think it's about £10 and can be bought in Boots or online, anywhere really!
Tip - I normally just apply foundation with my fingers as I'm not a fan of foundation brushes (although i really want to try Real Techniques Blending brush!) but I've been using a beauty blender lately which is amazing! 
I definitely recommend buying one (prices vary but mine was about £3 from eBay) as the look you achieve is so much smoother! I'll do a full review on the beauty blender soon but you basically dot your foundation over your skin then blend it in using circular motions with the large end of the blender - fabuloso! (check out YouTube for beauty blender tutorials and reviews).

Beauty Works Ombré Extensions

My absolute FAVOURITE this week! (and month... Possibly favourite thing this year).
I've been admiring certain celebs with their dip dyed locks and to be honest I've decided I may try this myself. 
This is the colour I want to try! It looks gorgeous on Lauren...



Ombré has the danger of looking messy and the only thing that puts me off trying it is the fact that it needs a certain amount of effort and styling to avoid it looking scruffy...
But Beauty Works have seriously tipped the scales in favour of me trying this look! 
Their dip dye clip in extension range is a fab idea as you can wear ombre as and when you want to (click the link above to look at the range of colours).
This takes away the scary prospect of dying your actual hair (mine is too short anyway)so extensions are the way forward.
For anyone that's interested in purchasing these, do look out for discount offers and reduced shipping costs on their twitter page @Beautyworks and do check out the blonde/lavender dip dyes - gorgeous! More for someone younger I'd say but they're lovely :)

Giles Deacon Cosmetics 

He's collaborated with New Look for quite a while now on the clothing side of things but on 21st April Giles Deacon's new make up range for New Look is launching :) The Gold by Giles cosmetic range will definitely be worth a try with prices ranging from £1.99 for a lipgloss to £3.99 for an eyeshadow palette (you get the idea, cheap as chips!) there'll also be metallic eyeliners, make up brushes, eyebrow pencils to name but a few, as well as new nail polishes ( he launched some nail polishes, nail wraps and lashes last October)... 


I normally don't like it when popular high street clothing stores start selling cosmetics, they tend to look a bit cheap and nasty, apart from Topshop who's cosmetics and nail polishes are awesome... but I love the look of these products from the photos I've seen! The lipgloss shades look really bright and summery and I'd be interested to try the brushes :) if they're any good then at around £7.99 they're a steal! 
This range hits New Look stores on 21st April and will be available online too. 

So thats my little mixed bag of favourites for you this week :) Do let me know your thoughts on Revlon's Colourstay, if you'll be having a nose at the Giles Deacon cosmetics when they hit the shelves and the most important question, to ombré or not to ombré? 

Follow me on twitter @daniellacha 

x Daniella Beauty Junkie x

 
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