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How I keep my oily skin at bay throughout the day

So if you have read my previous post on my favourite foundations of the moment, you will know I have oily skin. I am in my late 20’s and get spots like a teenager, apparently it means I will have less wrinkles in the future? I don’t know if it’s worth it though. Through the years I have picked up some little tips that help keep the oiliness at bay throughout the day and wanted to share them with you. They may be obvious to lots of people, but it is always good to spread the knowledge just in case 🙂

I’ll start with skincare. I always use a rich night cream going to bed. I know oily skinned people would be advised not to do this but I think we need moisture too so the night time is a good place to do it. If I am dealing with a really big break out I use Sudocrem as my nightcream,it helps dry them suckers right up! But for during the day, I always use an oil free moisturiser:

I love this Sebo Regulating Effaclar Mat Moisturiser from La Roche Posay. It has a gel like formula that if you weren’t horribly oily, you could use it as a make up base day to day. It is meant to help with large pores too. I cannot really confirm this, I haven’t noticed any difference. You can pick this up in most pharmacies and Boots stores for around 15 euro.

If I am going out for the whole day and night and know I won’t have much time to pay attention to my makeup, I use Milk of Magnesia on my face instead of a moisturiser. I am sure some of you are thinking what the hell? This is for an upset tummy you can’t put it on your face? Well I am here to tell you it works! I apply a really light layer with a cotton pad primarily to the middle of my face and just dab my cheeks with whatever else is left on the pad. This stuff is white so be really careful with it, and always shake the bottle before use. I do not know the science behind it but it works, simple as that, it can also help with drying spots up too, bonus! You can buy Milk of Magnesia everywhere and it is cheap as chips, I recommend that every oil faced girl always have this in their makeup drawer, it’s brilliant!

So next is primer:

I am a primer fanatic, for my skin and my eyeshadow. I have tried a fair few silicone based primers and then more “balmy” ones. I do not mind the silicone ones, I quite like the Inglot one pictured here priced a 22 Euro, it is smoothing and does an ok job with prolonging the oiliness. My favourite of my stash has to be the Benefit Porefessional. It has a ridiculous price tag of 34 euro (Benefit are renowned for their silly prices), but I really do like it. This would be classed as a more balmy primer and it is nearly skin coloured but rubs in to the skin and vanishes, it is diffusing too so helps with minimising the look of larger pores . Under make-up it is fab, but you can also use it over it to help smooth out anything that needs to be smoothed out.

When it comes to eye primer, I tend to stick to the Urban Decay Primer Potion (20 euro in Debenhams). I have bought a ridiculous amount of Urban Decay eye shadow palettes over the years so I have lots of little bottles of primer potion knocking about as you usually get a small sample with a palette, so I have yet to run out. This would be of a similar consistency to the Porefessional with the same colour tone but disappears once rubbed in. You need a teeny amount of eye primer, the rule of thumb is the less you use the better it works so use just enough to cover the lid with a thin layer. It really helps prolong your eye-shadow, so if you tend to get a crease line on your eyelid throughout the day, give a primer a go and you will see the difference!

So you have primed your face, added you gorgeous make-up, and want to make it last longer? You need a powder to set it:

I have a whole host of them knocking about my make-up drawer. For normal going to work use I tend to stick to the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressesd Powder (5.99 Euro in Boots). This is a light powder with no coverage so does not cake over your make-up and does the job of mattifying the face well, and it’s cheap what more can you ask for! For going out I use the Mac Studio Fix (31.50 in Brown Thomas). This is definitely much more expensive, but it is a powder foundation so gives much more coverage and is not too weighty on the skin if you use a light layer. It contains silica and talc which help absorb excess oil so less touching up throughout the night is needed which is why I do all of these steps in the first place :). There is so many types of powder to choose from though these are just the two I tend to go back to again and again.

So powder is on, could there be another step? Maybe just one more for good measure. I am a huge fan of finishing sprays:

They help prolong your make-up, they have active ingredients that help your skin and they get rid of the powdery look that tends to happen when you are trying to get rid of the oiliness 🙂 My favourite is the Urban Decay de-slick Make-up Spray (28 Euro in Debenhams). Urban Decay claim that this lowers the temperature of your make-up to help it stay put. My make-up definitely stays put and the spray is really fine so it doesn’t disturb the work you have already done, and it is another step to help control the oil for a decent period of time. I like using this to wake up my make-up during the day too when it is looking a bit tired. Spray a light layer of this and it looks a bit more alive and refreshed.

I have a couple of other random things that I sometimes throw in as well ( because I haven’t got enough already right?).

Blotting paper! These are great for touching up through the day ( I bought these Catrice ones in my local chemist for 3.49 Euro). I recommend getting ones without any type of coating on them as some of them are covered in talc which adds white splotches to your face. You just dab your face with the piece of paper and it soaks up any excess oil you might have without moving your beautifully applied make-up.

Finally is a really random one for you:

The Anastasia Lash Genius (14 pound on Cult Beauty) is a clear gel that you put on after your mascara to seal it in and stop panda eyes. Now I know waterproof mascara is meant to do this, but for me personally it doesn’t always cut the mustard, so this is just an extra insurance policy for me to help keep my mascara in place all day. I feel like it really helps and blackness under my eyes at the end of the day is now a thing of the past!

So these are a random group of things that I use (not always together) to help prolong my make-up, prevent creasing, smudging and general oily skin shenanigans. If you have reached the end of this blog post I commend and thank you 🙂

Gemma

xxx

January 26, 2014/2 Comments/by Gem

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Gem’s Favourite Liquid Foundations of the Moment (For Oily Skin).

I am coming at you today with a few of my favourite liquid foundations of the moment. I tend to have a lot on the go at any one time testing them out and seeing how they fair. I have not got the best skin. It is overall very oily with some random dry patches and I tend to get breakouts quite alot, so for me foundation is pretty important and I use it everyday to even out my skin which has pink undertones . I would be an NC20 in MAC.

The first of the foundations I want to talk about is the purse friendly Revlon Colorstay which you can pick up in nearly all Boots and on their website for close to 18 euro.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Oily/Combination Skin

Sigma Flat Top Kabuki Brush

This foundation comes in two formulas oily/combination and dry. Of course I use the oily/combination version. It’s thick in consistency so you don’t need a whole lot and it dries to a matt finish. It’s medium to full coverage depending on how much you build it, so if you want a light layering maybe for work or just for daytime, I suggest adding a little moisturiser to it to loosen it a bit. I don’t feel doing this adds any more oil (to my skin anyway). My favourite way to apply this foundation is with a flat dense kabuki brush or with my fingers, for a lighter layer. Working it into the skin with a dense brush tends to make the product work better for you and cover any large pores so less concealer is needed. I really like the Revlon Colorstay and feel it wears pretty well on me throughout the day and is good for nights out as it only has an SPF of 6 so doesn’t have much or any flashback in photos 😉 I think it will always be in my arsenal of foundations.

The next foundation I want to chat about it a pretty new one to my collection and it is the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint. I picket this up on Cult Beauty for 30 pound so it would definitely be classed as a “higher end foundation”.

Jouer Moisture Tint

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

As the name implies this is a mattifying foundation but has all the benefits of a moisturising foundation. I would class this as a heavy duty tinted moisturiser with light but build-able coverage. It is oil free and fragrance free so good for any of you sensitive oily ladies out there! The texture of this foundation is like nothing I have ever used before, it is nearly like a gel which makes it very easy to blend. I tend to use my fingers if I am in hurry with this or a Real Techniques Buffing Brush as its not very dense and distributes the product nicely. I really like The Jouer Matte Moisture Tint, it wears well, however it is not great over blemishes, it can cake around them so you have to be careful of that when blending it. This had an SPF 15, so it is suited better for day wear. I wear the shade Linen.

Next on my list is the MakeUpForever Mat Velvet +. You can buy this from the MakeUpForever shop in Clarendon street in Dublin which I am lucky to live quite close to or on their website for 35 euro (again another high end foundation).

MakeupForever Mat Velvet +

Sigma Round Top Kabuki Brush

The bottle in the picture above is empty, so I guess that’s a sign I like this foundation :). This is my” I’m late for work” product. Squeezable bottle, medium coverage and lovely to blend, so doesn’t need much attention. It is oil free and water resistant so lasts pretty well on the skin throughout the day with a light layer of powder on top. It doesn’t tend to oxidise on my skin which is brilliant. It does not have an SPF so if you want to protect yourself layer it up underneath. I apply this with fingers in a hurry or a dense kabuki foundation brush. I find the brush really helps gets the product into the skin. I may have to repurchase this, I’ve talked myself into it 🙂 I wear the shade 30.

My final choice of the minute (although I could ramble on for hours) is the Estée Lauder Double Wear Light. You can buy this in Debenhams or any other place that has an Estée Lauder counter. It retails for 36.50 Euro. Another pricey one I know sorry, I must be going through a phase .

Esteé Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Real Techniques Expert face Brush

This is my heading out on the town foundation. I also own the original Double Wear in the glass bottle which I love but it is much harder to work and I am lazy so the light one is better for me. Don’t be fooled the word “light” in my opinion does not mean a lighter coverage foundation, this is a full coverage foundation and is hardcore stuff so needs to be used carefully. I apply it in light layers, letting each one dry as I go with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. It is a wet foundation and applies shiny to the skin, but sets quick and stays really well throughout the night. Honestly, only if I am in a really hot place or out til’ all hours of the morning do I really feel the need to touch up. This foundation covers like a dream, and is great in pictures even with an SPF of 10. I wear the shade 2.0 Intensity. This is not my colour match its probably about 2 shades darker, as I would have false tan on wearing it.

These are just a few of the liquid foundations I am using at the moment. I tend to vary my foundations depending on where I am going, if I am wearing tan and how much coverage I want that day. I will never be the girl who just has one foundation and sticks to it. However I think Revlon Colorstay and Estée Lauder Double Wear Light will be in my collection for a long time to come, as well as Mac Face and Body which I always keep a hold of for the summer time as it can be used on the face and any other body parts that might need an extra bit of coverage.

As I have oily skin I always prep my skin with primer and set with powder, my next blog post will go into more detail about this so keep an eye out for that 🙂

Let me know if you have any foundation suggestions for oily skin, I am always on the look out and have a shopping problem so would love to know.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Gemma xxx

January 22, 2014/4 Comments/by Gem

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Santhilea London Magnetic Lash Mascara Review

The fibre mascara has been around a few years now but never really seemed to take off hugely. However it seems to be back now and becoming more popular so of course I had to get it to test it out, sure isn’t that what we’re here for 🙂

The Santhilea London Magnetic Lash Mascara is a two step system.

You use the magnetic mascara, (marked as number 1 on the tube) first just like a normal mascara, I suggest doing one eye at a time. While the mascara is still wet dab the lash builder (tube number 2) onto the lashes coating as much as you can without clumping them. The lash builder is a tube containing small black fibres that adhere to your lashes, so you have to be careful. You then coat the lashes again carefully with the magnetic mascara to help keep the fibres in place. You can see the steps below:

Nothing on lashes

One coat of the mascara

Lashes with the fibres added and another coat of mascara on top

As you can above there is a pretty significant difference in my lashes in the last picture. I have not being blessed with the longest or most voluminous of lashes so any mascara is some improvement but I really feel this mascara gives them more length and volume than the other vast amount of mascaras I have ever used.

However there are some cons to using fibres on your lashes. Some of them do tend to fall down throughout the day so you can find yourself having to check your make-up and clean up any fall down that may occur. The mascara itself to the best of my knowledge is not waterproof so if you have oily skin and eyelids like me and mascaras tend to smudge on you that may happen too. For this reason I do not use the mascara on my bottom lashes I opt for a waterproof one.

The process of using the two steps (well technically three steps, as you have to apply the mascara twice!) AND doing one eye at a time takes time. You would not be rushing out to work in the morning and using this mascara, if you like to throw on your make-up in a hurry. I tend to keep it for the weekends, when I can take my time beautifying myself or at least trying too 🙂

Overall, I love this product I really do, it adds length and volume and some wow when you don’t want to be using falsies to do the work. There’s are couple of drawbacks but sure nothing is perfect and if you are willing to persevere and are looking to try something a bit different I would definitely recommend it.

It is not the cheapest of products, it can be bought on Look Fantastic for 28.11 euro That’s a pretty standard price for a high end mascara.

Have you ever used fibre mascara? Have you tried other brands of it? What did you think? I would love to hear your feedback or any tips and tricks you might have.

Here’s the rest of my mug and a profile of my lashes 🙂

Thanks so much for reading.

Gemma

xxx

January 14, 2014/5 Comments/by Gem

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OPI Liquid Sand Nail Polish Review

So let me start out by saying this stuff is not for the girls who like a nice clean, classic type of nail polish. This stuff is for us who like to be a bit more experimental when it comes to our talons. I introduce to you OPI’s offering of the chunky, glittery, almost sand like (hence the name) polishes. I own two shades of these. The blue is “Tiffany Case” and the purple “Can’t let go”.

To use you use you just put your base coat on as usual, then it takes about two layer of this stuff to make it opaque.

The above is a picture of one layer of “Tiffany Case” to the left and then two layers to the right it’s quite chunky in consistency but it’s easy enough to work with and not too gloopy which is good. It is pretty quick to dry so it is less time consuming than standard polish and you don’t need a top coat. The whole point of the polish is the gritty texture and it last pretty well without any help! I personally love the texture and I think it looks like 3D glitter on the nails and who doesn’t love a bit of glitter :).

The blue shade is definitely my favourite of the two, “Can’t let go” is more of a muted, darker colour with less shine to it, but it really is a personal preference

Polishes like this are great for us normal people who are not experts in the nail department but like to try our best to jazz up our fingers, it’s the little things, right? :). I buy my OPI polishes in Sally’s Salon Services.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and any questions or tips are greatly appreciated in the comments section below. We all love learning new things 🙂

Gemma

xxx

January 8, 2014/by Gem

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Inglot AMC Matte Gel Eyeliner in 77 (Black) Review

So you’re thinking to yourself, not another blog post about gel eye-liner… but please hear me out.

Inglot do some great make-up, the brand just seemed to creep up out of nowhere and make us spend all of our hard earned dosh on their lovely stuff, how dare they 🙂

The AMC Matte gel eye-liner in 77 (black) is by far one of my favourite products from them. It doesn’t look like anything exciting, a little plastic tub with something inside it resembling shoe polish.

Upon application this stuff will stay put forever, it is so creamy, dense in colour, easy to apply but can be a little hard to get off at the end of the night which is a pain, but is the mark of a good eye liner in my opinion.

I usually only wear this stuff when I’m off out of an evening or if I’m out for the whole day and want a full face of make-up. It dries to a matt finish and does not transfer (from my oily lid knowledge) to the top lid. My favourite use for it is in the water line and for tight lining the inside of my eyes. I tend to use a sharpened Kohl pencil and dip it in the product rather than a brush because I just feel it’s less ticklish, that’s a personal preference though. I double apply it, I put some on after finishing my shadows and let it dry and then before I head out the door I apply again, just to be safe. I kid you not it stays put all day! Most of the time I don’t even bring out an emergency eye-liner with me for touching up and I haven’t found it to irritate my eyes although I don’t get irritated very easily. The product itself lasts pretty well, The pot I have is lasting pretty well (about six months and still going strong).

If you’re not a black eye-liner gal, Inglot do the AMC eyeliners in a huge range of colours and different finishes. They retail for 15 euro. Inglot can be found worldwide. I have a good selection of the colours and am happy with all of them.

Have you used it before? What’s your opinion? I would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks for reading.

Gemma

xxx

January 3, 2014/5 Comments/by Gem