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Rimmel’s Oily Skin Saviours

I may have mentioned once or twice in the past, I have skin that sometimes resembles a chip pan?

Well I do. And I try alot of products to help ebb it as much as possible. Lets be real, nothing gets rid of it, but some things are better than others at keeping it at bay for longer periods of time before the blotting sheets have to make an appearance.

Rimmel do some amazing base products, aswell as alot of other fab products. I have tried and tested ALOT of them over the years and although I switch and change things up regularly, and can tend to have expensive taste, Rimmel has still stayed in the makeup collection and is picked up consistently in the morning time when putting on the face.

Here are three products that have won my heart (and my skin) over, and ironically they are all from Rimmel’s Stay Matte range…go figure 🙂

First up, is their Stay Matte Primer. This would be the newest one of the three to me. I have only started using it over the past few months.

I usually go for a silicone based primer, I find it better for my skin as I am plagued with large pores. The Rimmel Stay Matte is a white primer (don’t worry it blends in, you cannot see it).

It has a dry texture which I like as it leaves a matte layer on the skin all ready to apply foundation. It does not feel greasy or heavy. I use it as my daily primer, it does the job perfectly well and keeps my makeup on for a long enough time. You can also use this over your foundation if you feel it will work better for you that way.I have yet to find a primer that will not let the shine through after a few hours, so this does a good enough job as all the others and it is a bargain at 7.99euro from Boots or any other Rimmel stockists of course.

Next up is the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation.

This foundation has a mousse like formula to it.

I find it easy to work with though, and have used either my fingers, a dense brush or even a Beauty Blender to apply it. As the name would suggest it is a mattifying oil free foundation so there is no dewiness here if that’s what you are in the market for. The Rimmel Match Perfection would be more up your alley for that. I find the Stay Matte does not lie in my pores but with a primer underneath blends over and diminishes them. This would be a medium to full coverage foundation depending on how you apply it and it has yet to oxidise on my skin after wear which is brilliant, as I find alot of foundations can do this on my oily skin. Also, it is another bargain coming in at 7.79 from Boots

Last up for setting the liquid part of your makeup routine, which is an absolute must for me. I could not go out of the house without this step. Here is one my favourite setting powders, the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder.

This is a very natural looking setting powder perfect for during the day and perfect for having in your handbag for touch ups. It does have very slight coverage too, if your foundation is not quite cutting it for you.

It comes in a few different shades. There are yellow toned and pink toned ones to choose from which is handy. Again, this is a matte finish product, it is not chalky, and I think it does a very good job at keeping the oil at bay, even dry skinned gals can get oily around the t-zone, so it is always a good idea to add even a little bit of powder there. The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder has become a bit of a cult product in its own right and most makeup lovers will have a stash of it somewhere and I can really understand why. And of course with it being Rimmel, this is the biggest bargain out of the three retailing in Boots for 5.99euro.

So there you have it, matte skin on a budget. I can say I have tried and tested all three of these products and they all do a great job either as a stand alone product or used in conjunction with each other.

Rimmel are a great brand over all, and are really dominating the high street makeup market. I wonder what they have in store for us next…

Do you have a favourite from Rimmel? Let me know 🙂

Gemma

xxx

October 28, 2014/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup

My Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

The Makeup Geek brand is slowly and surely starting to become a more recognized brand around the world. As a makeup junkie I have known of Marlena (owner and creator of the brand) for a few years now as she started out as a blogger and YouTube makeup guru. I have already reviewed some of the pigments that she has created here and given some info on the brand so I won’t bore you with that again. But I will say I LOVE the pigments and would really recommend them if you are in the market.

So… onto the shadows. You can avail of them in pan form. They are priced $5.99 which is very reasonable and then the tax and delivery is pretty reasonable too. I keep all of mine together in Z Palettes. Mise Beauty in Dundalk have Z Palettes available from the store or online as do Makeup Geek themselves. These are magnetic palettes that you can place your pans in any way you wish. They come with magnets too if the item you want to put in them is not magnetic, so handy 🙂

I’ve made a few purchases off the Makeup Geek site and have gathered eye shadows from all ends of the colour and finish spectrum, so read on to see my collection (so far) swatched and named. I did not use a primer purposely to show the pigment and texture of the shadows on their own.

Dirty Martini

Makeup Geek Dirty Martini

Envy

Makeup Geek Envy

Appletini

Makeup Geek Appletini

Mermaid

Makeup Geek Mermaid

Neptune

Makeup Geek Neptune

Boo Berry

Makeup Geek Boo Berry

Stealth

Makeup Geek Stealth

Graphite

Makeup Geek Graphite

Unicorn

Makeup Geek Unicorn

Drama Queen

Moondust

Makeup Geek Moondust

Burlesque

Makeup Geek Burlesque

Makeup Geek Latte

Cocoa Bear

Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear

Glamorous

Makeup Geek Glamorous

Peach Smoothie

Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie

Bling

Makeup Geek Bling

Vanilla Bean

Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean

Phew….are you still with me? 😛 That’s alot of scrolling I know. I wanted to show them individually though because sometimes when things are swatched together the camera doesn’t capture them enough.

As with all eyeshadow brands texture and finish vary from shadow to shadow. I can whole heartedly say Makeup Geek are doing a fantastic job though and for the price and amount of product you get in the pan these are absolutely brilliant and dare I say comparable to the almighty MAC! I use these shadows most days to make looks with just them or in corporation with bases and other shadows. They blend well, have great colour pay off and last on oily lidded me (with a primer of course). I think my fave so far if I had to pick would be Mermaid, Peach Smoothie, Bling and Burlesque.

Be sure to let me know if you have tried any Makeup Geek products. Aswell as shadows and pigments, they offer liners,blush brushes and lipsticks galore so they are building up quite the brand! I need to get my hands on more I know that for sure 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me and if you buy anything after reading this post please let me know, it warms the cockles of my heart!

Gemma

xxx

August 22, 2014/9 Comments/by Gem

Skincare

Oily Skin Moisturisers

Just because you have oily skin does not mean you do not need to moisturise. Your skin still needs to be looked after and nourished. Here are some of the products I have been reaching for and enjoying of late to moisturise my face.

For daily use the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo has been my go to cream. I got this after reading many blogposts and reviews about it. It’s a paraben free facial moisturiser that aids with unclogging pores and helps with imperfections, specifically formulated for oily, spot prone skin.

It also claims to help control oil. I cannot say it does that but if definitely does not add more to your skin, so for me that’s a plus. It’s nice and light aswell, so I don’t feel like I am putting layers of product onto my skin and if you have oily skin you know that’s a good thing.

I would use an eye cream with this too as this would not be suitable for around the eye area.

In the evening time is when I really think about moisturising and replenishing my skin.

After cleansing, I will use a serum. The two I have been loving at the minute are the Image Skincare Iluma Intense Lightening Serum and the Neostrata Illuminating Serum. Both of these products are full of lovely ingredients to help lighten discolouration and to help cool and calm as well as protect from any more discolouration. I use these serums around my eyes also.

If my skin is particularly acting up I will just add some of the Nimue Purifier on any breakouts I might have. This helps ease spots, helps with infection and help prevent spreading a breakout…awesome. But it also does not dry out your skin like other spot treatments can. I love it!

Sometimes, I want to treat my skin and use a hydrating luxurious cream. I use the night time for this as no one has to look at my shiny, scary makeup less face 🙂 I have been loving the very posh Chantecaille Flower Harmonising Cream for this.

This is a lovely heavy cream full of essential oils. It is 87% botanicals including a base of rosewater (so it smells of roses). This feels lovely on the skin and is meant to boost collagen too which I’m all for…I’m nearly 30 after all 🙂

The revered Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is a must for everyone. It works simple as that.

This stuff gets slathered onto my lips, lashes and eyebrows at night. It’s not the most appealing product in the world but my god does it work! It’s leaves your lips lovely and soft aswell as anywhere else you need extra moisture.

I am fickle and I change my skincare (and makeup) like the weather, but I think there’s a couple of lovelies in here that I will keep for a long time to come.

Thanks loads for letting me offload my thoughts on you. If you use any particular products that are great for oily, spot prone skin, be sure to let me know.

Gemma

xxx

July 16, 2014/by Gem

Powder Highlight

Having oily skin doesn’t mean you have to have matte skin all the time. You can add glow strategically without adding oil or unwanted shine. I love the way cream and liquid highlighters look on other people but for me after wearing one for about an hour, I look like I’ve put my face in a chip pan…not cute. So I get my glowy kick from highlighters of the powdered variety. Here are a few of my firm faves from my stash.

These are the only Dior products that I own…at the minute and I liked this product so much, I got both colours of the powder highlight, very bad I know.

This is Dior’s Shimmer Powder in Rose Diamond. I love these highlighters because they’re so versatile and so they should be for how much they cost. They have a gradient colour so Rose Diamond goes from a blush pink that can be used as a blush to a light nearly white shimmer highlight.

The other one is Amber Diamond

Amber Diamond is the gold version of this highlighter. So it gives more of a bronzer glow, and again has a gradient of colours from a tan to a lighter, nearly white gold.

These highlighter are in no way glittery, it’s shimmer all the way, they are lovely and soft so are easy to blend. You can choose the colours easily in the palette or give them all a swish with the brush to give yourself a coloured glow. I love using the lighter part these for an inner eye corner highlight too, need to get the moneys worth 🙂

Had to add a Mac Mineralize Skin Finish into my mix.

This is Mac’s Soft & Gentle. It’s a gorgeous goldy bronze highlighter. Again, it’s not really glittery as I am not a fan.

This is more of a hardcore highlighter especially for someone who is as pale as me (Mac NC20), so I reserve this for a night out on the town, it photographs lovely. I’ll use this for an eyeshadow too all over the lid, with a nice matte taupe in the crease, gorgeous 🙂

I wanted to add in a blush too to show you don’t need to splurge and buy a highlighter too you can get a lovely highlighted effect from blush as well.

This is my very beloved and very battered Nars blush in Orgasm. I think every makeup lover in the land has at least heard about this blush and has probably owned it at one stage. It is the perfect peachy pinky easy to wear blusher. But what is great about it is it has the prettiest gold fleck going through it which makes it a gorge highlighter as well.

It makes your cheeks glimmer, without being too overpowering. Love it!

Keeping on the frugal end of the spectrum, you do not have to splurge to be fabulous and glowing. You can have a look in your stash and I am sure you will find a lovely light eyeshadow that will do the job perfectly for you. These are a couple of my favourites from my collection for inspiration.

Here are Inglot’s Freedom System’s Pearl Shadow in 393 and Makeup Geek’s Bling. I love these for highlighting my tear duct, the eyelid and the top of the cheekbones.

You can find colours similar to these in any eyeshadow palette or quad, I’m sure you all have one, so why not give it a go?

Phew…I’m all highlighted out now 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me.

Gemma

xxx

June 11, 2014/by Gem

My Most Used Face Powders

The warmer weather is kinda…sorta coming our way. It’s about bloody time! So we all need to keep the shine at bay a little bit more throughout the day. For oilier skinned girls like me it means packing even more on, but don’t fret it means you’ll have less wrinkles as you get older apparently if you have oily skin 😛

I am going to list in this post my most used setting powders. I personally think it’s good to have a range of powders in your stash. Your skin likes to keep you on your toes and some days are different than others, so you might want more coverage perhaps if you are going to be out all day or it’s that time of the month and you’re looking more flushed than normal. Or maybe you’re having a good skin day and you just want a light powder, or if your going out on the town you might want a different coloured one (to match the tan) or one with some luminosity. I think I cover all the bases here without breaking the bank.

First up is my very well loved (and battered) Stay Matte Pressed Powder by Rimmel.

I have about 4 of these floating around including one in my handbag. This is a great everyday setting powder. It’s light in texture so does not give any real coverage, but mattifies the skin without looking cakey and lasts really well.

This has a number and colour (005, silky beige), but I feel like it’s pretty transparent on my pale skin anyways. The best thing about this powder? Not only is it great, but it’s a steal at 5.99 from Boots

Next up is a bit more pricey, but it’s good at its job, I promise:

This is Mac’s Studio Fix. This is actually a pressed powder foundation, which means it gives extra coverage on the days when you need it! My one here is NC20

This matches by natural skin tone, but I usually have a darker one knocking about too for when I’m a bit more (fake) tanned as this is a great powder to bring on a night out for touch ups. I love this powder it’s nice and smooth and smooths over pores and fine lines rather than settling into them like some others can do. You can get this in any Mac store. They sell it in Brown Thomas and on their website for 31.50.

I have two choices next:

These are two Ben Nye Luxury Powders. Ben Nye is a brand of makeup designed to be used in theatre and film. I love these powders, and these 42gram pots will last me a lifetime.

The Ben Nye Powders are really finely milled. The Cameo Powder has a slight pink tint to it which is good for my pink toned complexion on a normal day to day basis. The banana powder is yellow toned so is a great all over powder for someone who has a more sallow complexion. If I am going all out with my makeup and am heavy contouring I like to use Cameo under my eyes and anywhere on the face I want to lighten and then I’ll use the Banana Powder wherever I am creating shadow and darkening. These powders are a lovely texture, do not cake on the skin and do not clog pores and they definitely set your makeup as well as adding a hint of colour, just use a light hand 🙂 The only irish website I can find these on is Sunaura for 21 euro which I think is a bit steep as I got my Banana one last year at Imats for 10 pound. They are fab products though.

So yes you want powder to mattify and set your makeup, but this doesn’t always mean you need to use a matte powder. I have two options here that you can pick in Boots, that cover this:

This is the Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder, how pretty is this old school packaging? This powder smells amazing too by the way, added bonus 🙂 For me and my skin this is not an everyday powder, but if I am looking for a bit of a glow I dip into this pot.

This powder has light reflecting particles in it, it just borders on glitter so use with caution. Brushed lightly over the skin this gives a lovely glow without having to use cream products to achieve it. I like to use this in the inner corners of my eyes too for a subtle highlight during the day. You can buy this from Boots for 13.99 This is a more pinky powder. If you are looking for something that is perhaps a bit more warmer in tone and has a more gold sheen to it Sleek Makeup have a powder for you:

This also has Spf 15 so it may have some flashback if you are thinking about it for a night out. This is Sleek’s Luminous Pressed Powder.

I have the shade 01 which I believe is the lightest shade. It doesn’t give any coverage really in my opinion, but it does set your makeup and has a subtle gold shimmer running through it, to liven up your face and give it some luminosity. I love using this powder when I am finished my makeup and have used a setting powder (because I am super oily) and this is a light powder, just lightly all over my face, to give an extra glow. You can get this in Boots too, or on Cloud10beauty, or the Sleek website itself and it’ll set you back 8.99, not too bad at all 🙂

So there you have it, a few powdery options for you if you are looking to switch it up or just add to your collection for different makeup tasks. A girl likes to have options!

Thanks for reading,

Gemma

xxx

April 25, 2014/by Gem