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Essence All About Greys, All About Nudes Palettes

I have been talking alot about affordable makeup of late and I am LOVING it! It’s so great budget friendly brands are stepping up to the plate and bringing out products that we we are excited to use and talk about all the time!

This blogpost is going to be all about two of the three palettes Essence brought out not too long ago.

The first one is the Essence ‘All About Greys’ palette.

I picked this up the same day I got the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette. It obviously doesn’t have as many shade choices but I just thought the colouring was similar so it could be a cheaper alternative.

So as you can see, there is eight shades in total. They are all cool toned and they all lend themselves to a dark and grey smoky eye just like the Naked Smoky.

They are all shimmery shades, except for the white on the top far left and the black on the top far right, so I do think if you are doing a look with this palette you do need some sort of matte transitional shade to help you along your way, even if you just use your bronzer. The shadows themselves are pigmented, they are soft to the touch, and they do blend, although it will take you a while to do it. Here they are swatched below:

Top Line

Bottom Line

So what about the Essence ‘All About Nudes’ version of the palette?

These shades are much warmer, and I think personally it’s generally a more wearable palette.

There’s more mattes within the eight shadows in this one, so you’re less likely to need another palette to help you along if you are creating a look with it.

Here they are swatched below:

Top Line

Overall, I think these palettes are pretty awesome for their €4.99 price tag. I will say if your lids are in any way oily, you’ll need a primer no doubt about it. I think the shadows do need to be worked with more than maybe some other ones on the market. Some of the shades (particularly the shimmers) actually go on so much nicer and vibrant with your finger or a damp brush, but I think this tip helps with alot of shadows we may own so I don’t hold that against Essence too much. There is fall out, so be weary of that too when applying.

I mix and match these palettes with others I have in my collection, but they do get used and I do reach for them.

There is another palette in this ‘All About’ range that is more bronzed and that looks really nice too, if you prefer a more bronzey look. After playing with these two, I would be more than happy to fork out a fiver for that one too!

As always thanks for reading and I hoped this helped if you were undecided 🙂

xxx

September 7, 2015/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup

Hourglass Mood Exposure ‘V’ Max Factor Nude Mauve

The blogsphere has been alight ever since Max Factor brought out their Creme Puff Blushes. Instantly they were being compared to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes…they look really really similar in the pan so there is no surprise there! As the proud owner of 4 Hourglass blushes I thought it was my duty as a blogger and makeup obsessed person to buy a couple of the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes and compare. All in the name of research I swear 🙂

So today I am comparing Hourglass’s ‘Mood Exposure’ (which I have in palette form)

to Max Factor’s ’10 Nude Mauve’.

They look pretty similar in the pan don’t they? The marbling effect in ‘Mood Exposure’ is more prominent than in Nude Mauve, and ‘Nude Mauve’ looks a tad more shimmery when you look at them both up close.

When they are swatched on the skin, they look like this.

Mood Exposure Nude Mauve

Hourglass’s ‘Mood Exposure’ is a slightly more muted peach shade when swatched whereas Max Factor’s ‘Nude Mauve’ is true to it’s name and a little darker and more nude in colour.

Both blushes blend really well on the skin and can be worn as a light flush of colour or can be built up for a more noticeable application. They both have a very subtle sheen to them, with just a smattering of shimmer nothing too drastic or over powering at all. They both also have a light fragrance to them, different but it really won’t affect you when you are wearing either of them.

Rather than talking about them separately it just felt natural for me to talk about them together because they really are such similar products. Except of course when it comes to the price tag. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes will set you back close to 40 quid where as the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes are a much more budget friendly 11.50, there’s a big difference there.

Both of these blushes are the perfect neutral blush colour, for less makeup days or when you are having a day of focus on your eyes or your lips, both of them would tie your look together without trying to steal the show. It’s just down to which one you want to buy. As a makeup ‘collector’ yep that’s what I’m calling myself! I like having both of them at my disposal but in reality the Max Factor offering is cheaper, more readily available and does the exact same thing!

The decision is yours 🙂

xxx

March 20, 2015/2 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation

I have been going on about the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation on social media since it came out and I got it. So I figured I just had to do a blogpost on it 🙂

I love Rimmel foundations. I am a particular fan of the Stay Matte range that I speak about here in a past blogpost.

I think the Lasting Finish Nude pips the Stay Matte foundation to the post for me. I am really loving it. So much so I bought a second back up bottle because I did not want to be without.

Of course before the Nude version, there was just the normal red topped Lasting Finish. This is a great foundation and I really like it, but it can be a bit heavy in my humble opinion for during the day. The Nude version eliminates that. It is a medium coverage foundation, but it can be really be worn lightly or built up depending on your preference, as it does not cake on the skin. It also has an spf of 20 not ideal for going out in the evening (if you are going to be getting your picture taken), but great for during the day.

I haven’t the best skin in the world, I waffle on about this all of the time. I am oily, have enlarged pores and am prone to breakouts. Don’t be too harsh on me.

Before Application

After Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude foundation application

After Application

This is a liquid foundation. For me, on a normal day, one pump of the Lasting Finish Nude is enough to even out my skin and make me look somewhat human. I usually use a kabuki foundation brush to apply it, just because this is my preferred way to apply foundation.

Sigma Round Top Kabuki Brush F82

I have used a Beauty Blender in the past and it has applied lovely as well though. I always use a primer, no matter what it is so I don’t know how this foundation would do without one. With a primer and some light powdering, I find it lasts really well on my skin, and it has never oxidised on me. I wear the shade 100 Ivory.

It is not too drying on the skin either. It has a semi matte finish, I think, so if you have combination or even dry but well moisturised skin, this is still a lovely edition to your makeup routine.

I have a stupid amount of foundations, low end and high. I am always trying to find the “perfect” one. They are in a container altogether on top of my Alex from Ikea.

Well, lets be honest they are spilling out of the container, but you get the idea 🙂

I haven’t touched any of these since I bought the Lasting Finish Nude, this has been a lone soldier atop my desk with the rest of my go to makeup. That makes a pretty bold statement in my world.

The happy ending to this story too is that this foundation is €8.99, pretty good right? Well at the minute Boots are selling it for €4.99 here and instore!

I am such a fan, I cannot really say much more about it. If your near a Rimmel stand, swatch it yourself and see what you think.

As always thanks for reading, and let me know if you pick it up.

Gemma

xxx

January 28, 2015/6 Comments/by Gem

Posts

I have been talking alot about affordable makeup of late and I am LOVING it! It’s so great budget friendly brands are stepping up to the plate and bringing out products that we we are excited to use and talk about all the time!

This blogpost is going to be all about two of the three palettes Essence brought out not too long ago.