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Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter

John kindly bought me the new Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter for my birthday.

I asked him why because it wasn’t something I had hinted at or anything and he simply said. ‘Because you collect Urban Decay.’ Cannot argue with that logic 🙂

The Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter is a contour, colour correct and highlighting palette. It comes in two shade ranges. One for darker skin tones and then the one I have here which is the light medium shift, more suited to lighter skin.

The palette itself is quite narrow and is two sided. The creams are on one side. You get five in total.

And the powders on the other. You get four in total.

Both are separated by decent sized, double sided mirror and the palette has a magnetic closure. The packaging reminds me a lot of the Naked Smoky Palette which I reviewed here when it first came out.

The creams consist of a dark contour shade, a light contour, a colour corrector (peach toned), a colour corrector/highlighter (pink toned) and then a pearl highlighter. You get 2.15 grams of product in each pan.

The powder side consists of a dark contour, a medium contour, a light contour and a pearl highlighter. You get 3.7 grams of product in each pan.

Both the creams and the powders are really nice quality. They are all soft, pigmented and easy to blend. The creams do not have any slip too them which I like. And, the powders do have some kick back once a brush is introduced, like most Urban Decay powders because they are so soft in texture. I particularly like the lighter powder contour shade and the highlight shades in both. The dark cream contour shade is a bit too full and brown on for me though.

Here they are in action on my face. I used the cream peachy colour corrector and the pink colour corrector/highlight under my eyes and set it with the light powder contour shade. I also used the medium powder contour shade as contour. Then, the cream and powder highlighter shades to highlight the tops of the cheeks and the tear ducts.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter_0303

I find the light contour shades on both sides a bit confusing. To me, they are both just yellow toned product. I would probably use both to brighten under the eyes. I really couldn’t see them being used as contour products personally.

You can buy the Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter now in Debenhams in store or online here. It costs €47.50. Have you picked it up? Would you pick it up? I always love to know your thoughts 🙂

xxx

June 21, 2017/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation

I already posted about the Serum Foundation here if that would tickle your fancy more. This post is all about The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation though. My personal favourite out of the two 🙂

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is as the name would suggest the more full coverage of the two foundations.

They both have the same 30ml plastic bottle with a rubberized pump (although you can buy a glass pipette separately if you would prefer).

They both come in the same 21 shade ranges and are deemed SPF 15 here in Europe. I will quote Deciem for the pigment explanation because they do it better: ‘These foundations contain higher pigment levels than our Serum Foundations but still offer a smooth finish that avoids the heavy makeup look that can make skin appear more aged. The texture is that of a lightweight, non-oily cream.’ For me, this sums up the Coverage foundation perfectly.

I feel it’s a medium coverage foundation, that you can build up easy enough without it looking too caked on the skin. I definitely do not think it’s full coverage like Deciem say, but it’s a solid medium coverage which I can definitely live with.

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is a little thicker in formula than the Serum. Here they are side so you can see the difference. Serum is on the left and Coverage is on the right.

On my skin, it applies really easily and smoothly. I always use a primer underneath foundation, which I thought was good to note. I have the shade 1.1N which is a decent match for my paler skin.

It has a semi matte finish on me. I say semi matte because although it’s not dewy, it’s not drying or heavy either. It blends really lovely and evens out my skin tone really well. It glides over my pores really nicely too and it doesn’t sit in any fine lines.

Before:

After:

I like this personally more than the Serum foundation for two main reasons. 1, it has more coverage. And 2 it lasts really well on my skin. This is a foundation I can confidently apply in the morning and know it will stand the test of time. The Serum foundation is lovely but I don’t have that longevity guarantee with it on my oilier skin.

This is a just a winner in my book! I really like it!

The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation is still awaiting stock on the Deciem website, but the link to order it is here. You can sign up to get an email when it’s back in though. That’s how I got my hands on it. It costs the same as the serum, a very reasonable €6.90. I thought it was good to add here that the Colours are alcohol free, oil free, silicone free, vegan and cruelty free.

Are you intrigued?

xxx

June 4, 2017/3 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

Rimmel Brow Shake Filling Powder Review

I’ve had the Rimmel Brow Shake Filling Powder in my possession a while now. Actually, I’ve been calling it the Brow This Way Soft Powder, which is what is written on the packaging. But, after googling it to find a Boots link, I couldn’t find anything by that name.

Turns out they call it the Rimmel Brow Shake Filling Powder everywhere! Anyhow, I digress 🙂 This is a new (ish) brow powder from Rimmel.

It comes in a little bottle, with it’s own applicator inside. I picked up the shade 002 Medium Brown, which is a pretty ok match for my brows. It does come in four shades though ranging from black to blonde.

It reminds me very much of a powder eye liner. It has the same type of flat, but rounded applicator on the lid.

The premise is you shake up the powder product onto the applicator while the packaging is still closed and then it is loaded up to fill your brows in with.

It has a shaker ball within the lid, which I find a bit odd. If it was going to help keep the powder separated,surely it should be in the container itself? Perhaps I have the complete wrong end of the stick about how it works and if I do, I apologise 🙂

The powder itself packs alot of punch which is great. The medium shade has a greyish undertone too which I always like as well. It seems to adhere to the skin well and lasts too.

For me, I find the packaging and the applicator or the Rimmel Brow Shake doesn’t really work. If you have fabulous full brows (like Cara in the promo ads), I think this would work quite well for you. You can just fill in any gaps lightly really quickly with it and comb through to take away any excess with a spooley and, you’d be good to go. For my struggling brows, the sponge applicator is just too big and rounded. It picks up and applies too much product. I need more precision and have more control over my application.

I find the sponge can drop alot of the powder too on the way from the bottle to your face, which can be a tad messy.

It works ok on my ‘better brow’, which I am showing here. On my right brow, it’s a bit of a disaster!

Overall, I like the powder within. Just for me, the packaging and execution doesn’t really work. You can find the Rimmel Brow Shake Filling Powder in Boots in store on online for €7.99 here. Have you tried it?

xxx

April 28, 2017/by Gem

Makeup, Youtube Video

Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation

When I went shopping on Beauty Bay, I bought my first ever Milani products. I spoke about the one of them here, and now I am going to give my first impressions and a demo of the Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation.

I do disclaim it in the video, but the shade I have, 01 Creamy Vanilla is definitely not the right colour match for me which is a bit annoying, as it’s the lightest shade. I did throw on some tan in hopes that it doesn’t look too odd on my skin.

The Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation claims to be:

Medium to full coverage.
Lightweight, oil-free formula.
Long wearing, water resistant and sweat proof.

That is a hefty amount of claims! I thought my oily skin would give a good indication if any of this rings true.

I mention this in the video too, but I really like the packaging. It’s a 30ml glass bottle and it has a pump too which is always appreciated.

Not really a pro or a con because it depends on what you like personally, but it smells nicely. Kind of clean but does dissipate when the product is applied.

The texture is thick and it gives a good medium coverage to the skin.

Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation review

You can see more in the video here, but I wore the foundation for about seven hours and then checked back in. I actually really liked how it performed. Here is my skin before, after and then seven hours later.

I would say I have a particularly oily t zone, so the shine doesn’t bother me majorly after seven hours wear. Overall, my first impressions are good. I like the finish, the coverage and how it wears. If they did a lighter colour, I would definitely stock up on another bottle!

You can find the Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation on Beauty Bay here. It costs €13.50.

xxx

December 23, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

L’Oréal True Match Foundation

I have been declaring alot of love for L’Oréal makeup products of late. My ride or die affordable foundation has to be their Infallible 24 HR Matte ( I have a full review of it here). A while ago they did a huge new campaign for their cult classic the L’Oréal True Match Foundation. The shade range has grown and they have reformulated it. It claims to be more luminous, while still being long lasting on the skin.

I hadn’t used it since I was probably a teenager, but when the new campaign came out, I thought it was time to give the new formula a test run. So, here are my thoughts on the new L’Oréal True Match Foundation.

It comes in a 30ml glass bottle with a nifty pump which I always appreciate. It just takes the thinking out of dispensing. I’m usually a pump and a half kind of gal.

The Irish Boots website currently has 23 shades in stock to choose from. They cover light to dark skin tones but also undertones too which I think is brilliant. I am pale with a pink undertone so I went with the shade 1.R/1.C Rose Ivory. It matches me really well.

The formula is quite light and loose. It is really easy to blend and I enjoy using a brush or a damp sponge to apply it. Depending on your application, you can sheer it out or build it up. You can get decent coverage out of it though.

Here it is in action on my spot prone and red skin.

You can see it definitely evens out my skin tone, and helps make my active breakouts a bit less scary looking 🙂

Although it has a medium, build-able coverage, it doesn’t mask the skin. It has what I would call a satin finish on me anyways rather than luminous as it states. But, I do usually use a mattifying primer underneath. If you used a more illuminating primer or if you don’t need one at all, you might get a bit more of a glow from it. For me, It isn’t the most long lasting foundation. The Infallible 24 HR Matte is definitely better from that perspective. But it isn’t formulated for oily skin specifically and I can get a few hours out of it before the shine begins to come through so, I am completely ok with that.

I think it is one of those elusive foundations that does work for the most skin types. I can definitely say I am a fan. It has been great for me over these colder months especially. My skin tends to be a little dryer and generally more unhappy in Winter. This glides over the unhappy parts. It doesn’t cling to dry patches and it still manages to balance the look of imperfections. If I want it to be a bit more long lasting I mix it with the Infallible 24 HR and they actually work really well together.

You can get the L’Oréal True Match Foundation instore or online from Boots here and it will set you back €14.99.

Are you a fan?

xxx

November 27, 2016/by Gem

Makeup, Youtube Video

Wet n Wild Dual Ended Contour Stick

The Wet n Wild Dual Ended Contour Stick is new to our shores.

When new cream contour products come onto the ‘drugstore’ market, I am always intrigued. Not many of the brands do it right. I was given this along with some of the other new Wet n Wild beauty goodies at an awesome event they held at Tropical Popical a couple of weeks back! I thought rather than just playing around with it and giving a review, I would make a first impressions video about it and let you see my honest reaction to the product.

Wet n Wild say: ‘Contouring made easy and portable! This amazing highlighting and contouring stick is dual-ended for precise application to easily enhance your features. The contouring shade helps define and chisel while the highlighter illuminates your best features.’

I have the Wet n Wild Dual Ended Contour Stick in the Light/Medium skin shade. The colour match is really good for me (which of course you’ll see in the video 🙂 ).

It’s a twistable pen with a cream contour colour on one end.

And a cream matte highlighting shade on the other end for brightening the skin.

As always you can click on the video above to watch it within the post or you can click here and watch it directly from my YouTube channel if you fancy.

I was worried when I went to edit that my waffling was a bit too much, that can happen sometimes. But, hopefully it gives a real and authentic sense of what I thought of the product and how it fared on me personally. 🙂

The Wet n Wild Dual Ended Contour Stick is available in Penneys, Dunnes Stores and all other good Wet n Wild Stockists now. The recommended retail price is €5.95.

Have you tried it? I’d love to know how it worked for you.

xxx

August 3, 2016/by Gem

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