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Current Faves From Catrice Cosmetics

I picked up some bits not too long ago on a bit of a shopping spree from Catrice Cosmetics and I have been loving them and using them alot. I thought I would share some of them with you in case you are in the market for some afforable lovelies 🙂

First up is their All Matt Plus Shine Control Makeup.

I got the shade 015 Vanilla Beige which is a pretty good neutral match for my pink toned skin.

It has a light coverage and is shiny when you first apply but dulls down as it dried into your skin.

This is a good foundation, it lasts well (powdered) on my oily skin and doesn’t oxidise. It isn’t too drying or cakey and it blends really well. It is also buildable for us girls who like a more medium coverage.

Next up on my Catrice love fest is one of their Ultimate Shine Gel Colour Lipsticks.

This is in the shade 080 Russian Violette. These are like a hybrid lipstick lipgloss. They are not sticky and are really pigmented. They feel balmy on the lips so good for days when your lips are not in tip top condition. Also I am in love with this colour.

It’s a purpley pinky lipstick of loveliness and I have been picking it up so much over the past few weeks. It’s so easy to throw on and lasts really well.

My last two Catrice finds are two of their Liquid Metal Eyeshadows.

I threw these into my basket because they looked cool in the pan, I have to be honest. They have a cool wavy effect to them and I couldn’t say no :p

The first one is called 070 Gold Leaf Me and is a kind of pewter cool toned gold colour.

The second one is called 100 What Do You Sea? My description of this would be nearly a green toned blue, if this exists? It is blue but there’s an element of green in there too.

The name Liquid Metal, sums these shadows up quite well I think. They are opaque when built up but you can also just use them for a wash of colour on the lids too. I have used them wet aswell and it brings the metal element out in the colour even more. They are smooth and they blend too which is not always the case for cheaper shadows.

Catrice have really upped their game in the last couple of years. They have such a diverse range of products for all types of makeup users. Everything is reasonably priced, and they are constantly bringing out new collections and products to keep us wanting more. I know I do 🙂

xxx

March 9, 2015/2 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara A Review

I have been waffling on about Benefit and there new launches a bit lately. Apologies if it doesn’t float your boat.

I have spoken about when I was invited to the launch of Roller Lash here and given some info on it already, aswell as delving into their Puff Off Eye Gel here for tired puffy eyes.

Roller Lash is Benefit’s newest mascara. When you think of Benefit Cosmetics, you tend to think of mascara, it’s their thing and they do it well. Roller Lash is no exception.

I am a waterproof mascara junkie. I have crap lashes that are straight and the only way they tend to hold a curl is with a waterproof formula. Roller Lash has proved me wrong here. Benefit say you don’t need to use an eyelash curlers when using Roller Lash. If you are already blessed with some sort of curl to your lash, then you don’t need to bother at all. I do curl mine though, that’s what makes me feel comfortable.

Roller Lash has a plastic brush which we see more and more of nowadays in our mascaras. This brush has little tiny hooks on it, that grab the lashes when you run it through, catching them, coating them with mascara and lifting them up as you go. If you look close you can kind of see them, it’s hard to show them in a picture because the product is covering the brush.

So now for the part we all want to see, Roller Lash in action 🙂

No mascara

With mascara added

Side view of my lashes

They look a little better no? Roller Lash lengthens and separates your lashes really well. It has a wet formula, but its not too clumpy or hard to work with. You can layer a good amount of it on and your lashes still keep a curl. I have worn this most days since I have gotten it and it has yet to flake or transfer throughout the day. It is not a waterproof formula so you do not have to scrub your eyes raw to get it off at the end of the day either.

I choose not to wear it on my bottom lashes just because I know Mac’s Extended Play works for me there and it has a small wand so I find it easier to use. I would of course use Roller Lash if I did not have another mascara specifically for my lower lashes though. #makeupobsessedproblems :p

Its a really great mascara and I am personally pleasantly surprised I like it so much, as I never really got the hype for Bad Gal of They’re Real. Roller Lash is the one for me.

Gemma

xxx

March 4, 2015/1 Comment/by Gem

Skincare

Benefit’s Puff Off A Review

When Benefit bring a new product out, they always do it so well. Their marketing department are amazing. One of their new launches, “Puff Off” is no different. The packaging is so cool, the applicator is an iron for god’s sake 🙂

“Puff Off” is an eye gel to help wake up your eyes and help get rid of any puffiness and I think it does a pretty good job of this. The iron applicator may be whimsical but it does a really good job and fitting into the contour of your orbital bone and helps to massage the product in as well as helping to drain any fluid you might have built up. It is metal too which is nice and cooling on the skin.

The product itself comes out of the middle of the applicator. Be careful when dispensing it, as alot can come out of the squeezy tube.

Benefit suggest you put three small splodges around your eye and then blend in with the applicator.

The gel soaks into the skin really quickly, so it’s perfect for the morning time when you don’t have time to mess around. Benefit claims you can use Puff Off over makeup too, so I suppose if you are having an extra long day you could pop some on to get rid of some of the signs of over tiredness and lack of sleep.

This is a lovely product and it does do what it says on the tin. However if you need alot of hydration under your eyes, I don’t know if it will be for you, as it is a gel formula so it not super emollient.

I would recommend it if you are looking for a product to perk you up in the morning and make you physically seem more awake.

Puff Off is available at Benefit stockists now and costs €30.50

Gemma

xxx

March 3, 2015/4 Comments/by Gem

Makeup, Makeup Tools

Nima Brush Artistic Collection My Picks

Nima Brush by the lovely Niamh Martin. They are an irish based company creating gorgeous makeup brushes. I have known this brand and Niamh for quite a while. The company have really being going from strength to strength.

The Artistic Collection is the latest launch from Nima Brush. They say they are a “range of brushes designed for the professional artist in mind, using precisely shaped brush heads and the softest fibres, but which are also suitable for the everyday wearer with step by step instructions on how to use each brush”

The handle of the brushes are a lovely duck egg colour with a velvet, nearly rubber feel and a gold ferrule which I am in love with. The handles on these brushes can be difficult to keep clean due to the material they are made from so they need a good scrubbing with warm water and baby shampoo to get them clean.

There are 20 brushes in the collection. You can buy them in customisable sets or you can buy them individually. Each brush is named after supporting female figures in Niamh’s life. Prices range from €10-€22. You can shop this collection or any other collection from Nima Brush on www.nimabrush.com

I picked my favourites from the collection to talk about.

I decided to pick the 3 brushes out of all the ones I own from the collection that I have been picking up religiously everyday since I have gotten them. They have quickly just become part of my routine.

First up is “Blaithin”

“Blaithin” is a tapered brush, that I have been loving for contouring. The end of it picks up the product, gets it into the hollows of your face and then the bristles around the tip blend it in seamlessly. It is also so soft on the skin, so you don’t mind spending all of that time making sure your contour is blended 🙂 The “Blaithin” retails for €16.

I have been loving the eye brushes I have, but this one in particular has really become a favourite in my collection.

This brush is called “Patricia”. It is a duo fibred brush, and like “Blaithin” is tapered at the end.

This is a smallish eye brush, and the domed head makes it great for diffusing your transitional colour in your crease. It can also be used to distribute colour all over the lid, and I love it from blowing out colour on my lower lash line. It’s a soft brush but stiff enough that you don’t end up with shadow where you do not want it. It is multi functional, and I get alot of use out of it 🙂 The “Patricia” retails for €10.

My last choice from the Nima Artistic Collection is the “Grace”

When I saw this brush I knew exactly what I wanted it for, under eye concealer! The “Grace” is a like a foundation brush in miniature form.

Again I picked a tapered brush, this wasn’t on purpose I promise! This brush is perfect for getting around the contours of your eyes or your face in general and blends cream products beautifully. It is small but it is big enough to get the job done quickly and that is what you want in the morning. The “Grace” retails for €16.

So there you have some of my fave picks from the lovely Artistic range from Nima. They are fab and it is great to see an Irish run company doing so well.

Thanks,

Gemma

xxx

January 18, 2015/by Gem

Posts

Nima Brush by the lovely Niamh Martin. They are an irish based company creating gorgeous makeup brushes. I have known this brand and Niamh for quite a while. The company have really being going from strength to strength.