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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

Skincare

La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour

I am on my second bottle of the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour.

I picked this up after seeing Sinèad from The Beautiful Truth talking about it. And, I am so glad I did!

As you probably know because I always go on about it. My skin is predominately oily. However, I do suffer with dryness under my eyes. So, I was on the hunt for an eye cream that cleared it up as it can not only be uncomfortable. It can make applying makeup a pain in the bum too. I also didn’t want to spend a tonne of money on something, in case it didn’t do the job. I can say hand on heart the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour has ticked all of the eye cream boxes for me 🙂

It is specifically designed for sensitive eyes. And according to La Roche Posay here, it is ‘preservative-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, alcohol-free, colorant-free, lanolin-free.’

It comes within a pump dispenser which I always find handy.

And the formula itself is in a separate airtight bag within the bottle.

This is supposed to keep the formula fresh. On a side note, the pump doesn’t dispense too much product. You can somewhat control the amount of cream you want. The pump has a spring mechanism. I don’t find myself rubbing excess cream into my hands after applying it 🙂

The formula is what I would describe as a creamy gel.

Even though it feels hydrating on the skin, it absorbs really quickly and doesn’t feel tacky or leave a film behind. I have been using it both morning and evening for the past few months and have found a significant reduction in the dryness under my eyes as a result. I use a probably a pea sized amount tapped out around each eye.

Overall, I am a big fan of the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Eye Contour. To be fair I would have to be to repurchase it. I can be a bit flaky when it comes to my beauty products (no pun intended 🙂 ) I think it is a really good price too. I got mine in a local pharmacy for €14. You can pick it up from Boots in store or online here too.

xxx

November 6, 2016/by Gem

Skincare

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

If you watch American beauty Youtubers like me, the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion will be familiar to you.

Or,if you’re a Kylie Jenner fan, you’ll have seen her rocking her Mario Badescu Drying Lotion over on her Snapchat. The skincare brand is pretty well known over in the States. They have been established since 1967 and do a whole host of products.

The Drying Lotion is formulated to dry out surface spots on the skin. It contains Calamine as the fifth listed ingredient. We, of course would use calamine lotion in the treatment of chicken pox. It also contains Glycerin and Salicylic Acid, but they are lower down on the list. Good to note that it is cruelty and paraben free too 🙂

As you can see the Marion Badescu Drying Lotion comes in a 29ml glass bottle. The solution is split. You have the liquid and then there’s a pink sediment (which I presume is calamine) on the bottom.

To use, you dip a cotton bud straight down into it. This coats the swab with the mixture. You don’t shake or mix it up. Then, you just dab the solution on any blemishes you might have. It dries down and you leave it overnight.

It will take a while to get through the solution you use very little, but I presume, as it depletes it will be harder and harder to get to the product on the bottom. It may end up a little messy. You can already see mines a bit worse for wear!

It has quite a strong medicated scent and be warned if you use it on broken skin it will sting the bejesus out of you! I do find it does what it says on the tin though. I have been using this a lot over the last couple of months. I am prone to breakouts so I have had plenty to practice on. The solution does dry out active spots. It is not a miracle cure, nor does it claim to be. But, it will make your spots a little less, well spot like and sore 🙂 I like it too because it dries down so it doesn’t end up all over your pillowcase and it’s targeted so you’re not adding ingredients that dry out your skin all over your face where you might not need it.

Overall, the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion gets a thumbs up from me! I got mine from Beautybay for €16.30 online here.

Have you tried it?

xxx

September 30, 2016/by Gem

Makeup, Skincare

Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation

I’m a big fan of Image Skincare. I’ve used a fair few of their products over the years. It’s definitely not the cheapest out there, but with it being a salon grade brand, you do get what you pay for.

The Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation has gotten a bit of a a spruce up. The packaging is more modern and sleek than previously. I’ve been using this bad boy for a good chunk of time now, so I thought it was time for me to give my thoughts on it and show you it in action. Readers beware, there is some no makeup pictures below 🙂

I really like the new packaging. It has a brushed clear plastic casing and then you twist the top to reveal the pump.

According to Image: ‘I Conceal is the all-in-one illuminating, lightweight and water-resistant foundation, which heals and conceals to reveal a healthier, flawless complexion every day. It is available in 6 different colours – Porcelain, Natural, Beige, Suede, Toffee and Mocha – so there is one suitable for everybody. This daily healthy skin foundation is mineral based, paraben free, is breathable and oxygenates and heals the skin. It gives maximum coverage without a heavy appearance and gives a dewy glow to all skins. I-Conceal Flawless Foundation is SPF 30 and provides broad spectrum UVA / UVB protection. This Image Skincare Flawless Foundation is indicated for daily use on all skin types and highly effective for the following:

Pigmentation
Redness & Rosacea
Acne & Acne Scarring
Post-Cosmetic Injections
Bruising & Scaring
Post-treatment
Post-Laser
Post-Surgery

In Gemma terms the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation is really rather nice! With my skin being on the oilier side, I find anything with a high SPF is usually too greasy for my skin and it either slips and slides on my face or makes my makeup slip and slide. This means I end up not using an SPF which is so so bad I know, or using a foundation with a much lower amount, that’s probably not really doing much for my skin at all!

I have the colour ‘Natural’ which is a shade or maybe two too dark for me, but I make it work by taking it down the neck. ‘Porcelain’ would be a better match.

This was a press sample though so I wasn’t colour matched for it.

Although the consistency is on the thicker side, it does blend really well too so I can kind of get away with it. 🙂 So here it is in action on my mug.

My skin with no product applied

I applied the foundation with a dense brush and made sure to take it down my neck

I buffed it in really well

Straight after application

About ten minutes after application

The I Conceal to me has a medium to full coverage depending on how much you apply or what tool you use. It covers redness really well and I find I use less concealer on blemishes afterwards. It has a more dewy finish, but it also sets so it doesn’t feel oily or leave a residue behind. As I do have oily skin, I tend to powder down my makeup or go for more matte finish foundations just because they last longer. I don’t mind a bit of luminosity at all if it doesn’t make the natural oils come through. And I concur that for me the Image I Conceal really doesn’t. Actually after this application, I wasn’t going anywhere so I didn’t add any more makeup after taking the photos and went about my day. It took a good few hours before what I like to call the ugly shine came through 🙂

I can’t speak too much about it’s restorative qualities as my skin is not healing from anything major. I do suffer from spots though and it does seem to ease the redness and any inflammation which is awesome!

I honestly can’t fault the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation. It’s skincare, SPF 30 and good coverage mineral foundation in one! They say it works for all skin types and usually I would kind of guffaw at a statement like that, but the fact that it gives a dewy finish, but has really great staying power…dare I say, I kind of agree with them!

I think the Image I Conceal Flawless Foundation retails for about €48 so it’s definitely a splurge. If it does interest you though, pop into a salon that sells Image and ask for a sample. Renaissance have a list of stockists here.

xxx

June 3, 2016/2 Comments/by Gem

Hair

Current Hair Care Favourites

If you don’t follow me on social media, firstly eh why? 🙂 and secondly you won’t have seen that I took the chop with my hair this week. I decided to go to Lisa in Zinc Hair and Beauty because I had heard such great things about her. I can attest to that and say I had a really great experience there and I would definitely recommend them! I was happy to find out my hair is in pretty good shape too, so it sparked the idea to talk about my current hair care favourites in a blog post 🙂

I am by no means an expert on hair care, these are just the products I am using at the minute and seem to be working for me. I have alot of hair, although the hair itself is quite fine. I also get oily roots really quickly so products can weigh my hair down and make it look flat and greasy. I have to be careful.

First up is my shampoo and conditioner.

These are from the Joico Body Luxe Range. I got sent these at Christmas and only got around to using them in the last few weeks. I have really been liking them. These are designed for fullness and volume. I usually wash my hair twice with the shampoo and then add a little conditioner to the ends while finishing off the rest of my shower routine. My hair feels lovely and soft after using them and not at all weighed down.

After washing and to add a bit more conditioning…because I can’t get enough of it 🙂 I’ve been using the Mane n’ Tail Olive Oil Complex Spray Therapy.

This is for shine, detangling and it’s a heat protector, score!

My hair comes out by the bucket load, honestly I shed like a dog, so something like this is great. I apply a layer to my towel dried hair and then use my trusty Wet Brush (I actually have a full review of this here).

This combo seems to give me the less amount of breakage, it doesn’t tug on any knots and I’ve definitely noticed less hair in the brush afterwards.

If I know I am going to be washing my hair early in the morning or early in the day, I love to do a conditioning treatment the night before. I call it a treatment, I literally mean put loads of conditioner into my hair and pin it up when I’m going to bed 🙂

The last few months, I have been using the Alfaparf Precious Nature Leave In Spray. I spoke about doing this on my Snapchat a while back. I love giving mini reviews over there. My username is ‘Beautynook’.

It’s a leave in conditioner so it doesn’t make my hair hard and unmoveable when going to sleep. You know when you put a conditioning treatment in and then your hair is like a rock so it’s super uncomfortable? If I’m super fancy, I’ll even apply some, then throw a towel into the microwave for a couple of seconds to heat it up and then put my hair into it, the heat helps the conditioner on it’s way and your hair feels extra awesome then when you wash it! The Precious Nature Leave In Spray is made specifically for coloured hair. It’s also sulphate and paraben free.

The last thing I wanted to mention is this Joico Hair Shaker.

This is a liquid to powder texturising spray. Now I know texturising sprays don’t make your hair feel particularly nice, but if you’re looking for extra volume, they are a fab addition to your hair care collection. I don’t like backcombing my hair if I can help it, it’s so bad for the condition of it and it makes my hair fuzzy. The Hair Shaker is cool because it applies to your hair as a liquid, so you can move your hair freely into your desired style. For me that’s pretty much straight or wavy I’m low maintenance ha, and then the Hair Shaker dries to a powder finish to hold the volume you created in place. I’ve used hair powders in the past and they are just messy and leave your hair looking dull because the powder is white. Charles Worthington do a texturising spray that I love too and you can buy in Boots.

There you have it. All the hair care products I have been truly using and loving over the last couple of months. I would have included dry shampoo in this too, but the one I’m using has been discontinued…devo!

You can buy Joico from Shampoo.ie

Salon places like Xpert Professional sell Alfaparf

And Mane n Tail is available in pharmacies nationwide.

xxx

February 12, 2016/by Gem