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I had seen the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil when Nyx first released them all over social media. I was still using my Soap & Glory Archery pencil and was happy with it and although we now have Nyx stands in Ireland, we rarely get the new releases in store, so I couldn’t see it in the flesh. Then, I saw Sinead from The Beautiful Truth raving about it and had fomo, so I ended up picking it up.

And may I add, I am so glad that I did.

I’ve done the Anastasia Brow Wiz in the past. It’s a great pencil, but the damn thing just kept breaking on me. I think I lost probably half of the pencil to the floor. They’re not cheap, so that wasn’t ideal. I then discovered the Soap & Glory Archery Pencil, a very similar looking pencil. I love it, but it only comes in three shades.

The Nyx Micro Brow Pencil is super similar to both of these.

One one end is a spooley which is always appreciated.

Then, the other end contains the retractable brow pencil.

The pencil itself has a really fine nib.

I like my brow pencil to have a bit of hardness to it, so you can draw onto the skin without it crumbling and so you have control over what you are doing.

I have the shade ‘Ash Brown’. I did some googling and looked at some swatches beforehand and I got lucky, it works really well for me. I would deem it a neutral brown so no red or warmness to it.

You can buy Nyx online from Boots here and they have 8 shades to choose from. I ordered my Nyx Micro Brow Pencil from Asos here. They have 7 shades and I got free shipping because I ordered a few other things aswell.

The Nyx Micro Pencil definitely ticks all of them boxes for me. I have been using this for a good solid month now and the pencil has yet to break, it’s pigmented and easy to apply. It works really well for days where you just want to do the bare minimum to your brows or when you really want to beef them up.

So here it is in action:

My Brow With No Product

I Comb Through With The Spooley Before Application

I always hold my brow pencil with a loose grip and quite far back to get a lighter application.

Before

After

My brows are quite frankly a pain in the arse. I try in vein for a little symmetry and I rarely get it. I find with the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil, it’s a little easier to achieve some sort of brow shape that doesn’t make me want to cry. That alone is worth a tenner in my book 🙂

The formula does set, but you get a little play time beforehand. For some reason I get super oily around my brow area so I would usually then set the pencil with powder which I still do most of them time. But I have used the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil on it’s own to test it out throughout the day and it lasted really well on me. No smudging or oxidizing.

I think it’s safe to say I’m a big fan and now that we are getting our own Boots Nyx stand in Liffey Valley (opening the 4th of August apparently), hopefully we’ll be able to buy in store very soon too. Wohoo!!

xxx

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

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And may I add, I am so glad that I did.

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.