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Rimmel have made some of my very favourite affordable foundations. Their Lasting Finish Nude which I reviewed here not too long ago would probably make it into my top five favourite ever foundations, so yes I’m a big fan 🙂

So when they release a new on odds are I’ll pick it up and give it a go.

Rimmel Match Perfection is the newest kid on the foundation shelf.

Rimmel Match Perfection review

I have the first Rimmel Match Perfection and to be honest I can’t really tell much difference between the two of them.

The older version has spf of 18, the newer one has spf of 20. They’re both medium coverage and give the skin a satin finish.

The newer Rimmel Match Perfection claims to blur pores, I don’t really see it doing that to my skin and I have pores  a plenty. It also claims to cover dark circles too, can’t really say it does that either, you would definitely need a separate concealer, unless you have great skin of course.

However, I do think it’s a really nice foundation, just not if you particularly oily like myself.

It goes onto my skin nicely. I use a buffing brush to apply it. That tends to be my weapon of choice for foundation because I can use the dense brush to really buff the product in. This particular brush is from a set I bought off ebay for really cheap and I have to say I am really enjoying them. I have the shade 100 Ivory.

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As I said it has a lovely satin finish, and it does claim to be a hydrating foundation, so I don’t expect it be as long lasting as a foundation made for oilier skin. I don’t always like a complete matte finish to my skin though so I do like to give some of the more hydrating foundations a try in hopes they don’t oxidise on me.

Here is my skin with nothing on it:

Irish beauty blog beautynookHere is a good layer of the Rimmel Match Perfection applied:

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Then here’s my face with all my makeup finished and the foundation powdered into place. I really like the finish.

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After about three hours of wear, this is what my skin looks like:

beautynook irish beauty blogI’m a bit of a shiny mess!  I don’t mind having to powder my nose after a few hours of wear, but with this I would have to powder my whole face after a couple of hours, not really practical.Ah well. I’m sure this will be a lovely foundation on you drier folk out there, but for me it’s not meant to be 🙁

You can pick up the Rimmel Match Perfection in Boots or any place that stocks Rimmel and it will set you back €9.99.

Have you tried it? Let me know how it fares on your skin 🙂

xxx

I bought the Rimmel Good To Glow on a bit of a whim when I was checking out the Kate Nude range they’ve just released. They were doing buy one product get another half price, so after searching the stand I settled on the Good To Glow Highlighter in 003 Soho Glow.

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This is actually the darker of the three shades they have, there is also 001 Notting Hill Glow and 002 Piccadilly Glow. Now if you know me you know I am as pale as anything, but I thought the more bronzed shade would be good for warming up makeup looks and making me look less dead and the likes 🙂

The Good To Glow is a liquid highlighter.

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Off the bat it smells really good, not relevant but still needs to be addressed. I think it smells a bit like Dior Hypnotic Poison, which is good in my books but if you don’t like that scent which I know alot don’t, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

The 003 Soho Glow comes out a nice warmish bronze colour at first, then when you start to blend it in, it fades to a really lovely radiant glow which just the slightest hint of colour.

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swatch beautynook blog

It doesn’t look too crazy on my skin, in fact it just warms it up a nice amount exactly what I wanted from the product.

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The formula is really lightweight and blends well with your fingers or a brush, it dries really quickly too with a non sticky residue, which is brilliant, particularly if you are more oily like me so you’re not left with unwanted oiliness on your skin.

You can use the Rimmel Good To Glow as a base for your makeup or as a subtle highlight on the high points of your face and chest. What I like to do with it, is mix a little into my foundation for a just a touch of glow rather than a completely matte base.

I really like this products, it’s a nice subtle addition to your summer makeup routine for a touch of added glow. At €6.49 from Boots, it definitely won’t break the bank either. 🙂

 

I am here today comparing and contrasting the two beauties that are Rimmel’s Exaggerate lipliner in ‘Eastend Snob’ and Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat in ‘Pillow Talk’.

Eastend Snob versus Pillow Talk

I am sure you have heard of at least one of these bad boys at some stage?

Eastend Snob has been around a long time, I don’t think everyone realised the magic of this lip liner though up until recently.

Rimmel Exaggerate Eastend Snob

Eastend Snob by Rimmel is a retractable lip pencil. That can be a con as the pencil is so soft it tends to break regularly. Also, I have found the mechanism can sometimes stop working and you can’t get all of it out. I say con very lightly because the product itself is great. And at €5.49 from Boots it’s not a whole lot to spend. I would rather a soft pencil all day everyday over a hard one!

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Eastend Snob is what I would describe as a dusty pink colour. It can even out your lip line, add definition or even be used to over draw the lips, just don’t go nuts and it can look really natural.

Eastend Snob Lip Liner SwatchRimmel Eastend Snob swatched lips

You can use it under pretty much any shade of lipstick or it is lovely on it’s own or with a slick of gloss on top.Overall, a really lovely and affordable product.

I wanted to speak about Eastend Snob first because I had this in my possession a few times before I went and made the splurge on Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk. But the splurge I did make and sadly (or happily) whichever way you look at it I can see what all the fuss is about.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pillow Talk

Pillow Talk is a darker pink than Rimmel’s Eastend Snob. It has a bit more brown in it. It is a standard pencil, although has the look of decadence that we have become accustomed to with Charlotte Tilbury. Pillow Talk looks more natural on the lips than Eastend Snob, you could probably apply it really lightly and people wouldn’t even know you were wearing it.

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It is smooth and creamy, and oh so pigmented, perhaps a bit more so than Eastend Snob but you would kind of hope it would be with it being €22 from Brown Thomas.

Pillow Talk Lip liner Swatch

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Swatch Lips

 

It is more of a neutral colour too so would probably bode well for more skin colours than the Rimmel offering. Again it is fab for fixing your lip line, as a neutral colour on it’s own, under any lipstick and of course overdrawing if you wish. In fact calling it a Lip Cheat is making that pretty obvious. 🙂

Eastend Snob Pillow Talk

Rimmel Eastend Snob                                   Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk

In conclusion.

Rimmel’s Eastend Snob is a quarter of the price, if your budget won’t stretch and you are in the market, get the Rimmel one. It does nearly the same thing, not quite as longlasting as Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk but well enough that you won’t feel like you’re missing out if you can’t splurge.

Myself personally, I think I actually prefer the colour of Eastend Snob as I’m more of a pinks girl than a neutrals one. I love Pillow Talk too though 🙂

That’s my two cents. What do you think? 🙂

xxx

 

Beautynook Top Cream Shadow Stick Picks

I use cream shadow pencils, sticks whatever you want to call them alot in my day to day makeup routine. Formulas have gotten so great nowadays that you can use them as shadow on their own and they don’t budge (for the most part) throughout the day. Or you can layer them under shadows to intensify them or increase their longevity too. They come in very handy.

So I compiled some my favourite brands for this post to show you some of the ones I love using and that I have tried and tested.

First up is the posh ones of the group.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar

These are the By Terry Ombre Blackstar. These are so very nice and so very posh with their €30 price tag. They are so creamy, pigmented and easy to blend though and they last all day on the lids. You can literally just throw one of these all over your lids, blend the edges and you’ve got yourself a really lovely eye look.

I have two shades…so far 🙂

5 Misty Rock 4 Bronze Moon

5 Misty Rock (on top) 4 Bronze Moon (bottom)

I have a couple of brands that I just have one offering from, but I wanted to include them because I pick them up regularly.

Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow stick

The Rimmel Scandaleyes. I love this shade under gold or creamy coloured shadows. It’s a great neutral shade to have in your collection. They come in an alot of different shades though. This is 002 Bulletproof Beige.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Bulletproof BeigeI bought one of the new Bourjois Colorband sticks not too long ago in Boots.

Bourjois Colorband Eyeshadow & Liner

This shade 05 Mauve Baroque is a great more affordable dupe for the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock. These stay put on the lid too, no messing about. You need to work quickly with them once it’s on it’s on!

Bourjois Colorband Mauve Baroque

Bourjois Colorband Mauve Baroque

 

The Kiko Longlasting Shadow Sticks are new in my makeup collection, but I picked them up because I’d read so much positivity about them in the blogging and You Tube world. You have to order online if you’re in Ireland which is a pain but the shipping is really good, as are the sticks themselves 🙂

I got three shades 05 (another dupe for the By Terry Ombre Blackstar, do you see a theme forming?), 10 a sparkly blue green shade and 10 an electric blue.

Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow

These are just awesome, simple as that. Creamy, smooth ,vibrant, longlasting, and come in a plethora of colours to suit everyone, and they are so reasonable priced too. More will find their way home to me soon, I’m sure of it.

Kiko Longlasting Shadow Sticks 05,11,10

05, 11,10

A couple of Wet n Wild picks up next.

Wet n wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil

If you are a regular round these parts you’ll know I am a huge fan of this affordable brand. These are their Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil. So ridiculously affordable and lovely base for shadow to help them stick around and help the colour become more vibrant too. These come in loads of colours, soft, but not as pigmented as maybe some of the others on the market. For the price though they are pretty great 🙂 I have two:

Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Graphite Techno

E133 Techno (on top) E135 Graphite (on bottom)

I left the probably most well known ones until last.

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils

These are of course the Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils. Apologies as mine have seen better days, they aren’t very photogenic. That doesn’t mean they’re not good at their job though. These things are brilliant! I’ve been buying Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils a long time, I use to have to buy them on eBay from America, but thank god Ireland now finally has gotten its act together and we are starting to see Nyx in pharmacies more and more. Wohoo! These literally come in all of the colour of the rainbow and more. They come in different finishes too,  some are matte some are more shimmery or sparkly. They are stupid pigmented and last well on the eyes. I have even used these on my water line and they last really well inside the eye too. I know Milk is such a cult shade now. It’s a matte, opaque white, if you are wanting vivid colours to stand out, you need Milk in your life believe me!

I have six in my collection, I’ve had more in the past but where they’re gone I don’t know 🙁

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils

In Order 603 Pots & Pans, 615 Slate, 612 Gold, 617 Iced Mocha, 624A Rocky Mountain Green and 604 Milk

There you have it, if you are in the market for some new cream shadow sticks, I hope I’ve helped a little showing you some of my favourites. I tried to pick some from all spectrum’s of the market to suit everyone. I honestly get so much use from all of these little beauties. Writing this blog post has just made me want to buy more 🙂

xxx

Gem's January Faves 2015

January has been and gone, we are officially into 2015, where is the time going? The end of a month means monthly favourites in my world, and so I am here to divulge some of the things I have been loving and using throughout the month of January 2015.

I firstly have something I have already prattled on about here so I’ll keep it short.

Rimmel Nude Foundation

You can read the full review if you want my full opinions on Rimmel’s Lasting Finish Nude Foundation, and to see it on the skin. This has been the only foundation I have pretty much used in the month of January though. It is cheap,has good medium coverage, long lasting…and I like it! That pretty much sums it up 🙂

Up next I have one of my Christmas presents.

Black Leather Accurist Watch

Accurist Rose Gold and Black Leather

My Accurist rose gold and black leather watch. I have been wearing this nearly every day since I got it. I think it’s very classic but understated and seems to go with everything. It’s also light and comfortable. It is actually a man’s watch, but I like bigger watches so this appeals to me. I want one of these in every colour 🙂

I am a big believer in washing your face thoroughly before bed with a cleanser or a face wash whatever you use. I wear waterproof mascara and liner alot and these can be a pain and a bit messy to take off with a cloth or you hands so I like to use an oil based makeup remover just on my eyes to make washing my face then a little easier.

Botanics All Bright Eye Makeup Remover

This Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover was on sale in Boots. I think it was less than €3, so picked it up to try. It does a really great job. I don’t even look when I am doing it. I just soak two cotton pads in it and gently rub my eyes with. It does the job really great. It’s also meant to condition your lashes which is a plus. If you are looking for an affordable paraben free range, give the Botanics in Boots a look.  I really like the face wash from this range too, I really recommend them.

I think I mentioned this in a favourites post gone by, but I am throwing it again because I have not been able to get enough of it this month.

Yonka Invigorating Dry Skin Toner

This is the Yonka Invigorating Dry Skin Toner, which is an aerosol toner. Do you like the Caudalie Beauty Elixir? Well then you’ll love this. It smells sooooo nice and earthy and it is really calming and hydrating on the skin. It contains lovely things like Lavender and Thyme (hence the smell) .It’s pricey but I need to buy a full sized bottle of it!

I have a couple of duo items up next.

Penneys Mittens Soap & Glory Whipped Clean

The first is the Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter and then these funny little exfoliating mittens that I randomly picked up in good oul Penney’s. These two together for me are a match made in heaven. The wash is really emollient and moisturising on the skin and feels really luxurious. I’ve found using this with the exfoliating mittens really nice, as although I am getting rid of any dead skin cells with the abrasive gloves, the wash keeps the skin feeling nourished and looked after. The Whipped Cream smells of almonds which I am not a fan of, but I suck it up 🙂

My next duo are for the lips.

Rimmel Lip Liner Eastend Snob Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect

This is Rimmel’s lip liner in Eastend Snob and on of the Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Charms in Bitch Perfect. How pretty and tiny are these lipsticks? We both got the little trio of lippies for Christmas. Mine is mashed a bit, sorry. I did that after a few alcoholic beverages and didn’t twist the bullet back down properly.

I am not really a nude lip person very often. But just something about this duo made me feel comfortable. Perhaps because it’s more of a pinky nude, so I don’t feel completely washed out. I’m pale enough as it is 🙂 Eastend Snob is a great liner to have if you are looking to slightly over draw your lips or you just want to even out your lip line.

East End Snob Bitch Perfect

My last favourite for this month is the Fuchsia Pro Collection Palette.

Fuschia The Pro CollectionFuschia The Pro Collection

I have been reaching for this so much of late. It’s great that an Irish brand are doing these pans that you can put into a zpalette and customise the colours to suit yourself. I had never really used the Fuchsia brand until we were kindly gifted these at a blogger Christmas Party. This one was prefilled, I did not choose the colours, but the colours in it are lovely. There is something for everything and everyone from cool tones to warm, neutrals to brights and shimmery to matte. The colour pay off is really nice and they blend well too. They also come in an array of colours and finishes. I will be investing in more for sure.

There you have it. January summed up in beauty products. That’s what we are here for, right?

Thanks for reading my ramble.

Gemma

xxx

 

 

Rimmel 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 Lasting Finish Nude Foundation

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

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.

My Foundations

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