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Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer

I have been using the Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer since just after Christmas on and off. It’s definitely been a hot minute. I’ve put off writing about it for ages, just because it took me this long to formulate a logical opinion on it.

I bought this along with the Bomb Baby Mini Lip And Face Set. I really like the gloss, I can understand the hype. Although I will say loads of brands have jumped on the pretty sparkly non sticky gloss band wagon now. So there’s many a lovely gloss out there to choose from now.

The Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer is said to be ‘A shine-stopping, pore-diffusing primer that smooths the way for better foundation application and longer wear with an instant retouch effect’. This description is basically what confuses me. Hear me out 🙂

This is obviously a description that would hook me with my skin being on the oiler side and having pores like craters in my t zone. I’ll start with the pros of this primer. The packaging is so lovely and the matte glass bottle feels so fancy in your hands. The pump is really easy to control. It has a really delicate , sweet scent. The formula is really light, blends really nicely and applies nearly like an extra layer of skincare. It dries down and leaves your skin feeling really soft.

Ok, this is where I get confused. For me, it doesn’t really control oil. I generally use it in conjunction with another more hardy primer like Benefit Porefessional. I apply the the Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer all over and the other primer in my t zone where I know it just won’t cut the mustard. Just because I like how it feels and, well I have it and spent a decent amount of money on it. It also doesn’t do anything for my enlarged pores either, so that were Porefessional comes too.

If they had of marketed this primer towards drier skin types, I could completely concur with the consistency and how it feels. But saying it’s a pore diffusing, shine stopping primer doesn’t really make any sense to me.

Overall, I think it’s nice and it doesn’t put me off the brand at all, this was just a kind of a miss because it doesn’t do what it says on the tin.

The Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer is available from Harvey Nichols in store and online here now.

Have you tried anything from the Fenty range yet? I’d love to know your thoughts.

xxx

May 2, 2018/by Gem

Hair

Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo

Myself and dry shampoo have a really close relationship, yep you read that right. I panic if I don’t have one stashed in a drawer ready for use. I have oily skin, which means I have oily roots. Generally, the second day after washing my gruaig, I will need a spritz. I am always a bit reluctant to talk about hair stuff too in-depth. I am not great with hair. I know how to wash, dry and use a hair straighteners or a curling wand on it. That is the extent of my hair abilities. But I guess when it comes to hair care, I know what I like and what works for me, so I am allowed dabble in it, right? 🙂 I picked up the new Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo for one reason. Purely because it had the familiar scent the brand are known for.

They call it their Signature Pink scent which consists of Rose and Bergamot. I am a big fan of it. I love the kitsch packaging too.

I have to admit I am not majorly fussy when it comes to dry shampoo. I just want one that smells good, sprays evenly and doesn’t leave my hair feeling like I was rolling around in the sand all day. Ok, maybe I am a little bit fussy… I can say that the Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo ticks all of them boxes for me.

It smells really good (in my opinion). It sprays really finely on the hair, so it doesn’t make your fingers or hairbrush sticky as you disperse it through the roots. It does a great job at mopping up any unwanted oiliness in the roots of the hair and gives it a bit of a lift at the same time. It also doesn’t leave a white cast on your hair, once you don’t spray it too close and give everything a good rub in!

One downside of the Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo. It only comes in a 200ml can. And you can go through it mighty quickly! The mist is fine, so you do tend to go a bit nuts using it.

Overall though, I am a fan! I will definitely repurchase. The Soap & Glory The Rushower Dry Shampoo is available in store and online here from Boots now for €3.89.

Have you tried it?

xxx

August 2, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette

First things first. If you don’t like kitsch and you don’t like heavily scented product. You will not like any of the Too Faced Sweet Peach products.

If you are like me and don’t mind any of that, keep on reading because of course this post is going to be about the Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette 🙂

This palette is a continuation of the Too Faced Sweet Peach family. We of course had the eyeshadow palette first which the beauty world went nuts about. So the collection was extended to include this, blushes and lip glosses and I am sure there is more to come.

The Glow palette comes similarly packaged to the eyeshadow palette. The casing is a light hollow metal and it has a magnetic closing which I really like.

You don’t have to fiddle with a clasp to get it open. It has a good sized mirror too and quite compact.

Inside you get a highlight, a blush and a bronzer. They are all powder.

light warm peachy golden highlight which is 3 grams:

A coral orange toned blush which is 5.5 grams of product (almost double the amount of the other two):

And then a warm toned satin finish bronzer. This is also 3 grams:

The powders are heavily scented of sweet peach. It’s the first thing that greets you when you open the palette. I personally really like the scent. It reminds of me of sweeties and as I am even writing this, I am stopping to have a whiff of the palette beside me.

The products are quite densely packed in the pans, but it doesn’t make them difficult to blend out on the skin. It also means you don’t get a lot of kickback when you dip your brush (or your fingers) in. When you swatch the powders with your fingers, you get a decent saturation of product on the skin.

With the flash on

With natural light

When you apply with a brush you get a sheerer application on first swipe, but you can build up all three powders to your liking. I like this because it puts you in control of the colour pay off. If you are looking for instant gratification with them though, you are probably best off using a stiffer bristled brush for application.

In my opinion the colours are more suited to lighter skin tones like my own. All three are very pretty wearable shades though. The bronzer shade is a little warmer than what I would go for myself normally, but it applies really nicely on the skin. I find it really wearable.

Before application:

Bronzer applied:

Blush applied:

Highlight applied:

You can buy the Too Faced Sweet Peach Glow Palette in store or online here from Debenhams. It costs €41. What do you think? Would you splash the cash?

xxx

******PR SAMPLE********

March 29, 2017/1 Comment/by Gem

Fragrance

Jo Malone Basil & Neroli

This will be my first attempt at reviewing fragrance here on Beautynook. I have always shied away from it, because I don’t think my way of writing is eloquent enough. But, I adore fragrances. I remember everything by smell, so I thought it was time I stepped out of my blogging comfort zone and just did it. Here are my thoughts on the Jo Malone Basil & Neroli Cologne 🙂

I have had a few Jo Malone fragrances in my life. My favourite so far is probably their Wood Sage & Sea Salt. The fragrance doesn’t linger on me unfortunately, but it smells incredible. I was lucky enough to be gifted the Basil & Neroli very kindly by The Loop a while back now, so it wasn’t a scent I decided upon myself.

And actually I am one of the few people in the world who doesn’t enjoy the scent of the Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, so I am so surprised by how much I am enjoying owning this cologne.

According to the Jo Malone website here, Basil & Neroli’s heart note is Neroli which comes from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, hence the citrus zing you get from it. The base note is white musk, which obviously provides the muskiness and then the top note is Basil which plays in with the citrus, while also giving a peppery element to it too.

Fragrance smell different on everyone, it depends on your pH balance. On me, the Jo Malone Basil & Neroli dies down to a sweet zesty scent with a hint of musk. It’s a scent I think I would equate more with the colder months. I wear it more as a daytime scent personally and I find it lingers really well on my skin without being over powering.

It’s a unisex cologne which I can totally get on board with. I think the mixture of sweet and musk can work perfectly for both men and women. Although of course, it is completely up to you what fragrance you wear 🙂

You can pick it up in different sizes from The Loop directly if you’re traveling or you can do click and collect here. It’s obviously a little cheaper to shop duty free (€87.20). Of course can get it in Brown Thomas on counter, or from the website here. The 100ml will set you back €109. It will also be a permanent fixture from them too!

Jo Malone Basil & Neroli launched this past September. It is the first cologne from the brand in 20 years that has basil as the top note. Lime Basil & Mandarin was the last! I thought that was a good tit bit of information to add in, to end this post 🙂

Have you tried it?

xxx

***sample***

December 18, 2016/by Gem

Posts

The Fenty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer is available from Harvey Nichols in store and online here now.

Have you tried anything from the Fenty range yet? I’d love to know your thoughts.

xxx

First things first. If you don’t like kitsch and you don’t like heavily scented product. You will not like any of the Too Faced Sweet Peach products.