silicone Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer

I’ve heard and read a lot of mixed reviews about the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer. I swatched it a while back at an Urban Decay masterclass. And from then, I was super intrigued, so I took the hit and picked it up from Debenhams.

First up, I really like the packaging of these UD primers (they come in different finishes). I always appreciate a pump when I’m spending a few bob on a product. I like that you can see how much product is in the bottle too. You get 28 mls for on average €29. So you’re getting a ml of product per euro. It contains rosehip and argan oil.

So what does the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer claim to do? Well pretty much that. They say it blurs pores and fine lines. As well giving a velvet like texture to the skin to help foundation go on smoother. It gives the skin a bit of a pink tint. UD say this helps illuminate the skin. I think if you’re my skin tone or lighter that might be the case. But, if you’re darker, it could give a white cast to the skin, that might not be so flattering.

I really like this primer, it works really well for me. I do tend to use it only in my t-zone though. It’s thick in consistency and takes a bit of working in to the skin. I press it into my skin with the tips of my fingers.

The big no no that people say about it is that it balls up as you apply. That definitely can happen with a silicone heavy product like this if you use too much, or use it over a thicker moisturiser. They’re two things I tend to avoid on a daily basis so for the most part it blends out smoothly on my skin. It definitely glides over my enlarged pores and helps fill in my more prominent forehead lines. It gives a smooth base and foundation blends well over top. I find it does help with longevity too. I do always set my makeup with powder as well though.

It reminds me of a thicker Benefit Porefessional, with a drier finish on the skin. I find that as it is thicker, it goes further than Porefessional.

I can whole heartedly say I am happy enough that I spent the €29 on the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer. It ticks all the primer boxes for me. My skin likes silicone heavy primers and this is definitely that with a more velvet finish. Have you tried it?

xxx

June 27, 2018/by Gem

Beautynook Tips, Makeup

Primer For Oily Skin – Mixing Primers!

I wanted to talk a bit about primer for oily skin types.

Chip pan skin is my jam, with some dehydration in certain areas too. Although, I think this little discussion will help other skin types aswell. I wanted the title to be ‘primer for oily skin’, because that’s what I know about best.

I spoke briefly on social media about mixing primers and I got some questions about it. Also, a couple of people said they would never think to use more than one.

This is me just talking about personal opinion. I just wanted to put that out there. I am a makeup lover, not a beauty expert by any means.

I think of mixing primers like mixing any other makeup or skincare products. One of my favourite things to do is mix foundation. Different finishes, different tones. I think primer falls into that bracket too.

I’ll use the two examples I put up on Instagram.

These are two of my favourite primer (s) for oily skin.

The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer. (You can buy it here).

And Benefit’s The Porefessional. (Buy online here).

With applying primer, I do find less it more. Too much can undo the barrier you are trying to create with it.

I love both of these in their own right as a primer for oilier, more combination skin. But, I’ve been really enjoying using both of these together in the warmer weather. I use the silicone primer all over, just a really light layer. Not all silicone based primers cut the mustard for me. I spoke about the L’Oréal one here a while ago that I only find OK.

After The Ordinary Primer settles into the skin, I pat some of Porefessional into my T Zone. I have really big pores and Porefessional works like putty to fill them in, again using the patting method. It works great on scars and fine lines too!

Both together gives me a nice flat base for my makeup, and of course helps everything last longer on my skin too.

This is just my go to cocktail of the minute. It will work with all different primers. It’s just fun to play around with them and find what works for your skin. There is no need to use two different products whatsoever, one is just fine, I just like to experiment.

That’s the great thing about makeup, right? 🙂

xxx

****CONTAINS PR SAMPLE****

June 28, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Summer Makeup Essentials!

Since the sun is shining, don’t say that too loud, we might spook it! But, since it is, I thought I would put together some of my summer makeup essentials. This isn’t so much about the products, just dive into your collection and see what you have already to play with.

These are products I have in my stash right now. I love shopping my stash, especially when a new season begins.

Summer makeup for me, is about a light base and having fun with everything else.

My skin tends to behave itself a little bit more in the summer months so I can spend less time on my base. It still needs help though!

My Summer makeup will always consist of primers. I have oily skin.

I just find adding a few dabs of it to the t zone and blending it out over my whole face, really helps with the longevity of anything I put on top of it. Eyeshadow primer is another must for me. All year round, but particularly in the warmer months. Oily lids are no joke! I am really enjoying The Ordinary High Adherence Silicone Primer (you can buy it here) and Benefit Porefessional has always been a holy grail for me.

Because I use a more mattifying primer, I find I can go a little bit more dewy and light with the foundation.

If I know I am going to be out in the sun for a long period of time, I will of course use sun protection on my face. However, it does tend to melt my makeup. So, if I am going somewhere that is more shaded, I’ll use a foundation with SPF.

One very important Summer makeup essential for me, is coloured eye liners.

Whether it be liquid, gel, waterproof pencil, or pencil with eyeshadow over top, this is something I cannot get enough of in Summer. It is just such a fun way to add something to your makeup without trying too hard. I love applying a slick of it across the lash line. If I am feeling extra daring, I’ll even attempt to wing it out. Adding a pop of colour to your water line too is a lovely way to incorporate a hint of colour to a makeup look aswell. I used the Nyx Vivid Brights Liner here in a makeup look last Summer.

Without waterproof mascara, I am a basic lash person.

My lashes are straight and need waterproof mascara to hold a curl. It is imperative in the Summer time too though. It is a bitch to get off, but a decent waterproof mascara means you don’t have to worry about panda eyes behind your sunglasses. Or if you suffer with watery eyes, you are less inclined to have black marks down your cheeks. I talk about two of my favourites pictured here and here.

My last Summer makeup essential is a glossy lip. I never thought I would say those words, but glossy lip products have come such a long way.

They don’t have to be sticky and they can be super long wearing and colourful too. Products like the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors are great. They add shine with a hint of colour as well as nourish the lips. So handy to throw in your bag for top ups throughout the day.

Shout out to Rosie for helping me take the photos!

And, I will stop rambling 🙂 Have you any Summer makeup essentials?

xxx

May 26, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation

The new Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation is really hard to get your hands on at the minute.

I even asked the PR did they have any samples when I couldn’t get hold of it in store. I very rarely do that! They didn’t even have any! You will be happy to know, if you are waiting to try it, or you are really enjoying it, the Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation will be permanent on stands from June. I happened to pop into my local Dunnes randomly when the stand restocked, so I got my mitts on the two shades they had left there.

‘Soft Ivory’ and ‘Nude Ivory’.

After seeing them both in natural light, ‘Soft Ivory’ seemed to be the one for me, so that’s the one I have been using over the past couple of weeks.

According to the brand, the Wet n Wild Photofocus foundation ‘helps eliminate white particle reflection’. To me and you, that means it doesn’t create flashback if you are in front of flash photography while wearing it. Now I always though the white cast you get from flash photography, is usually because of the powder you use on top of a foundation. I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem with it from cream products. But, they’ve done loads of tests to ensure it won’t happen with this if it is something you worry about. And when I did use flash photography with it, I didn’t have any problems with it!

It comes in a glass 30ml bottle. The plastic lid has an attached paddle that you can use to apply to foundation to your face. I quite like this feature! Just make sure you give it a wipe before putting it back into the bottle 🙂 It smells a bit meh, in the bottle, but it doesn’t linger once you buff it in.

The foundation itself is quite runny and when you first apply it, you think it’s going to give a much sheerer finish. But, as you buff it in it starts to firm up and you definitely get a more medium build-able coverage. It is quite a silicone heavy foundation, but it does absorb into the skin, and has a semi matte finish once it does. There’s no slipping and sliding, on me personally.

Obviously, I have oily skin. On my skin, I would compare it to the longevity of L’Oréal True Match foundation (review here), it lasts pretty well. I’ll get maybe four hours out of it, before I have to powder, while wearing it with a primer. I find it does cling slightly to any dryness I might have. I tried applying with a damp sponge and a brush. On me, it doesn’t seem to work with the sponge at all, it’s really hard to blend out. I find it much easier to work with using a brush.

Before:

After:

Full face of makeup applied:

This is my skin about six hours after applying, the foundation is still there, but the oils have definitely won the war :).

The Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation is available in all good stockists now, if you can get your mitts on it. By June, you shouldn’t have to worry about tracking it down though.

Have you tried it?

xxx

May 19, 2017/6 Comments/by Gem

Makeup

L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base Review

I have been using the L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base for a good chunk of time now.

Actually probably more time than I would usually before I would review a product. I am like a broken record when I say I am big fan of L’Oréal base products generally. My latest review of their Total Cover foundation here wasn’t particularly glowing though, I know. I have been holding out talking about the L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base because, if I am being honest I couldn’t make my mind up about it.

There are two ingredients in this primer. Both are derivatives of silicone. I was fully aware of this when I bought it. For my oily skin and large pores, silicone seems to work well as a base. I always moisturise before applying it, so I like to think there’s a barrier between my skin and the makeup anyways.

The L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying primer is what you would expect from a silicone primer. It has a clear, gel like consistency.

It makes textured skin a smoother surface to apply makeup on top of. A little goes a long way with it. It spreads really easily and does glide over any pores or fine lines you might have.

For me, the part I find weird, is that it doesn’t seem to set. Usually, when I apply a base, I pat it in and then wait for it to settle a little before applying foundation. This just doesn’t seem to settle. It is slippery to the touch. I can still feel it on my skin minutes later. Saying all of this, makeup applies grand over top. Just for me, I find the texture a bit off putting. I feel like it is just mixing into the foundation then, rather than being a layer of product on it’s own.

The L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base is just ok in my book. I have used better primers in the past that have less silicone and are more beneficial to my oily skin. I will finish the tube for sure and use it knowing it will keep my makeup in tact ok. I don’t think I will be repurchasing it though. I’ll just stick to the foundation and the the fixing mist. Hey, two out of three ain’t bad at all 🙂

You can purchase it from Boots in store or online here for €11.99. Have you tried it?

xxx

March 10, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Benefit Porefessional License to Blot

I’ve had the Benefit Porefessional License To Blot for a long time now.

It’s something I actually pick up quite a lot and just forgot to ever talk about it. It an unusual little product.

Its looks a bit like a pritt stick for your face 🙂 When it comes to comes to marketing and packaging the Benefit team are some of the best in the business, they really are and the Benefit Porefessional License To Blot is a really innovative little product.

According to Benefit: ‘This instant oil-blotting stick with tiny invisible blotting spheres mattifies shine for up to six hours after application. The specially designed triangular tip targets shiny zones: the sides of your nose, forehead and chin. Oil has finally met its matte!

The Benefit Porefessional License To Blot is pretty much designed to throw into your handbag for blotting on the go. It comes in a retractable tube and the product itself is in a triangular shape so it can get around the contours of your face.

The product itself has like a balm texture to it, it’s colourless, so would work on any skin tone. It does have a scent to it, but it’s really very slight.

So does it work?

It definitely blots off any excess oil you might have creeping through your foundation. It also softens the look of any pores that might come through aswell. You should really use a light hand with it and pat it onto the skin as Benefit encourage you to, as it can leave a silicone like film over the top of your makeup. It doesn’t however promote caking like adding powder might do. The fact that you’re applying the product from the tube can get a little grubby as you’re left with makeup marks on it after use, so you have to be sure to clean as you go. I can’t say that it keeps the skin matte for six extra hours, not on my skin anyways, but I would say at least half that time for sure.

I sometimes use the Benefit Porefessional License To Blot in a way it’s not intended too also. Because it works for minimising the look of pores and it is good for blotting, I’ll use it in conjunction with whatever primer I have on the go in my real problem areas on my T-zone before applying foundation (and even sometimes after foundation, if my skin is really acting up).

Overall I really like the Benefit Porefessional License To Blot. It has its flaws but overall does what its supposed to do and may I add at €21.50, it’s cheaper that the primer, but kind of does the same job 🙂 You can pick it up from Debenhams here

xxx

April 15, 2016/2 Comments/by Gem

Posts

I can whole heartedly say I am happy enough that I spent the €29 on the Urban Decay Optical Illusion Complexion Primer. It ticks all the primer boxes for me. My skin likes silicone heavy primers and this is definitely that with a more velvet finish. Have you tried it?

xxx

I wanted to talk a bit about primer for oily skin types.

Chip pan skin is my jam, with some dehydration in certain areas too. Although, I think this little discussion will help other skin types aswell. I wanted the title to be ‘primer for oily skin’, because that’s what I know about best.

I’ll use the two examples I put up on Instagram.

Since the sun is shining, don’t say that too loud, we might spook it! But, since it is, I thought I would put together some of my summer makeup essentials. This isn’t so much about the products, just dive into your collection and see what you have already to play with.

The new Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation is really hard to get your hands on at the minute.

The Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation is available in all good stockists now, if you can get your mitts on it. By June, you shouldn’t have to worry about tracking it down though.

I have been using the L’Oréal Infallible Mattifying Base for a good chunk of time now.

I’ve had the Benefit Porefessional License To Blot for a long time now.