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L'Oréal Infallible More Than ConcealerIt’s been a minute since I sat down a did a proper makeup review. Life got in the way of my creative juices, and people don’t swing around these parts as much as they used to. There’s more of you lovely lot interacting over on Instagram. But I love blogging, so Beautynook isn’t going anywhere, I just guess the content will not be as frequent. Tis’ the way of the online world 🙂 Anyways, enough personal rambling, I am here to talk about the new L’Oréal Infallible More Than Concealer….concealer.

I am overall a big fan of the Infallible range. The 24 Hour Matte foundation is one of my very faves, as is the Fixing Mist. I’ve done many a review over the years, some glowing, some grand and some of them not so grand.beauty blogger ireland

So how did I fare with the new L’Oréal Infallible More Than Concealer? In all honesty it falls into the grand category for me, but do hear me out.L'Oréal Infallible More Than Concealer

I think all concealers that come in a chubby tube with a larger doe foot applicator are always going to be compared to Tarte Shape Tape, case in point the Revolution Conceal & Define and now this. And let’s face it for the most part they can be pretty similar. They’re all more full coverage and have a matte finish.top irish beauty blogger

It comes in 25 shades and L’Oréal say they called it ‘More Than Concealer’, because you can use it to brighten, correct, contour and highlight. Very clever!

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top beauty blogger ireland

For me, It definitely has decent coverage. I have the shade Ivory, which is a little lighter than my natural skin tone so does brighten under the eyes for me. As you can see in these screenshots from the video I did.

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Here it is in actual action:

So I like the coverage and the colour range, what don’t I like? Now remember this is complete personal opinion as I know there’s a lot of people who love this concealer. It dries down quickly so you have to work fast, thats nor a major problem for me. It’s normal with a thicker, more coverage formula. For me, it takes a lot of blending, I find a fluffy synthetic brush works best for me to do that with. I also find that even though I set it, it creases on me! This very rarely happens for me with under eye concealer, so have to mark it down for that. It also catches on any dryness you might have, which can make it even harder to blend out. These reasons tend to make me want to reach for something more trustworthy day to day. Final verdict? I like it, but I don’t love it.

I am actually giving one of these concealers away along with a whole host of other beauty goodies over on my Instagram at the time this post is published, so be sure to check that out 🙂

You can buy the L’Oréal Infallible More Than Concealer concealer now. I got mine in Boots, but actually Littlewoods seem to have the better deal on it here.

Have you tried it?

xxx

 

Fenty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch PrimerI 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.

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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.Fenty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Primer

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.fenty beauty ireland

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.

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top irish beauty blogger

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

 

 

Urban Decay All Nighter ConcealerMy lovely friend Sue aka @itscherrysue (she LOVES to be called that out in the non digital world FYI 🙂 ), very kindly gave me the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer. How much of a sound dude is she?

Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer

We were having a cheeky pint after an event and she pulled it out her back and exclaimed, ‘Gem, this is too light for me, you should try it’. The most romantic words I ever did hear. Sometimes having blue skin comes in handy!Urban Decay Concealer

So what is the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer? Well I am so glad you asked. This is a followup to their All Nighter Foundation, which I actually wasn’t a fan of. It didn’t work great for my skin. I found it just slipped around.

There is 14 shades in the concealer range and Urban Decay say it’s 73% more pigmented than their Naked Skin Foundation. What a peculiar statistic!irish beauty blog

I have the shade Neutral Fair (thanks to Sue). It’s definitely a shade or two lighter than my skin tone. This concealer is famously known to oxidise though. UD actually recommend you to opt for the lighter shade if you’re in between colours, so that’s definitely something to note.

For me, this is a thick, full coverage concealer. I find it does a really good job at covering darkness and pigmentation, including redness and blemishes. I do for the most part only use it under my eyes. It sets super quickly, so you have to work particularly fast with it to make sure it blends into the skin. But if you do, it applies really nicely. On me, once it’s blended and set with powder, it doesn’t crease or get caught in any fine lines. I don’t generally have major problems with that happening though. I think if you have particularly dry skin around your eyes, this might be a miss.

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If you’re using a more full coverage base, I would be careful with applying this as you could go ‘cakey’ really is as it is quite thick in consistency.

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 I’ve heard talk of the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation being compared to the infamous Tarte Shape Tape. As I own both, I will offer my humble opinion.

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I think I prefer the packaging from UD, it’s more sleek and I prefer a smaller doe foot applicator. Shape Tape comes with a huge one and I can sometimes find it cumbersome and a bit messy as it can retain a lot of product. They come in at a similar price if buying directly. ST is a bit of a pain in the arse to get in Europe though with taxes. QVC do sell it but with a decent mark up and a more limited shade range. You get 3.5 grams of product from UD, whereas ST has 10 mls! For me, Shape Tape wins over All Nighter just because it has a thinner consistency and blends easier but still has the coverage and the staying power.top irish beauty blog

Saying that though, I really do like the Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer. It does a really great job. You can find it online from Debenhams here.

Have you tried it?

xxx

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My makeup prayers were answered a couple of weeks ago when a very generous blogging friend posted me some makeup. I was having a miserable few weeks, so she literally couldn’t have picked a better time so be so lovely. And then to top off her generosity, this was in the envelope! The Tarte Shape Tape Concealer!!

Tarte Shape Tape ConcealerI have wanted to try the Tarte Shape Tape for so long. It seems to be the go to concealer for every makeup lover across the globe at the minute. Tarte Shape TapeThe shade I have is Fair, which works really well for me. It’s really light, so for my skin tone (NC20 in Mac), it works really well under my eyes.

Tarte Shape Tape Ireland
Tarte Shape Tape Review
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I’ll start with what I don’t like about it, because it won’t take long 🙂 First off Tarte is hard to get hold of here in Ireland, that’s a con for sure. You can buy it but we are overcharged and that just pisses me off! You only get 10mls of product in the tube, which isn’t alot at all! And then finally the applicator is ginormous.

Now to be fair this doesn’t bother me too much. I don’t really sculpt with concealer, I just blob it on so I don’t need major control over the applicator. I know some people have issues with it creasing on them under the eyes. Personally, I have not found this to be an issue for me as of yet. I generally just apply one layer of it, buff it in and set with powder.

Now onto what I love about Tarte Shape Tape. The formula is super pigmented. A little goes a really long way with it. And best of all it blends like a dream. It takes no effort at all to blend it in with a brush or sponge and conceals so bloody well. I can really understand the hype. I don’t find it overly drying on the skin although it does set quite quickly. You can’t feel it laying on the skin either, which can be the case sometimes for more hard hitting concealers.

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It reminds me alot of one of my very favourites the Clarins Instant Concealer. I reviewed this yonks ago now here. You need less Shape Tape to cover up any darkness though, and I find it more brightening too. It also comes in so many more colour choices. It works well as an all over concealer too, not just for under the eyes which is great. I don’t suffer with a huge amount of darkness, but I do have some discolouration and it really evens that out and makes me look more awake.

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The downside of liking the Tarte Shape Tape? To get another one I will have to bribe friends who are going stateside to pick me one up, or fork out £28 (plus shipping) from QVC here. Although it does come with a sponge!

Have you tried it before?

xxx

I’ve been talking alot about Kat Von D of late, Since they’ve parked their bums in Debenhams, I want to try everything! I did a post on the Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette here too if you are interested. This post is all about the under eyes though. I am giving my thoughts on the Kat Von D Lock It Concealer and the Brightening Powder.

kat von d lock it concealer

I picked up both products together a few weeks ago and have been using the pretty much consistently since.

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There is a whole array of products in the Kat Von D Lock it line, ranging from face primer, to setting spray.
I’ll start out talking about the Lock It Concealer.

kat von d lock it

Off the bat, I love the packaging, specifically the doe foot applicator. It has a tear drop shape, so it works really nicely around the eye contours. I also love that it comes in an abundance of shade ranges, and they differentiate by tone too! So, you can get warm, neutral and cool.

I went with L5 Neutral, which is a really good match for me:

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kat von d swatches
kat von d lock it under eye concealer
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It has quite a thick consistency on the skin, but blends like a dream. It covers really nicely and brightens up the under eye area too. On me, it has yet to crease, flake or settle in any fine lines once I set it. I usually go in with a light (ish) layer, blend it in and then apply another dot to the darkest area of my under eyes.

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beauty blogger ireland
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Overall, I am a big fan of the Kat Von D Lock It Concealer. It gives me very similar vibes to the Clarins Instant Light which I am a huge fan of too! It costs €26 from Debenhams in store or online here.

Next up we have the Kat Von D Lock It Brightening Powder.

kat von d lock it brightening powder petal

I bought this specifically to use over the concealer. I am sure if you wanted just a little brightens under the eyes without using a concealer, this could work too.

It comes in three shades, I picked up the lightest one ‘Petal’. It is a really finely milled loose powder with a peachy undertone.

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With it being a loose powder and in a smaller container, it can get messy to use, I won’t lie. Saying that, it does a really lovely job at setting my concealer and really does help smooth out under the eyes, as well as adding extra brightness.

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It feels like velvet on the skin and a little goes a really long way. It doesn’t leave your under eyes feeling tight or dry when you apply it. Again, this is another Kat Von D purchase I am glad I made. The Brightening Powder costs €24.50. You can buy from Debenhams in store or online here.

Now, I just need to get my hands on the Kat Von D Lock It primer, foundation and setting spray and I’ll be good to go :). Have you tried anything from the range?

xxx

Essence Cosmetics have very kindly given me some of their new Essence Little Beauty Angels Colour Correcting products to give away to one of you!

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I have the guts of the whole Essence Little Beauty Angels collection here. According to the brand: ‘essence brings “little beauty angels colour correcting” on a heavenly mission to you. the products help balance out small skin flaws with contrasting colours to ensure a flawless, radiant complexion. pink gives tired skin a wide-awake look, green neutralizes redness and beige corrects skin irregularities.’

Essence Little Beauty Angels

The prize will include:

  • Primer stick 01 on my concealing mission
  • Primer stick 02 on my anti-redness mission
  • Primer stick 03 on my covering mission
  • Mini make-up sponges 01 pretty little angels
  • Core lip primer 01 prime time angel
  • Concealer palette 01 four angels for brightness
  • Brush duo 01 one team, one mission
  • Multicolour matt pearls 01 call me a multivalent angel
  • Face perfection primer 01 I’m your wake-up angel
  • Face perfection primer 02 I’m your anti-redness angel
  • Face perfection primer 03 I’m your brightening angel

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is comment below telling me what your favourite blog posts to read are. And make sure to include your email address so I can contact you. For an extra chance, you can share this post on any of your social media platforms and I will include those entries too!

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This Essence Little Beauty Angels giveaway closes a week from today, the 11th of April 2017 at 10pm. It is only open to people living in Ireland. I will pick a winner at random and email you. The lovely people at Essence will then send you out your goodies.

The very best of luck. As always thanks for taking the time to click and enter, I really appreciate it!

Gemma

xxx

*****Prize courtesy of Essence Cosmetics Ireland*****