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PS Pure Glow Highlighter Powder Palette

I picked up the PS Pure Glow Highlighter Powder Palette after seeing my lovely and very talented YouTubing friend Eimear McElheron rocking it at a beauty event. Honestly, her makeup videos are awesome, you should totally check her out here 🙂

Her highlight was blinding and I was extremely intrigued to know what she had used. She was lovely enough to let me in on the budget friendly secret!

It was this €6 PS Pure Glow Highlighter Palette from Penneys! Now, I am very aware that Penneys beauty products can be very hit and miss! I actually bought another highlighting palette first thinking it was this one and it was so crap, it went in the bin. There is definitely some hidden gems within the brands though. I actually have a post on the PS lip liners here, that I really like and they only cost €1.50 each. Not bad at all.

This highlighter palette comes with four shades in a pretty decent cardboard magnetic palette. From left to right we have:

‘Desert’, which is an icy shimmer.

‘Glimmer’, which is a soft, light golden shimmer.

‘Eden’. This to me is more of a shimmery rosy blush shade.

And then finally ‘Firefly’ which is a deeper, more bronzed golden shade.

All of the powder are pretty bloody good for the price. They are reasonably soft to the touch and apply really well with a brush, as well as with your fingers. If you are more of a subtle highlight fan, this palette might not be your jam, as the shades are super shiny. If you apply them with a damp brush, they pack even more of a punch. They last really well on my oily skin too.

I think you get the best look at highlight when it’s actually on your mug, so here is ‘Desert’ and ‘Glimmer’ mixed together on my non existent cheekbones 🙂

Each pan is 7 grams of product. I myself, have been gravitating more towards the top two ‘Glimmer’ and ‘Eden’. They seem to work best for my skin tone. All of the shades will be pretty useful in different capacities though and they make really pretty eyeshadows as well.

Overall, the Penneys PS Pure Glow Highlighter Powder Palette gets a thumbs up from me! I am super impressed with it. Have you tried it? I’d love to know what you think.

xxx

May 24, 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

Bargain Buying, Makeup

Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops

The Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are not a new phenomenon.

Many brands have their own offering of the concept. However, the Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are the cheapest version I have come across as of yet on the market. That alone is exciting. Who doesn’t like a bargain? 🙂

If you are unfamiliar with the concept, they are basically a pigment you can add into a foundation to either lighten or darken the shade and customise if to your preferred colour. These drops come in 15ml tubes.

As a pale skinned gal. The Lightening Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are definitely something that could enrich my foundation wearing life. Alot of the time the palest shade in a foundation range is still too dark for me. The Darkening Drops probably won’t get much use from me personally, but they are equally as important for warming up foundations for darker skinned beauties. Or, of course for fake tan wearing days 🙂

They have a light but creamy consistency that blends super easily with foundation. I was kind of worried about them changing how my foundation applies and lasts on the skin. But, after trying the lightening ones everyday for the past week or so, I can confidently say they don’t on me.

Here it is in action on my skin with a foundation that is a couple of shades too dark for me. Now I will say, some of the transformer products on the market come in white which would give more colour scope. The Catrice offering are more of a very light skin shade.

The Darkening Drops work in much the same way.

I would say add product and mix as you go. The first time I played with these I ended up wasting alot. They’re called drops for a reason, a little goes a long way 🙂

Catrice also say on the website you can use the drops for highlighting and contouring, which makes sense since they are pigmented and blendable, and of course the right kind of shades. Not something I have tried as of yet, but I definitely will at some stage.

Overall, I am a fan of the Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops. A variation of colours would be as always more beneficial to more skin tones. But, for the price point (€3.95), they are a great addition to your personal makeup collection. They are available in retailers now.

xxx

****PR SAMPLE****

February 10, 2017/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

Makeup

Urban Decay Full Spectrum

The Urban Decay Full Spectrum is not a necessity is your makeup bag. To be fair makeup isn’t a necessity in our lives, that doesn’t stop us from wanting using and enjoying it though 🙂

If I am being completely honest with myself (and you), most of the colours in this palette will not make it on my face day to day. Or perhaps even, never. I am not a professional makeup artist so I cannot even justify it by saying I might use them on other people. I enjoy buying and sourcing makeup, the buzz and the aftermath. So, that is my justification for buying the crazy colourful Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette 🙂 Oh and I did get it in Siopaella, AND it was half price!! You have to be quick buying makeup in there though. There’s usually only one (or sometimes two) of something.

Ok, enough beauty babble out of me. We’re here to look at the Urban Decay Full Spectrum up close. Urban Decay say it is a step up from their Spectrum Palette which was launched last year. This is the 2016 version of that limited edition colour explosion. You get 21 shades in total, each 1.2 grams. This is most eyeshadows in any Urban Decay Palette to date.

They are organised by colour family. So if you look at the colours in trios going down, you can see that they go from light to dark within the same colour….spectrum 🙂

The packaging is really lovely and is sleek to the touch, with a large very usable mirror within the lid.

You also get a dual ended brush, which has seemed to become the norm with Urban Decay Palettes.

The eyeshadows vary from more sparkly, shimmery and then shadows that look shimmery in the palette, but swatch matte. There is also a matte white thrown in for good measure. I actually like this addition because you can layer the bright colours over top (in theory) to make them more vibrant on the eyes. It contains 18 new shades with 3 what Urban Decay call exclusives from past palettes.

I have them swatched in sevens across, from left to right.

On the top line we have: Alchemy, Warning, Midnight Blaze, Hundred, Minx, Delirious, Platonic.

The second line contains: Gossip, Seize (apologies there’s a glare on the name), Calavera, Hatter, Blindsided, Sketch, Iced.

Then on the final row, we have: Paranoia, Jones (again with the glare, apologies), Goldmine, Mean, Metamorphosis, Faded and the matte white, Bump.

Some of the eyeshadows definitely have more colour pay off than others. You would even just notice that from the touch. There is some really lovely wearable colours within the rainbow. But overall, I think this is a palette for people who are makeup fiends, colour fiends or collectors ( I put myself in that category 🙂 ).

The Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette is available in Debenhams in store now or online here and will set you back €49. Would you dare?

xxx

November 30, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner

These are the new Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner(s).

Well two of them anyways 🙂

I hauled these in my last YouTube video here if you didn’t catch it, along with some other makeup bits and bobs.

From what I can gather there are three colours in the new Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner range. A black, blue and a white. All of the white ones had been opened and ruined in the Boots I picked these two up in which is a shame, and I have been in another couple since and they were all the same! So I only have two here to show.

The Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner(s) are new liquid liners to hit the Rimmel stand. They have a thin, tapered felt tip nib.

Rimmel say describe them as ‘Bold colours, clean liners, all day wear’.

The nib sold me on these. I am not particularly good with liquid liner especially trying to create a cat eye with one, although I do try my best and buy varied ones that come onto the market to try, in hopes I will find the perfect one for me 🙂

I thought the felt tip applicator on the Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner(s) looked like a good match for my easily tickled eyeballs (yes that’s what I suffer from the most when trying to apply liner ha), as I could place the colour on with the length of the nib rather than having to draw it on completely.

The eyeliner itself is nice and opaque and applies without dragging the eyes too much and getting messy. It dries reasonably quickly not completely matte, but not super shiny either.

The black Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner swatched

The blue Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner swatched

Here is the blue one applied to my eyeballs.

The blue liner at the end of the day, still in place.

It lasted really well throughout the day, there was no transfer onto my upper lid. I didn’t use eyeshadow primer to really test them on my oily eyelids. I just used some concealer and powder over the top.

The nib does dry out a bit if you’re like me and it takes you a while to get the line somewhat even,but a little shake seems to sort it out pretty quickly.

Here’s the black crudely applied to my eyes too. I actually don’t think a strong black line on its own really suits my eyes at all, but all in the name of blogging 🙂

And after a day of wearing.

The black didn’t last as well as the blue on me throughout the day. It did smudge and transfer. Not majorly, but sure you can see for yourself here 🙂

Overall, I really like the blue Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner. The colour is super pretty, applies well and lasts throughout the day. I would say the black is just OK. Maybe with eye shadow primer and shadow applied, it will last longer without moving on the lash line. And of course, if you don’t suffer with oily lids like me,it should last longer too. They are €7.99 from Boots here and with Rimmel always on special, they definitely won’t break the bank.

xxx

May 22, 2016/by Gem

Posts

I picked up the PS Pure Glow Highlighter Powder Palette after seeing my lovely and very talented YouTubing friend Eimear McElheron rocking it at a beauty event. Honestly, her makeup videos are awesome, you should totally check her out here 🙂

‘Desert’, which is an icy shimmer.

‘Glimmer’, which is a soft, light golden shimmer.

‘Eden’. This to me is more of a shimmery rosy blush shade.

And then finally ‘Firefly’ which is a deeper, more bronzed golden shade.

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.

The Catrice Makeup Transformer Drops are not a new phenomenon.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept, they are basically a pigment you can add into a foundation to either lighten or darken the shade and customise if to your preferred colour. These drops come in 15ml tubes.

The Urban Decay Full Spectrum is not a necessity is your makeup bag. To be fair makeup isn’t a necessity in our lives, that doesn’t stop us from wanting using and enjoying it though 🙂

I have them swatched in sevens across, from left to right.

These are the new Rimmel Colour Precise Eyeliner(s).