Hello Bloggers,
I’m so sorry I’ve been away so long, had no idea the time was passing so quickly! I feel like I have so much to update you with so hopefully I’ll have a good few posts over the coming weeks.
I have to start with my latest brand obsession: Smashbox. It’s definitely become my go-to brand and I have a feeling this one is here to stay.
It all started with the On the Rocks eyeshadow palette my mam bought me for Christmas. This is a must-have for anyone who loves a feature eye – so many colours, in different shades, you literally wouldn’t need another palette! Given the number of colours it is slightly larger than most palettes on the market but still fits easily into a handbag if you think you’ll need to touch up on a night out – these shadows have great staying power though and when combined with the Urban Decay primer there’s no sliding whatsoever!
As you can see above, the amount of colours really covers all bases. I find myself using this palette all the time, so easy to grab and create a smokey eye with, and handily enough you’ll see they’ve placed the compatible colours together so it’s never been easier to pick out 3/4 colours to complement one another if you aren’t used to creating your own Smokey eye.
My mam also bought me the On the Rocks brush set, I would definitely recommend these brushes. They’re absolutely brilliant and don’t lose hairs while you’re applying make up which is a huge pet peeve of mine. I particularly like their eyeshadow brushes (as pictured above) which are double ended – essential for a smokey eye!
Next up I decided to try their Liquid Halo HD Foundation as I’d read some amazing reviews. There are a couple of different shades to choose from, I’d assumed that I would be the lightest considering I’m very pale but actually a 2 suited my skin tone more – the 1 is very pale, it has a yellow hue to it that stands out against my skin too noticably. As a brand it’s a little more expensive than Rimmel or Maybelline in the €20-€30 range but it’s absolutely worth it.
I use a Real Techniques angled foundation brush to apply this, you can pick one up in Superdrug or Boots for around €12. The application is perfect, it couldn’t be smoother, I believe the brush does its job excellently but the foundation itself is perfectly designed to slide over the skin – there’s no patches or uneven spots where it doesn’t grip. The texture is super light and creamy – blob a few dots on your hand and dip the brush in before applying to your face – it’s a little thing I’ve started doing that actually helps the foundation to spread easier without overapplying.
I then bought the Photoset Finishing Powder to set my foundation and make sure it stays in place all day – I really suffer from oily skin and if I don’t use any sticking or setting agent the foundation will just wear off throughout the day. This powder is amazing! A tiny dip of the brush will pick up plenty, just sweep over your face lightly (careful not to pick up too much as it is a white powder!) It doesn’t leave any heavy, powdery feeling, honestly it makes it feel as if you’re not wearing ANY make-up! It definitely keeps the foundation in place while giving a subtle glow that, as the name suggests, is captured in photos perfectly.
While buying the foundation and powder I received a tester of their Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I spoke with one of the lovely girls behind the counter at length while choosing my foundation, although she did suggest the 1 I tested both and while blending noticed that the 2 suited my tone better which she also noticed so they are brilliant – they don’t pressure you like some staff at counters and your opinion is accepted. We spoke about my pale but warm complexion and the fact I suffered with redness and rosacea so she recommended I try their Colour Corrector Adjust primer, I got a generous tester to bring home and test, and guess what…. I’ve used it all up and gone out to buy one!
This primer is by far the best I’ve ever tried, firstly it feels like velvet! Honestly, it has the softest, smoothest texture on the skin and glides over easily to even out any redness, lumps and bumps. The bright green colour unsettled me at first but the colour disappears once on the skin. Leave for a couple of minutes before applying foundation and watch how perfectly the foundation settles – even though this is a brilliant foundation in itself, the primer really takes away any redness in the skin. Below is a picture from last night, my rosacea is actually flaring up at the moment and without the make-up is really raw, red and angry but you can’t even tell with these products!! I’ve never found a set of products that hide it so well, usually I’m left with a horrible patch of breaking foundation at the side of my nose.
Finally, I purchased their Contour Palette. I had been searching endlessly for a palette in the last year with no luck, eventually I found a creamy palette in Tom Ford which has been doing the trick, I’ll review this in another post soon! But I was still searching for a palette with at least three colours in a powder texture. I used it for the first time last night, very lightly as I was conscious of the rosacea and not using too much product in case it became further irritated. The powder is super easy to blend into the skin and there’s a handy little guide to contouring on the inside. I love this palette and can’t wait to really try contouring for that Kim K look! It is a little pricey but I’d definitely recommend investing before it sells out again!
All Smashbox products were bought in Boots which I think is the only stockist in Ireland. I really can’t see myself wanting to try anything else!
Lauren,
Xo
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