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Friday, 26 April 2013

Bobbi Brown Corrector and Concealer


For the past few months I have been using the much raved about Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer. I have been really liking this product but I have serious problems with under eye darkness and decided to take the plunge and try a high end product to see if it would make a difference.

I had heard lots of good things about the Bobbi Brown correct and conceal combination so I headed straight for the Bobbi Brown counter to try it out.


I was matched to light to medium bisque for the corrector 
and warm beige for the concealer 

*L-R Corrector & Concealer*

Out of interest I asked the MUA to do one eye without the corrector and I can assure you it made a massive difference! The pink tones in the corrector eliminate the blue tones 
that give me the dark circles I hate so much.

They really are the perfect combination

 Before
Au Natural! Gross I know

 During
After only the corrector has been applied

After
The amazing combination of corrector and concealer both fully applied
and voila I'm much easier to look at!

I think you will all agree that it really does make a big difference and I honestly wouldn't be without it now
a little goes a long way so I can see this lasting me for a good while!
Don't get me wrong I have no intention of ditching my beloved Collection 2000 concealer for during the week but at weekends and special occasions these two are my under eye superheroes

Have you tried this combination?
What's your favourite concealer?

Jen <3

Bobbi Brown Corrector & Concealer £18 each
Concealer is also available in a duo which contains a setting powder for£24

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

My Bare Minerals Experience Part 1


Bare Minerals is a brand I was always aware of, but as a full coverage fan, mineral makeup was never something I had really thought about for myself!

I do love experimenting and trying new things with my makeup though so when I was invited to Bare Minerals Glasgow boutique I was really excited to see if they could convert me!


Before I get onto the products let me tell you about the shop.
It was absolutely gorgeous! 
The cosmetics department in Fraser's is literally my favourite place in the world but sometimes it can be a bit cramped sitting in a small section of a department store.
Visiting this boutique was a really different experience. The shop is bright and airy and you and your designated Beauty Ambassador have your own section of the shop where you can sit back, relax and enjoy your experience.

When I went in I was greeted by Paula 
Who was absolutely lovely and obviously has a real passion for the brand
I always feel that it makes such a difference when staff are genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about the brand they are working for and I got that vibe from Paula throughout my visit.

The only Bare Minerals product I had any real awareness of is the original mineral foundation.
As Paula explained to me this is most definitely still their most popular product but they have come a long way since bringing it out and they have tonnes of other products that I didn't have a clue about!

The first part of my makeover was skincare



This Purifying Facial Cleanser (£15) was one of my favourite products of the whole day
The ingredients read like a salad. It contains Avocado, Pineapple & Kiwi! 
It smells absolutely amazing, and left my skin feeling really hydrated.
One of the amazing benefits is that it speeds up cell renewal which can make a real difference as we get older.

Next up was the Nourishing Moisturiser (£27) and the Renew & Hyrdrate Eye Cream (£23)
I don't have a very good relationship with eye creams, I suffer really badly with allergies and my eye area in particular is very sensitive, I quite often get irritation with eye creams but this one didn't cause me any problems at all which was great.

I am a big fan of serums and the Active Cell Renewal Night Serum (£38)  is another promising looking product. The last skincare product to be used was a primer (£21) I am very much a take it or leave it person when it comes to primers but it did feel really nice when being applied.

Then it was time for makeup

Face

I got to try out the new Ready Solid Foundation (£25 also available in starter kit £50)
Although it promises to be a medium to full coverage foundation I have to admit I was a little bit dubious
Like I said, I am a full coverage girl and never stray far from liquid foundations so I never really thought that this would give me a finish I would be happy with.
I was colour matched to R250
Using a Retractable Precision Brush (£19) - which by the way felt AMAZING
Paula applied the foundation to one half of my face then let me do the other half myself so I could see how buildable it was.
I can honestly say I was so impressed with this it gave me a gorgeous natural finish but I still felt extremely comfortable.
The Stroke of Light Concealer (£22) in Number two was then applied to get rid of my under eye circles.
We then used the Original Mineral Veil  finishing powder and the Warmth All Over Face Colour
(both of which come in the starter kit)


Eyes

For some reason I was expecting that mineral eyeshadows would be quite dull and not very pigmented, but the range of colours was absolutely gorgeous. However I had some shopping to do after my visit to the boutique so I didn't want anything too daring so I asked Paula to give me a nice neutral look.


The Epiphany Eye Duo (£19)
and here was the look she came up with

*Please excuse my mismatched eyebrows, we never pencilled one of them back in lol*
These colours are gorgeous and the staying power was amazing 
She finished it off with Flawless Definition Mascara (£16)

Cheeks & Lips

The blush used on me was also part of the Ready range and is called The Secrets Out (£22)


I wish you could buy this as a palette but unfortunately this is just for store use
I really liked the colour range and could definitely see myself using these blushes in the future

 This was definitely one of my favourite products 
and I honestly would never have thought to go to Bare Minerals looking for a lip product


These really remind me of the much raved/blogged about Rimmel Apocolips
They are more of a lip laquer than a gloss
This one is in the shade Confidence which is a Pink Berry colour
Pretty Amazing Lipcolor (£15)


The finished look
Unfortunately I couldn't take a selfie until at least 4 hours after my makeup had been applied so the lip colour had faded (and my eyebrow still looks weird lol) but I was really pleased with the outcome

It has proven to me that I shouldn't automatically rule products/brands out without at least trying them first
and that just because a product is mineral doesn't mean it's not going to give me any coverage.

I got to see so much at the boutique that I have decided to split this post into two
The next post will include some really amazing new products that I got an exclusive look at! 
So be sure to check back for that soon!

Have you tried Bare Minerals?
What do you think of mineral makeup?

Jen <3