Too Faced Shadow Insurance Vs. Urban Decay's Primer Potion

Having religiously used 'Urban Decay's Primer Potion' (which is the market leader in regards to eye primers) I decided to shop around and try something new. I picked up a tube of 'Too Faced Shadow Insurance'.

My first impressions were good; the packaging was in the form of a squeezable tube which is ergonomically superior to Urban Decay's design (which is physically impossible to get all of the product out, without having to saw the top of the tube off!). Although it's not important, I love the graphics and cute typography on the packaging!

It contains 11ml of product (0.35 fl. oz) and costs £10.77, opposed to the Urban Decay version that is 10ml (0.34 fl.oz) and costs £11.50.

I find the consistancy lighter than the Urban Decay version, which is a plus.

The application is the same as any other eye primer, apply a little to the eyelid, wait a few seconds then apply your eyeshadow on top - to insure all day staying power.

The product did exactly what it stated. My eyeshadow stayed on all day, without any movement. Excellent. The colour is light and blendable, and on my skin at least is undetectable. I am not sure how it would look on very dark skin.

I have been using this for over six months now and I have only one complaint. I have noticed product separation; sometimes when I squeeze the product out of the tube I get an oilly clear liquid appearing. To solve this I try my best to shake the product up and down (which is difficult in a tiny tube) and then mix it together on the back of my hand. I find this very annoying when I am in a hurry.

I do like this product a lot, but I am dissappointed by the product separation inside the tube. I love both the urban decay version and the Too Faced version, but because of the annoying fact I have to mix it up on the back of my hand I will be going back to the Urban Decay Primer Potion!

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation is fantastic. I have never ever been excited by a chemist / drugstore foundation before - but here I am with a big smile on my face!

There are many good things I can say about the product:

Coverage: The coverage is not too heavy, and not too light. I would say this is medium coverage foundation. It feels good on the skin and does not feel cakey or dry. Blends like a dream.

Effects: Makes your skin appear more luminous due to the small shimmer particles contained in the foundation. This is a plus for me as it makes me look fresh and awake - but if you have oilly skin I would say posssibly you need to use a primer, and also set it with a translucent powder.

Price: The price is very reasonable, it varies from store to store - but what makes this product even more attractive is that Revlon often do buy one get one free, or buy two get one free offers. Also a little goes a long way.

Packaging: The bottle is substantial and feels ergonomically friendly. The pump is EXCELLENT, this may sound like a silly thing to say but this pump is like you would find on premium foundation bottles - you can control just how much product comes out of the bottle. I am very impressed.

Cons:

If you have dry or flaky skin you should avoid this product because it highlights dry areas.

Colour range: The colour range is also a negative because the range is not extensive enough - especially for women of colour. I am very fair and I use the lightest colour, I would like the shade to be a little lighter, but it does blend very well.

Must be applied using a sponge or a rounded foundation brush - if you apply with a normal foundation brush it can look a little streaky.

Overall a great foundation at a quarter of the price of a premium foundation!

Nars-a-no-no!

NARS Multiple sounds like a great product, but unfortunately it's not. The product states that it can be used on cheeks (as a blush), on the eyelids (as a shadow) and on the lips (as a lipstick).

I primarily bought this as a blush. Unfortunately after an hour the shimmer dissappears and the colour fades - so you need to keep the product with you in your handbag and apply more as needed. If you touch your face it comes straight off. I have used many cream blushes (for example M.A.C, Estee Lauder etc) and I have never experienced such a colour fade.

What I did do was to use this as a base for my blusher, and it worked quite well, but this is not what I really wanted the product for.

I have tried to wear this product on my lips and it is very drying, so you need a lipgloss on the top. The problem with wearing a lipgloss over the top is that the colour is so sheer, any gloss overpowers the colour of the multiple - making it a little pointless as a lipstick.

To wear this on the eyelids is possibly the worst reccommendation for this product. I alway use an eye-primer so that my shadows do not slip, even with a primer this colour does not stay still and is slides and collects in the creases of your eyelids and it looked disgusting! I was so embarrassed I swore never to use the 'multiple' again.

It is my opinion that for such an EXPENSIVE product it is a real let down, especially for £27.

I bought the multiple in the colour 'Orgasm' but it comes in 12 shades, ranging from dark bronzing colours to light pink.

I personally would not buy this again, and I would stick to buying their powder blushers which are excellent.

Lush colour supplement - don't bother!

I had high hopes for this product. I have very fair skin and I have found pink or red based foundations (opposed to the popular yellow based ones) work wonders for me.

I received my order from their website and I was excited to try it, actually I was so excited I bought 2 pots! It states you can use this product three ways, straight application as a foundation, mix it with your moisturiser to make yourself your own custom tinted moisturiser and finally as a concealer.

I decided firstly to try it as a foundation. The colour is not light pink as stated, it is a more orangey pink (the same as MACs NW series). I managed to blend it quite well and the result was a dewy finish. It looked quite natural and pretty.

Day 1: I applied as a foundation and by lunchtime it was sliding around a bit. My skin is not overally oilly so if you have oilly skin do not buy this product - it will look like an oil slick on your face! Yuk!

Day 2: I tried a primer on my face before I applied the foundation. It lasted a little longer, but by the end of the day my face did look oilly and I felt pretty unattractive.

Day 3: I tried this by mixing with my moisturiser, this is a much better application. I could imagine this would be great for holidays and vacations.

Day 4: I tried this as a concealer. I personally think it is too dark/orange for a concealer and would make dark circles appear darker.

It comes in a neat little glass pot which can fit nicely in your handbag - that's a plus. Another plus is the price (Around £7). The negatives are that if you have slightly oilly or normal skin this product will not last - even with a primer. I would reccommend this for people with dry to very dry skin.

It is also good to note that this product contains parabens - which is very dissappointing coming from a natural company like Lush. Korres which is a Greek natural cosmetic company makes makeup without parabens - so why can't lush?

It only comes in four shades, which is not great for women of colour or very pale people.

I personally would not buy again.

A sweet little tip!

Add a tiny drop of either rose or neroli essential oil to your primer/base - it will make your foundation flawless and look hydrated.

Inecto Pure Coconut Oil

Inecto pure 100% Coconut Oil is an absolute bargain! I bought the Shine Enhancing Glossing Spray 100mls at £2.19! The smell is absolutely gorgeous - and makes you totally stress-free!

Spray liberally over damp hair before styling or lightly to dry hair to finish a style. I am going to take this on holiday with me as I feel it will be very useful! I am going to spray this in my hair after a day in the sun, to give my hair a helping hand!

This is also a British product! So with every purchase you know you are supporting British business! :) I bought this at Superdrug; for more info check out the Inecto website.

Ebay and cosmetics - the good, the bad and the ugly (mostly ugly).

I don't know about you, but I love Ebay. I have bought everything from old records, clothing and books, things I need, to things I definitely don't need and even things that I didn't even know I needed - but did!

It's like being at a rummage sale as a kid at The Village Hall; I remember the excitement back then, never quite knowing if you'll find that hidden gem amongst all the junk! The hidden gem being an Evel Knievel stunt bike, and Sting and The Police videos - Yeah, I was a strange kid!

Recently I bought a limited edition lipgloss by MAC, from one of their past collections called 'Heatherette'. It was boxed and unused, but the product was released over a year ago. It arrived and I opened the tube and had a quick smell - the trademark vanilla scent was almost completely faded. I thought to myself, do I really want to put a year old product on my lips? The answer was no. I packaged the lipgloss up again and relisted it on Ebay - and made a £4 profit!

I am sure the lipgloss would of been perfectly fine, it wouldn't of killed me, but let's all remember that cosmetics arn't clothing -make-up has a use-by-date. Our threads can last years if looked after, after all vintage clothing can make more money than the hot new products off the shelves! This sadly can never be the same with our MAC collections....

What really bothers me about cosmetics and Ebay, is that people are selling products which are already tested, to half used! I pose the question, would you use a stranger's toothbruth? Then why on Earth would you BUY used lipstick or foundation? I understand there are techniques of making such products useable by dipping them in alcohol, but it's a real turn off for me. The below photo I found of a couple items for sale on Ebay right now. Any takers? Ewwwww!

Disgusting - used cosmetics being sold on Ebay