A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I was excited to finally get the chance to try out my new L’oreal Paris True Match Roll On / Roller Foundation.  £12.99 you know! Not cheap for high street, it better not piss me off too much…

Packaging is quite nice, fairly sturdy, sleek(ish) and nice and compact.

On the left is the pan of cream foundation and over on the right is the sponge roller we’re going to be using for application.

You can better judge the size of the roller now, it’s actually easy to hold despite it’s small size thanks to some well-designed dips and ridges on the plastic handle.

You (and I) have to admit… this is all pretty cute so far!  Little compacts, Dinky rollers…  Look! I’m gonna paint my face! *squeal*

Uh oh, I’m noticing a problem… the product is building up unevenly on the roller.  The far edge has a real good coating whilst the rest of the roller remains void of product.

After a bit of swiping, direction changing and weight shifting the roller is more evenly covered… but there is still a bias towards that far edge.  Will this affect application?

Primed and ready for action!

Introducing you to my makeup-less face, not even a smudge of brow powder!

Here we go…

Look! I have a go faster stripe!

Right, as suspected… not a colour match.  Far too warm and a couple of shades too dark aswell.  I’ve been tangoed.

That’s terrible.  This is the lightest shade that L’oreal are offering (in this country at least) for their True Match Roll On Foundation.

Ironic isn’t it… “True Match”… *mutters something unrepeatable*

With all the money and technology that’s gone into this product – why on earth did L’oreal make the shade range so limited?  I *know* I’m pale… but I’m not Nicola Roberts pale, I see many people walking about even more see-thru than I am.  That’s a big chunk of the population not being catered for, and I’m willing to bet the story is the same for those on the other end of the spectrum aswell.

Anyway, let’s roller on… *hah! geddit*

One half done (your right).

The actual coverage is pretty heavyweight.  Don’t be getting this if you’re looking for sheer -> medium coverage ‘cos this is full on.

You wanna know about the application with that little roller don’t you?

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Sure, it’s not gonna get anywhere near the inside corners of your eyes… but I didn’t have a problem around my nose.  The actual “roller” is slim enough to offer even coverage down the edge of the nose.

I also found it a speedy (if a little uncomfortable) process.  I blended with my fingers closer to my eyes and I even attempted closing my eyes and rollering in an up/down motion over my eyelids.  No, it didn’t work very well and yes, I looked really silly.

The finish is matte and looks a little deathmask-like to me (perhaps I’m not used to the heavier coverage).  I didn’t have any problems with streakiness or patchiness but when I touched my face 5 minutes later, my skin still felt tacky to the touch… it took nearly 20 minutes to dry fully.

Your final half n’ half (again, your right has the coverage).

What do you think?  The formula isn’t *so* bad… I did actually prefer it later in the day after it had had time to “fit” to my skin.

I’m torn… it’s not completely terrible, but it’s definitely a case of style over content and that poor shade selection…

I guess the easiest way to sum it up is thus…

Would I buy this again?

…Not even with your money.

“Innovation! One cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics.” – Coco Chanel

…Bwhahaa, do we reckon I’ve just wasted £12.99?

Tthis is the lightest shade I could find, C2 (Rose Vanilla) and it looks too dark for me… however, we shall see!

Don’t knock it ’till you tried it and all that eh?  I’m actually willing this to be terrible otherwise I’m gonna have to eat my words aren’t I?

Wait, how did I miss this?

Seems this gimmick-screaming gem passed me by when it was launched at the beginning of the month.

It works in a simillar way to a printing plate.  Take the roller, roll it back and forward a few times over the foundation and then ROLLER your face with it.  Sexy.

I can’t imagine that it would be easy to achieve even coverage around the eyes or nose without using a brush or your fingers… but until I’ve seen it in person I’ll stop screeching “TIDE-MARKS!” at the picture.

However, I do hope this current trend of novelty innovation passes soon.

L’oreal Paris True Match Roll On Foundation is available from Boots, Superdrug et al. priced at £12.99

Alternatively, for those on a tighter budget… Homebase are doing 3for2 on Dulux at the moment.

What gorgeous weather we’re currently enjoying!  Over the weekend I was looking for something a little lighter than my standard liquid foundations to wear on my face.  As I was digging around in my collection, I happened across a little pot of tinted moisturiser by a company called Mádara which I’d received as a free sample with an order I’d made a couple of weeks ago.

Now, I would normally consider my skin not clear enough for tinted moisturisers, so I approached this ‘try out’ with slight apprehension (and my eye on my Revlon Colorstay incase it all went horribly wrong).

Mádara are a Latvian organic company who carry the tag line ‘ecocosmetics’ under their brand name.

Here’s a blurb from their website:

Today we shape, create and nurture MÁDARA. MÁDARA is our story about love towards the place we come from, about good design, high quality natural and organic products and good honest business practice.

How good does that sound?

Well, let’s see if it’s too good to be true.

Mádara Decoface Tinting Fluid in Moon Flower (the lightest of 2 shades)

What they say:

Tints, illuminates and lightly moisturises the skin of the face and neck. Evens out skin tone. Gives the skin freshness and radiance. Disguises imperfections and fine lines. A lighter alternative to foundation. Like daisy petals shimmering in the moonlight.

What I say:

The first thing I noticed was the smell, it has a slightly herbal scent to it.  Not musky herbal, more floral – really rather nice, especially as it isn’t at all overpowering.  The formula, although thin, is very pigmented – a little goes a long way!  I used my fingers to apply and found that it spread evenly and easily across my skin.  I was also pleased to discover that it contained sunscreen, although to what extent/rating I can’t find out, not that it matters hugely to me as I always slap on my DHC facial sunscreen anyway.

Application finished, I looked in the mirror and was disappointed to discover no difference in terms of coverage.

However, after uploading these photos, I’m re-evaluating my thoughts on the coverage.  If you look at the before and after, there is definitely more evenness in my skintone in the after shot (the one on the right).  I think it is most noticeable across my nose.  Yes, it is pretty sheer – but I need to remind myself, that’s exactly what I was looking for!  I don’t want to be caked in makeup on days where it’s liable to melt!  I hadn’t applied any concealer, but I will apply a little to key areas  next time I wear this tinting fluid.

Before on the left/After on the right

I have typical combination skin which also suffers from sensitivity and I experienced absolutely no burning/stinging or tightness during or after using this product which is obviously crucially important and something that Mádara prides itself on achieving. 

One negative (and unfortunately one my ultra pale skin won’t let me overlook) is that I did encounter a little oxidisation very quickly after application.  It certainly didn’t tango me, but I did smooth over my neckline with some untinted moisturiser to re-blend the colour and ensure there were no giveaway ‘foundation’ lines.  It didn’t oxidise further.

Mádara Decoface Tinting Fluid comes in 2 shades, so there’s not much room for error for pale gals like me.  The 2 shades are Moon Flower and Sun Flower, could they give them prettier names?!

Once out in the heat and the sun, I was pleased with the longevity of this product.  It lasted pretty well all day.  It did nothing to tame the oilies, but I didn’t expect it to and was simply surprised that it could last despite them!  My skin continued to feel moisturised and supple throughout the day and into the evening.  I had no issues with flakiness (which I sometimes get with my Colorstay).

I would really recommend this product to anyone looking for a lighter alternative for the summer.  It doesn’t offer the greatest coverage in the world, but if you’re looking for that… then I believe you’d be hard pressed to find it in a tinted moisturiser.  As a bonus, you know that what you’re putting on your face is natural and organic.  You can read more about Mádara’s Eco credentials here.

In conclusion, this is on my purchase list, but I definitely want to make friends with a reliable concealer too!

My simple summer FOTD featuring Mádara’s Tinting Fluid (please excuse the stray hair)!

Mádara Tinting Fluids are available at LoveLula.com£21.50 for 50mls.

[starreview tpl=14]

I’ve read that Cory Cosmetics offer some of the highest coverage for mineral foundations and despite the mixed reviews on MUA, I’ve plumped for a selection of foundation and blusher samples for those days when we need that bit of extra confidence in our foundation.

Cory Cosmetics is also purported to be one of the ‘purest’ mineral makeup lines – even doing mica free versions of their products.  Not hugely relevant to me, as I don’t seem to have too much in the way of sensitivity problems towards mineral makeup.

Samples are $.45 each – I’ve ordered 13 samples which combined with shipping came to a total of $10.80.

I’m really looking forward to comparing them to my Elemental Beauty foundation (review) which I am still totally in love with.  Infact, the only reason I’m cheating on it is because I want to try some mineral blushes and can try so many more different shades for the same price from Cory Cosmetics than I could from Elemental Beauty.

Will be back to let you know how they fare!

…look what I’ve got in my grubby little hands!

Hello lover, please don’t disappoint me.  Anyone got one of these little beauties, any tips?

So after loving a Joe Blasco concealer I’d recently hit pan on and lemming the Ben Nye concealer wheel palette for about 100 years but not having the willpower to save up for it, I hit a dead end in my search for an industrial strength concealer.

I don’t really bother with many high street concealers nowadays, although I still carry my trusty stick of Rimmel Hide The Blemish in my glove box.  Having said that, seeing as I literally can’t remember the last time I used it, I probably shouldn’t get within 10 feet of it without wearing full on hazmat gear.

Where was I?  Oh yes, Grimas…

Grimas are a Dutch company who as well as being founded the year I was born are also sharing enough to let us know that they employ 3 mentally disabled members of staff.  I kid you not, check here – it really does say that.  Equal opportunities rock!

Anyway, back to the products…

I picked up a camouflage concealer in shade G0 and a creme make up base/foundation in G1.

Camouflage Concealer:

Creme Base/Foundation:

The texture of the concealer is quite hard, but very pigmented (as you would expect from a stage makeup brand) – a little goes a very long way!

When I swatched the concealer I thought it was going to be wayyy too pale for me, but it actually blended in really nicely and although I wasn’t expecting it, I found that it neutralized redness better than anything I’ve ever tried before – including various specialized green and yellow concealers.

The foundation is a little dark for me to be honest so I may end up going back for shade G0… I need some honest opinions from my husband and some good light to see if I’ve tangoed myself so I’m reserving judgement at the moment.  The texture of the foundation is a lot thinner and oilier than the concealer making it easier to blend.  However, it’s still highly pigmented and a light touch is the order of the day!

The foundation applied nicely with my stippling brush which I was pleased about as I’m loathe to use sponges which always seem to make cream foundations streak terribly on me.

On to the swatches…

G1 Foundation on the left/G0 Concealer on the right – note* my face is a shade or two darker than my hand!

Considering they’re supposed to be 1 shade different from each other – that shade difference is a yawning chasm and I’m blatantly somewhere in the middle of it.

As I said, I’m not completely convinced that despite this, it doesn’t still work for my skin tone.  However I’ll let you be judge, jury and executioner with another of those hideous before/after shots.

The concealer (like most thick concealers) will settle in fine lines, so I’d avoid the undereye area with this stuff.  I was also impressed by the fact that it didn’t seem to need setting with powder.  Before I’d had a chance to set it – the doorbell rang with my Asda food shop so I was distracted for over half an hour and when I remembered that I hadn’t powdered and looked in the mirror expecting to see huge amounts of shine and slip – it still looked as matte as it had when I first put it on.  Not massively high maintenance then!

I purchased Grimas from Facepaint UK as they were the only company I could find that charged a reasonable £2 p&p within the UK.  I’m also pleased to report that delivery was super quick (1 working day from ordering).

Overall, I’m really pleased with my experiences with Grimas – especially at how good the concealer neutralizes any redness.  My only disappointment is with the shades on offer – I’d love there to be something inbetween G0 and G1.

[starreview tpl=14]

I’m really excited to be reviewing my first foundation today.  Unfortunately this means a before and after shot, so if you have just eaten you may want to come back to this review when your stomach is a little more settled – just a friendly warning!

Mineral makeup is unexplored territory for me.  I understand the principles behind it, but I have never been fully convinced by it as an everyday cosmetic.  Before even trying mineral foundation I will admit that I had a fairly set opinion of what it would do which was something along the lines of: ‘…it’s a powder – and powder makes me flakey and doesn’t even out my skin tone, just mattifies my nose and sits in my pores mocking me.’

In defence of my closed mindedness, I do own a jar of Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil and that’s pretty much what happens to my skin everytime I use it, so you can perhaps understand my unwillingness to venture further into the mineral makeup market when my experiences with one of the ‘Big Names’ of mineral makeup had so far been disappointing.

However, as the weather is turning warmer, my liquid foundations are leaving me too oily after a few hours wear and my oil-free liquid foundations are still giving me flakey dry patches of skin – so I needed to find a compromise and started googling for some Mineral makeup websites that would send me some samples to try without breaking the bank!

Enter Elemental Beauty, an unassuming little website offering mineral cosmetics.  I was excited by the fact that they are a homegrown UK company happy to accept Paypal (I had a little stash of funds from some recent eBay sales that was burning a hole in my Paypal account) and I’d read a couple of recommendations for their products, so put in an order for 2 samples:

Soft Focus Foundation in shade English Rose

Dewy Finishing Powder

I would have loved to sample a couple of blusher shades aswell as I am still searching for a soft shade that enhances a natural peachy flush (as opposed to something that makes me look like the concept behind the Anna Sui Dolly Girl bottle).  Anyway, I digress – Elemental Beauty unfortunately don’t offer blusher samples – although to be fair, they’re not exactly expensive at £3.99 each – but there’s too many shades to choose from dammit (I’m leaning towards Coral)

I paid my money (£3.20 for 2 samples inc. P&P) and paced the floor waiting for the postie to bring me my goodies.  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long and within a few days look what turned up:

How cute is that?  I mean seriously… I was already impressed.  Judging by the images on their website – the full size jars are pretty darn gorgeous aswell!

On closer inspection…

and…

If you can’t read the ingredients, feel free to drop me a comment and I’ll happily type them up on here.

The samples are pretty generous too!  I’ll easily get a weeks worth of daily use out of them, which is fantastic and quite frankly, necessary for judging whether or not to invest in full size versions.  Is there anything worse than sampling a product once (perhaps at a counter), liking it – spending your hard-earned money on it and then never achieving the same look or finish again and having to put it down to a one-off fluke of the lighting.  (Benefit Dandelion, I’m talking to you!)

After letting my moisturiser sink in for a good 5 minutes, I tapped a little foundation out into a spare lid and grabbed my Kabuki brush, remembering the old ‘swirl, tap and buff’ method…

Anyway, I won’t go into any application details – I’m a complete idiot when it comes to applying makeup and just bungle my way through it most mornings… you can judge the results for yourself with my hideous before and after shot.  Please excuse the constipated expressions.  I really don’t know what the puckered lips and the ‘are you looking for a fight?’ look is about in the 2nd photo… and the ears in the first, oh god… the ears…

Anyway, what do you think?  I’m really impressed!  It’s light but really evens out my skintone.  I could possibly have benefited from applying some concealer beforehand, but look at that strawberry nose and the cheek blotches – MUCH better in the after shot!  I love this stuff.  Truly.

I’m not familliar enough with mineral makeup to know if I should have gone over the more blotchy areas more than once, so I didn’t… I literally took about 40 seconds to apply the foundation, probably paying far less attention than I should have done and I’m still delighted with the results.

I’m gonna become a Mummy in about a week’s time so I shall make sure to get my order in for the foundation as this is just too easy for a foolproof application over the summer months.  Still not convinced this won’t be too drying in the winter for my skin… although I shall approach with a more open mind this time and possibly armed with industrial strength moisturiser.

I haven’t tried the dewy finishing powder yet, not quite sure what to do with it yet.  I shall read up and be back with an opinion some time soon!

Elemental Beauty ship worldwide, so head on over to the website – oh, and check out those eyeshadows too!  I’m totally lemming some of those for eyeliners and smokey eyes…

[starreview]