Review: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection foundation

Today I will be reviewing one of my favourite lower end drugstore foundations. I have tried this foundation first time about two or three years ago when it first came out and since the first application I was in love. Since then I have probably repurchased this foundation about 10 times which makes it the most repurchased products ever for me. I admit, I haven't used this foundation continuously for past few years as I have tried out a bunch of different foundations, but I always go back to it every now and then or when my skin looks crap but I need to fake flawless skin and it has never failed me.

Consistency

I would describe consistency of this foundation as creamy. It somewhere between Mac Studio Fix Fluid and Revlon Color Stay. It's not too runny and not to thick and easy to apply also its easy to mix with other foundations.

Shade range

The shade range it's not that great, it only comes in 5 or 6 shades. The two lighter shades, 1 and 2  are somewhere in between NC10 and NC15, so it's actually perfect for me because NC10 it's too light for me and NC15 can sometimes look too yellow. Shade 1 is pink based and shade 2 is yellow based. Unfortunately there are no shades for deeper skin tones. 

Staying power/finish

The staying power of this foundation it's outstanding. It promises to last 16 hours and I have to say that it definitely lasts good 14-16 hours. I find that this is the only foundation which I can wear all day and night long without having to even look in the mirror to check if it's still there, because I just know it looks flawless. It gives a semi matt finish on its own, however I always powder it to a matt finish, just because I have oily skin and I prefer a matt finish.

Application

My two favourite ways of applying this foundation are by buffing it into the skin using a buffing brush like the Real Techniques Buffing Brush if I want a really flawless "made up" look  or by stippling it on with a damp make up sponge if I'm going for a natural finish.

Price/quality/avalibleity

This foundation retails for  £5.99 and it's available from Boots and Superdrug and supermarkets. I think that you get a great quality foundation for a very low price. If you get a chance then definitely give it a go. As far as I'm aware Collection 2000 is only available in UK. However you can always check eBay.

Summer favourites.

SPF

I think that a good SPF is crucial during summer months. Two of my favourite SPF's are La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Tinted Fluid and Vichy Capital Solei 50+. La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ Tinted Fluid is perfect for those with oily and acne prone skin, it has a very light milky consistency and it doesn't leave my skin looking shiny also it doesn't cause breakouts and it has a bit of a tint to it, which is perfect for me because I rarely tan my face, so thanks to this my face matches my body. Second favourite is Vichy Capital Soleil 50+. This one is more of a cream, its perfect if you have normal to dry skin. If you have oily skin you still can get away with using it just don't use a moisturiser under it. As you can see both of them are very high SPF's, thats because I think that the more protection you get when you young the less wrinkles and sunspots you have when you get older. Another great products are daily moisturizers with SPF. nspa Brightening Day Cream SPF 15 is really good for those that don't need a very high SPF on daily basis, its very lightweight and gives a skin nice glow.

Self tan.

I absolutely hate hate laying out in the sun for hours and tanning, thats why self tanners are just perfect for me in the summer months. They quick and easy and give you a lovely brown tan almost instantly, no burns and no need to fry your skin. Two of my favorite ones are St Moriz Instant Tanning Mist and Dove Summer Glow for darker skin. The St Moriz Instant Tanning Mist as the name suggest is a bronzing tanning mist that gives you a lovely brown colour as soon as you apply it and lasts for days. Out of the all St Moriz products this is my favourite one. The St Moriz Tanning Mist is a kind of product that you only use once or twice a week, however on daily basis I use the Dove Summer Glow gradual tanner. This makes my tan lasts longer and gives my skin lovely golden glow.

Refreshing Mists

Refreshing mists are a must for me during the hot weather. They are really great way to keep your make up looking fresh and also to cool down. Some of my favourites are The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist, Mac Fix+ and nspa Revivalist Vitamin Toning Mist. 

Make up

When its hot I always try to keep my make up to absolute minimum, bit of BB Cream, some bronzer finished off with setting powder and I'm good to go. For daytime make up my favourite is the No 7 BB Cream, its very lightweight, gives medium coverage and nice glow to the skin, also I find that its long lasting. Another favoutrite is the Kiko BB Cream, I usually go for it when my skin is more oily than usual because it doesn't add much moisture to the skin. Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser is my go to product when I want a bit more coverage. Its very lightweight, easy to apply and smells really nice and fresh. Bronzer is a must for me whenever I'm tanned, simply because I rarely tan my face. Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel is the best bronzer for me. I have done a review on it here.  If I want a bit more coverage for the evening or during the day I usually go for foundation that offer medium build able coverage, are oil free and light weight. My favourites are Bourjois Healthy Mix and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. Rimmel Wake Me Up offers bit more coverage than the Bourjois foundations, but its still lightweight and doesn't feel or look heavy when worn during hot weather.

Hair

I hate hate using wax or putty hair products when its hot, I find that they just melt on my hair in hot condtions leaving my hair looking like a greasy mess so thats why I switch to hair mousse in summer season, it keeps my hair in place and it dosen't make them greasy. My favourite is Wella Shockwaves Shine and Body. Also something that I try to use on regular basis is a sun protection for the hair. My absoulute favourite was Revlon Professional Sun Care Hydra Screen, however it looks like Revlon has stopped selling it because I can't find it anywhere, but if you can get your hands on it then definitely try it. At the moment I use Vo5 Ultimate Hold 5 Vital Benefits hairspray which also offers UV protection.

Fragrance.

I avoid wearing heavy fragrances when its hot for the obvious reasons, instead I go for light and fresh scents. My favourites are CK One, Prada Infusion D'Hommes and Marc Jacobs Bang.

Worst show ever: Dolce&Gabbana Summer 2013 Mens Fashion Show

I just watched about 4 minutes of the Dolce&Gabbana Summer 2013 Mens Fashion Show. Why only 4 minutes? Because the show and the clothes are just awful. The music was driving me insane, the clothes didn't seem to fit the models (thats what you get when you want to save money by using children as models) The collection overall wasn't anything exciting at all, the only thing I liked were the printed blazers and shirts, but I they were very Versace so again nothing exciting. Also I totally don't get why they used children as models to sell clothes that are marketed to grown ups WTF?! I guess they wanted to save some money. Overall the whole show just felt and looked really cheap and tacky. Another thing that I don't get, why would you have such a long catwalk if the models are gonna use only half of it, if I would be sitting at the end of that catwalk I would be pissed off. Below is a video from the show, let me know what you think about it.

Current skincare routine.

It has been a while since I have done a post on my skincare routine. My routine changes depending on the season and the state of my skin. Since its been fairly warm in London and my skin looks pretty good my skincare routine is quite simple and its all about cleanings and moisturising. Some of the products I have been using for a while and some are new and I'm just trying them out.

Morning


I usually don't wash my face in the morning, unless I have to shave, if I do then I wash my face with the nspa Brightening Detox Scrub or nspa Melting Cleansing Gel and then shave. If I'm not shaving then I refresh my face with nspa Revitalizing Toning Mist. After that I use The Body Shop For Men Maca Root Eye Serum and follow with nspa Brightening Day Cream with SPF15. If its really sunny outside then I use La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ to protect my skin from sun. I normally don't use foundation primers, however for past few days I have been testing out The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver which is a primer and vitamin c serum in one, I feel like it adds bit more radiance to my skin and hopefully it will help with my post acne hyper pigmentation.

Mid-day/Afternoon


Sometimes around mid day my skin can feel bit dry and my make up starts to look "heavy". If that happens then I spritz my face with the nspa Revitalizing Toning Mist to refresh my skin.

Evening


So when the time comes to take my make up off I have been loving the nspa Hot Cloth Polish and I use it with a muslin cloth. If my skin feels oily I follow with Witch Foaming Face Wash. Sometimes when I'm bit lazy or I'm not wearing much make up I use Kiko Cleansing Water, but most of the time I properly cleanse my face with the hot cloth cleanser. After that I follow with nspa Deep Hydrating Facial Oil and thats the reason why I don't like to wash my face in the morning because I like how my skin feels in the morning.

nspa Haul

Few days ago I popped into my local Asda because I wanted to see if they had any offers on fake tan, but I ended up picking up few skincare products from nspa which is a skin care brand created by people at Nirvana spa. The range includes skin care and body care products. Its available from Asda (instore and online) and also from the Nirvana spa website, links below. So heres what I bought.

Revitalising Vitamin Tonning Mist

Melting Cleansing Gel

Hot Cloth Polish

Brightening Detox Scrub

    Deep Hydrating Oil

Brightening Day Cream with SPF15

Jojoba and White Musk Hand & Nail Cream

Available from:

Asda In Store

Asda Online

Nirvana Spa

Can u mix mac studio fix and revlon colorstay ?

Today I had a look at what keywords have lead my readers to my blog. One of them was can you mix Mac Studio Fix and Revlon Colorstay? My answer to this is yes. If you have read my post comparing Mac Studio Fix Fluid and Revlon ColorStay then you know that both of the foundations are different from each other, but there is no reason why they can't be mixed together. Both of the foundations are silicon based so it should be really easy to mix them to create a perfect shade/finish. The only time when you should't mix foundations is when one is oil based and the other is water based because water and oil wouldn't mix well.

Zara Lookbook - June 2012

Review: Tara Smith Straight Away - WORST Hair Products Ever!!!

Image Source: splodzblogz.co.uk

I usually don't hate many makeup/skincare/body/hair care products, if they don't work me I usually just toss them away and get on with my life. But not with this one, oh no. Ok let's start from the beginning, about two months ago I was in my local 99p store and saw the Tara Smith Straight Away Shampoo and Conditioner, did a quick search on my iPhone just to make sure that its a legit(is that a right word?) brand. I admit, I wasn't looking for a new hair care products, but I couldn't resist a bargain, they normally retail about £6-9 each. So after a quick read of few positive reviews and discovering that Tara Smith is a international hairdresser and all that blah blah I decided to investigate this duo in more details...well I read the ingredients and notice that there isn't even a trace of SLS or Silicones in them. When I bought this duo my hair were extremely oily because for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to use Aussie 3 Minute Miracle everyday for two months, it wasn't. So anyway, after the first use I notice that my hair were really smooth. I was using this duo for about 3 weeks when I noticed that my hair started to be really dry and unmanageable so I thought its time for a trim, but that didn't help. Few days later I bleached my hair, which meant I had to change my haircare routine, I started using shampoo and conditioner for blonde hair with purple pigments. I continued using them for about two weeks, but I notice my hair were way too silvery/grey so I switched back to the Tara Smith Shampoo and Conditioner and it started all over again, my hair were dry, dull and unmanageable. I thought its time to give up on it and I switched to different hair care brand and with it just few days my hair were back to normal. So in the end I figured out that it was the Tara Smith Straight Away Shampoo and Conditioner that caused my hair to be dry and unnamable. I think it was due to the fact that the shampoo was too stripping and the conditioner wasn't conditioning enough. Also another thing I really dislike about the duo was the smell, it smelled like a cheap citrusy air fresher mixed with ginger. I’m not gonna talk about the packaging or the brand overall just because I think its pointless. So in summary...I suggest you stay away from the Tara Smith Straight Away as far as away as you can even if you find it at your local poundshop at great price. It's not worth even a penny, total waste of money.

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation.

I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of Rimmel or any other drug store foundations in fact. It mainly due to the fact that I struggle to find a foundation that matches my skin tone. But when I heard about this particular foundation I was really excited to slap in on my face ASAP, probably due to the fact that Kate Moss was the face of this foundation.

Rimmel Wake Me Up is currently available in 6 shades. 100 Ivory is the lightest shade with a hint of a pink and since most pink based foundation make me look like a little piggy, this actually suits my skin tone very well.

It comes in a really nice looking pump-action glass bottle with an orange cap. The coverage is medium buildable, however its not a full coverage foundation, so if you suffer from acne or have lots of discoloration you might have to use a concealer or try another foundation. It gives a very fresh, dewy/awake finish, but thats what you would expect since its called Wake Me Up, right? To be honest, I’m not a fan of foundations that give dewy finish simply because I have a combinations skin, but I’m acutely in love with how this foundation looks on my skin, as I mentioned its a dewy finish, but not shinny dewy, more like a satin dewy finish. It contains “illuminating radiance pearls”, well its just a fancy name for a very fine glitter which actually is really hard to notice. On some days I don’t even set this with a powder and it looks fine throughout the whole day. Rimmel claims that it contains peptide formulation that helps to increase skin elastic and also that it contains vitamin moisturizing complex which leaves the skin looking healthy and fresh. Lets be real, most of the time this kind of claims are nothing but a pile of crap, but I have notice something very strange, when I use this foundation for few days, my skin actually looks so much better and clearer, I’m not sure wherever its due to the magic formula or the fact that this is a very light formulation and doesn't clog the pores so it lets my skin breath. There were few occasions where my skin needed the extra boost and this foundation made me look really awake and gave me this healthy glow. Even that it contains SPF 15 it photographs beautifully. Another this I absolutely love about this foundation is the smell, it kind of smells like my favorite bronzer; Chanel soleil tan de chanel. Rimmel claims that it lasts up to 10 hours and yes it can last up to 10 hours, but you have to make sure your skin is not too oily and that you set it with a powder. Also if you suffer from bits of dry skin, make sure you exfoliate before using this foundation, because it will make them really visible. When it comes to application, I either apply it with my fingers or Real Techniques buffing brush.

Review: Real Techniques Core Collection

If you have any interest in make up at all then you probably heard about two extremely talented make up artists and stunning sisters Samantha and Nic Chapman also known as Pixiwoo. About a year ago Samantha has released collection of make up brushes called Real Techniques. I wanted them brushes since they first came out, however let's just say that I'm not a big fan of online shopping and I have to look and feel before I buy. However about two months ago Sam has announced that they will be available in Boots in UK. Basically I had no excuse not to buy them. So I walk into the store and go straight to the make up brushes section and what I see, one last set, the Core Collection, looking at me and screaming: buy me buy me!!! Ok maybe I'm exaggerating but I got the last set. You can imagine my excitement. So I got home, opened the box and thats when it hit me, those are the softest brushes I ever touched, and I'm not talking MAC 109 or MAC 150 or even MAC 187 soft, but 1000 times softer.

The whole set is very easy on the eye, the brush ferrell is made out of yellow/gold looking metal and rest of the handle is black rubberised plastic, similar to NARS eyeshadows and blushers/bronzers packing. The set comes with a brush case/stand which I don't use, but I think it would be perfect for traveling. I have to admit that since I got this set I practically stopped using other face brushes that I own.

The Core Collection consists of four brushes:

Detailer brush: I have to say that this is the smalles and most precise concealer brush ever, its just amazing for very precise spot concealing or defying and shaping eyebrows with concealer.

Pointed foundation brush: I'm not a big fan of classic foundation brushes, but this is an exception due to the size of it, again it's much smaller than other brushes of this kind. Personally I love using this brush to apply concealer under my eyes and around my nose/mouth.

Buffing brush: Best foundation brush I ever used. I love love using this brush to buff liquid and powder foundations into my face. You literally get a pixel perfect finish with this brush with any foundation or powder. Also its perfect for applying and blending bronzer, both cream and powder. I can do my whole face make up with this brush, right from base, foundation to blush and bronzer. It's my favourite brush from the whole set. I really like the fact that it doesn't absorb any product which means that you don't waste anything and its easy to clean.

Contour brush: Love love this brush for applying both cream/liquid and powder blush but also its perfect for blending concealer under my eyes.

As you can see, I absolutely love this brush set. I have tried many different brushes before(Mac, Dior, ELF, EcoTools, etc) and since I'm really hard to please when it comes to brushes I always find something that I don't like about specific brush, but I just can't say a bad word about Real Techniques brushes. And it gets even better, the Core Collection set is only £21.99. That works out about £5.50 for one brush. B-A-R-G-A-I-N!!! Let's be real, theres no way you gonna find similar quality brushes at this or lower price anywhere else.

More informations:

http://www.realtechniques.com/

UK and international Stockists:

Boots

love-makeup.co.uk

cocktailcosmetics.co.uk

beautychamber.co.uk

BB Creams

There seems to be this BB Cream craze going on around. It seams like every week a make up company is brining out another amazing BB Cream that claims to get rid of wrinkles and cure ance. Let's be real, none of this is true. So what is a BB Cream? Basically its a repackage tinted moisturiser with a bit more coverage and in some cases higher SPF. At least thats what the Western BB Creams are, I can't really say anything about the Asian once, since I haven't tried them. Ok straight to the point, I absolutely freaking love BB creams, I think they are amazing just for an everyday wear. Personally they give me just enough coverage, evening out my skin tone and covering minor imperfections. Also they are great for the days when I need to leave house really quickly and I don't have even a minute to do my make up. Days like this I literally spray my face with some toner, apply my BB cream, fill in my eyebrows with a pencil and I'm good to go. I find that on days when my skin feels normal or bit oily I can use just the BB Cream without using any moisturiser under it or powder over it and my skin looks flawless. I have to admit that I only tried three BB Creams.

The first one was the Garnier BB Cream however I only tried it out in the store on the back of my hand and decided to stay away from it as far as possible. Why? Because of the horrible orange colour and the weird scent. No thank you!!!

17 BB Creams has to be one my favourite make up products of all times simply because it gives a very nice medium but very natural coverage. Also unlike other BB Creams or tinted moisturisers I find that it has a very nice thick texture, but not too thick, its really easy to apply and it actually sits on the skin rather then absorb completely, however it still looks like I have nothing on and it gives this blurred smooth effect on the skin. Its really hard to explain but it just makes you look flawless.

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Dry Skin...hmm, I have used this for about 3-4 months now and I still have very mixed feelings about it. One day it just looks amazing and the next day it looks very oily in my t-zone and dry and chalky everywhere else. I think thats due to the light creamy texture. If you have any dry skin bits this will make them show which can be very annoying. Coverage wise, it gives a very natural medium coverage, like it covers any redness on my cheeks but it dosen't cover my post ance hyperpigmentation. Also this comes in three versions for Dry/Very Dry, Normal/Dry and Normal/Oily skin

Just one more thing, both the No7 and 17 BB creams will flash back in photography because they have SPF 15 in them.

Garnier BB Cream £9.99 Available from Boots and Superdrug
17 BB Cream £6.99 Available from Boots
No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream £12.95 Available from Boots


So thats just my ramble on BB Creams, I hope this helped you somehow and let me know what you think about BB Creams, are they your must have or are going to pass on them. Let me know below :-)

The night when I met Marilyn Monroe and OOTN

Yesterday I attended a private viewing of exclusive collection of photographs ranging from Marilyn Monroe’s early years as an aspiring actress through to her rise to international stardom. The event took place at Getty Images Gallery at Westfield Stratford City. It was an amazing evening, filled with glamour, great wine and great music. Also there was even a chance to meet a Marilyn look alike. Below are some photos from the event.

Dress code for the night was glamorous. I decided to keep it simple with a classic white shirt and a bow tie. I also added purple scarf for a bit of colour. Since it was bit chilly I had to wear a coat. 

With coat.

Without coat.

I also wore my favourite watch of all time by Accurist.

Shoes.

  

Shirt and blazer - H&M

Trousers, coat and shoe - Primark

Scarf - Hugo Boss

Bow tie - Tiger

Watch - Accurist

TAG:Seven Deadly Beauty Sins

GREED

Most Inexpensive and Expensive Product?

Most inexpensive products has to be an MUA eyeshadow in shade 19 which I love and their two brow pencils, they are a £1 each from Superdrug, the pencils are really soft and very waxy so they fill in and set my eyebrows at the same time. 

Most expensive? It would be either Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronze Universal or MAC 187 brush.

WRATH

What products do you have a love/hate relationship?

Has to be anything thats from MAC, one day I love their foundation and the next day I hate it. But I think that depends on what my skin is like, I find that they MAC foundations don't adapt to a certain skin texture. Same with the brushes one day they work like a charm, next day they shed like crazy.

What has been hardest to find?

I generally don't have a problem with finding the products I want and since I live in UK I have access to all of the major brands and products. But if I have to pick one product that has been hardest to find it would probably be Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, and it wasn't the foundation its self that was hard to find, but the lightest shade, I went into five different stores before I found one that had my shade in stock (100 Ivory).

GLUTTONY

What are the most delicious beauty products?

I have no idea because I don't eat beauty products.

SLOTH

What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?

Face masks, body scrubs and body lotions/butters.

PRIDE

What beauty products gives you most confidence?

Foundation, its just covers any imperfections that I want to cover and creates an blank canvas for make up.

LUST

What attributes do you find attractive in the opposite sex?  

How is this question even related to beauty?!

ENVY

What item would you most like to receive as a gift?

Perfumes, especially Prada Infusion D'Hommes or one of the Tom Ford fragrances.