I’ve been shopping…

…And here’s what I got

Now that summer is fast approaching, I thought it was time I got a mattifying primer as I’ve got oily skin, so I bought L’oreal Studio Secrets Anti-Shine mattifying Primer £10.29. A lot (of good things) has been said about this product so I am looking foward to trying this out.

I have been wanting to try an orange blusher for quite some time now so when I saw this at the Barry M counter, I thought why not? and moreover at £4.59, it’s not as expensive as Nars Taj Mahal blusher. I got two eyeshadow pecils, one in #7, which is a shimmering aubergine colour and #6, which is a shimmering dark blue (darker than they look in the photo). The eyeshadow pencils £4.59 each, are ‘waterproof, Smooth and long wearing’ according to Barry M.

I stopped by the Kiko store in Westfield Stratford, they were having a sale so I got a matt Lipstick in #62 £3.00, which is a reddish copper colour, and a glossy/shiny lipstick in #129 , £2.00 which is a brown bronze colour. I also got a lip pencil in #315, which is a warm dark brown colour.

If you pop into Tesco to do some shopping, check out these nail polishes if you can. They only cost 99 pence each and you only need two coats to get good coverage, lasted for over five days on my nails without chipping. From left to right, Bronze, Cocoa, Mulberry Pie, Perfect Pink and Emerald.

I got this lip balm £1.99 from Sainsbury, cause I love the berry scent (might be too strong for some people) and the fun retro packaging. I am not sure about the 24 hour moisture, but it is non-sticky and gives your lips some shine.

Miss Sporty Tinted Lip Balm

 

I am so far loving these new tinted lip balms from Miss Sporty. I have been using them for the past couple of days and I find them to be glossy and moisturising while giving your lips a subtle or sheer tint.

Heartbreaker Kiss SOS, Gossip Kiss SOS, and Honey Moon Kiss SOS

Heartbreaker kiss is a red shade which gives your lips a sheer red tint, whilst Gossip Kiss is a peachy orange shade which is almost invisible (on my lips ). It might show up more on paler skin tones. Honey Moon Kiss is a berry shade and of the three I’ve tried, this is more pigmented and gives your lips the most colour.

Honey Moon Kiss, Heartbreaker Kiss, and Gossip kiss (swatched)

The balms are available in five shades at superdrug at the budget price of £1.99.

L’oréal Rouge Caresse Lipstick

I am really exicted about these new lipsticks from L’oréal. I had a chance to try one called Sweet Berry #103, which is a kind of nude pink shade. It has a very smooth texture, so applies smoothly to your lips and feels quite soothing, like a tinted lipbalm but with more colour. It gives your lips sheer shiny colour and moisture at the same time. I also like the chic packaging.

Sweet Berry #103

Sweet Berry #103 (swatched)

Available in 10 shades from superdrug priced £7.99.

Copyright© 2012 Womenmag.fr/L’oréal Paris (Top Photo – Objet de désir)

Tinted lip balms and L’oréal’s Universal Lip Glow

Now that the cold weather is here, it’s probably a good time to invest in some hard working lip balms. What’s a great way to keep your lips moisturised and lightly coloured at the same time? Tinted lip balms!
My current favourites are Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm £4.49 in Peach Sheer Tint. This gives your lips a lovely sheer  peach colour, and contains shea butter, vitamin E and aloe. It’s also available in Clear Satin Gloss Finish and Pink Sheer Tint.
 

My next favourite is Blistex Lip Brilliance in Blushing £2.49. This gives your lips a subtle rosy colour with a hint of shimmer. It contains grape seed oil, vitamin E and silk extracts.

 

L’oréal’s Universal Lip Glow £8.49 from their Studio Secrets Professional range is a  transparent rosy lipstick which adapts to your natural lip colour to create a pink lip tint that’s unique to you. It’s really like a tinted lip balm though, and it is moisturising. According to L’oréal, the product has been “enriched with pomegranate extract, emollient oil and polymers.”

All products available from http://www.boots.com/

Is expensive make-up better than reasonably priced make-up?

I prefer using the term ‘reasonably priced’. I don’t like using the phrase ‘cheap make-up’ as it brings up the idea that the product is tacky, inferior, breakout inducing make-up. These exist of course, but that’s another story.

Has anyone ever commented on the makeup you’re wearing by saying ‘I love that pink MAC lipstick you’ve got on’ or ‘that ELF eye shadow really does suit you’? (If you can spot a brand like that, you’ve got a very rare talent indeed)
My point is whatever brand of make up you choose to wear, weather expensive or reasonably priced, the end results depend on weather you have chosen appropriate colours or formulation for your skin tone and type and your application technique.
You might say expensive brands have been well researched etc etc. But nowadays you could find high street or drugstore products which contain high tech ingredients; and which perform just as well as high end products if not even better. Did you know that  Lancôme is owned by L’Oreal? Nuff said.

Reasonably priced products which work for me :