review: catrice cosmetics prime and fine illuminating base;

I have quite oily skin, particularly on my nose and chin, and I suffer with large pores across my cheeks, so I am always on the hunt for a primer that will smooth out my skin and stop my foundation from sliding off during the day.  Over the last year or two, I have spent stupid money on primers that promise to do this, that, and the other but I had yet to find one that really worked for me.  After reading about Catrice's Prime And Fine primers on Melissa Gallagher's blog and passing them umpteen times on Catrice's stands in town, I decided to pick up the Prime And Fine Illuminating Base.  I had only ever tried Catrice eyeshadows before purchasing this, but for less than €6, why not?!

Out of the tube, the primer is a pink-peach colour but it blends and dries invisibly.  This product is an illuminating primer so it contains light-reflecting golden shimmer.  Although that seems quite scary for a face primer, I assure you that it is not as glitter-packed as it sounds (I hadn't even noticed the shimmer until I looked up the description online!) but it does help to give your face a subtle glow.  The consistency of this primer is very different from any other I've tried.  Instead of the matte, "blurry" application I was used to, this primer applies much more like a creamy moisturiser.  It does dry matte, but it doesn't feel dry at all and it really helps keeping my face moisturised without being greasy.

I have to say, I am very impressed with this product.  After just one use, I noticed a huge difference in how well my make-up lasted that day.  I found that it kept the oiliness at bay for several hours, which is a huge improvement on the two oil-free hours I might get without a primer.  This helps to keep my make-up in place with minimal touch-ups for almost an entire day(!) which was exactly what I was hoping for with this product.

The only downside of this primer is the scent.  It has a strong sugary smell which I find to be a little off-putting, especially when I can still smell it on my face through my foundation.

Overall:   This primer works perfectly for me and I've been using this primer every single day since I bought it.  I would definitely recommend it.

Rating:  8/10

What is your favourite primer?  What are your thoughts on this one?  Thanks for reading!

review; essence single eyeshadow in out of the blue;

I've been a big fan of Essence nail polishes with a long time now but I recently picked up my first ever Essence eyeshadow, and I was so impressed that I thought I'd share my thoughts with you all.  I picked this up in my local Penneys/Primark.

Out Of The Blue is a beautiful, deep navy-blue.  It has a soft frosted finish which reflects a brighter blue, and it has some, but not too many, silver glitter pieces.  It has a very soft, almost creamy texture and it isn't chalky at all, which is pleasantly surprising considering how inexpensive it was!  This eyeshadow is very highly pigmented and swatched easily without a primer.  It's also very opaque which is a huge plus because not only  it saves time and product when applying, but that's quite unusual for a frost eyeshadow.  When I applied it, there was no pesky fallout and it blended really easily.  As for it's lasting power, I wore this for eight+ plus hours (primer-less!) and apart from some minimal fading, it still looked fresh!  Thumbs-up all round!

The only issue I had with this eyeshadow was the packaging.  I like the clear casing and the labelling, and it's easy to see the colour without opening the lid, but it's not nearly as sturdy as I would like.  After just a few days, the plastic clasp that keeps the lid closed snapped off.  Now, the lid flaps around like crazy which would/will spell disaster if I needed to throw it into my makeup bag for travelling.

(swatched in natural light vs. with flash)

Overall:  I have fallen in love with this eyeshadow and I've been reaching for it a lot since I bought it.  I never expected to get such a high-quality product for such a small price tag. I'm definitely going to pick up some more Essence eyeshadows in future.
Rating:  8/10

(circle lenses are Geo Princess Mimi Sesame Grey)

Have you tried Essence eyeshadows before?  What are your favourite shades?  Thanks for reading!

review: soap & glory sexy mother pucker;

I'm sure I don't need to mention at this stage how big a S&G fan I am, and these glosses are no exception.  I've read/heard mixed reviews about these, so I thought I'd throw in my own two cents!

Let's get the negatives out of the way first, shall we?  These smell horrendous.  Although you can't smell them when they're applied (thankfully!), the smell from the tube can be really off-putting.  They're also quite sticky, which is a big no-no for a lot of people.  However, the only thing that I really disliked about these glosses is the tingling tongue/mouth if I was unfortunate enough to lick my lips when it was freshly applied.  Very unpleasant indeed!

Now, onto the positives!  First of all, I have tiny lips, so the "LIPSWELL™ Volume Boost Technology" in these really sold them to me.  I haven't noticed a huge difference, but a little is better than none!  It does tingle quite a bit, which is expected from a plumping gloss, but not so much that it's uncomfortable.  Second, these are so moisturising!  The formula is very thick (which some people might see as a negative), but it sinks in nicely, and I found it worked wonders on keeping my lips smooth and soft   Sexy Mother Pucker comes in a great range of colours, too, from a dark neutral to a shimmering pink, and it's also available as a clear gloss.  The glosses are quite sheer, but they do give a lovely hint of colour. 

Overall:  I love Sexy Mother Pucker!  I mean, I'm not a big fan of lipgloss in general, but I own three of these!  I will definitely repurchase these, maybe some of the other colours, when I start to run out.

Rating:  8/10