A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I generally balk at the prospect of paying more than £8 for a high street/drug store product, but I had seen/read a few reviews of the new L’oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer and was too excited by the “resurfacing” claims not to at least check it out.

My skin isn’t too bad and I’m generally fairly content with it… however, improvements can always be made right? and the thought of poreless, mattified smooth skin was one temptation too far.  So, I left Superdrug clutching my little 15ml pot of miracles whilst trying not to growl too loudly at the £12.99 receipt sat in the bottom of the bag.

Please excuse the stock image, I’ve still got the sniffles and the thought of digging out my camera feels far too energetic!

The consistency reminds me of a slightly less fluffy Maybelline Dream Mousse product, it’s a pale pink colour and a little goes quite a long way as it spreads smoothly and easily across the skin.  It feels quite heavy thanks to the silicones, although this feeling does fade after a little while you’ll be pleased to hear.  After application, my skin feels very velvety and soft – but unfortunately, that feeling fades aswell.

L’oreal say:

Inspired by professional make-up, this primer masks wrinkles and uneven textures in the skin, making the complexion incredibly smooth with a velvety touch. Skin feels soft as if resurfaced.

The high elastomer content in the Smoothing Primer means that it has a beautifully smooth texture and is incredibly effective at disguising wrinkles and pores. The combination of soft, light powders gives a matte look and a silky finish.

Bold claims huh?

Well, this is where I stop talking and let you decide.  I’ve uploaded a picture… a great big massive ugly close up picture.  Here are my pores and wrinkles for all the world to see.  I’ve primed half my face with this product before applying my foundation whilst the other half has the foundation applied on bare skin.

Please excuse the wild hair and slightly goofy bug-eyed expression – my camera’s wide angle lens is not the most flattering (but great for pinpoint focusing accuracy on those pores!)

Click the image to make it SUPER-SIZED! (if you dare)

Are you back? Do you need therapy?

So what do you think?  Is there a discernible difference?  If there is… is it worth £12.99 of your money?

Personally, I don’t think I’ll bother repurchasing.

Tell me what you think!

I didn’t realise that it had been so long since my last FOTD back in the middle of August!

You may be able to tell from today’s look that I’m having a hard time saying goodbye to summer.  I was gonna do an Illamasqua FOTD featuring 2 products from the Dystopia Collection, but with this mini indian summer we’re currently enjoying I’m gonna postpone that for another week or so.  Hopefully by that time I’ll have my Phenomena  Liquid Metal too!

Anyway, back to this Blue and Bronze look…

Products Used:

Face:

Miss Sporty Light Energy Foundation in Shade 01 (This was an emergency purchase whilst on holiday, beware if you put it on even a tiny bit too heavily the texture is revolting and it goes all flaky.  I mix a little in with my moisturiser for this ultra sheer coverage.)
Body Shop Blush Trio in Cool Dusk (I thought I’d like this when I bought it, but I didn’t realise just how perfect a pop of pink this is for my ultra cool, ultra pale skintone.)

Eyes:

UDPP (of course)
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Ocean Blue
Boots 17 Solo Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras lightly applied over the top of the NYX to tone it down a little
Barry M Dazzle Dust in #44 Bronze in crease
MAC Fluidline in Waveline on top lid
L’oreal Voluminous Mascara

Lips:

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose

Continuing with my mascara series (check out the others by clicking here)…

I actually don’t know too much about L’oreal Lash Architect Mascara… I bought blind, not being aware of the general consensus on this one.

Lovely, sleek black packaging with a nice tapered wand handle.  Sounds silly to place such emphasis on packaging… but it really does have nice ‘curb appeal’.

This is the ‘Carbon Gloss’ variety, which is deemed to be L’oreals ‘glossiest blackest mascara yet’.

It’s a standard bristle brush, with a relatively small head when compared to the big boys (Bad Gal et al.)  To my eye, the brush narrows slightly in the middle, but I’m not sure if this is a design feature (a la sexy curves) or just a flaw in the manufacturing process.  Anyone else have one to compare?

The formula is nice and non-gloopy on the wand which is an absolute must for me.  There’s nothing worse than trying to battle huge globs of mascara off the wand and back into the tube.  Yes, I know some people just wipe the wands with tissue… what you think I have money to burn?  You should see me trying to shoehorn the excess back down that narrow tube… Just call me ‘Arkwright’ (please don’t all be too young to know Open All Hours)

It applies evenly and builds up nicely with no clumping at all (which I find can be a problem with L’oreal mascaras).

This is after 2 coats.  Some nice length and some volumising.  I honestly don’t think that this formula is THAT black, I have others in my arsenal far darker than this one.  Surprising considering this is the USP of this particular mascara.  I think that it’s clear that the real strength in this mascara lies within it’s defining properties a.k.a The False Lash Effect.  My lashes are really separated and each one is individually emphasised.  I really like this mascara, the look is fairly natural which makes for a great day time product.  For the evenings, I’d love something which provides this much definition with a little more va va voom!

[starreview tpl=14]

L’oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in good ol’ black.  It’s one of those purported ‘oldies but goodies’ thought of in the same way as Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie.

An unassuming rather plain tube greets you, indeed much like Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie.  Don’t let that put you off… as they say, appearances can be deceptive.

The wand is your standard bristle affair and rather large (although not as large as Bad Gal’s which seems to be the benchmark for chunky wand heads).  It’s a little longer than standard which can make for tricky application on the outer lashes, but it’s not a major problem on my longer lashes.  One thing I really like about this wand is the density of the bristles.  They’re really packed in there which makes for some great separation.

And here’s your comparison shot.  No mascara on the left, L’oreal Voluminous on the right.  It’s a nice deep black which offers some great volumising (as the name would suggest).  I would say that there are better lengthening mascaras out there, but I could imagine that this would work great paired with one of them.  I experience no flaking or smudging with this and it lasts all day long.

My only gripe with this mascara is that the neck doesn’t fit too snugly around the wand, which creates two potential problems.  Sometimes when I pull the wand out, there is a little too much product on the head and I also find that this mascara dries out a little quicker than my others.  Not sure if this is down to the tube design or the formula itself, but it’s something to be aware of.

Overall, it’s a nice solid mascara.  I prefer 2000 Calorie over this (as long as I pinch my nose whilst applying the Max Factor) but Voluminous is very buildable thanks to a formula that isn’t too gloopy or clumping – if you haven’t already, check it out!

[starreview tpl=14]

Welcome to my world of boring but wearable neutrals.  I love colour, but I’m not sure it loves me – I’m still experimenting though so hopefully my FOTDs will get a little more adventurous over time!

Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
Grimas Concealer – Shade G0
Bourjois Lilas D’or Blush – (I was a bit too light handed)
Lavshuca Blush/Highlighter Duo – PK1
SK-II Airbrush Foundation Shade OP1 – (my first test with it! ‘citing!)

Eyes:
Revlon Brow Fill in Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette – Storm
Stargazer Cake Eyeliner – Brown (Upper) – still loving it!
Some random Boots No7 Brown Kohl (Lower)
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

Lips:
Art Deco Waterproof Lip Liner #17 – used as base and liner
Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss – #10 Pink Champagne

My bargainous baked bronzer turned up today, hoorah!  Bronzer is something that scares me.  Being so pale and uninteresting I screw it up on a regular basis.  This one seems really light and shimmery though (shade 01), perhaps a little too light actually judging by the swipe I just made on my fingertip.

First impression is that it seems as cheap as it was.  The lid nearly splintered into 2 halves trying to open the damn thing to take a picture.  Texture seems soft though, not gritty or particularly chalky.

Will let you know how I get on with it.  It’s pooh.  See below*:

Oh, *psst* – by the way, that Baked Bronzer I got… the one by La Femme with all the pretty gold and white veining… load of pooh, really.  I can’t get the product to show up on me.  It doesn’t bronze, brighten or even highlight.  I was hoping for subtle, but existent would have been nice.  Perhaps a darker shade would be more evident, but my opinion of it is so… *meh*… that I can’t be arsed to order another.

*taken from this post