Monday 26 April 2010

The wonder that is Maybelline Superstay 24hr!


So, for quite a long time now, my go-to foundation of choice has been L'oreal True Match liquid foundation. Put simply, I love it. I love it so much that I have four different shades, one for each season, depending on the level of tan I'm going with at the time (well, a gal's face gotta match her body right!). As with various other things (mascara, lipstick and the like) I have been somewhat of a bed-hopper when it comes to foundation. Every time a new formula catches my attention, I must try it. Some of these experiences have been good (read: Maybelline Dream Creamy) and others, not so much of a success (read: Revlon Photoready. Lol!) But no matter what, I always come back to True Match. However, I have to say, Maybelline Superstay might have just toppled it.

In the past, Maybelline has failed to inspire me with its foundations, so as a general rule I tend to avoid them. Here's a general breakdown for reference!

Dream Satin Liquid: Not keen. Made my skin very shiny. Needed a lot of powder to set it! On its own, not very good staying power.

Superstay Silky: Hated it. My best friend bought it and loved it! On me, streaky and orange. Not a good look :/

Dream Creamy: The best I have tried, bar this one. My problem with this is it's too heavy. I prefer to use it as a concealer :)

Dream Matte Mousse: This taught me a valuable lesson. Mousse foundations do not agree with me! I find them very drying, and seeing as my skin is kinda dry anyway, not good.

So those are the ones that I've tried, and I've not been thrilled so far. I am happy to report however, that 24/7 raised the bar!

It's like I have found a new, improved version of True Match. On application, it's creamy and smooth without being oily, and you only need a little to provide adequate coverage. When I wear it for work a little goes a long way, and for a night out when I know I'll be in a hot and sticky club, it's easy to build up to full coverage without that 'cakey' look, and what's best, you know it ain't gonna budge!

Now, as much as I love you all, I just can't commit that cardinal sin of going to bed in a full face of foundation for the benefit of my blog! Hence, whether this foundation ACTUALLY lasts 24 hours is debatable. I am of course willing to put this on first thing in the morning and party all night long, so maybe that can be this weekends task eh ;)

All in all, this is an excellent foundation on my dry/combination skin. It's easy to apply, very light, easy to blend and wears brilliantly. Maybelline, you have redeemed yourself. :)

Saturday 10 April 2010

Massive Haul and Reviews :)

Brace yourself dear followers, this one's going to be a biggie!

In the last week or two I have done a whole lotta haulin' and not much blogging, and for that I apologise! Hopefully this will be a nice way of making it up to you :)



For starters, I went to Mac last weekend to check out Liberty of London and showed immense self restraint as I only picked up Shell Pearl beauty powder and Petals and Peacocks lipstick. I guess when I saw the collection 'in person', there was a lot of stuff that looked dupe-able, so I just grabbed the essential things that I wanted. I tried a look the other day using both products, and this is how it turned out:
My skin is terribly dry at the moment - that's why you should always wash your face after a foam party(!) - so the base doesn't look too clever. I used All That Glitters on the lid, then lined my upper lid with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Corrupt and flicked it out at the edges. I used this in my waterline aswell. I used Shell Pearl beauty powder for cheeks, and for lips Petals and Peacocks lipstick with Barry M Lipgloss Wand in Bubblegum Pink over the top. I adore this lip combo! The gloss smells like bubblegum aswell which is awesome :)

On the same day I did Mac, I went to Nars and got a blush and a gloss in the colour Orgasm, as I heard great things about both and saw gurus on Youtube rave about them. The blush did not disappoint, it is a beautiful deep coral colour with a golden sheen, and I love it. The gloss on the other hand, I will not be repurchasing! To me, it is unnecessarily sticky and gloopy, and I'm not a fan of the colour. It looks pretty in the tube, but that's not enough to impress me unfortunately! I will be passing this on to a friend or my Mum to see of they like it any better.

Nars Orgasm Blush

The third thing on my 'to-review' list is Revlon Photoready foundation. This is another product I have heard good things about, and when I swatched it onto my hand it looked alright, so I bought it. Big mistake. Revlon promise that this foundation gives

"...poreless, airbrushed skin in any light. Photochromatic pigments bend and reflect light to erase every flaw. Complete, yet undetectable coverage. Soft, luminous finish."

When I first applied it, it felt quite oily, which was strange as it claims to be oil free. The 'soft' and 'luminous' finish is actually very shiny, and needed a lot of toning down with powder. Maybe I'm just used to using matte finish foundations, but this seemed to make my face look oily rather than soft and sheeny, and that's a feat seeing as my skin is on the dry side!

I wore this for work when I road-tested it, and I would say around the 5 hour mark was when I noticed how truly crap this foundation is. All down my T-zone it had separated and gone all patchy, even though I had set my foundation with powder like I usually do and moisturised thoroughly before application.

I am not a fan of this foundation and will not be repurchasing!

Today I picked up the new Maybelline 24hour Super Stay foundation, so we shall see how that one fares. I also bought a back-up of my favourite nude lipstick, Rimmel Volume Booster lipstick in Foxy, as I am running a little low. I love the plumping effect of this lipstick and that it's a great muted beige shade that doesn't give the 'concealer lips' effect, as it has a slight sheen. It goes on smooth and makes your lips tingle, and is great paired with a smokey eye. I also picked up Rimmel Vinyl Bronze Mirror Shine lipgloss in Summer Nude. I applied it in the car on the way home and found it has a lovely texture, a sweet orangey smell that is nice but not too overpowering, and looks great on its own though I intend to test it over lipstick too! Colour-wise, it's a lovely pinked up gold with shimmery particles and applies sheer but with a hint of colour.
I also bought a silver liner from Barry M as I needed one, and a Lip Paint in Pink Sparkle, which is a mid-toned cool pink with a hint of golden shimmer. I haven't tried it yet but the swatch looked mesmerising on my hand and I had to have it :)

Barry M Lip Paint in Pink Sparkle. Rimmel Volume Booster Lipstick in Foxy.

Last week, I got a new Bourjois blush in the shade Rose D'or, which I had to show you as it's such a pretty shade. Perfect for summer! It looks fab swirled onto the apples of your cheeks and gives a nice, subtle pink shimmer. Highly recommended.

Mmm...pink loveliness :)

Second to last, I'm a sucker for a new product or formula and I've seen this advertised everywhere, I just had to pick up a Rimmel Colour Show Off lipstick. I chose the shade Pink Gossip, a matte, mid-toned yellow pink. This has fantastic staying power, comparable to Mac Please Me in colour and texture, but ever so slightly darker. For a drugstore lipstick, the quality and staying power of this lipstick is phenomenal, I am really impressed. In fact, looking over this blog, I am impressed with Rimmel in general at the moment! Maybe it's time to wean myself off Mac and onto Rimmel for a while...my purse would definitely thank me!

Last, but by no means least, is something I've been lusting after for a while - Urban Decay 24/7 liner Super Stash. 9 mini versions of some of the most popular shades in their range, all packaged up into what I think is an excellent value for money product. The shades you get are:

Corrupt, Stash, Ransom, Rockstar, Eldorado, Graffiti, Oil Slick, Binge, Zero.

Of the 9, I am enjoying Eldorado the most as I love gold eye products, and Corrupt is a nice alternative to black or plain brown liner as it has a slight shimmer.
I can't wait to have a play with the others in various looks, I think this set is so versatile and has enough shades to keep even the most avid collector entertained for a bit!

I expect those of you who have read all that to be bored to tears by now so I'll end it there :)
Stay tuned for a review of Maybelline Super Stay and possible something else, I haven't thought of yet :)
Also, if there's anything you wish me to test, blog about etc. do leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do :)

Much love!
Lucy x