Battle of the Primers!

Up until recently I have never bothered with using primers as part of my make-up routine, but then I picked up this Rimmel Stay Matte Primer as it was 3 for 2 on Rimmel (and I really didn't need anymore lipstick!). I used it a couple of times on and off and then I received this RMK Primer in one of my monthly subscription beauty boxes. Since getting these though, I have started using a primer every day. So I think its got to that time to start comparing them now!

First up, this primer from RMK. I was a bit slow trying this out when I first received it, thinking it wouldn't be something I was overly bothered by and then was quite disappointed when I poured some out and found it had a really thin consistency. I thought it would not stand a chance against my overly oily skin! But actually I was really impressed with just how well it held my make-up. I noticed a significant difference in the amount of time my make-up held and I looked oil-free. I have fallen in love with this primer and use it a lot.

This Rimmel offering is of a lot thicker consistency which I liked before trying the thinner RMK one. It's quite easy to apply in that you just rub it all over your face and leave it for a minute to really set. Since using the RMK primer though, I've found I don't get on so well with the thicker texture. I just feel it doesn't absorb as nicely in to the skin. It's still quite a good primer and I do notice a slight difference in the longevity of my make-up when I have used it compared to when I haven't used a primer but for me personally it just doesn't hold a candle to the RMK offering.

Therefore, my clear winner is RMK's Primer. It has just won hands down with consistency and how it works on my skin. It really is the better of the two, sorry Rimmel!! But for the price difference you would expect RMK's to dominate Rimmel's, if you are on a budget the Rimmel Primer really is quite good.

Have you tried any of these primers? What primer is your personal favourite? All comments are very much appreciated!

RMK primer is available here for £28 for 30ml
Rimmel Stay Matte Primer is available here for £5.99 for 30ml

Monthly subscription box - Birchbox

As you may have read here, I am a lover of monthly subscription beauty boxes and so when it comes round to that time of the month when I start receiving these parcels from the postman I am one happy girl! Birchbox arrived this week, and with this month's theme being 'good enough to eat' I was definitely excited. So, the contents of the box:

This bag smelt incredible, definitely in keeping with the good enough to eat theme! I must admit, there was also a packet of Propercorn popcorn in their also but it was just so good that the bag unfortunately didn't make it home... I'll give a brief review of each product from left to right (as shown in the above picture).

Laura Mercier - Body Souffle Ambre Vanille

This literally smelt incredible. The sweet, vanilla smell is so strong that you can smell it as soon as you open up the small cotton bag within the box, and this is with it sealed in a plastic container! It is not a sickly sweet scent, just the right level of sweetness. I haven't tried this yet as I didn't want to break the foil seal and feel I have to use it up quickly, I'm sure I shall come back and write a long review on it in the near future though as it seems a really indulgent body cream and I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to fall head over heels for it! If only it didn't have a price tag slightly out of my price range...

RMK Make-up Base

I had never heard of this make before receiving it in this month's box, and if I'm perfectly honest I'm not a big user of make-up base products. I may use them from time to time if I'm going to a special event and want to attempt to make my make-up last longer but day to day I prefer not to use them. Despite this, I quite like the design of the bottle, with it's little captions covering the front. The actual product is a lot thinner than I was expecting, it's almost like a milk. I'm not sure how this will fare against my oily skin but I'll give it a try. I'm not getting myself excited over it but I've been happily surprised by products in the past. I'll keep you posted as to whether this actually manages to have a good effect on my overly oily skin!

Yin Yang Skincare Skin Cleanser

I was so pleased to receive the skin cleanser rather than the moisturiser! Not that I had anything against the moisturiser, but I currently have them coming out my ears, and I always love to try new cleansers. I was surprised to find this actually had a subtle, pleasant fragrance. I wasn't expecting it to have a scent at all, or that it would be one of those slightly chemical-y smells like you get with some. It's consistency is slightly thicker than what I was expecting for a cleanser that you apply to cotton wool to use on your face but I think that's purely because I had been getting so used to using Micellar water! Overall this seems a pretty good product and I am looking forward to incorporating it in to my daily skin care routine.

 theBalm How 'Bout Them Apples

I had heard little whisperings about theBalm products from my blog browsing and so I was quite intrigued to receive a sample of their cheek and lip stain. The sample is held in a very cute booklet packet and I love the artistry of it! The colour I received is 'Pie' but there are 6 colours in this collection altogether, they come in a palette in the full-sized product.

I have been using this as a lip stain, as I'm slightly wary of using it on my cheeks as I'm only really used to powder blushes! I love the colour and I'm so impressed by the pigmentation this contains, it really does make a big impact. I'm definitely keen to purchase the full-sized product after trying this out, people have even commented on how nice it looks, in an office full of men this really is a big compliment!! Well done theBalm!!

 Color Club Gala's Gems Collection

Oh...My...God, I love this nail varnish!! This was definitely my favourite product from my box and I'm so glad I picked this colour (Birchbox gave you the option to pick 1 of four colours from the collection). It is a beautiful pearl shade which dries to a satin finish which just looks gorgeous on the nail. It gives great coverage, the above picture is after just one coat, so really a second coat isn't even necessary. I have used this for some nail art that I was trying out last night so a post on that can be expected later today, I really love it!

So another winning box!! Do any of you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of this month's offerings?

Birchbox is available from here - there are many different payment plans but I use the monthly recurring subscription which is £10 per month plus a £2.95 postage fee.