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

My favourite neutral lips

It may be pretty obvious to many by now, but I have an obsession with lipstick...I won't leave the house without some sort of colour on my lips, it just pulls a look together. Sadly for work I can't really get away with wearing my bright reds and purples that I love, so instead I like to wear a nice neutral/nude shade. I got thinking last night about what my favourite lips for work were and managed to narrow it down to these four (I told you I had far too many!)

So clockwise from top left we have Sleek Pout Polish in shade Bare Minimum 963, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in shade 206 Nude Pink, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lisptick in shade 125 To Nude or Not To Nude? and finally my Seventeen Supreme Shine Lipstick in shade Bella.

So first, Seventeen Supreme Shine's contribution. I have already given a detailed review of this lipstick here but I love it so much that I couldn't leave it out of my Top Nudes list. Since buying it I pretty much where this lipstick every day. It's so soft and moisturising on the lips and is a gorgeous colour.

This moisture renew lipstick does just that, it gives such great hydration to the lips and doesn't show up any patches that may be on the dry side. It's a gorgeous shimmery beige-nude shade and has great pigmentation. It glides so easily on to the lip and although being quite subtle, it looks lush! If you are not a fan of shimmer based lipsticks than this is probably not for you, but if you are a fan then you should definitely add this to your collection. (This is shimmery not glittery)

I love this lipstick because it is a pink shade of nude, all the others I have are more of a beige nude. So this is my one differing one! This is one I have recently repurchased as I have been wearing it a lot, that's how much I love the colour. This lipstick is really durable, so it fits it's name perfectly. I easily get 3-4 hours out of this before it needs touching up. The colour pigmentation is also lovely, a nice gentle pink that looks great on the lip.

This offering from Sleek is different from the others in the fact that this is a tinted lip balm as opposed to a lipstick. It is a pale beige nude and does feel super-hydrating on the lips. The texture is that which you would expect from a balm and does leave a slight sheen on the lips with a subtle hint of colour. If great pigmentation is what you are after than this is probably not for you but it is great for a more natural look. I usually use this over the top of other lipsticks as well as it keeps the lips hydrated and I like the sheen it gives.

So there's my top 4 neutral shades. I am quite surprised that there aren't any high end products but I tend to buy these in the bright shades that I prefer to wear when I'm not having to tone down for work! Are any of your favourites in my list? If not, what are yours? All comments are very welcomed!

Sleek Pout Polish is available from Boots here for £4.49
Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick is available from Boots here for £4.99
Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick is available from Boots here for £6.49
Seventeen Supreme Shine lipstick is available exclusively from Boots here for £4.99

Boots currently also have a lot of make-up brands on 3 for 2 across all brands, the above are included :)

Subtle make-up looks - Wedding day!

So, with the wedding rapidly approaching (in case you missed it, it's my brother's not mine!) my mum and my aunt have asked me to do them some subtle but pretty make- up for the big day. As they are complete newcomers to make-up I was a bit nervous about using different products and styles on them on the morning of the wedding without trying them on them beforehand, so have started experimenting with some basic make-up looks on them. Understandably they didn't want anything to heavy for the day, partly because I think it would be a massive shock to the family as it is if they are seen with make-up on! So I tried to really tone it down.

Last night I tried out some looks on my aunt for the first time, it was actually a really fun evening! She has quite dark eyelids and under-eyes naturally and so she just wanted to lighten them and even out the colour as well as give a nice even glow to her face in general, so these are the products I used:

Firstly I applied the Garnier Caffeine Roll-on to her under-eye area. I love this product because it works immediately as well as long term; it has a subtle nude pigment (you do have to pat it in slightly with your ring finger) which instantly conceals any dark circles whilst the caffeine in it works to fight their appearance long term. Here's a swatch so you can see what I mean by the pigment, bear in mind this is just rolled on, I haven't blotted it in to the skin in the picture:

It is quite thin so really easy to pat in to the skin and doesn't leave it looking cakey under your eyes.

I then applied a CC cream to her entire face. I chose a CC cream over a foundation as they are much lighter and so would look softer on her face. The one I used is from Beauty UK and is in shade 20 Fawn. It gives a lovely even cover to the face and is the perfect texture to blend in to those tricky areas around the nose and eyes.

I then set this with Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in Translucent as mentioned in my earlier blog post here. I applied this incredibly lightly with a chunky powder brush and it suited her face a lot better than it suited mine! Then a quick brush of Avon Illuminating Face Pearls to brighten her face and add a little colour.

I love these pearls, they give a gorgeous shimmer and highlight perfectly without being heavy in any way.

And then it was just her eyes to do!

I applied some Benefit Stay Don't Stray in shade light/medium just over the eyelid up to the brow to hold all the eye products in place and then applied a light pink illuminator (I think I got this in a set from The Body Shop YEARS ago!) to highlight her brows to make her eyes look more open. Then Mac Eyeshadow in shade Gleam to the lid just to add a bit of colour and shimmer. This eyeshadow is perfect because it doesn't settle in the creases of your eyelid like some others do and so looks even all day long. Here is a swatch of the 2 colours together:

As you can see, they are very gentle colours but great for highlighting. I then finished the whole look off with a couple of lashings of one of my favourite mascaras - Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Smokey Eyes Mascara.

Overall I was incredibly happy with the look, and more importantly my aunt loved it too! It was a nice toned down 'barely there' look that just looked great on her.

Do you have any suggestions of looks/ products to try out? Recommendations and comments are always welcome!

My current favourite lips - Rimmel you winner!

I can't get enough of these lipsticks (and crayon) at the moment, they are just such beautiful colours and have really nice textures to them, and that's a big selling point to me. I have silly amounts of lipstick but right now I can't help myself, keep coming right back to these!

Rimmel 125 - To Nude or Not To Nude? - This is a gorgeous shimmery nude! It has a hint of pink to it so it is a slightly fresher looking nude to me than the really beige hues and that extra little shimmer just makes me love it more :) It is incredibly smooth to apply and does not dry your lips out in the slightest, even without applying balm first. I like to wear this one to work as it is more subtle but still very feminine and cute, it also lasts at least 3-4 hours, and that's through the endless amounts of tea I have to drink to survive the morning!

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm - 240 Striking Spectaculaire - I am falling further and further in love with all things matte for your lips. Ok ok, a lot of them can be incredibly drying on your lips and then show up any imperfections ridiculously well, but some of them really aren't and that gorgeous matte look on your lips is definitely worth searching for a good one for! This line by Revlon in particularly is extremely good as the balms are very hyrdrating. This is a lush classic red shade, very bold and bright and the pigment is brilliant, you can see just how vibrant this is from the swatch. Love!

Rimmel 360 - As You Want Victoria - Another gorgeous red, this one is more of a dark pink/raspberry shade and looks really bold on your lips. I love this colour so much, and it is so smooth and moisturising on the lip, so easy to apply. The only downfall I believe this lipstick has is that it is quite prone to bleeding and so you do need to wear a lipliner with it, but I think it is worth it for the colour. It is not quite as durable as the others, but I think this is mainly due to the colour as I find a lot of these glossy reds wear quite quickly.

What are your favourite shades at the moment? Are you also a fan of matte lips?