Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Pale skin
2True 3 in 1 Concealer
0This review has been sitting in my drafts for ages now, so I thought it was about time I shared it with you all!
Whenever I’m tired (which is most of the time) I tend to get dark circles under my eyes. Not bags, just circles, and I’ve always had trouble finding an affordable concealer that will cover them. In the past I’ve mainly used concealer sticks, but they’re more suited to covering blemishes and they never do a very good job, so a few months ago I decided to pick up a liquid concealer to try. Whilst browsing Superdrug for the perfect shade I tried many concealers from different brands, most of which were too orange or too dark for my pale skin tone, but whilst checking the cheapest stand in the shop, 2True, I was surprised to find the ideal match – their 3 in 1 Concealer in Shade 1, for just £1.99.
The concealer comes packaged in a very basic looking tube, complete with a soft, angled wand for easy application. The packaging is nothing to shout about, and in all honesty it is fairly impractical as it gets very messy, very quickly (as you can see below), and it’s impossible to get the last dregs of product out of the tube. But for £1.99 I’m not complaining too much!
The concealer has a light, creamy consistency and can be blended easily with a fingertip into all nooks and crannies. It also dries fairly quickly so it’s perfect for the morning rush, and it doesn’t go powdery or tight on the skin. In fact, I actually find it quite moisturising, without being greasy, and it leaves your skin looking smooth with an even tone.
The concealer goes on very pale, but once blended it is a brilliant match for light skin tones, with its lightness giving the skin a little boost of radiance. For a bargain concealer the coverage is actually quite impressive, and it covers up my dark circles well, and stays put for a good while. By the evening the dark circles start to show through again however, so it does need touching up/reapplying if you’re heading out anywhere.
Unblended
Coverage (with foundation)
Other than the impractical packaging, this concealer is a little gem and at £1.99 you really can’t go wrong. I’m already onto my second tube and it makes a nice little addition to my make up bag, and I use it on a daily basis for work to hide the signs of tired eyes. It gets a big thumbs up from me!
Naomi x
INIKA Certified Organic Liquid Foundation
4
8 years
by Naomi in Face
Trying to find a suitable foundation for your skin can be difficult at the best of times, but when you’re looking for a natural, vegan, cruelty free foundation like I was earlier this year, your options suddenly become very slim. So, when INIKA agreed to send me a product to review I naturally chose their Certified Organic Liquid Foundation, which fits all of the above mentioned criteria.
INIKA is a certified organic brand with a focus on producing natural make up, all of which is Vegan, Halal and isn’t tested on animals. All of their products are free from synthetic substances and nasty chemicals, and to go along with their ethical image, INIKA’s tubes, pots and brushes are made of recycled materials, and are also recyclable.
The bottle of foundation I received looked different to the one pictured on the INIKA website, but what struck me about the packaging is how classy and high-end it looks. In my experience some ethical brands, particularly those with recycled packaging, tend to be lacking in the image department, but INIKA’s black, sleek packaging with its gold font looks (and feels) wonderful, and would give any luxe brand a run for its money. Also, the bottle has a pump press top, which I prefer to a squeezy tube or pour bottle as it means you can easily control the amount of foundation you want from bottle (either with a half pump or full pump), and because the hole is small there is minimal mess.
Quite usefully, the INIKA website recommends different shades to suit specific skin tones, so I was able to choose the best one for me, which happens to be Cream. According to INIKA, their Cream shade is for ‘light to medium skin tones and perfect for those with an ‘English Rose’ complexion’ – a description which suits my skin down the ground, and the foundation is indeed ‘perfect’ for me!
The foundation itself is very light in texture, almost like a moisturiser, meaning it allows the skin to breathe and doesn’t clog the pores, and it also has a slight cooling effect when it touches the skin. I always apply this foundation with a brush, starting at the eyes and nose, working down to the chin, across the cheeks and finally across the forehead and neck. In the past I have always struggled to apply foundation with a brush, but because this one isn’t too thick it blends extremely easily.
Before Blending
After Blending
Despite its light texture, INIKA’s liquid foundation has incredible pigmentation which makes for beautiful, flawless coverage which still looks natural. As you can see, it evens out any redness or blotchiness on the skin, and due to the lack of harsh ingredients it covers breakouts without aggravating them. The foundation balances the skin quite nicely too, adding moisture to avoid drying, but also without causing any unwanted oiliness.
The above image shows the coverage that INIKA’s liquid foundation gives (with a little bit of translucent powder applied over the top). The only thing it doesn’t cover fully is the dark circles under my eyes, but that’s nothing a small amount of under eye concealer can’t fix. To top it all off, this foundation lasts a very long time. Whenever I wear it, my face looks as smooth and flawless after a day at work as it does in the morning. It even looks great after a night at a bar or a gig, which is very impressive!
INIKA’s Certified Organic Liquid Foundation is available online in four shades, and costs £29.50 for 30g. It may be a bit on the pricey side, but its top quality reflects the price and it is honestly one of the best foundations I have ever used. I think I’d struggle to find another foundation to match it, let alone an organic, vegan, cruelty free one, and I will definitely be purchasing another bottle when I run out.
Naomi x
*This INIKA Certified Organic Liquid Foundation was sent to me by INIKA for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
TanOrganic Sunless Tan
16A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a bottle of TanOrganic’s Sunless Tan and a tanning mitt in Storybook Apothecary‘s giveaway (thanks Tianna!). In all honesty, I have never been a fan of false tanning, or tanning in general, as I have pale white skin which looks absolutely ridiculous in any shade of orange, however, the ‘organic’ nature of this tanner really intrigued me. The tanner contains no synthetic ingredients, parabens, colours or scents, just natural, organic ingredients, which Tianna assured me made for a natural looking tan, even on pale skin. I couldn’t wait to try it out for myself so I used it on my legs this weekend after receiving the package on Friday.
My first impressions of TanOrganic were good. The product comes in a 100ml brown glass bottle with orange and yellow detail, which I think looks a lot classier than the plastic bottles of false tan you usually see on the shelves. The mitt is a decent size too, not too small, but tight enough to fit snug to your hand so it doesn’t slip around.
The tan itself is applied with a standard pump spray which actually proved to be quite troublesome. I asked my mum to help me apply the tan (I’m an amateur at self tanning whereas she’s quite experienced) and she had some problems spraying the tan onto the mitt. She is right-handed, so she used the mitt on her right hand, which meant spraying with her left hand. The spray nozzle is quite small and difficult to press, and sometimes spins round, so it is quite difficult to press – definitely a feature that could be improved!
The bottle says that you must spray the tan onto the mitt first, and then apply it to your body in a circular motion. We followed the instructions carefully and the application was easy enough. It didn’t streak as much as I was expecting it too, but it did smudge here or there (though this is easily fixed if you rub the tan firmly to even it out). The tanner is also practically scentless. In the past, I have had the displeasure of sniffing various false tan products and they all, quite frankly, stink, but this one has an extremely delicate scent which is hardly noticeable. I put that down to the lack of chemicals, which gets it more brownie points from me.
One application to my legs used about a sixth of the bottle. I have long legs so I don’t really know if that’s a fair amount to use or not, but I imagine you could get three or four full body applications from one bottle. The bottle says to leave the tan on for six to eight hours before rinsing it off, so after applying the tan I left it to dry and then went about my business for six hours. When I rinsed the tan off the water went bright yellow, but my legs stayed looking brown as I hoped they would! As suggested, I washed with body wash and then applied moisturiser to help prolong the tan.
Now, here are the before and after photographs of my legs. The light looks different in both of them due to the direction of the sun at the time of taking the pictures, but I assure you they give an accurate representation of the differences!
BEFORE
AFTER
As you can see, my legs were very pale before. Though the tan didn’t give my legs an intense colour, it did make them look nicely, naturally tanned and lightly brown, and I am very pleased with the results. There are no orange blotches or dirty looking streaks in sight, and my skin tone looks very even and smooth. The difference is only minor, but it is noticeable, and that is what I wanted so it has done its job well in my opinion. In fact, I like this delicately tanned look and I’m pleasantly surprised that I do!
The phrase on the front of the bottle, ‘100% Natural Just Like You’, really sums this product up well. The formula is 100% natural (and registered as cruelty free, vegan and 95% organic), and the resulting tan looks natural – I will definitely be using TanOrganic again, I’m a convert. If you want to try it, TanOrganic’s Sunless Tan is available to purchase online from TanOrganic’s website, and costs a reasonable €19.99 (around £16, or $25) with a free Tan-Erase, or you can get it for free if you purchase their OilArganic for the same price. The mitt is sold separately for €4.99/£4/$6.25.
What do you think of the results?
Naomi x
MUA Make Up Academy Blusher in Shade 2
4
9 years
by Naomi in Face
I’ve always been slightly apprehensive about wearing blusher, as I have fairly pale skin and was worried that I would end up looking like a china doll, but when I saw this MUA blusher for £1.00, I thought I might as well give it a go. I went for a pinky shade (Shade 2) as, after trying out the testers in Superdrug, it seemed to suit my lighter skin tone better than the more golden shades.
I really liked the initial appearance of the blusher, as the MUA imprint gives it quite a classy look. The blusher itself sits cleanly on the surface of the brush and transfers fully onto the skin, with very little waste, so you only need a little to go a long way. The blusher looks very natural on the skin, as it isn’t too heavily pigmented, so blends in naturally rather than just leaving an uncouth bold coloured streak!
This isn’t the best swatch photo in the world as my camera battery is low, but you can tell from the picture that the colour is quite delicate, which is great for every day wear. I’ve had this on all morning and all afternoon so far, and it still looks lovely and fresh, so this product definitely has lasting power!
I’m very happy with this blusher and am looking forward to wearing it more and adapting it to suit different looks. The pinky hues and subtle shimmer are perfect for Spring, and for just £1.00 it’s an absolute steal as it is excellent quality. I just wish more MUA products had proper names as they definitely deserve them 
Which shade of MUA blusher is your favourite?
Naomi x
