Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Primer
FashionistA Fashion Secret Flawless Primer
2
4 years
by Naomi in Face
One product I’ve always struggled with is face primers. I have an allergy to salicylates, and for some reason almost every primer I’ve ever seen or tried has had some form of salicylate in, and has brought me out in red rashy spots – not a good look! I’d just about given up looking for a primer suitable for my skin when, whilst browsing MUA’s online sale, I came across FashionistA’s Fashion Secret Flawless Primer. MUA are currently selling off loads of FashionistA products at heavily discounted prices, and at £3 down from £10 I thought I might as well give this one a go.
Going by aesthetics, this primer isn’t especially exciting. Just a simple grey tube with a wide nozzle which, quite frankly, makes quite a bit of mess as it lets out far more product than you actually need. But as they say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and what’s inside this IS special.
Almost every other primer I’ve encountered has had a heavy, creamy consistency, so I was quite surprised to find that this one is a clear, lightweight gel. At first I was a little put off as I expected it to be a bit greasy, like hair gel, but a little goes a long way and it actually glides on perfectly and forms a silky finish which is the perfect base for make up. My skin always feels so soft and smooth when I’m wearing this, which is lovely, but it does leave an odd residue on your hands after application which needs washing off.
In my experience, both liquid and powder foundations apply easily over the top of this primer to create an even, flawless finish, and quite impressively one application keeps your make up in place all day, which for me is the sign of a very good primer! Furthermore, I’ve been using this for over two weeks now and have had no sensitivity to it whatsoever, so this is a great little product for allergy prone skin (although check the ingredients first, obviously!)
Make up over primer.
Without a doubt, FashionistA’s Flawless Primer is worth every penny I paid for it, and I’ll definitely be stocking up before it sells out. It is available online from MUA here, and costs £3 for 30ml.
Will you be trying it?
Naomi x
Big Birthday Giveaway: Win an Urban Decay Naked Palette! – CLOSED
182Last Thursday was Bewitchery’s first birthday, and today is my 23rd birthday, so to celebrate these two special days and to say thank you to my lovely readers, I have teamed up with Lookfantastic to bring you a very exciting giveaway prize… An Urban Decay Naked Palette! The Naked Palette features twelve beautiful, neutral eyeshadow shades, a Good Karma Eyeshadow brush and mini Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original. I’m sure you’ll all agree that this highly sought after palette is my best giveaway prize yet, and I’d like to thank Lookfantastic for donating it!
To enter, please click on the link below, and you will be taken to an entry form where you can earn as many entries as you like! Please note that to enter you must be a Bewitchery subscriber. To subscribe to my posts, please click on the ‘Follow’ button under the ‘Follow Me’ section in the sidebar. If you are not a WordPress user, you will need to enter your email address first. Thanks!
WIN AN URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTE FROM LOOKFANTASTIC!
The giveaway is open internationally to those aged 18 or over, and will run for four weeks. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 14th March and a winner will be chosen at random and contacted on 15th March. You will then have 48 hours to claim your prize and message me your postal address so that I can post the palette out to you asap! If the winner does not respond within this time I will choose another winner.
Good luck to all who enter!
Naomi x
My Top 10 Beauty Products of 2012
6In February 2012, when Bewitchery was born, I decided to broaden my beauty horizons and try as many new products as possible throughout the year, without breaking the bank. In my mission to discover new favourites I came across many products which were less than impressive, but luckily I also found a great deal of fantastic ones, a fair few of which I have used time and time again, and will continue to do so. In this post I will give you a round-up of just a few of the best products I tried for the first time in 2012, linking to my review of each with a little extract of my post, just to give you an idea of why I love it!
1. e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner
“In terms of lasting power, this liner definitely has it. I have been wearing it now since this morning and it still looks as bright as it did when it first went on, and the line is just as clean. I’ve been rubbing my eyes a bit today too and it hasn’t smudged a bit – amazing!”
2. Models Own ‘Disco Mix’
“The absolute best thing about this nail polish is the colour. My favourite colours are purple, turquoise and pink, and ‘Disco Mix’ combines turquoise and pink glitter to create a polish which looks purple at a distance. The glitter colours are SO bright and bold.”
3. MUA Professional Matte Foundation
“One of the things that drew me to this foundation was the fact that it is matte and claims to offer a long-lasting velvet finish. I suffer from an oily T-zone (especially during the summer months) and I don’t like the shine that the oil creates, so I am always looking for ways to minimise the shine. MUA’s Matte Foundation, as you would hope, does give a matte complexion, and it keeps most of the shine at bay.”
4. Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter
“The body butter itself is fantastically light and creamy and feels so luxurious on the skin. It is absorbed very quickly too, leaving no messy residue. The product contains coconut oil, shea butter and avocado oil to aid with moisturisation, but despite the oil content it isn’t at all greasy. The oils make the butter ‘Intensively hydrating’, and combine to give ’12 hour moisturisation’, and believe me, the softness really does last that long.”
5. TanOrganic Sunless Tan
“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.”
6. Montagne Jeunesse Moisturising Lip Balm
“Not one of Montagne Jeunesse’s lip balms contain petroleum jelly, so they aren’t greasy at all. Rather, they are made from 100% natural beeswax and olive oil and are lightly creamy but intensely moisturising. The beeswax forms a protective layer on the lips making them long-lasting, and the olive oil gives them a subtle shine.”
7. Models Own ‘Northern Lights’
“Northern Lights consists of a very fine dusky pink glitter, and is studded with delicate flakes of holographic glitter which shine purple, blue, orange, yellow and green in most lights. Even in the bottle, the varnish is breathtaking, and I have never seen anything quite like it before.”
8. Nivea Express Hydration Primer
“The primer leaves a smooth, non-greasy base on the skin, and since I’ve been using this I have found that my foundation smooths onto my skin far more easily and evenly than usual, without going patchy on any dry bits. The primer keeps my powder and blusher in place too, so on the whole my make up lasts a lot longer, which I think is down to the lack of greasiness.”
9. Bubbles & Butters Crazy for Chocolate Shower Bubbles
“The gel is very creamy and lathers into masses of moisturising bubbles quicker than any other shower gel I have ever used! Because of its impressive lathering abilities, a little goes a long way with these bubbles, so a £2 coin size is enough for your whole body.”
10. Omni Massage Roller & Sports Oil
“The first time I used the roller I asked my mum to help me reach the tense areas on my back, and even though she used it over my clothing I was amazed that the roller was sensitive enough to pick out all the knots in my muscles. We could both feel them ‘crunching’, which sounds horrible but it meant she knew which areas to focus on. The shape and movement of the ball means that any focused pressure is distributed outwards slightly, so the knots can be worked out without any pain or discomfort.”
…and one that I LOVE and am going to review again because I didn’t write much last time…
Sally Hansen Moisturising Polish Remover
“Unlike most nail varnish removers, this Sally Hansen offering smells lovely, almost like a body lotion, and doesn’t sting your eyes or nose with harsh vapours. It removes nail varnish quickly, with minimum effort, so you don’t need to sit for ages rubbing away to no avail!”
What were your favourite products of 2012?
Naomi x
Nivea Express Hydration Primer (Dry & Sensitive Skin)
17One of the latest additions to Nivea’s huge range of skin care products is their Express Hydration Primer; a moisturiser which also acts as a make up primer, and which comes tailored for two different skin types – Normal & Combination skin and Dry & Sensitive skin.
The skin on my face is fairly dry and easily irritated, especially in winter, but it can also get quite oily in places if I use heavy moisturisers, so as you can imagine it can be quite difficult for me to find primers and moisturisers which strike the right balance for my skin. When I first heard about Nivea’s new Express Hydration Primer I was very excited and highly hopeful, especially as there was one suitable for Dry & Sensitive skin, so I nipped off down to Superdrug to pick some up. Unfortunately, my local Superdrug store was only stocking the Normal & Combination Primer at the time, so I had to order it from their website and it arrived earlier this week.
The primer is packaged in a fairly large box, which is somewhat deceptive as the pot itself is a lot smaller, and contains 50ml of product. However, at £3.99 I’d say you get a reasonable amount of product for your money, and the pot is made of glass and very sturdy so a lot of care has been put into nice presentation.
The primer itself is light and smooth, almost like a gel, but also very creamy and white. It has a lovely fresh scent to it too which isn’t overwhelming, but leaves your skin delicately scented.
For the last few days I have been using the Express Hydration Primer in place of my usual moisturiser and I have noticed a big difference already. It glides onto the skin effortlessly and you need to use very little at a time so, despite its small size, the 50ml pot should last a fair while. Unlike my usual moisturiser, Nivea’s Primer absorbs almost instantly leaving no greasy residue behind, however, it does create a smooth base for easy make up application, and because it dries so quickly make up can be applied straight away, which is brilliant when you’re in a rush!
So, ‘Does it work?’ I hear you cry! Well, yes, yes it does. As mentioned before, the primer leaves a smooth, non-greasy base on the skin, and since I’ve been using this I have found that my foundation smooths onto my skin far more easily and evenly than usual, without going patchy on any dry bits. The primer keeps my powder and blusher in place too, so on the whole my make up lasts a lot longer, which I think is down to the lack of greasiness. The primer is extremely moisturising and hydrating so my skin stays soft all day without any dryness, but it isn’t oily so my face doesn’t get shiny like it used to with my old moisturiser. This means that there’s no need for blotting paper! In fact, my make up stayed looking fresh until 6pm last night, almost 10 hours after I first applied my make up, with NO touch ups throughout the day!
Thankfully, the Dry & Sensitive formula is perfect for my skin type. So far it hasn’t caused any irritation, and it seems to be working wonders on the dry areas of my face, which is highly impressive for a primer as, in my experience, primers tend to be quite drying. I have also noticed that my complexion has been somewhat clearer and brighter since I started using this primer. Due to the oiliness of the moisturiser I was using before I had been getting a few breakouts, but they seem to be calming down now.
I really can’t recommend Nivea’s Express Hydration Primer highly enough, especially if you suffer from dry, sensitive skin like I do! I think I have found my miracle product and I will be stocking up whenever I get the chance. I hope you believe me when I say that it truly works, but if you don’t I urge you to try it and experience for yourself this amazing moisturising primer!
Naomi x
MUA Professional Eye Primer
2
6 years
by Naomi in Eyes
Today’s review is of MUA’s new Professional Eye Primer. I spent several shopping trips over the last few weeks looking for an affordable eye primer, without knowing that MUA (one of my favourite budget make up ranges) actually had one in their professional range! It wasn’t until I saw the primer mentioned on Facebook that I found out about it, and went into town the next day to pick some up.
The Eye Primer costs just £2.50 for 7.5ml and claims to be ‘Long Lasting. Smoothing. No Crease’. But does it live up to these claims? Let’s find out…
MUA’s Eye Primer is nude in tone and has quite a thin consistency. This morning, after putting on my foundation, I applied a few dabs of primer to each eyelid and gently smoothed it out with one finger. The primer leaves a smooth, even layer on the eyelid and dries quickly so there’s no mess and no waiting. When dry, I created an eye shadow look using Avon’s Lace Electric Eye Shadow Quad and my usual eye shadow brushes, and went on my way.
Over ten hours later, my eye shadow looks exactly the same as it did when I first applied it! The colour is still vibrant and there is no creasing or fading. I actually forgot I was wearing eye make up earlier and rubbed one of my eyelids, but when I checked in the mirror the eye shadow hadn’t smudged or rubbed off at all, very impressive!
I am extremely happy with MUA’s Eye Primer as it does everything it claims to do and more. It feels lovely and light on the skin and causes no irritation whatsoever, which is great for me as I have quite sensitive skin and can’t use some make up products. I’ll definitely be investing in some more of this once it runs out and would highly recommend it.
Have you tried MUA’s Eye Primer yet?
Naomi x
PS. I will try to update this post soon with some before and photographs.
