Naturactor Foundation

Naturactor Foundation

Welcome to the one stop wonder. The Naturactor Foundation is a multipurpose product to create a flawless face, and by far the most pigmented and full coverage product I've come across.


Availability: www.naturactorfoundation.com

Naturactor Foundation has radiant, light-reflecting canvass with no visible imperfections Also: Skin color matched, Skin tone evened out, Skin texture refined, Pores erased, Lines smoothed, Spots covered and it has oil matte effect (these are the instant results that I can share right away.



Here are my thoughts: Naturactor Foundation is a very thin cream. 

After a few seconds of letting it dry and absorbed by skin, the color changes and copies skin tone! Magical!! Light is also reflected giving skin a healthy look. Skin color is also matched

Tint can be seen. Sort of like a foundation with a good thin coverage. Texture is nice, and the tone is evened out as compared with the one without where spots can be seen.

Now with my face (and now I will show skin without anything hehe

I have uneven skin, spots, pores, bad texture, lines and oil =((

Instantly, radiant, glowing skin. Slightly lighter than my tone but I think I applied too much. You'll see later. At any rate, imperfections gone!!!

Naturactor Foundation balanced out the skin tone. Texture is really nice and imperfections gone!

Free of imperfections and magically transformed! Texture is really good!

Naturactor Foundation is more healthy-looking and glowing with a pearly texture.


WHAT I LOVE:

Oil mattifying effect! I didnt have to retouch and makeup stayed for long. The feel is not oily, thick and creamy so this is really for me ;)



Overall, I love this product and recommend to everyone who has imperfections but wants a transformed skin in a few minutes. I would really make this as first step already of makeup prior to liquid because the effect is really nice - radiant, pearly, healthy, perfect.
Hope this intrigued you and hope you can try this magical product!!

Blush & Go!

Blush & Go!




Most people opt for the usual make-up staples for on-the-go touch ups: lipstick and powder. I always add blusher to the mix. Half way through the day, I find a pop of blush awakens my face just as much as a slick of bright lipstick; put the two together and it’s win:win.

Side note: if you carry a full make-up bag at all times, then this probably won’t be an issue - personally I rarely do. I tend to pop the bare essentials in a mini make-up bag or the zip pocket of my handbag. In fact this post was inspired by the joyful rediscovery of some favourites in a bag I hadn’t used for a few months - dontchya just love that?!

Of course blush isn’t the easiest option to carry or apply on the go, so I’ve lined up my trusty options for fellow can’t-live-without-blush fans (it’s not just me, is it?).

New CID i-blossom: Rose £18.50 at Feel Unique

The first solution I discovered, this little cutie has a sponge in the lid, powder blush in the base and a mirror on top - compact blush perfection. I remove any excess on the back of my hand, pat a little onto my cheek and blend with fingers. A true rose pink with a sheen and finely milled sparkle - lovely for evening.

Chantecaille Poudre de Pearl: Akoya £36.50 at Nordstrom

This coral-toned pink blush leaves a beautiful luminous finish on the skin. Loose powder blush is stored in the base: I just tap the brush on the back of my hand to fill it with the correct amount of product for application, then swirl to ensure it’s distributed evenly before applying to my face. Currently out of stock online at Space NK and Liberty, I could only track it down at Nordstrom.

Bourjois Cream Blush: Nude Velvet £7.99 at Boots (on 3 for 2)

I’ve raved about this at length before and still love its foolproof cream to powder formula, which is so easy to sweep on with the flat of a forefinger and pat into place. It even comes with it’s own built-in mirror and is a budget-friendly option that beats most high end cream blushes I’ve tried.

Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush £11.95 at Cloud10Beauty

The newest Real Techniques is perhaps the most versatile of all. Load it up with a swirl of your blush of choice before leaving home, pop on the secure lid and you’re good to go with a ready to apply application of any colour you choose, wherever you are. Obviously this is only good for one application, so perfect for an evening out, but you could of course add a small compact blush if you’re off for a weekend away, keeping both your brush and make-up/hand bag clean and hygienic. The new collection also includes a retractable bronzing brush, but I actually think this one is big and versatile enough to cover both blush and bronze. Did I mention it’s a soft as a baby bunny?



Do you blush-on-the-go? (please someone say yes!)

Clinique Cheek Pops: Review & Swatches

Clinique Cheek Pops: Review & Swatches

As someone with a total weakness for blusher, I’ve been completely spoilt with recent releases. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than these Hourglass numbers, Clinique Cheek Pops landed and knocked me for six with a set of dreamy blushers that perform as beautifully as they look. Not everyday that happens… Clinique has come up roses (Gerberas actually) with this quartet, which have lured me in with something akin to beauty magic.

Reasons I love Cheek Pops:

1. Just look at them. Make-up doesn’t get much prettier than this. And the Gerbera design is quite deeply cut, so it’s hanging around for a while.

2. The texture. Looks like a cream, feels and behaves like a gel-silk-powder hybrid. These are extremely finely milled. I know they are powder, but they don’t feel powdery to the touch. The reason for this ‘magic’ is that the formula actually began as a liquid, slow baked into a silky, lightweight powder.

3. The colour. Cool pink, bright pink, peachy coral and terracotta. They look bright in their little compacts, but sweep a brush across them and it will look like there’s almost nothing on the bristles. Applied to cheeks, the same thing happens… a sheer whisper of colour appears. Keep swirling the brush on your skin and the colour builds - yep, you guessed it - like magic. Although subtle, the colour is definitely buildable, just add a little more - and go easy, because they do become bright as you layer them up - though still look almost invisible in texture, as if part of your skin.

4. Consistency. Each one applies evenly, blends easily and lasts well (I may have been spotted wearing a different colour on each cheek as part of this research)

5. The packaging. Sturdy, simple and displays the colour on both sides for easy selection, storage and maximum prettiness (why would you want to hide those flowers away?). If one shade is not enough, you may like to know that they stack really neatly too (see pics below)



From top left: Plum, Berry, Peach and Ginger Pops. Peach looks more coral in real life and Ginger, more brown toned - as you can see in my first pic above.

Swatches















Even on my fingers you can see the sheeny, sheer, buttery is-it-cream-or-powder texture. Magic I tell you.



Plum Pop is not plum, but a pretty pink with blue-verging-on-lilac undertones (that’ll be the plum bit - more obvious in the pic below) and a slight shimmer. I expected this to look overly pastel-y and shimmery on my cheeks, but it really doesn’t - and is in fact my favourite of the bunch.

Berry Pop is a more red toned pink and the brightest of the bunch. I like to add a pop of this on the apples of my cheeks, layered over the Plum Pop, a la Charlotte Tilbury blushes. It brings cheeks to life with a just in from a seaside walk type flush.

Peach Pop is my second favourite, a lovely corally peach that adds warmth to the face and is really easy to wear.

Ginger Pop is the other shade I didn’t expect to like, but I can’t be unfaithful to any of these so far… this colour is more subtle than I expected, works well as a neutral blush with natural or evening looks and has enough brown to add contour and bronze to certain complexions.

Presentation















I do love glamorous packaging, but sometimes simple is best - and with contents as pretty as this, Clinique was right to let them do the talking.

The extent of my enthusiasm for this product emanates from the fact that I seriously didn’t expect to be so impressed. Such a small amount of these pretties is required and they last so long on the skin that I think they are great value for money. And as always with Clinique, they are 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.

Clinique Cheek Pops are due to hit counters from 21st March rrp £16.50 and have been released online early this weekend at Clinique UK or Sephora (which now ships to the UK).

Apricot Shimmer Brick

Apricot Shimmer Brick


Designed to be lightly dusted on cheeks or worn as individual eye colours, this is so pretty to look at and the individual tones are lovely. In my book, this much shimmer is best used as a highlight (on younger skin than mine) and I think this would work especially well on dark skin tones or as eye shadow colours. The palest white-gold makes a lovely brow or inner corner highlight, but in all honesty I shy away from these kind of textures.

Limited Edition Nail Polish

Limited Edition Nail Polish






These two polishes are my second favourite pick from this collection. Nectar is a juicy, bright-yet-soft coral and Bare Peach Glitter, a very delicate gold glitter in a slightly milky base. I used two coats for the swatch of this on its own (centre), and one when layered over Nectar (right). I actually love very fine glitters like this, which add a little sparkle and interest without looking too in your face D.I.S.C.O… more like you’ve just trailed your fingers through fine golden sand *gets lost in that moment.*

Dermalogica Clear Start Skincare: Review

Dermalogica Clear Start Skincare: Review




Dermalogica recently released new skincare line called Clear Start, targeted towards teenage skin that suffers from breakouts. Focusing on skin health, the range contains no artificial fragrances or colours, alcohol or aggressive ingredients. Although I’m not the target customer, I’ve been testing the products with a little help from my friends. Unlike many of the harsh, skin-drying treatments I’ve tried in the past, I found these really gentle and surprisingly pleasant to use… they just helped clear up the issue quickly.

These are my top 4:

Emergency Spot Fix - described as a concentrated gel, this feels more like a cream to me. Designed for use directly on the breakout, it dries quickly and leaves no tacky residue. I could apply moisturiser and make-up straight after. It smells faintly of Tea Tree, but is not overpowering. This reduced a breakout almost overnight for me, which I don’t say lightly as normally these kind of products prolong the issue if anything. NB don’t be tempted to apply a blob on your chin, leave it to dry and go out in public as it dries white… pretty.

All Over Toner - this face and body spritz contains Salicylic Acid to treat the breakout as well as 12 botanicals to minimize redness and Lemongrass and Bitter Orange to refresh the skin. A very fine, even mist, it is very soothing and refreshing on any inflammation, doesn’t leave skin wet and smells slightly herbal. If I only purchased one product from the range, this would be it.

Foaming Wash - perfect for in the shower, this contains Salicylic Acid and 8 botanicals to treat and soothe broken skin - or keep breakouts at bay in areas where you might be prone. It feels refreshing, is not drying and I love the flip-top lid for quick and easy use.



Pore Control Scrub - I had to include a pic of this to show you how fine textured and creamy it is. I’m not a big exfoliator, but actually love this. It may even have converted my husband to skincare. If you’re familiar with Dermalogica’s Microfoliant, the texture of this feels just as fine to me… teeny tiny grains that don’t aggravate delicate skin.

What sets this range apart for me is that it doesn’t look or feel like skincare for breakouts; it just feels like lovely skincare, which happens to benefit breakouts. If my children were teenagers, this is what I’d buy them - and then nick it off them when required.

Dermalogica Clear Start from RRP £13, or a travel kit with minis cost £28 here.

Limited Edition Lip Gloss

Limited Edition Lip Gloss



Nude Pink is a beige peachy-pink and Nectar, a peachy coral that can be layered up to look quite bright. These contain botanical extracts, vitamins and oils to treat the lips during wear, so no need for balm underneath. Bare Peach is a High Shimmer gloss, packed with fine gold glitter that hangs about after the gloss has worn off, best layered over another colour. It was difficult to capture the sparkle in swatches as the light was starting to fade - you can see it better in the above left pic.