Naturactor Foundation

Naturactor Foundation

TGIF! Today seemed like the longest day of the week. Maybe because I had to deal with so many issues at work.

I've used this concealer for a while but previously I had the light shade, which ended up being way too light for me. The product was getting old so I repurchased the medium shade this time. It's not an exact color match but it's much closer to my skin tone than the light version. The light would work best if you have very fair skin. The medium shade works better for light medium skin color. I like the fact that it has neutral undertone, which works better for my complexion.

Packaging

• The concealer is packed inside a small white container. I find it convenient and practical.

Product

• This is labeled as a heavy duty concealer and it does not disappoint. This is my do-it-all concealer. It's creamy enough that I can apply it on my eye area to conceal dark circles. It's thick enough and pigmented enough to cover spots, blemishes, redness, and discoloration. 
• Because it's so concentrated, a little goes a long way. I squirt just a little drop out it. I use a brush to apply and blend the product where I needed it, and then I go over it with my foundation. 
• Lasting power is great also. It last all day on my face.

Final Thought

This is one of the best concealer I've tried and definitely a favorite. It covers everything and can make me look flawless if I wanted to. Great for special occasions and photoshoot where you want your skin to look your best. It comes in 5 shades but it definitely the shades are very useful. What I like most is that, it is easy to blend in on your skin. It doesn't look cakey even if your sweating. And you don't have to retouch and retouch and retouch the whole day --- it really last for the whole day.



Rating

9.5/10


Availability

www.naturactorfoundation.com

Too Faced Sweetheart Beads

Too Faced Sweetheart Beads

First up, Too Faced Sweetheart Beads - one of the prettiest make-up products I’ve seen in a long time, these pastel coloured hearts are designed to correct skin tone and give a lit from within look. I wasn’t sure quite what to expect, assuming they would be a. verging on colourless and b. quite shimmery. In fact they do add a subtle warm glow to the skin, neither bronze nor blush, but somewhere in between - verging on golden in the light.



Above, left - each bead swatched individually (not that you’d actually use them like that!) and right, blended together. Can you see the glow? Using a Real Techniques Duo Fibre brush, I sweep these all over my face pre-blush, in place of a setting powder for a wide awake radiant finish.
Currently on offer here.

Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit Feb 2014: Discount Code

Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit Feb 2014: Discount Code




The Latest in Beauty Glamour Beauty Edit launched this month - an edit of Spring beauty must-haves selected by Glamour Magazine’s Beauty Ed. The box of beauty goodies worth £45 costs just £14.95 and includes some real winners. Unlike the latest Birchbox, this contains three make-up items as well as hair and body products - read on for a closer look at what’s inside…



From the left:

Invisi bobble - essentially a piece of old fashioned plastic telephone wire for your hair that promises no breaks or snags. This grips my hair like nothing else and I really struggle to find a bobble that doesn’t slip out - win!

Burt Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - 100% natural, moisturising lip soother

Cheeky Nail Paint in Chat Me Up - I’m loving this orangey toned red and Instagrammed swatches of me wearing this today here.

L’Oreal Miss Manga Mascara - new from L’Oreal this thin, flexible wand takes a bit of getting used to, but delivers great lash from first use. Even one coat gives me good volume. It’s quite strongly scented, incase that’s an issue for anyone.

Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Aqua Velvet - an exclusive to this box, I can’t begin to describe how buttery the texture of this is - it literally glides on. Not my kinda colour, but if the other shades are a similar formula, I’ll be picking some up.

Percy & Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse - I’m getting back into hair mousse recently and this one is the perfect size for weekends away and gym bags.

Rituals Zensation foaming shower gel - I love the formula of Rituals Shower gel that lathers into mousse and this one literally smells like a Spring day!



My favourites from the bunch are the first three: Invisi Bobble, Cheeky and Burt Bees. You can purchase this box with these exact contents as a one off, no need to subscribe.

Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit is available now here - use the code LOVE14 to receive 14% off your order until midnight TONIGHT, 14 Feb 2014.

NEOM: Love Candle

NEOM: Love Candle 

New from Neom, Love is a limited edition candle featuring a rich, creamy blend of the oils from Jasmine and Tuberose petals with essence of Mimosa. Described as ‘a warming fragrance with a hint of honey and spice’, to me it smells like contentment, aka pure bliss. As with each of these gifts, the packaging is half of the beauty - from the striking box to the heavy black glass, this is Neom’s best design yet.
Find it here.

Exclusive: New No7 Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector

Exclusive: New No7 Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector


If you suffer from tired eyes and dark circles, you’ll love the new release from No7 later this month (19 Feb). No7 Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector has been developed to help reduce dark circles in two weeks and instantly de-puff and illuminate tired eyes. The product combines light reflective technology in pearlescent particles for instant brightening with longer acting ingredients to reduce dark circles over time.

The formula includes active ingredients such as Vitamin C, caffeine and Pro Vitamin B5 to:

improve firmness and tone around the eye contour
drain excess fluid to reduce puffiness
reduce dark circles
moisturise the skin.


Product is dispensed through 3 little metal balls, which provide an instantly cooling effect on the skin which I find super soothing on tired eyes. Pearl extract helps reflect light while the yellow-gold liquid counteracts the blue tone of under eye shadows.



Squeezing the tube very gently releases the sheer golden fluid, which comes in one universal anti-dark shadow shade. NB this is not a concealer and although it adds an instant subtle radiance to the eye area, is not designed to completely disguise shadows. Don’t be tempted to overdo it to try and cover up as this is primarily a skincare product, which works well either alone or under make-up. I find that light application of a small amount works best to avoid pilling… I use my ring finger to make sure the product is completely blended into my skin after enjoying a few moments of the cooling applicator!

If you do wish to conceal dark shadows, you’ll need to apply a separate under eye concealer over this, or after foundation.


Top, straight from the tube and below, blended and left to dry, you can hopefully see the colour correcting golden sheen.

“In consumer trials more than 80% of (97) women agreed that their dark circles and puffiness were reduced after just 2 weeks and they felt more confident as a result.”I’ve only been using this product for a few days and enjoy the instant cooling and brightening effect… I look forward to seeing how it affects my dark circles after two weeks. NB no beauty product alone will achieve this: sufficient sleep, drinking lots of water and eating a healthy diet all contribute to reducing dark circles, so while it’s great to have a product that helps boost the process, it’s important to take a holistic approach.

NEW No7 Beautiful Skin Dark Circle Corrector, 15 ml, £13.50, will be available from 19 February in most Boots UK stores nationwide and online at boots.com

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush: Radiant Magenta - review & swatches

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush: Radiant Magenta - review & swatches




The arrival of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush has caused a lot of ooh-ing and ahh-ing in the beautysphere in recent weeks. Having fallen head over heels with the Ambient Lighting Palette (review here) I just knew one of these would have to be mine. I lost patience and pre-ordered Radiant Magenta from Space NK, though held off on posting about it until this week’s official launch (for reasons I’ll explain below). These blushers are a thing of beauty - that’s a cert. Are they for everyone? Possibly…



The sleek, slim metallic palette is in itself a thing of beauty. Full size mirror: check; closes securely: check; feels sturdy: check; no unnecessary brushes: check.



Gasp… isn’t it gorgeous?! Each blush is unique, which is what makes these a. extra special and b. a challenge. The reason for this is that the pigmented blush is marbled with original Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. This gives them a magical sense of dimension, softening and blurring the pigment for a beyond-blush, lit from within glow. If you get the right ratio of pigment:marbling. I’ve been told that this is an issue for many and while it’s not a huge one for me, I’d kinda like a little more marbling in mine. Radiant Magenta is bright. The strongest, brightest colour of the bunch, it packs quite a lot of punch, and while I do like a bright pink flush, I have to be a bit more careful with this than I’d like. I’m pretty sure this would be less of an issue for deeper skin tones and won’t bother me at all come Summer, but for now, it’s the one element that prevents a 100% perfect status.

I want to blend the blush with the Ambient powder to soften it, but the more I blend, the more product ends up on my brush - and therefore my cheeks, so to avoid being too Aunt Sally, I really need to go gently with this. I photographed the brush above after lightly swirling it in the powder - and you can see both the depth of colour and how much product is picked up. I’ve since switched to the Real Techniques Duo Fibre brush, which allows for a much more subtle application - tapping some off on the back of my hand pre-cheeks is still essential. I realise this is partly my own issue… when I have a new makeup product I like to keep playing with it - reapplying, touching up throughout the day -it’s a weakness. And with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, there is no excuse/need to do this. Hardly a fault really…



Left - finger swatch, right - brush swatch. The colour is quite exquisite really. The cool pink magenta base takes on a slightly warmer, coral tone when blended with the powder.



Apologies for the rubbish quality phone pic, but hopefully this will give you some idea of how it looks applied on my colouring. I actually think Radiant Magenta would look amazing on darker skin tones. I paired it with my still much loved Sisley Phyto Lip Twist in Pinky (& yes I did plan my Summer-in-February outfit around a blusher!).


So in a nutshell, these rock. I want another one that I’ll get more wear out of in Winter. If you opt for the Radiant Magenta and have the chance to check them out in person, I’d probably do so to ensure that you’re happy with the amount of marbling. I’m hovering over Dim Infusion at the moment…

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush costs £28 at Space NK or Liberty

Do you like the sound of these - and if so, which one?!

Giveaway: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Giveaway: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush


Time for a little thank you from me to you… I’d like to treat a reader to one of this season’s most desirable beauty launches, an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in the colour of your choice (subject to availability).

Not sure which you fancy? See the range & reviews at Space NK HERE! 

Please enter via the Rafflecopter below & remember to leave a comment on this post with your first and second choice of shade and a contact email. Open internationally, closes Sunday 24 February 2014, midnight GMT. Winner will be selected at random & prize purchased by me. Good luck everyone!




THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!

CONGRATS TO THE WINNER, LAUREN, SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM 3000+ ENTRIES! DIM INFUSION IS ON ITS WAY TO YOU LAUREN - HOPE YOU LOVE IT! XX