Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

I originally loved the healthy mix foundation, so when I saw that they have a gel formulation I wanted to know what the difference was.

N.Y.C. Natural Matte Foundation - 001 Ivory

I am always on the lookout for a good foundation (I like to keep my options open with coverage), and with my oily skin I also need something that is going to combat that and last. Enter N.Y.C. Natural Matte Foundation.

MaxFactor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation - 40 Light Ivory

I love foundation, with a bad one it makes the rest of your makeup just look plain wrong, so a foundation should do exactly what it says on the tine, create a foundation for you to create a great masterpiece.

B. Radiant Illuminating Foundation - 010 Linen

I am a fan of B. Cosmetics they have some great stuff in their range and I have previously tried 2 other foundations from the brand.

The B. Radiant illuminating foundation contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, it also claims to brighten tired skin to create a healthy glow, the foudation is medium coverage (which isn't that bad and I have come to like a medium coverage foundation).

The foundation applies well to the skin and blends with a brush quite well, the colour match is not that bad either. The foundation also boasts that it has 8 hour transfer-resistant wear, well I can admit that I haven't noticed any transfer whether it be on my clothes or hands. The 8 hour wear I am not sure of, add in sweating and that does reduce the time.

I will admit that I do like this foundation as it doesn't transfer and it doesn't look too cakey on the skin once applied, it gives a nice even finish, and the price isn't too bad.

The foundation retails for £9.99 and can be found in your local Superdrug or online HERE but Superdrug do have a lot of offers on the brand every so often (the half price offer is always my favourite).

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Weekly Round-Up #8 (23rd Feb 2015 - 28th Feb 2015)

Welcome to another Weekly Round-Up! I hope you are enjoying these so far.

B. Flawless Complete Coverage Foundation - 010 Linen

I am always on the lookout for my holy grail foundation (this will never happen but you never give up hope). I bought this in my local Superdrug when they had the half price offer on the B. Cosmetics range.

Weekly Round-Up #3 (19th Jan 2015 - 24th Jan 2015)

Welcome to weekly round-up #3, that's scary that next weekend it is the end of January (hasn't that gone by quickly).

Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation

I originally tried the SuperStay 24Hr foundation (Review) a couple of years ago and I liked it so when this came out it found its way into my makeup collection.

Barry M Matte Flawless Finish Foundation -

This one of the most recent launches from Barry M, the Flawless Matte Finish Foundation, one of Barry M's first foundations. I picked this up at my local Boots in the colour Ivory, the foundation comes in a range of 5 colours, and retails for £5.99.

The description of this foundation is that it is an oil free formula with skin moisturisers that have healing properties.

I noticed when applying that this foundation has a light coverage, and can look like it hasn't been applied at all (this can be a good thing sometimes but when you have red patches you really want them covered). I found the foundation to be quite hard to build up just to give a medium coverage, as the product seemed to soak up into the skin more then actually covering it.

I wasn't overly impressed with the foundation and ended up mixing this with the Hawaiian Tropics Face Suncream, to see if that would help with coverage. If you are looking for a foundation with a light coverage this one might be for you but for me it was a complete waste of time.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Bourjois: Top 5

* Denotes free gift with purchase

Welcome to my Top 5 Bourjois products, this will link in with the previous post regarding the J'Adore Bourjois post.

So here is my Top 5:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - Light Vanilla

Out of all the Bourjois foundations I have tried this is my ultimate favourite. It is a full coverage foundation so a tiny bit does go a long way, 1 pump on the back of your hand is enough.

At the moment I am down to the dregs of this bottle and will be popping out to buy a new bottle ready for when it does run out. Another little thing about this foundation is that it doesn't contain SPF, now I know you may think this is a bad thing but when you are on a night out and there are pictures being taken this stops any flashback happening.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Holidays Mascara - Black*

I love a good mascara, and thanks to this little beauty my love of a large brush mascara came to pass.

The mascara applies to the lashes like a dream and there is no chance of fall out

Bourjois Java Rice Powder

This is a great powder for setting your makeup as well as adding some sparkle to your face.

This is a loose powder which comes out of the tub pink but applies clear onto the face. This is just such a lovely powder that applies well and smells lovely (if your not a fan of fragranced powders this might be one to stay away from)

Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish - In The Navy

I love Doctor Who (yes I am a closet Sci-Fi nerd), and when The Doctor turned 50 last November I wanted a blue nail polish (a Doctor Who blue). I found that blue in Bourjois In The Navy.

The 1 Seconde nail polish applies beautifully and dries quickly as well so there is no muss and no fuss especially when applying to the dreaded right hand.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet - 02 Frambourjoise

These have only just recently been released by Bourjois, their Rouge Edition Velvets. I took these on holiday with me and I wore this one, I will admit this was a step right out of my comfort zone as this applies on to the lips as a corally pink colour. Once I wore it for a while the colour really started to grow on me.

The formula of these are fantastic, they last for ages on the lips, and I bet if you left this on all night without reapplying it would still be there.









I hoped you like some of the products I have chosen, are there any Bourjois products that you would have included on the list?

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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J'Adore Bourjois

DISCLAIMER: I am not bragging about what I have, this series is an insight into some of the beauty brands that I love (J'Adore). I have bought all these products with my own money (some may have been free gift with purchase)


Welcome to the start of a series, every month I will post a brand round-up of some of my favourite beauty brands. This will then be followed up with my Top 5 from that brand and then the day after a brand challenge where I will create a makeup look using only that brands products.

The first brand that I am starting with is Bourjois, this brand came to life in 1863 Paris in the theatre district. The brand's first creator is actor Joseph-Albert Ponsin who created perfumes for the actors and actress of the theatre district of Paris. Ponsin entrusted the company to Alexandre-Napoleon Bourjois in 1868 who turned the brand into what we know today (Brand history from Bourjois)

As you can see my Bourjois collection has grown, this is because it is such a good brand that pushes boundaries when it comes to cosmetics, and they bring out some great products.

Face

I love a good base and Bourjois bring them in spades whether it is as a foundation or as their most recent release their 123 Perfect CC Cream.

I love the Healthy Mix foundation it applies so well and because it is a full coverage foundation you only need a tiny amount.

I have an oily face so I need a setting powder, the one I had been coveting for the longest time was the Java Rice Powder that was released to coincide with Bourjois's 150th anniversary in the same packaging that it was first released in. I will admit I'm not a fan of loose powder and this was a fickle purchase based on packaging but you have to give it to Bourjois they know how to make their packaging appealing.

I've only just recently discovered the benefits of bronzer (I hear the gasp), and the Delice De Poudre was one every youtuber and beauty blogger has been raving about, and it looks like a chocolate bar so I thought I had to try it. It is such a lovely colour and it smells amazing (you will see this in action in my brand challenge post)

Eyes

When it comes to Bourjois and eyes I always think of their Little Round Eyeshadow Pots, these I do love. They also have an intense range that are highly pigmented and give a stronger colour on the lids.
The original eyeshadow pots come with a mirror in the lid

Bourjois when it comes to mascara love to think about volume, and getting it quick, and with their most recent release of the 1 Seconde Volume mascara (I have the waterproof version) they are really upping their game.

Eyeliner is always a trial for me as I don't apply it to my top lids as it all goes a bit Pete Tong (wrong), so I mainly apply to the waterline and around the lower lash line. Bourjois's Queen Attitude Kohl Kajal with it's conical shape applies a really dark line, it would also be good for the upper lash line as it would allow for you to reach the inner corner a lot easier.

Lips

Bourjois's most recent release was the Rouge Edition Velvets, and my god are they good, they apply to the lips like a dream and turn matte and they stay on the lips for ages (it almost seems that you need an industrial strength makeup remover to get it off).

They also have their 3D effet lip gloss, which apply onto the lips really well, these are good if you just want a sheer gloss on the lips with a hint of colour, or even applied over a lipstick.

Before we had the Rouge Edition Velvets, their was the Rouge Edition lipstick, this is in Rose Tweed and is such a lovely nude-rose colour, these just apply so well onto the lips that you only need just one swipe over the lips.

Nails

Following on from the 1 Seconde range is the original product to the range, their 1 Seconde nail polish, which boasts one application only and dries in 60 seconds, these are some of my favourite nail polishes from the range, and I love In the Navy (keep an eye out for my top 5 Bourjois).

The polishes are so pigmented whether they are from the 1 Seconde range or the So Laque they apply to the nails so well and stay on for a while as well.

I hope you like this little series that I plan on doing monthly, what are you favourite products from Bourjois?. Keep an eye out for my top five coming soon.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

I love a good foundation, who doesn't and while I was in the high street this caught my eye, now everyone loves the wake me up concealer even me, so I thought it only common sense to try the foundation.

I picked this up in the lightest shade, and when I looked at the colour against my other bottles of foundation this was a lot lighter then I originally thought, once I have applied the foundation it is  very light, so I had to get the next shade up (100 Ivory) so that I could mix them.

I mixed both the foundations into a cream jar that I got from Superdrug for 99p, I put in equal parts of both so that the colour wouldn't be uneven. Once mixed the colour started to look really good not too light and not too dark.

Colour matching out of the way lets get on to how it applies, the foundation is a light/medium coverage foundation so good for Spring/Summer when you only want a light foundation on your face, but for us oily faced girls I would give this foundation a miss. After a while the foundation starts to go a bit patchy and that isn't a good look and so this foundation for me turned out to be a big big miss as it just can't deal with my skin type and the colour matching wasn't that great either.

Overall applies to the face well but goes patchy on oily skin after a while, not one of my favourites this year

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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March Favourites

Welcome to another edition of my monthly favourites, as you can see there isn't many this month, and there is a non beauty related item in there.

BEAUTY UK EYE PRIME FX EYESHADOW PRIMER
This has at the moment become my holy grail of eyeshadow primer, I put this on and my eyeshadow stayed in place with no creasing whatsoever for over 16 hours, it's true, it's love.

BOTANICS ROSEWATER TONING SPRITZ
This is absolutely lovely on the skin and just smells amazing, it really does do wonders for my skin, but when spraying be careful you don't inhale more than you use on your skin.

WILKINSONS RHUBARB SHOWER CREAM
I am in love with this shower creme and it is mainly because of the smell, to me it smells like the rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, it smells so yummy.

WATER IN A BOX
I spotted this in the local pound shop (Poundland, I think), I thought the idea was quite a good one. We are all now becoming responsible for reducing the amount of rubbish we send to landfill and increasing the amount that we can recycle.
With this the box everything is recyclable so once you've drunk it you just put it in to recycle.

SEVENTEEN VA VA VOOM MASCARA
This mascara was a complete surprise to me, I picked this out of my mascara pot as a new mascara to try, and when I opened it I couldn't believe the size of the brush

BOURJOIS RADIANCE REVEAL HEALTHY MIX FOUNDATION - LIGHT VANILLA
This is a great foundation, the colour matches my skin really well, and I never would have believed I would write or even say this it smells so fruity (that will probably be the fruit therapy that is in there). One of my favourites so far this year.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation - Light Vanilla

After my first proper foray into foundation I've managed to get a small idea of what colour is best suited to my skin type.

I have started using Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation in light vanilla, I've heard some great things about Bourjois foundation so thought this would be a good starting point.

It contains a fruit therapy formula that is supposed to help enhance the skin's complexion, this fruit formula contains Apricot, melon and apple (which all do different things for the skin) it also has quite a fruity scent when you apply the foundation to the skin.

The foundation seems to be a full to medium coverage foundation that does cover the face quite well, I also noticed that it feels light on the skin even though it has quite high coverage. As it is a high coverage foundation you really do not need to apply a load of the product as a little goes a long way.

This is a great colour and matches my skin really well, I haven't really noticed any particular effects of the fruit therapy for my skin, but I do like the coverage and the colour.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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E.L.F. Haul

DISCLAIMER: I am not bragging, I am just showing what products I have recently bought that may show up in future blog posts. I bought all the products with my own money.

I have been wanting to try some products from E.L.F. for a while and recently they had a couple of offers (Free shipping and 50% off when you spend £30)

As you will see this post is a tiny bit picture heavy, as I did manage to get quite a lot of things.

Clarifying Pressed Powder - I love using a face powder to set my make up and for £1.50 this was a bit of a steal, I grabbed the lightest shade which was Ivory, so I am looking forward to using it.

Lipstick - I bought 2 of their lipsticks in Fantasy and Charming, a brown, and a rose red, pigmentation on the hand wasn't that good I had to use it a couple of times just to get a good colour.

Single Eyeshadow - I have to admit these I bought for the packaging, they remind me so much of NARS packaging, I've already used Wild Wheat and it is such a lovely colour on the lids. They are quite pigmented and go on quite well.

Tone Correcting Powder - Cool - I ordered the tone correcting powder in Cool (I did have a problem with this item as the mirror was hanging out of the casing, I did contact E.L.F and they gave me a refund, I did manage to fix the mirror by using a hot glue gun).

Kohl Eyeliner: Black - This is quite a different eyeliner as it is quite a thick pencil, on the other end it has a smudger to allow you to smudge the eyeliner under the eyes.

Daily Brush Cleaner, Mineral Face Primer - Green, Flawless Finish Foundation, Make-Up Mist & Set

Daily Brush Cleanser - I always use No7 which retails for £8 so I wanted to try this as it was half the price.
Mineral Face Primer - I bought the primer in green to help combat redness on the face.
Flawless Finish Foundation: Porcelain - I have gone against the great Lisa Eldridge and bought a foundation online (I do feel a tiny bit guilty about it), I bought the lightest shade to try and see what it is like.
Makeup Mist and Set - You all know what I am like for my setting sprays, this was only £3.95 and is the same amount as MUA (£5), and NYX Matte Spray (£8).

Blending Eye Brush - I'm trying to teach myself how to create a smoky eye so I grabbed a blending brush to help with blending all the eyeshadow together.
Stipple Brush - My Real Techniques stippling brush fell apart on me so I needed a replacement and for £3.95 I thought I would give it a try.
Foundation Brush - You can't have too many foundation brushes
Eye Crease Brush - As I said I am trying my hand at a smoky eye and I thought this would be good for putting eyeshadow in the crease.
Total Face Brush - I was a bit let down by this brush, the bristles are quite rough on the skin, and I did have a lot of them falling out on me.

Loose Eyeshadow - Finally, I bought two of their loose eyeshadow sticks (I had another problem with one of these, if you look closely you can see the crack, same as the tone correcting powder I contacted E.L.F and I managed to fix the product with sticky tape in the end)

Have any of you used any of these products? If so what do you think of them?

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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L'Oreal Eau De Teint Foundation - Porcelain

This was recommended to me by Cornelia over at Ineffable Beauty,

It is a very odd foundation, it's very watery but it is also very lightweight on the skin.

I will admit that it does take some getting used to, the foundation goes on very sheer (it seems like it does to me), and I sometimes feel that it hasn't covered my face.

It also contains my favourite thing in a foundation, an SPF (which is 15), I love the bottle (which is glass), but the only downside is you only get 20mls of product (when the norm for size is 30mls) especially for a £9.99 price tag.

On the packaging it directs you to apply the foundation on with your fingers, because of the consistency of the foundation this can become quite messy and your bathroom could end up covered in spots of foundation.

It did take a while for me to get into the foundation, but it has become one of my favourites, it goes on easily (barring the messy bathroom), and it really looks like you have nothing on, but giving good coverage. I can also put aside the size and the price tag as it is one of my favourite foundations at the moment.

Cornelia I salute you for this brilliant find!!

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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SEVENTEEN On The Spot Foundation - Porcelain

This is a new foundation from SEVENTEEN and comments that in four weeks it will help get rid of any blemishes that might be on your skin with its unique Skin Clear Complex containing salicylic acid. Now this to me was a huge boast that a foundation that can do all that.

I will admit that I did start to see a change in my skin, breakouts did become less and less regular, so it helped there. I will admit that the colour I have (Porcelain, which was the lightest shade) is a tiny bit darker then my skin tone (maybe even a fraction, but I was told it gives my face a bit of colour), so might be best worn in the months that my face may need a hint of colour (Would be a good foundation during the winter months when some colour is needed).

When the foundation comes out it is quite a gooey consistency, like a gel almost, it has an SPF of 15 which is good (I do like my foundation to have some SPF in so at least I know it'll be protected during the summer months). It is also a full coverage foundation (which I have noticed), I have been using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which helps to give a lighter coverage of the foundation.

Overall not a bad foundation, it did help my skin, but they need some lighter shades in their colour range.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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BLOGMAS 4: Monday Haul

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own, and I am not bragging about what I have got I am just showing some products that I have purchased recently that will be popping up on the blog in the coming weeks/months.

*denotes a free gift with purchase

So on Monday I went shopping and ended up splurging on some cosmetics.

Superdrug

1) Bourjois Little Round Eyeshadow Pot (no09) - I used to love the little round eyeshadow pots and have not used one for ages, so I thought it might be time to start using them again.
2) N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer - This was on Superdrug's top 5 primers so I thought I would give this a try.
3) Bourjois Little Round Eyeshadow Pot (no05)
4) N.Y.C. Expert Last Lip Color (Chocolate Chip) - I love a brown lipstick (I have an abundance of them in my make up bag), but you can never go wrong with a brown lip.
5) Bourjois 1 Seconde Top Coat (Vampire Vanity)* - This is a gold lea type glitter (so it might become fiddly when I am applying it but we'll see)
6) N.Y.C Showtime Mascara (Black)

At Superdrug if you buy 2 Bourjois cosmetics you then get the gold glitter top coat for free.

Next

1) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (French Fries) - I have seen NYX cosmetics and have been wanting some for ages. When I found out Next stocked them that was it I had to get some for my make up bag.
2) NYX Roll On Shimmer (Walnut) - I thought the shimmer roll on's would be good for the Christmas period and New Year.
3) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (Dark Brown)
4) NYX Roll On Shimmer (Platinum)


Boots

1) Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (51 Light Vanilla) - I have only heard good things regarding this foundation so I thought I would take the plunge and give it a whirl.
2) SEVENTEEN On The Spot Foundation (Porcelain) - I recieved a voucher via the instore machine to get £2 off of this foundation so I got it at £4.99 instead of £6.99. This might be worth a try.
3) Bourjois Fan-Tastic Volume Mascara (Fan-tastic Black) - This I have been coveting for ages (I am fickle as I love the packaging) so I took the plunge.
4) Bourjois Little Round Eyeshadow Pot (no11)
5) Natural Collection Nail Polish (Burgundy) - I thought this looked like a really good Christmassy colour.
6) No7 Matte Top Coat - I have been after a matte top coat for ages, and I finally managed to get a hold of this one from No7.
7) Smoky Eyes Eyeshadow Trio (01 Gris Dandy)* - 
8) Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Holidays (Black)*
9) Bourjois So Laque Nail Polish (Rouge Escarpin 24)*
10) Bourjois Effet 3D Lip Gloss (06 Rouge Democratic)*

With Boots if you spend £15 on Bourjois cosmetics you then get the Iconic Glam makeup kit (this features the starred products above).

All the above products will be reviewed in the near future so keep an eye out for the posts.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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BLOGMAS 1: November Favourites

Welcome to another edition of my favourites from the month, here you will find November's.

*indicates a product that was bought with points


1) Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo - Permanent Taupe
I love the whole range of colours in the color tattoo range but at the moment I am loving this colour. It's a good colour for wearing when you are just having a casual day, not too bright and not too dark, also a nice colour for the season .

2) Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer - Light*
This I found via Liana Beauty when she did a video on drugstore brands, and I thought this was a handy little package, especially if you were a novice at using concealer. This pot shows you 3 easy steps to apply the concealer. I love the 2 different sections, the lighter one for under eye and the darker for any spots or blemishes.

3) Maybelline Super Stay 24HR Foundation
I love this foundation it's not too heavy on the face and matches my skin tone brilliantly, I will be purchasing this again.

4) No7 Make Up Brush Cleanser*
I was looking for an on the spor cleaner ready for going away and I was just browsing on the Boots website when I came across the No7 brush cleanser. It is so easy to use you just pump some onto some tissue and swirl your brush around.

5) MUA Pro Base Fixing Mist
I think this product is genius, and it does work, you just spray your face once you have put your make up on and then it keeps it all in place.

6) In The Navy - Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish
November saw the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who and I wanted a nice Doctor Who Blue for the month and this one was it, I only needed 1 coat and it was fully opaque. I absolutely loved the colour and matched the Doctor Who Blue that I was after.

7) My Vampire is Buff - O.P.I 
I put this colour on my nails as it matched an outfit I was wearing to a night out, but I absolutely love the colour and it has become one of my favourites especially during Autumn.

8) Parisian Rooftops - L'Oreal
I love this colour, it is such a lovely brown colour and it went easy onto the nail absolutely fantastic.

9) Catherine Wheel - Models Own
I used this in tribute to the Hunger Games (the glitter is yellow and red, and simulates fire AKA the girl on fire AKA Katniss). I put 2 coats onto my nails just so that I got a good coverage and it shows up lovely when the light hits it.

10) Crush - Barry M
This is part of the Barry M matte range, It's a dark berry red and such a lovely colour for Christmas.


I hope you liked some of the favourites that I chose. What were you liking in November?

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Maybelline Super Stay 24HR Foundation

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own, Products have been bought with my own money.

I am not a big fan of foundation, I can never get it right, I find the wrong colour for me or I just look like I've been tango'd. I did previously have the L'Oreal Infallible foundation and I loved that and thought it was a good foundation.

While I was out shopping I thought I would give the foundation another try, and I found Maybelline's Super Stay 24HR Foundation in Light Beige. I have quite a light skin tone so the light beige was just the right colour on the back of my hand.

I have been wearing this for a week now, and I love it it matches my skin tone perfectly, and evens my skin out.

I will continue using this foundation, and maybe dip my toe further in the foundation seas and try other brands.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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