Bourjois Bronzing Primer (Chanel Dupe?)

Everyone went just a tiny bit nuts when the Bourjois Bronzing Primer hit the stands in Boots and Superdrug. Seeing as Bourjois is owned by Chanel, I think everyone expected it to be the drugstore dupe for the Bronze Universial that is ever so hyped up in the blogging world. 

I haven't personally tried the Chanel cream bronzer (the price scares me too much)  but I have given the Bourjois Bronzing Primer a good try and wanted to bring you my thoughts on it. 

It's okay and that's probably the best thing I can say about it. It's not great or life changing but it's not terrible. I was told that it was the same formula and the Flower Perfection Primer (rave review here) but it's not. It has a much more mousse-y texture (like Dream Matte Mousse) and doesn't feel as silky smooth on the skin. 

It does mattify, and add a hint of colour when used as a primer but I really don't see any different in "bronzing" when I use this. The foundation or bb cream just coveres the little tint this gives you so the colour is sort of pointless if you want a primer. I'd tried the BB Bronzing Cream if you want something to give you a more bronzed look. 

I think this works great as a cream/mousse bronzer. I use it with a damp beauty blender dupe or RT Miracle Complexion Sponge and push it into the skin where I would bronzer or contour. It isn't as intense as a bronzer or contouring powder but it does give you a hit of colour and helps me look less like a ghost without any face shape.  It can be used with a brush or your finger but I find it gives you to much colour/product and it starts to look very orange and muddy. 

Overall, I wouldn't repurchase this because it is a bit to orange for my skin tone and it doesn't work that great as a primer. I think I'll stick to their chocolate bronzer (review here) for bronzing and the Flower Primer for a primer. 

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Top 5 Blushes: Drugstore and Highend

Blush is slowly becoming my favourite think in makeup. I go through stages of loving specific categories in my collection and blush is now taking over my lip product obsession. So, in light of that revelation, I thought I would bring you a post on my current top 5 favourite blushes.

B. Cheeky Blusher in Candy Cane 

I've raved about this since the first time I used it. You can read my full review here if you fancy giving it a peek, but in short it's just a great blush for  my pale pals out there and it's one that is impossible to over do which is great for my heavy handed ways.

You can get it here for just £5.99 or in selected Superdrug stores. 

MUA Blusher in Lolly

This was the blush that turned my onto coral/orange blushes. I used to avoid them like the plague  but after trying this I've found they really suit my skin tone. I have really red/pink skin so the orange tones don't emphasie that and I love it. You can read my full review of  the MUA blushes here. 

You can pick these up in Superdrug store or online here for just £1. 

Bourjois Cream Blush in Nude Velvet 

Bourjois are kind of famous for their little round blush pots, and the cream blushes are the latest addition to that line. Nude Velvet is a gorgeous nude/coral/orange shade, and is actually quite similar to MUA Lolly but in a cream form. You can read my full review here if you fancy. 

You can pick it up in places like Boots and Superdrug or online here for £7.99

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Thrust 

I won this gorgeousness in a giveaway from Aqeela Keela and fell in love with it pretty much on first sight. It's insanely pigmented, long wearing and great  for fall makeup looks. I didn't wear it too much in the summer but the deep purple/pink tone looks great for a more dramatic makeup look now we are hitting the autumn/winter season. 

You can pick it up here or at Illamasqua counters/stores for £18.

Fashionista Blush in Juicy Apricot 

I've wanted this for quite some time, and when MUA took over Fashionista and slashed the prices I took the opportunity to snap it up. It's a peachy coral shade with gold glitter running through it. I usually prefer a matte blush but this give the skin a glowy quality without making you sparkle like a 21st century vampire.

You can pick it up here for just £1.65. 

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Bourjois Cream Blush in 01 Nude Velvet

The Bourjois Cream Blush is the newest offering in the blush department from the french brand Bourjois. It's a cream to powder formula, that comes in a choice of four shades and I was given the chance to try out the 1st shade (Nude Velvet). 



Nude Velvet is a nude peachy colour that blends over the skin to leave a natural flush to the skin. It's nice to get away from the pinks, at least for me, and still have something look natural on the skin. The cream to powder formula is great as well. It doesn't leave slide of the skin like some cream blushers and would work better on oily skin. The powder finish doesn't leave the skin looking cakey or anything like that and it works well for my dry skin (not cliniging to dry patches or anything like that) . 




When I first tried this, I compared it to my beloved Topshop cream blushers and I stand by that but I think this is better. The colours, this included, is something more wearable than the Topshop colours. The Topshop colours are bright colours that are great for the younger person, but if you want to feel slightly more mature with your makeup then check out these ones.   

Not only do I find the colour a bit more mature and wearable in comparison to the Topshop blushers, but the way that these sit over foundation is the better too.  They don't pull off my foundation, or powder and they last really well over foundation too.  


They blend really easily, not matter what you use. I've tried this with my finger, and a few stippling brushes and they work well with them all.  The colours (at least this one) is buildable. 

The packaging is really simple, but I love it. It has a nice mirror inside, meaning you can easily touch up on to go, and the small size means it's great if your lacking space. It has a strong magnetic closure meaning you can get in pretty easily, but it keeps all the dust and nasty bacteria out. 

These retail for just £7.99 in places that stock Bourjois and I know that Superdrug have Bourjois on 3 for 2 at the moment! You can buy this here if you fancy picking it up! 

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Top 5 Foundations for Dry, Pale Skin: Estee Lauder, MUA and more

 
Foundation is something that is quite selective to the individual. Everyone has their own skin type and look for different things in the foundation, for me I look for something dewy or glowy and something that covers redness really well. I do get hormonal breakouts on occasion so decent coverage over those is a bonus, but concealer is my best friend then so it's not a requirement. 


So, with that in mind, today I'm bringing you a top 5 list of my favourite foundation for my dry skin. And, just before I start I am going to apologize for the terrible picture! 



MUA Undress Your Skin in Porcelain
This is the best inexpensive foundation for pale skin. The shade is really light (possibly the lightest I've found in the drugstore) and it offers a light but slightly buildable coverage. I looks really natural on the skin, and is a total bargain at only £5 a tube. You can purchase here. 

B Radiant Illuminating Foundation in LinenI love the B range from Superdurg. They offer a nice range of products, and the ones that I've tried are brilliant in quality. This foundation is brilliant for people with dry skin. It leaves a nice dewy effect on the skin, hide what you want it to hide and offers a medium coverage. The dewy effect isn't greasy like some (Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation, I'm talking to you), but it just gives you a healthy appearance. You can read my full review here if you want to know more!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla 
I'm sure I don't need to say to much on this because this, and it's original counterpart, are cult foundations in the blogging world. They are brilliant quality at a pretty decent price. This one isn't as long lasting as the original foundation, but the effect on the skin is great. It leaves the skin feeling moisturized, covers redness and flaws well and lasts well enough if you set it with a powder or setting spray.   You can purchase this here.

Please excuse the TERRIBLE photo!

 Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua in B10
I have a love hate relationship with this foundation. I adore it sometimes, and other I hate it but at the moment I'm having a love affair with the beaut. It's a luxurious, light coverage foundation that blend into the skin well and lasts on the skin. It's not going to cover everything in the world on your face, and it won't last as long as something like Double Wear but it will leave the skin looking healthy and with a hit of concealer it will give you a nice flawless look. Read my full review here from when I first fell in love with this!

Estee Lauder Double Wear in Cool Bone
This is my favourite EVER foundation. I've been in love with this since the first moment I put it on my face and will repurchase it until the end. It's a long lasting foundation that really lives up to it's claims. It lasts all day on the skin, blends really well and isn't a cakey matte mess on the skin. You can read my full review here

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Exciting New Drugstore Makeup Releases (UK Edition)

So, I'm sure nearly every young girl and blogger now knows about this next release and have just about wet themselves over it. One Direction are releasing a capsule makeup line with bargain makeup brand MUA (Makeup Academy). The line is called Little things and feature lip balms, lipsticks and nail polish all apparently inspired by the cult boy band.  

Please don't shot me, but I don't get the one direction phenomenon but I am a HUGE fan of MUA so I'd love to see if the standard is just a high as they currently are or if the One Direction name is going to carry the collection.  



The Lipsticks look pretty awesome and are probably what I'm going to try and get my hands on. I hope, working where they sell MUA, that I could possibly get my hands on it before the prepubescent girls run in store screaming. I kind of hope I'm lying about that but you never know. We had a Justin Bebier stand when his fragrance launched first time around, and no word of a lie there were 13 - 15 year olds kissing the cardboard cut out and some evern went as far as to simulate giving the PIECE OF CARD and blow job while someone else filmed it on their smart phone.

WHAT?!?!?!?!  

I just cannot even...

Baby Lips. They have finally reached the UK and everyone is going a little mental. We put them out at work the other day and one girl actually screamed at them. I wish I was exaggerating or lying, but I'm not. She just about had a melt down and brought every shade/treatment type, even after I told her that if she waited until Wednesday, she would get them cheaper as Maybelline is going on 3 for 2 in Superdrug from then. 

Anyway, they are here and I'm assume all bloggers are going to go bat crap crazy over them like the Americans did. They are good, I have two, but not quite worth the INSANE hype they have buzzing around them. 



 Revlon, a brand that everyone loves at least one thing from, has a new mascara releasing. The Lash Potion has been out in the states for sometime I think but it's just hitting stores in the UK and I think I might give it a go. I've never tried as mascara from the brand so this might my first foray into that. The packaging looks really nice, I love the name and I've heard some great things about it. 




I'm shocked the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick is hitting the UK so quick after hitting the US market. WE had to wait so long for some of the most hyped up things like the aforementioned Baby Lips and Colour Tattoos. It even took quite a while for the Fit Me Range to reach this little island but the Fit Me Shine Free Foundation stick is already here. I'm not sure if I'm going to invest because the reviews I've seen haven't hated on it but they haven't raved about it either. I'll wait for the tester in-store and see what it's like!  

I'm sure there are many more releases hitting the UK drugstores/highstreet soon but these stood out to me. I know L'Oreal have some more colours of their False Lash Flutter mascara that are meant to enhance certian eye colours but I hate the wand so I won't be checking those out.  Bourjois' version of the Lip Butters from Revlon are hitting the shelves if they haven't already and they are really nice. I've tried some of the testers are work, and they are even better than I thought they would be. 

Thanks for reading :)

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Bourjois Delice De Poudre Chocolate Bronzer in Shade 51

The Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder claims to be an easy to apply powder to give you a natural, healthy and bronzed glow to your face and decolletage. It's just £6.99 and comes in two shades. 

I was lucky enough to get this in a Blogger Secret Santa, and was so happy to get it (along with so other goodies). It's taken me a long time to get a review up. I've had this post sitting in my drafts since February, and for some reason I keep putting off publishing! 

Well, I will put it off no more!

The powder contains a scent that helps this bronzer be better known as the 'chocolate bronzer'. It's nothing overwhelming, but you can smell it in the pan. It smells like cocoa  butter more than anything else, but fear not if you hate the scent, you can't detect a hint of the scent on the face. 



I got the shade 51 which is the lightest of the two available at the moment.  When I first saw it in the pan, I was a little worried that it would be orange on the skin but it's not! It's not muddy either. It's a great bronzer for warming up the skin. I wouldn't use this for contouring because it doesn't have the deepness I like in a contour shade.

The bronzer, which I always thought was matte actually contains a small amount of shimmer but when blended over the face you can't tell at all. It has almost the same effect that Nars Laguna (read my review of that here).

Overall I would highly recommend this bronzer for anyone of a pale skin tone because it's not to dark or orange, it doesn't go muddy and it blends really well over the skin.

You can pick up the Bourjois Delice De Poudre Chocolate Bronzer in Boots and Superdrug or online here for £6.99.

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Bourjois Flower Perfection Translucent Smoothing Primer

This Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer is a translucent primer that evens out the skin's texture, helps hide pores, blemishes and fine lines to help the skin look flawless. It claims to have a melt-in airbrush texture that leaves the skin silky soft and prolongs the hold of foundation on the face. It's oil free and enriched with wild azalea flower to protect skin cells. 



The packaging is simple, and different from other primers. I can't say I often see primers in pots rather than tubes. I do have my slight issues with the whole dipping my fingers in and it not being totally sanitary, but I got over it. The other issue I have with packaging like this is the fact that it's easy to use more than you need to but after using it a few times you can guess quite well how much you need. 

The product feels lovely on the skin. It really leave my skin feeling silky and smooth. It helps hide my huge pores, but I can't really say that it helped disguise my blemishes and at 19 years old I don't have visible fine lines that this could help smooth out. 



This product really comes into it's own when you look at in terms of prolonging the wear of your makeup. I've never really found a primer than can keep any foundation in place and works with any kind of foundation but this one does.

 I used it tinted moisturizers/BB creams, Cream foundations, concealers  and liquid foundations and it's worked amazingly well with all of them. It gives them a smooth base to sit on and holds them in place until I take of my makeup at the end of the day.  

It can run out quite quickly, but it's well worth the price and I will be repurchasing this Bourjois Flower Perfection Translucent Smoothing Primer again and again.

You can pick this up from places that stock Bourjois products like Boots and Superdurg, or you can purchase this online here for just £9.99.

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Bourjois Little Round Pout Blush in 34 Rose d'Or

This Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in 34 Rose d'Or (Golden Rose) is a baked blush that is formulated of ultra fine powder that is easy to apply and blends brilliantly. This colour is a gorgeous rose pink with golden shimmer running through it. The packaging comes with a small brush, and magnetic closure and a mirror in the lid. The blush comes in 12 shades and you can pick them up in places that stock Bourjois, including Boots and Superdrug for 




I got this blush as part as a Secret Santa present from a fellow blogger, and have only just gotten around to blogging about it. I got this, alongside the chocolate bronzer, the flower primer and a couple of Barry M Nail polishes. I just about fell in love with all the products, including this one.


I've always been reluctant to try these because I thought the price was a bit much for such a small blush but now I will definetly be buying more shades. The pigmentation of this blush means that you only need the smallest amount to get a nice coverage on the cheeks. It blends easily, and because of the gold shimmer running through the sort of bright rose blush, you get a gorgeous glow on the cheeks too. 



The packaging is really nice and compact, so its nice and small and fits easily into your makeup bag and the mirror means you have something handy to touch up throughout the day. The magnetic closure on this blush is still going strong, but I have seen quite a few in stores that have already broken, so that might be a downside. 


 

Overall, I love this blush. It's nicely pigmented, blends well and while quite expensive for the drugstore the quality justifies the price.

You can pick this up wherever they sell Bourjois, so places like Boots and Superdrug. You can also pick this Bourjois Little Round Pout Blusher in Rose d'Or online here for £7.49

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Up and Coming *Exciting* Products...

I'm always exciting when new things hit the shelf! I have no self control so I start buying, and therefore blogging  about them and I get lots of new things to play with. 

With that in mind, I'm going to start doing a monthly post about new products that are hitting our UK shelves so maybe you can keep and eye out and squeal over them like I do.

Bourjois Cream Blushes & Bronzing Primer

With summer just around the corner (hopefully) cream blushes are in and powder blushes are out. Bourjois, famous for their baked blushes, are bringing out some fabulous cream blushes. They come in 4 shades - a matte peach, a pearly apricot pink, a pearly soft pink and a matte brown pink. They are a creamy to powder formula that claim to blend easily over the skin and carry the signature rose fragrance that comes with their signature rose fragrance. They hit Boots on May 15th if you want to get your mitts on them. 


I'm also eagerly awaiting the release of their bronzing primer. I love the flower primer from the brand, and the bronzing one is said to have a similar formula. So a great primer alongside a possible dupe for the Chanel Bronze Universal. This comes out in Boots at the beginning of June, and hits Superdrug in July.

HD Brows | Blush & Bronzer 

I think everyone knows what HD brows do, but the brand is now introducing a blush and bronzer range for Summer 2013. The pressed powder blush is a soft burnt rose shade that is meant to suit all skin tones while the bronzer is great for both adding a sun-kissed looks and for contouring. 





They are on the pricey side of things at £17.95 for the blush and £19.95 for the bronzer, but the products that have come previously to this have been amazing quality so I think we can expect the same from these.

 Maybelline Mega Plush & New Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows 

I've been waiting for the pomegranate shade of the Color Tattoos to hit the UK since I saw them in the US. I cannot wait to get my hands on this, and it releases in Superdrug today.  A navy shade is also hitting the shelves.

The Mega Plush mascara has had rave and pretty bad reviews so I can't wait to give it a go to pass on my opinions too. Maybelline are hit and miss with mascaras for me, so hopefully this will be a hit.

Rimmel Lycra Flex Scandel Eyes 

 

The bright green tube will catch your eye, and the fact that it's great for contact lens wearers will keep you interested. It's meant to keep lashes from getting hard and brittle while giving ultra great volume. 

I can't say whether it lives up to expectations when it's released. You can get it for £6.99 in Superdrug from today onwards. 

Barry M Confetti Top Coats

Every one and their mum went a bit crazy over the confetti top coat from L'Oreal, and Barry M see to be following suit and releasing a range of their own. I personally prefer the Barry M ones because they are more my colours. You can check out reviews and swatched over on the Sunday Girl here, but I have to say that Sour Apple is one I'm going to keep and eye out for. You can get your mitts on these from June 5th in Superdrug, and 12th June in good ol' Boots. 


So, what are you awaiting the release of? I would love to know!

PS: All lashes and cosmetics are now on mix and match 3 for 2 in Superdrug for the next month or so.

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Bronzers for Pale People | Nars, Bourjois & More

I'm pale! I mean, like Caspar the Friendly Ghost pale. I think I manage to get that into every post somehow, so you probably know that but I wanted to share what products work for my skin tone.  

Bronzers for Pale People | Bourjous Bronzing Powder, Solait Maxi Bronzer, Nars Laguna Bronzer and GOSH Stippling Brush!

The first in the little mini-series I have on product for the pale people is bronzers. I've only just found bronzers that work for my skin, and I wanted to highlight which ones I love!
 
 I'm not sure if the fact that I have major pink undertones in my skin will effect how bronzers looks on you but I thought I'd let you know in case it does.   

The first thing about applying bronzers for me is finding the right brush to use. I found the best brush for getting the right amount of product on my skin, and for blending is a stippling brush. It gives a nice blended effect and it makes it a little harder for you to go OTT and look like an Umpa Lumpa. You don't have to fork out the big bucks to get these either. I know the MAC one is meant to be amazing but mine was a 99p clearance one from GOSH and I also have one that was about £3.50 from ELF. They work for me, so I won't be spending 10 times the amount of higher end brushes.

GOSH Stippling Brush

Now, on to the actual products! 

1) Nars Laguna Bronzer 

Nars Laguna Bronzer, £26.00 link

I'm sure you've heard about this from everyone and their mum. It's a cult product, but it's so amazing. This is one of the few products I've brought and have really thought this is worth the hype. 

It's a great bronzer and I can work for so many skin tones. I thought this might be a bit to dark for me but with the stippling brush it just adds the most beautiful shape and warmth to the skin. You can build it up with a heavier hand, but with the stippling brush and on pale skin it adds shape and warmth, without that orange under tone that so many bronzers have. It also leaves the skin with a nice luminosity rather than mattifying it!
    

2) Solait Maxi Bronzer in Sun Glow

Solait Maxi Bronzer in Golden Glow £4.99 link

This is cheap, and cheerful. The was the first bronzer I found that worked for my skin, adds a nice warmth to skin without making you look like an extra from TOWIE and you get a huge amount of product. 

This doesn't have any sparkles or anything like that in it,  but in a way similar to the nars product, it leaves the skin with a nice luminosity to it so you don't look very matte and dull. It's a nice brown colour, and it's not to orange. You can go a little over the top with this, which is why I sue this with a  stippling brush, but if you are careful it looks great! 
 
3) Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder in 51

Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 51 £6.99 link

This is somewhat of a cult product too. I actually got this as a secret santa present, and love it! It's a nice light shade, but it contains shimmer. I always thought, and hear people going on and on about how it's matte, but it's not! It has some quite obvious shimmer in it! But, despite the shimmer it doesn't make you look like an OTT glitter ball. It looks nice, and the only way you can see the shimmer is it you look for it. It's nice that it gives you a 'glow' and it adds definition to the face. I think that it might make you look a little orange with some foundations and skin tones, but with a light hand it looks great! It's cheap too!    

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