Making your base last | Laura Mercier & L'Oreal

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Having oily skin, making sure my makeup stays in place all day long is a challenge, especially as I don’t like wearing matte foundations. Recently I’ve been using a combination of the Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation Primer under my foundation and the L’Oreal Fixing Mist on top of my makeup. 

The Laura Mercier primer is weightless and creates a smooth canvas for my foundation to be applied on top of and keeps my foundation in place through the slight oiliness which still comes through from wearing more dewy foundations. I love that it isn’t silicone based, as I find silicone primers leave a strange finish on the skin to work on top of.

The L’Oreal Fixing Mist was released in the States last year and I’ve been - not so - patiently waiting for it to be released in the UK as fixing mists hadn’t been seen in the highstreet before. This great for setting your makeup but also if you get a bit heavy handed  with your face products as it de-cakes any heavy concealer situations and stops powders looking overly matte.

How you do you make your foundation last?

~ Jade xx

A Beauty Haul + Mini Reviews | #1

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Unfortunately for my bank account Space NK, Boots and a Department Store Beauty Hall are all just a few steps from where I work, meaning that sometimes its hard to resist a trip in, ’just to look’. Somehow though I didn’t ‘just look’ and ended up acquiring a few new beauty purchases which I thought I’d share with you all with a mini review of each, though some of these products will have a more in-depth post coming soon. 

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation ~ Deauville | I’m very late to the party with this one, I think everyone and their mum loves this foundation so I decided to pick it up - with the pump, which is a must - to try it out for myself. Despite it having a dewy finish it lasts on my oily skin all day and makes my skin look healthy which earns the approval from me.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer ~ Oil Free | I’ve been on the hunt for a good primer for a while and after hearing lots of good things I decided to pick up this one from Laura Mercier. Whilst my skin still becomes slightly oily throughout the day, my makeup doesn’t slip around like it normally would and a quick blot and powder has my face looking fresh again.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar ~ Bronze Moon* | Having previously picked up Blond Opal and Misty Rock, Bronze Moon is another shade to add to the collection. Washed all over the lid and blended out with lashings of mascara and a red lip, is the perfect effortless glam look for any evening out.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour ~ Rose Gold | I love eyeshadow sticks, they’re so easy and convenient to use and on a recent visit to Space NK I discovered the Laura Mercier version, having not heard much previously. The colour range is extensive but for my first dip I decided on this subtle rose gold shade. Perfect for a bit of something on the lid, or as a base for more intense shimmer, this shade is the perfect rose gold as it isn’t overly pink but is pink enough that it isn’t just gold.

Bobbi Brown Rich Caramel Eye Palette* | Every year around the festive season I pick up a new neutral eyeshadow palette - not that I actually need another. Last year my choice was the Stila In The Light Palette - full post here. This Bobbi Brown palette is great for evening makeup with the shimmer shadow adding the perfect amount of sparkle but can also be used for an everyday wash of light shadow with a warm brown in the crease for a little something extra. Bobbi Brown shadows are beautifully pigmented and bendable too.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser | I most likely need not mention this but recently I’ve wanted to step up my skincare game as having good skin means any makeup you wear will last longer and sit nicer on the skin. Having oily, congested skin I wanted to start of my skincare venture with something simple and something that works. As everyone swears by the Cleanse and Polish, I  thought that would be a good starting point. So far I’m really enjoying this cleanser. My skin is very dull and lacklustre despite being oily and this product is beginning to inject some life back into my skin.

What have you picked up recently?

~ Jade xx

Soap & Glory | One Heck of a Blot Primer

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“Instantly diminish the appearance of pores and all-day-shine control, 
helps hide imperfections, even out skin tone and reduce the appearance of redness. It also helps makes your make
 up last longer and, with vitamin E, leaves you good to glow.”

On a recent peruse in Boot I came across the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Instant Perfecting Power Primer. I’m always looking for new primers as having oily skin I need all the help I can get to keep my makeup on my face. 

When I first tried this I expected it to be a silicone-like primer - which I’m not the greatest fan of, see Maybelline Baby Skin Review - but it isn’t. It’s light pink in colour and is a beautiful texture - not quite gel-like nor cream, something in-between. I like to pat it into my skin and it leaves the skin slightly tacky. 

Personally I don’t suffer with redness, however I have noticed that the pores around my nose appear smaller under my foundation with this primer, I am less oily and my makeup lasts longer. I haven’t noticed it helping to hide any imperfections but I’m not too sure how an almost clear primer can hide imperfections? 

My favourite thing about this primer though is that it doesn’t make my skin super matte. It still lets your skin have a natural, semi-matte look rather than making everything look flat and dry but still stems any further oil. Usually in a day I’d need to top up my powder two or three times but when using this primer once is enough in a eight to ten hour day.

Do you have any primer recommendations?

~ Jade x

Product Rejects | #1

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Very rarely do I like to to highlight products that I don’t think are worth spending your money on unless I just flat out don’t like it. However, when I was clearing out my makeup drawer recently I came across a few things that I regret ever buying and thought I would share them because no matter how much you love a specific brand, sometimes you don’t like a certain product they release.

The Bodyshop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream | This was a product I bought when it was newly released last year. At the time I was struggling with bad breakouts - which I do still suffer with so any product recommendations would be greatly welcomed - but I wanted a slightly lighter base for summer. The shade range is awful as there are only three shades in total and they’re all fairly orange. Being a BB cream I assumed it would be fairly easy to blend in so if the colour was out slightly it wouldn’t be too bad, like with most products of this nature. However, this product is actually very thick for a BB cream and doesn’t blend in well at all. I found that it almost separates when blending no matter if I used my fingers, a brush or a sponge. It just wasn’t to my liking.

Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer | At first I loved this product - full review here - so when I picked it up again about a year later I expected to still love it. I’m not sure if the product has changed or if my skin has changed but it now sits differently and I found it not be as good at keeping my makeup in place as I remembered it to be. I also found that it could flake off in certain areas when applying a foundation over top.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation | This was just an all round no from me. I wrote a full post about this foundation - which can be seen here - but in summary I didn’t like the application and I didn’t like the product. It's okay on days if you just need to slap something on but in my opinion there are much better things out there.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer | I picked this up after hearing so many rave reviews about it however personally I didn’t think it was anything special, especially for undertake eyes - full review here.

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer | I loved this product to death and still probably would if I still used it however, if you have sensitive or acne prone skin I’d recommend staying clear as I found this is be the number one cause of my breakouts. The Bourjois Bronzing Primer breaks me out instantly too, which I’ve so far put down to the scent as all other Bourjois face products I’m fine with.

Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara | I’m a massive fan of the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara so when this launched I was really excited to try it. My main niggle with this mascara is that it has lash fibres in it - something which isn’t stated on the bottle - and as a contact lens wearer this made my eyes extremely irritated. It was also an incredibly wet formula which personally I really don’t like in a mascara.

Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara | Personally I found this mascara just didn’t really do anything to my lashes. It didn’t lengthen them and it didn’t volumes them either, is was a very nothing product for me.

What are some of your purchase regrets?

~ Jade xx

Current Favourites | #8

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Olivier Bonas - Card Holder* | I’m awful at having a purse. It becomes a breeding ground for receipts and I can never find which card I’m looking for as I rarely carry cash with me. The solution to this problem is a card holder. This one from Oliver Bonas - a shop which I’ve become obsessed with recently - neatly holds my most important cards, driving license, debit card and of course my Boots advantage card, and its rose gold. 

Daniel Wellington - Mens Sheffield* | I have a bit of a thing for watches. Some women like to collect shoes and handbags, I like to collect watches. This is my third Daniel Wellington watch - a more in depth post coming soon. This one is from the mens section as I really love watches with a large face, its a classic style and I love it a lot.

Jo Malone - Tudor Rose & Amber* | I recently wrote a post about the Jo Malone Rock the Ages collection - which can be seen here - and after writing that post I acquired another scent from the collection. This time in Tudor Rose & Amber. This scent is heavier than Lily of the Valley & Ivy and lasts on the skin all day.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - Ivory | I picked this concealer up a couple of months ago to try something new. Only it was more of a rediscovery as I used to use this concealer all the time when the Wake Me Up line was first released a couple of years ago. I’ve fallen back in love with this concealer as its great for under the eyes as well as on blemishes and I currently have a backup of my backup thats how much I love it. 

Nivea Express Hydration Primer | I remember using this moisturiser when it was first released and liking it so I decided to pick it up again on a recent trip to Boots. Its great for mornings when you’re in a rush as its a moisturiser and primer in one which saves time and because of its gel texture is non greasy but still offers great hydration to the skin.

What are your current favourites?

~ Jade xx

Current favourites | #4

brazil collection
It's time for the fourth instalment of my current favourites posts - previous posts can be seen here, here, and here.

On days where I don’t have a lot of time to get ready or I really cannot be bothered with eyeshadow and liner I’ll reach for the Rimmel scandeleyes shadow paint in rich russet. This liquid eyeshadow lasts all day and is super quick and easy to apply. Just swipe across the lid and blend out the edges with your finger or a brush. Simple.

I love the matte Kate Moss lipsticks but had never tried the non-matte formula. I picked up the Kate Moss x Rimmel lipstick in shade 16 a few weeks ago and have been loving it. It’s a pinky-peachy colour which is perfect for spring/summer and the formula is non-drying and long lasting.

I cannot go without primer in my makeup routine and recently I’ve been using the Rimmel stay matte primer. It is a cream-like formula which creates a perfectly matte base for my foundation and helps keep my makeup in place and last all day.

I’ve been using the Neal’s yard frankincense hydrating cream* as my night cream recently - you can use it as a day cream but it’s too oily for my skin to use under makeup - and I’ve been loving it. It’s good for your skin as Neal’s yard use organic ingredients and the frankincense helps to rejuvenate tired and dull skin.

I’ve been dealing with very damaged hair recently from having ombré for nearly two years and bleaching every few months so I’ve been using the Moroccan oil light* to help soften the ends. I run two pumps through damp hair and it adds shine but also softens and improves the look of my split ends.

My current go to nail colours are the OPI nail lacquers in I just can’t cope-cabana* & Kiss me I’m Brazilian* from the new OPI Brazil collection. They’re a little different to what I would normally reach for as deep plums tend to be more my thing all year round but the bright yellow and bright pink are super summer-y and add some colour to my normal all-black everything wardrobe.



What have you been loving recently?

~ Jade xx

Face of the day #3 | 02.03.14

better skin

Products used:
Topshop highlighter ~ crescent moon

It's finally beginning to get warmer in England - despite the still miserable weather forecast of rain - which means fresh, spring time pink lipstick can be worn again - not that you can't wear it at any point of the year as there aren't any rules to makeup. I picked this particular one up from boots the other day and have been loving it. It lasts a good four hours and doesn't dry out the lips, also the colour is gorgeous. Satin taupe has been mentioned a number of times here on Aquapearl but now those of you that haven't bought it yet - though you definitely should - can see why both Lucy & I love it. It's just great.



Are you looking forward to spring makeup trends?

~ Jade xx

Maybelline baby skin instant pore eraser primer | Review

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Last summer the beauty sphere went crazy over the Maybelline baby lips which developed a cult following following their release in the US - I never personally bought into the baby lips hype however I know that Lucy quite liked them. Now enters the baby skin instant pore eraser primer - which is a bit of a mouthful - retailing at £7.99, to join the line of ‘baby’ products. I had quite high expectations for this after hearing many other beauty blogs state that it is a good alternative to the likes of Benefits POREfessional and Smashbox photo finish light. 

The product is marketed to be a pore minimising primer to create an even, matte base before the application of foundation - but can also be used as a stand alone product. The product itself is a clear gel-like formula which creates a matte base to apply foundation onto. As this product contains dimethicone it is a silicone primer rather than a serum like the Bourjois primers or a cream like the Rimmel primers. The texture, although gel like, is very strange - to me anyway. I can’t pinpoint what it feels like but when you first apply it to the face it feels almost greasy - although it isn’t at all - I’m assuming this is because it’s silicone based which is unlike any primer I’ve used in the past.

From my experience of testing this product for over a month I can say that this primer does minimise pores. After my foundation and other makeup is applied my relatively large pores around my nose appear much smaller than they actually do without the use of primer. However, this primer doesn’t keep my skin matte any longer than when I don’t use a primer and doesn’t particularly increase the longevity of my makeup either - if anything the longevity decreases as my foundation seems to disintegrate where the primer has been applied - which for me is the main purpose of a primer. However, this could be because I have rather oily skin.

All in all a good product if you have normal-dry skin and suffer from largish pores, however if you have oily skin like me I’d give it a miss.



What are your thoughts on the baby skin primer?

~ Jade xx

Bourjois happy light matte serum primer | Review

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I’ve heard a lot about Bourjois’ new ‘happy light’ range around the blogger-sphere recently so I decided to pick up the matte primer. I chose the matte version since I have oily skin so the ‘luminous’ version just wouldn’t work for my skin type.

The matte version is aimed at those who have combination to oily skin - like myself - and as the name suggests it is serum based. I much prefer that it’s a serum to other more cream based primers I’ve tried in the past as it feels like a serum creates more of a barrier between my skin and my make-up which in my mind makes me think that my oil is less likely to show through and my make-up is less likely to sink into my pores and make them look more visible. 

I mainly concentrate the product around my t-zone and smile lines as this is where I get most oily and where my make-up tends to move around the most. I find that patting the product into my skin works best rather than smoothing it on or rubbing it in - and is also rather therapeutic first thing in the morning. The primer has a pink tinge to it when first pumped out of the bottle but dries clear and is a tacky-like texture when first applied. 

For oil control I definitely do still get oily and do have to blot but certainly not as much as I would normally. Usually in an eight hour day I’ll blot around four times - like I said, I have super oily skin - but whilst using this primer I’ve found I only need to blot a couple of times. However, what I really like about this product is that despite the fact I still have to blot, my makeup does not budge. It stays in place across my T-zone and more specifically my smile lines which I always struggle with and have usually lost all the foundation around my nose by mid-day.

Price wise I picked this up from Boots on a special introductory offer for £6.99 but the original price is £10.99 which I personally think isn’t too bad. For a high street brand/product I would expect the price to be slightly lower but when compared to something like the Smashbox photo finish light primer which is £25 it is definitely a good, more affordable price. 




Have you tried the new Bourjois line?

~ Jade xx

Photography information

Canon 600D with 18-55mm lens, Canon 24mm lens or Sigma 70-300mm lens. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens or Canon 24mm lens. Any edited photos are edited using Photoshop CS6. Picture source is given for any photo used that is not directly ours.