Review : Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer

Hello everyone,

I have recently purchased the Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer following my love of the mini Photo Finish Primer I bought (link is here for full review).

I knew I wanted to pick up a full size product this time but I was undecided between the Colour Correcting and the Blemish Control because at the time my skin was in disarray and I wasn't sure what the best solution was. I went with the Colour Correcting mainly due to the colour being green although the blemish control one is also a greeny-blue so it may have worked just the same and it may be an investment next time I need a primer.

If you are not already aware the colour green cancels out red which means if you are suffering from any acne or blemishes or just a general redness to your skin then the colour within this primer should correct that.

As you can see, the product itself comes out green and then once you start working it into the skin it just disappears into the same colour as your own skin so it is not like it applies green, stays green and then you put foundation over the top of your green face.

I have found this product effective and a great base for make-up much like its cousin the Photo Finish primer.  This product is very light on the skin and blends in very easily.  I tend to use my fingers but you if you prefer to use a brush this would also be suitable for this product.  I am pleased with the results whenever I use this primer and it holds my make-up in place very well without a need to touch up too much throughout the day.

My one gripe is that had I realised this was not oil free I may have picked up the blemish one instead.  I do tend to find that if a primer contains oil this does cause me some slight issues with breakouts on my skin as I do suffer from oily / combination skin.  However, I would likely to re-purchase another Smashbox primer, I have not found another primer which does the job as good as this brand does.

Full size product is £25.00 which I understand is a bit pricey for what it is, however, this can be purchased in a 'mini' which is £12.50 and this is ideal if you do not want to make the financial commitment.  Link to this product can be found here.

Video || Monthly Favourites || April Edition

Hello everyone,

Can you believe it is the end of April already? I feel like this month has flown by!

I thought I would make a video about my favourite products enjoyed this month so you can see me talk a little more in depth about them all.



April Favourites : Products Mentioned:-

La Roche-Posay - Effaclar Duo [+] - link is here
La Roche-Posay - Effaclar A.I. - link is here
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - link is here
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - link is here
Maybelline Superstay 24hr Lip Colour in Rose Dust - link is here and here for Red Passion
L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Colour Riche - link is here
Got2b Oil-Licious Dry Argon Oil Mist - link is here
Disney Frozen DVD - link is here
PapayaGold PAW PAW Moisturising Balm - link  is here
Lucas Papaw Ointment - link is here

What I'm Wearing:

Top - Dorothy Perkins - Price is £28.00 and link is here

Face : Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory, Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory, Bare Minerals Foundation in Light, Collection Blusher in Bashful, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner, Cosmetics a La Carte Mascara, L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Colour Riche in Molto Mauve

Hope you enjoy :o)

Video || Haul : Lush & Other Goodies

Hello everyone,

I recently embarked on a shopping trip and thought I would share with you guys my purchases!



Full reviews of most of the products mentions will be on the blog soon.

Little appearance by Mollie :o)

Hope you enjoy!!

Life \\ Missing In Action - What has been going on?

Hello lovies,

It really is a sad state of affairs when a Beauty blogger doesn't upload a monthly favourites, isn't it?

However, I just wanted to give a little reasoning behind my sudden absence and hopefully assure you guys that it won't happen again.

I just want to firstly apologise for abandoning my Blog in recent times.  When I started blogging I loved taking photographs and uploading review posts and I couldn't wait to discover new products and let you guys know my thoughts.  And I wouldn't say I have had a 'bloggers block' as such but my enthusiasm has not been as high as it should be and the reason being is that my skin has been the worst I have ever known it to be.

If you suffer from problem prone skin then you may know how much it can affect how you feel in yourself and as a blogger it just put me completely off blogging. Unfortunately I have had terrible acne on my cheeks, and I was getting new blemishes every day.  There was just literally no let up and no amount of make up was doing a good job to cover it.  So I have been a little afraid to pick up the camera and also I felt I couldn't try anything new and anything I would have reviewed would not have been a fair one because nothing was helping me to calm things down.

There is a reason behind having such terrible skin problems at the moment and it is due to an ongoing medical condition and I do plan to go into more detail about it one day whether it be a post or a video because I know this affects other people with the same condition but I really want to address this when I feel ready and comfortable to talk about it.

After two months I have finally managed to get my skin back to some normalcy (thanks to some AMAZING wonder products which I am planning on doing a video for) and I am not having huge breakouts although my skin is very uneven looking and there are a few little scars but I'm pleased to say I'm getting back on track which means I feel comfortable again with sharing some honest reviews.

I am already back in full swing and have lots of amazing products to talk to you guys about and so hopefully I won't be MIA again any time soon.

Thanks guys!

Emma XOXO

Life \\ Get the Look : Spring / Summer 2014

Hello everybody,

I thought I would share my take on a couple Spring/Summer 2014 make-up trends from the catwalk and how to incorporate them into an everyday look.  I tried to pick the ones which I think are most achievable for a daytime look and the ones which I am likely to be rocking during Spring.

These are just a few ideas which I have taken inspiration from but if you would like to have a look at more up and coming trends then Vogue link is here, Glamour link is here and Harpers Bazaar is here

Bold, Matte Lips

The thing I have been reading most about is bold, bright, matte lips.

Every time I pick up a magazine or get a beauty related e-mail comes through, that is all that I seem to find myself browsing.

The product that springs to mind when I read about this trend is my new Revlon Colour Burst Mate Balm in Striking.

I love this colour and I love this product. 

It is such a beautiful, bright colour which I would describe as a bright red, almost orange.

The product itself is really moist and has such great staying power, this will last for hours.

I have recently reviewed this product, link is here if you want to see a full review and product details, including price and link.

If you want to be bang on trend then why not try an orange lip?

Bronzed Skin & Bronzed Eyes

Bronzed skin is going to be a Spring favourite for 2014.  If you haven't already dug out your bronzer then make sure you do so now.

Bronzed, gilded eyes are also very big.  I have used for the purposes of this post a 'day look' which is a very natural bronzed eye shadow but if you wanted a heavier evening look then you could always go for a gilded dark brown to keep things on trend. 

It is very hard to capture a bronzed look

To create a golden, bronzed look on my eyes I have used MAC eye shadow in 'All That Glitters' and blended it with a colour from the Sleek Idivine Naturals Palette (it was a greeny, shimmery colour, bottom row - second from the left).

In order to create the above look, I used the following products

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 'Soft Beige' (applied with RT foundation brush) which contains a little shimmer and I have reviewed this previously, for product details including link and price, please click here.

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in 'Medium Plus' (applied with RT buffing brush) which I haven't used in such a long time but dug this one out because it is a few shades darker then my skin tone at the moment, link is here.

Real Techniques Brushes  - used the foundation, contour and buffing brush - review coming soon!

Sleek Make-Up Idivine Palette in Au Natural, link is here.

MAC eyeshadow in 'All That Glitters', link to my full review is here.

Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in 'Bare Light' which is great for mixing with foundation to give a  little glow or apply as you would a highlighter.  For these photos I applied to top of my cheekbone and along the bridge of my nose, product link is here.

Benefit Box'o'Powder - in '10' (applied with RT contour brush) and as you can see from the the state of the box, it is fairly ancient but this was just perfect for this post.  It was unfortunately a limited edition so no longer sold but you may already own it as it was popular at the time, it has two bronzing powders, one pink and one golden brown but for this post I used just the golden one on my cheek bones. 

Want to try a bolder style? Then why not try your hand at blue eye shadow for an on trend look. 

The Feline Flick

Black eyeliner is like a LBD, it never goes out of style.  But it is the statement of the cats' eyes flicks that are really making an appearance for Spring / Summer 2014. 

A view from a Selfie

If you are not confident in eyeliner flicks, twists, curves, whatever the style you want to achieve, remember practice makes purrrrrrfect.  For some eyeliner product suggestions, why not check out my previous post here.

However, if you're feeling really brave then try a geometric design.

Glowing Skin

Natural looking, dewy, glowy skin is very in this season.  

Make sure your skin is glowing before you apply your make-up by using No 7's Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask to get rid of any dry, flaky patches and ensure your skin is super soft (for a full review of this product, please click here).  Then to ensure that your skin looks and feels its best, apply Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil to really plump up your skin and make you look '12 hours of sleep' fresh (for a full review of this product, please click here).  

If you're not feeling brave enough to try the 'no make-up look' which is also a popular look this season then try a little extra coverage with Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation which contains an anti-fatigue agent which keeps you looking all lovely and glowy.

If you want to try something lighter, then why not try Lancome Miracle Air de Teint Perfecting Fluid Foundation (link is here).

Hair

Big messy plaits are a really easy to do casual spring look and polka-straight hair is back so grab your GHDs and heat defence spray and get to work.

Hope you enjoyed reading my post and found this helpful when trying to adapt catwalk looks into your own everyday make-up look.