Maybelline Colour Tattoo - Creme de Rose | Review & Swatches

I have been waiting so long for Maybelline to come out with this - a Colour Tattoo in a shade perfect for priming before eyeshadow.
This is shade Creme de Rose and it has quickly become an essential in my everyday make-up bag, as a great little product to apply before liner, shadow or mascara to create a blank canvas.
Here's a before and after and a cheeky swatcheroo -

It is a little bit pink- toned, and even though I have more yellow skin, it works fine just blended up to my crease. Basically, everything is great about it. I very occasionally get dry patches in the inner corners when I don't take a minute to blend it - and I do mean literally just a moment.

I would really recommend this to anyone, especially people looking for a quick one-step eye look for work/school - pop a bit of bronzer or shadow in the crease and you're good to go. Or, if you've always been curious about MAC Painterly paint pot, I expect this will do a very similar thing! If this is too light for your skin tone, I would recommend Creamy Beige which is a soft taupe and would be perfect if this is too light.

Thanks for reading ;)

Lou x

5 tips for 5 minute morning make-up | Sunday Chat

I am two weeks into my first full-time, real- life, serious job. Eek. So far, one of the hardest things I've faced is squeezing my leisurely morning skin,hair and make-up dawdle into a seriously quick, to-the-point routine. I'm just getting the hang of it, and here are a few tips I've learnt so far.

1. Minimise your morning skin routine.
Save the masking, toning, exfoliating and serious double- cleansing for the evenings. In the morning, stick to a swipe of micellar water and moisturiser. How anyone does more than that is beyond me.

2.Full- coverage face is still not the one.
When you're at work you want to look awake, fresh and ready, and your first thought is- oh, I'll put  a real, serious foundation all over my face to go with my real, serious job. Wrong. I've spent too long in the morning blending that stuff around my chops to decide that it just isn't the one. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue you are the one. Yet again.

3.Prioritise your face.
There are certain parts of your make- up routine you can do on the train to work, and certain parts you can't. Mascara and eyeliner are a no-no. So is prodding that fresh spot around with concealer whilst sitting next to a smart business man. That just isn't cute. My rule of thumb is: get your base, brows and lashes done at home. Bare minimum. If  you have to sacrifice one of the three, your brows can be done on the train, trust me.

4.Highlight is taking a back seat.
a) I have trouble even fitting both bronzer and blusher into the space of time I have on the train
b) I'm not sure my colleagues are ready for my J-Lo glow.

5. Convenience products for the win.
I have only just realised that I do not own any eyeshadow quads or trios which are handy to throw in my train make- up bag for the commute. That Naked Palette just isn't going to cut it for a nice grown-up day time look. At the moment, my MAC Cinderella palette is saving the day, and I seriously need to find a few matte- heavy, small palettes for work make- up. (Apart from my Naked Basics 2 which is life)


PS: If you drive to work, leave ten minutes early and sort your business out in the toilets before you  start. It's just logical.

Lou x

First Impressions | L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream

A while ago, when I purchased the L'Oreal Infallible Foundation and Brow Plumper, it was 3 for 2- so I picked up this- the L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream in 'Light Skin Tone'.
It's been sitting in my drawer for a while, because...well mainly because I was a little bit scared of it.
The squeezy tube is very handy and sleek looking, but the product comes out a strange shade of grey/white. The idea is that it blends to match your skin tone once you rub it into your skin.

I tried the concept on my hand first...and I'm not sure about matching my skin tone, but at least it didn't stay white.

Here's my face with nothing but the BB cream on. First of all- application = Nightmare. Because it's white/clear until its spread onto your skin, you really can't see where you've been and where you haven't. Very annoying. I applied it with a buffing brush, and added more to my chin area to build up coverage- which it actually did pretty well.
The finish is so strange, and completely not what I expected. I would say it is a fairly natural finish, much more matte than I expected- but if it had actually been the right colour for me, it would just look like I had fairly even skin. So- obviously- the main problem is the colour. I'm going to have to bronze the heck out of my neck to make it match, because at the moment, my face is tangoed.

Overall- my first impression is that the application is easy and blendable, but flawed because of the nature of the product which doesn't allow you to see what you're doing. This colour, which was the lightest, is definitely too dark for me, and probably a lot of fairer skinned people. The coverage is a pretty solid medium- which is surprising for a 'nude bb cream'.
I'm not sure about this product, because of the colour, I don't think I'll be reaching for it that often- unless it wears amazingly. I'll keep you updated!

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Travel Make - Up

When I visited Morocco recently, my make- up selection  proved surprisingly successful while I was away- so, I thought I would share it with you in a video! 

Go check it out on:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCECys22qgk3G01ozysH6rcA

I hope you enjoy it, please subscribe!

Thanks for reading

Lou x