The Beauty Lab.

 
Hi loves!! 

Reviewing something a bit different today... a skin product!!

AGES AGO I purchased, however started recently using the Dermalogica daily microfoliant on my face and I thought it would be a good opportunity to review the product, as I've never done something like this before!

For those of you who don't know, Dermologica is a skin cleansing brand - moisterisers, toners, cleansers, masks, makeup wipes etc. Generally, their products are more high end (quite expensive), however I believe from previous experience of using this brand, the quality is great!

I started using the cleanser about two - three weeks ago. I use it in the shower approximately three times a week, so I think I've had good use of it! The formula is a rice-based enzyme powder (looks almost like baby powder) and the directions say to shake some of the powder formula into your fingertips, lightly wet the product with some water, and rub together in your hands until it turns into a paste.. which is so cool! Starting off with a powder, and then it becomes a sandy paste! I apply it to my face - particularly troubled areas - and then massage the product into my skin firmly in circles, but not pushing too hard into the skin (you never want to push an exfoliate into the skin as it might cause irritation or redness!). I massage the product on for roughly 30-50seconds and then rinse off with warm water.

This product is beautiful! Feels great on the skin and really soft, makes your face feel silky and leaves me with no redness (skin types vary). There is also no scent to the product, which is beneficial for those who get bothered with that! This is also a good sign of how gentle the cleanser is - no scent or harsh chemicals make skin soft and bright.
However, I don't think this product would be great for acne-prone skin or troubled skin, I think it is mainly used to take away dead skin cells and leave your skin fresh, soft and bright. I also think that people with dry skin may find the exfoliate (while its gentle) a bit drying once you dry your face. For my skin type however (combination), I love it, and it makes my face feel so soft! Especially after applying a moisteriser!

purchase from: http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/dermalogica-daily-microfoliant.html

Hope this helped beauties!

xoxo

Hi again everyone!!!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far! Today, I have decided to write about my absolute favourite concealers. I believe that this makeup item is a MUST in everyone's collection - big or small!

We all have those days where we are feeling tired - getting up early for work or class, or we have had a big night! And lets admit, we all have bad skin days where there is discolouration and redness. I have learnt that everyone can have a good skin day if you just know how to pick a great concealer, and apply it properly!

Essentially, I always have two types of concealers on hand - one that is the same tone as my skin/foundation, and one that is a couple of shades lighter than my skin/foundation.

I apply the concealer that is the same tone, to my discolouration, and to 'even out' any parts of my skin that I feel is having a hard time adjusting to foundation. My favourite concealer to do this right now, is the Loreal Infalible Corrector. I have the shade 'vanilla' and it suits my skin perfectly! It comes in a 'stick' form, much like a lipstick. To apply, I grab a concealer brush and just wipe some of the product onto the brush, then just tap on any areas of my skin that I feel need more coverage. I find that if you tend to 'swipe' the brush over the areas, it is disrupting the foundation you have already applied, and somewhat wiping it off. You should also use a VERY light hand when tapping at the areas with the brush. Also, careful not to use too much product, otherwise it will look patchy around your skin, with some super full coverage areas, and then some light coverage areas. Remember - the aim is to look natural and even out your skin to look flawless!

Another base concealer that I LOVE is the Stila Stay All Day foundation that INCLUDES concealer on the top of the bottle in the shade 'bare'. I have spoken about this in previous blogposts (be sure to check them out!!). I only use this concealer when I'm using this foundation, because they are both the exact same shade, except obviously the foundation is liquid and matte, and the concealer is very creamy. To cover up unevenness or discolouration, this pair of Stila products are fantastic! I apply the concealer much the same as the Loreal one, my wiping the brush lightly over the product, then tapping at areas that need more coverage - again - with a very light hand to ensure you arent disturbing the foundation!

The second type of concealer I like to have on hand is the Rimmel Wake Me Up in 'ivory'. This tone is a few shades lighter than my actual skin tone, and just looks fantastic under the eyes! The applicator is a little sponge. As I find these applicators quite unhygenic (because you're dipping the applicator in the product, then applying to your face several times which spreads bacteria!), I do the same step as above - wiping another larger concealer brush on the applicator, then dabbing little dots under my eyes, on my temples, near the tearduct of my eyes, and sometimes bringing it down as a triangle shape to really brighten up my eyes and make me look more awake! After dotting enough product on to this area, I then dab and brush lightly around the area to blend, giving me an even texture and making me look fresssshhhh! Remember also, set the concealer under your eyes, otherwise you may find that there will be creasing, and it won't look too fab!!! (setting the concealer with a white or banana powder enhances brightness also).

Anyway guys, that's all for now! If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below as usual!! Hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new!! :)

xoxo

Top: Loreal Infalible Corrector, Middle: Stila Stay All Day, Bottom: Rimmel Wake Me Up

Hello everyone! Thank you for the time you are taking to read my blog.

I am writing a review today on two different liquid liners - high end and drugstore. I use both, but I do have different opinions and impressions of each product.

The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner is considered a 'high end' liner, and can be purchased from Mecca for $26.00. I love Stila as a brand! I use the Stay All Day foundation and the One Step Correct Primer, and obviously the liner in 'Intense Black'. Unfortunately,  I am not the biggest fan of this eyeliner, mainly for two reasons: I prefer complete matte eyeliner and its also very wet- meaning that it can be hard to apply and you have to let it dry before continuing on with other eye makeup (if need be). When the product does dry, it doesn't completely dry to a black matte, more of just a shiny black. This is personal preference, and while it isn't a big deal, I just prefer a matte eyeliner. I do love the size of the brush/point however, as it is the perfect size to create a thin or thick eyeliner, wing or no wing. It is also in the form of a 'Texta' or a pen, so you can hold it comfortably to draw on the product - I do personally prefer this form of eyeliner. And while this liner is waterproof (which it very much is!) it's quite easy to remove with a cleanser or makeup remover - which is great!

The Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner is a drugstore product, and can be purchased from a pharmacy such as Priceline, or a supermarket such as Coles, for approximately $10 - $12; depending on where you purchase. I don't particularly use Rimmel very often, so I have little experience, although I did love the Wake Me Up Concealer. I own the liner in 001 'Black Glamour' and it is in the form of a typical liquid liner, a little stick/brush that twists out of the tube that contains the actual liquid. This product is also very wet, and the brush is VERY thin! It is extremely difficult to apply as there is no control over the brush or stick, and it is easy to mess up, so I wouldn't recommend this eyeliner for beginners! There is not much I particularly LOVE about this product, however it does dry quickly and whilst, again, it is not matte, it dries to a very intense black. This product is also easy to remove, as it is not waterproof nor matte, so it just slides straight off with makeup remover.

Out of both products, I probably prefer the Stila liner, as it is just a better quality product. Another liner that is great to use, and also easy for beginners, is the Maybelline Master Precise, which is also in the form of a 'Texta' or pen, but dries as a mate formula (however, it is pretty drying).

If you have any experiences with these eyeliners, let me know in the comments what your personal opinion is! :) Remember, as I write this blogpost, this is my impression, opinion and personal experiences with the product. I am in no place to tell people what to buy and what to reject, but am just giving advice for those who are seeking for it.

Thanks again for reading! Hope you enjoyed.

xoxo

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation & Bronzer brush

ANOTHER REVIEW... YAY!

Hi everyone :) hope you are all well!

I am sure all, or most of you have heard of BareMinerals (You can purchase at Mecca Maxima), but I believe from research, that the original powder foundation is not very popular. I myself attempted to search online for reviews or first impressions of this product, and I could hardly find anything! So I decided that I would do a review myself, considering I have been using this product for about 6 months.

BareMinerals is counted as more of a 'high end' brand, however the prices are pretty great for what you receive. I was using the Youngblood powder foundation that was almost two times the price of this BareMinerals powder foundation! (costs around $35-$40AUD, compared to Youngblood which is approx. $80!!)

This product applies like a powder, however it sets almost like a liquid that you have set with powder... which I LOVE! On days that I am particularly not doing anything major, or I am in a rush, it's great to just powder my face in 2 minutes and I'm out the door!! Being a powder, you think it would rub off during the day, begin to look blotchy, or seep into pores... but no! Surprisingly it doesn't do that. However, in saying that, I usually wear primer as a base (not to prime is a crime!), but when I started to wear primer with this powder, it didn't have a very nice finish. I tried matte and original primers, such as drugstore (Revlon, Australis, Maybelline) and also high end (Hourglass, Stila, BareMinerals), but none of them looked very nice. It would start to 'crack' around my nose, mouth and chin, and would look very shiny in the T-zone area! When I decided to skip the primer, and just use the foundation, it looked fantastic. It would remain quite matte, no pores would show and it would keep a nice glow in my face, yet have a full coverage all day. I wouldn't personally wear this foundation out to events or clubbing, because there is SPF in it, which means it would have quite a white flashback on camera! But just for everyday wear, it really is great and worth the money I think!

I apply the powder with a hard powder brush, or a bronzer brush. I believe this gives the nicest coverage, and it produces the product into your face, rather than using a normal soft powder brush that may just produce the product on top of the skin (this would make the powder come off and fade easily during the day). It's important with powders (or most foundations) to blend the product all down your neck, towards your ears and into your hairline, because bare skin could show, and powders often have a yellow or pink tint, so they will start to change colour throughout the day - not blending well would look pretty strange!!!!

Hope you guys got something out of this blog-post and enjoyed! As usual, comment down below if you have any questions, or if you would like me to review another product :)

xoxo
Maquillage Est Belle = Makeup is Beautiful

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 in 'Fair'

Powder quality in 'Fair'. Once applied, looks like liquid that is set!!