Foundation

INIKA Mineral Makeup & Complimentary Blush

- Vicki 1 Comment
INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot

INIKA Mineral Makeup

INIKA began in 2006 and almost 10 years later the brand has won over 35 awards for product excellence and innovation, even beating big name brands in open categories. And INIKA’s full natural makeup range is now sold in more than 25 countries around the world. They’re a brand committed to delivering quality without compromising on their key ethics, like being

  • 100% Vegan & Cruelty-Free
  • By using tubes, pots and brushes that are made from recycled materials and all INIKA packaging is recyclable
  • INIKA is 100% Certified Halal with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
  • Their products contain no petrochemicals, synthetic substances, mineral oils or parabens

I’ve tried a few of their products over the years & their eyeshadow and eyeliner are amongst some of my favourite products from them.

INIKA September GWP

INIKA Mineral Foundation SPF15*

  • Available in 8 shades
  • Concealer, Foundation and Powder in one
  • Titanium and Zinc Oxides provide natural sun protection with SPF15
  • Ideal for skin concerns such as acne, scarring, rosacea or pigmentation

This is a very lightweight foundation which gives surprisingly good coverage. I have never tried a mineral foundation and was convinced I wouldn’t get on too well with this, but I have been proved wrong. It’s extremely easy to apply and it gives the skin a very flawless finish and can be built up to give a more medium coverage which is really good if like me you need to cover any redness or imperfections. Unlike liquid foundations, this feels so natural and light on your skin and you don’t feel like you have a base on.

This foundation has incredible staying power and doesn’t end up looking patchy or uneven after a few hours, it also holds up well in the heat which is great. I also like that it has SPF15 in & Its very easy to reapply throughout the day (I carry a small Kabuki Brush to reapply on the go), especially if you’re going to be in the sun.

INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot

INIKA Mineral Blusher Puff Pot*

  • Available in two shades
  • Highly pigmented minerals offering a long lasting youthful glow
  • Non-comedogenic – does not block pores or irritate skin
  • Naturally water resistant

The packaging of this Puff Pot Blusher is so sweet – you get a mirror on the lid and you apply it to your cheeks by tapping the sponge and the product puffs out. I have the shade Pink Pinch which is an easy to wear sweet girly pink shade, with a touch of glowing shimmer. Not disco ball more beautiful glow. The colour is very light but can be built up, so don’t be afraid of applying too much because the product comes out lightly and nothing is wasted.

Pink Pinch gives your cheeks a subtle rosy look and the finish is really pretty & natural on the cheeks. I love the packaging & the puff sponge applicator, it’s easy to apply and travel with.

INIKA Mineral Makeup

Let me know if you have tried any INIKA products and what you would recommend.

Throughout September this offer is will be available from Planet Organic, Wholefoods, Lloyds Pharmacies and at INIKA.co.uk

Products that are marked with a * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

 

Nanshy Professional Makeup Brush Set

- Vicki 12 Comments

Nanshy Makeup Brushes

Makeup Brushes

These Nanshy Brushes* are amazing quality, they feel substantial and very well made. I was so excited to start using them. These brushes are very dense and they do not shed their bristles. The handles are wooden but lightweight and are painted a very pretty pearl colour. I like that they’re quite short but chunky, this makes them easy to hold and they look really luxurious.

Nanshy Makeup Brushes

I used the Flat Top Buffer Brush to apply my foundation, it picked up quite alot of product but I found it easy to blend and it buffed it really well into my skin and gave me a flawless finish. Be careful not to apply too much product to your brush as you can get away with using a small amount and really buffing it in.

The Round Buffing Brush I used to apply my setting powder over the centre of my face, this is where I tend to get oily. This brush was a good size for applying the powder to specific areas as it is quite small but the bristles are dense and so soft.

Makeup Brushes

The Pointed Brush I used this for my bronzer, because it had a point this was great for being precise and applying my bronzer under my cheek bones and around my temples. I don’t own a brush like this and wonder how I have survived without it. It makes applying my bronzer so much easier. I have also used this to blend my concealer around my nose and under my eye and think it works really well for either function. This may be my stand out brush from the set, I just love it.

Nanshy Brushes

Flat Angled Buffing Brush, I found this worked really well for cream blushes, I used it to stipple the cream blush on to my cheeks and the angled effect made it easy to apply and to follow my cheek bones. This brush is a little more stiff than the Angled Buffing Brush. I used the softer Angled Buffing Brush to apply blush and my highlighters. What I like about this brush set is that you can figure out how these brushes work best for you and they have no set use. They are very versatile and amazing quality. I can’t explain to you how soft they are. I am so very impressed with these and think they would highly recommend them.

Makeup Brushes

This 5 piece Nanshy Brush Set is synthetic, vegan, cruelty free and amazing quality. They are versatile and very easy to keep clean. Well worth investing in as I think these will last a very long time. Oh and have I mentioned how incredibly soft they are?!

Nanshy Brushes are available to buy from beautystore4U.co.uk £34.95

Have you tried any Nanshy Brushes?

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Foundation Love #1

- Vicki 9 Comments

I’ve quite a few foundations (7 to be exact), I know I’m not alone on this. We’re always searching for the next big thing, that perfect colour match and perfect amount of coverage. Throughout the year you need your foundation  to do different things for your skin and I like to have a foundation for most seasons. During the winter my skin can get a little red due to the cold weather and the wind. Winter also dries out my skin and the foundation I’ve been reaching for to combat my winter skin has been my Avon Calming Effects Foundation in the shade Cream.

Avon Calming Effects Foundation

Avon Calming Effects Foundation has a creamy consistency and gives a medium coverage. The finish is lovely and dewy it makes your skin look fresh and healthy. This foundation has aloe and lavender to help calm your skin, I find this does help my red cheeks.

I’d never tried an Avon Foundation before so didn’t have any expectations but this has become a foundation that I find myself reaching for over some of my high-end foundations. I like the natural dewy glow it gives, it doesn’t sink into my pores and although its dewy it isn’t greasy. I could go on about how much I love it forever (I’m that sad). I use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply it and that way I don’t apply too much product and it gives me even coverage.

Avon Foundation 2

Avon only offer 5 shades in this foundation, so that’s not great. I’m lucky my shade was a good match and I wear Cream. They could do with adding some more colour options. Also the pump isn’t great, it doesn’t dispense much product and often gets stuck. My bottle just might be faulty.

Apart from the pump the packaging is nice, the bottle is glass and feels quite luxurious. You get 30ml of product for £10.50 (as of 20/01/2013 its £6.00).

Looking through my makeup stash I own quite a few Avon products esp Nail Polish and Eyeliners. What do you own from Avon? What would you recommend I try next

Try Before You Buy

- Vicki 12 Comments

I love it when companies offer you samples before you commit to purchasing the full size esp when it comes to base products. When you try to colour match yourself in store the lighting is all wrong and you normally have makeup on. I like to apply it myself at home, your base is such an important step to get right & we all apply our foundations differently with different brushes and with the lighting in department stores / shops is so off. It’s hard to tell if it is a good match.

I applied online to try the Maybelline FIT Me Foundation and was sent this great sized sample.

Maybelline FIT Me Foundation

This is a nice light coverage foundation. I have the colour 125 Nude Beige and that’s perfect for my winter skin. I would need a darker shade in the summer. Despite this being quite a sheer coverage it evened out my skin nicely. Maybelline claim ‘Exclusive translucent base and lightweight pigments allow skin’s natural highs and lows to show through.’ 

This is true, I like the lightweight feel to this foundation. It gives enough coverage to make your skin look bright and cover any uneven patches. It makes you look fresh and I like that my freckles are still visible. I hate covering them up. I like this so far – I think it would make a great summer foundation as it is quite sheer but leaves your skin with a lovely luminous finish. I do powder over the centre of my face. But I do that with all my foundations. I hate a shiny forehead / chin.

Nude Beige 125

For a drugstore foundation this has quite a good colour range so that’s great to see. It also has factor 18 sun protection.  The only downside for me is that this isn’t very long-wearing. I’ve combination oily skin and it lasts 6 hours. So that’s not too bad for a drugstore foundation. I haven’t used it yet with a primer so will try that and see if that makes it last a little longer. I am hoping so.

Have you tried this foundation. What do you think? I like finding new foundations – I think this one will be my go to summer base.

Maybelline Chart

When this sample is finished I will be buying the full-sized and I will be trying their concealer too. I will see if the chart they sent with the sample works.

Maybelline FIT Me Foundation is available from Boots £7.99 and also Superdrug for £7.99. Also here is the link to the free sample page. Not too sure if there are any left but you can try.