Beauty on a budget.

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder
Price: Offer price £5.49 (usually £6.99)
5 in 1 sheer coverage for: 

   - light coverage

   - velvet feel

   - 8h non drying mattifying finish

   - shine free

   - fresh looking skin

Here it is, a long-time coming beauty on a budget post. I'm sticking with my trusty L'Oreal products of course, and reviewing this lovely BB Power that is part of the Nude Maqigue range (which I am slowly filling my make-up bag with).
This was a risky buy, but so far so good. Mostly I wanted to write this post after this handy little product survived a gruelling 9 hour Sunday in the restaurant, by far the most difficult test for any make-up!

I usually struggle to find powder because I don't like anything too heavy, but the softer and lighter you go, the more fluffy it can make your skin look. This one has a 5 in 1 factor though, and I think it was the combination of all these that won me over when I saw it in Boots, and also perhaps the bargain price (introductory offer of £5.49!) and the fact that I needed to use up some of my advantage card points.
I went for the medium shade, but there was also the option of light. I would usually go for light, but when I did a little test I think the darker shade blended better.
I'm really pleased with this actually. It does all of the things it says it will, and keeps me shine-free which is a problem I had before. Not to mention it seemed less obvious on my skin than my previous powders. It's definitely worth the price, even when the offer ends and it goes back up to £6.99.

What does everyone think? Can anyone recommend a good powder? I don't like to spend a huge amount on make-up (she says, even though I use Benefit primer & make-up brushes), so things like this are a lovely find!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Laurie

Beauty on a Budget.

Item #2

cc cream

Brand: L'Oreal Paris

Product: Nude Magique Anti-Fatigue CC Cream

Price: £9.99

Rating: 4*

I am always on the look out for a good foundation or BB cream and for the past couple of months had been using the L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream. When I had to change my make-up after the eye incident though, I decided it was time for something new. 

CC Creams are quite literally 'colour correctors'. Like a BB cream, they attempt to keep you looking natural, but unlike the BB cream, they add a little bit of brightness to your complexion instead of simply evening out your skin tone. 

Glamour Magazine did a beauty edition in association with L'Oreal, just my luck! Their recommendation was the CC Cream over the BB. Why? Apparently it's got amazing skincare benefits and generally keeps you looking flawless and radiant.

L'Oreal has a few varieties, but I chose the 'Anti-Fatigue' one over 'Anti-Dullness' and 'Anti-Redness' - because if there's one thing that affects my skin, it's the tiredness that plagues me after a weekend of work. 

Well so far, I have not been disappointed. I am so in love with this! It goes on easily, although very bright orange until you've rubbed it in which made me nervous. It looks lovely once thoroughly brushed on though, and gives me a really even skin tone. It doesn't stain my brush either which is miraculous.

Overall I would definitely suggest getting this if you like the natural look. It doesn't give me any extra colour, so if you're like me and are fairly pale, it might not be for you. I've embraced my ivory skin now though, so it doesn't bother me too much. Blushers and bronzers are to add colour in my opinion. It does, however, make me glow. That could be an exaggeration, but it definitely has that little something that makes me feel and look brighter in the mornings.  

Let me know what you think! Has anyone else used any good CC creams?

Merci :) speak again soon!

Beauty on a budget.

Item #1

 Primer.

Loath as I am to admit it, I had a terrible eye infection this week that resulted in some rather painful drops. It did give me a good excuse to restock my make-up bag though, something I love doing but feel quite guilty after spending too much on it. After a stupidly long time was spent in Boots picking up every item, putting it back down, picking it up again, and going back to my original choices, I finally settled on the things I needed. It occurred to me though, it's so difficult to find pieces that aren't too expensive, but worth the effort of buying in the first place! This whole experience gave me an idea for themed blog posts, 'beauty on a budget' - when I find those key items for perfect prices, I'm going to share them with you too!

So, I begin with this, the first step to a fabulous face - a brilliant, budget friendly primer. 

Now that I have this, I cannot live without it.

Brand: L'Oreal Paris

Product: Lumi Magique Primer

Price: £9.99

Rating (based on price and performance): 4*

Primer is one of those awkward beauty products I think. I've always been reluctant to skimp out on such a helpful item, but feel ridiculous spending £20+ on it. 

This lovely little thing though, seems to be the answer to my troubles. It comes in a 20ml bottle, and nothing more than a healthy sized blob on your finger is enough to cover your face. It's thin, light, unnoticeable, illuminating, genius. I use a BB cream (which I'm sure will feature in these posts soon enough), and it brushes on top of this absolutely perfectly and makes my skin look and feel genuinely bright and soft. Not a smudge or line or dry patch in sight either! I know lots of people think L'Oreal is a bit 'past it' now, but so many of their products are timeless essentials. This one amongst them!

Not to mention, it's an absolute steal at £9.99! I can't believe my luck. I am officially converted, and will never look back to my pre-primer days. 

Let me know what primers you all use, or even if you think it's a complete waste of time! Oh, and any feedback about this new theme would be welcome. Until we meet again lovely darlings...

Merci :)