MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

I had been umming and ahhing over this for literally the longest time, and shockingly (maybe) this is actually the first mac item I have purchased. I have long lusted after their amazing range of lipsticks, but I just don't wear lipstick often enough to justify spending nearly £15 on one. However, I did need a new face powder, and after reading numerous amazing reviews on this, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it, and god am I glad I did!

 

 

 



 

 

"A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day".

 

This powder is genuinely the best I have ever used. Yes, it's expensive, but it really is worth it. When you apply to your face it feels very silky and soft, and you can really tell it is good quality. The finish it gives is amazing, and it really does make your skin look flawless. It mattifies your skin without making it look dull.

 

The only negative about this is that it's not the most amazing powder for controlling oil, so if you have extremely oily skin I probably wouldn't recommend it, but if you have just slightly oily skin like me, or dry skin then this would be perfect for you.

 

I generally use this to set my foundation, but on the rare occasion I have worn it alone, it makes your skin look even and although it doesn't conceal much, it does make you look healthier and more awake.

 

I would recommend this if you're on the lookout for a new powder. It's really good quality and it makes your skin look almost flawless. I have found that no matter how much you apply, your skin will not look cakey, although you do only need the tiniest amount.

 

This is £21 and available from Debenhams and House of Fraser. 

 

Rimmel Clear Complexion Pressed Powder

This is a product I actually picked up completely by accident. I actually meant to purchase Rimmel's Stay Matte powder, but I was in a rush and accidentally got this one instead. I had never read any reviews or even heard about this before, but as I had already bought it I thought I'd give it a whirl.

 

 

 

 

The packaging is pretty standard for a pressed powder really - it has a clear lid, although the base is a really lovely bluey green colour. It's not amazing packaging, but it's not the worst I've ever seen. It feels quite flimsy, so I wouldn't want to be throwing it around in case the powder smashed inside it.

 

I have the shade "Transparent" and from looking at the Boots and Superdrug websites, that is actually the only shade it comes in. This is supposedly a translucent powder which won't add any colour to your face, but I would imagine this might not work too well on darker skin tones.

 

Rimmel claim this gives a "pure and shine-free finish for up to 5 hours". They also say it controls shine and mattifies skin. I actually like that they say it will last 5 hours - none of these claims that state the product will last for 24 hours, when 9 times out of 10, it just isn't true!

 

I find this product does last around 4/5 hours before I feel it needs touching up, mainly around my nose and on my chin which are the oiliest parts of my face.

 

I usually suffer from quite dry skin but lately it's been getting more and more oily so I was keen to see if this would mattify my skin. I find that it does help to keep oil at bay, but if you want something that keeps oil at bay throughout the entire day, then I probably wouldn't recommend this. I tend to touch up once or twice during a typical day.

 

Overall, I do think it's a good product. I love the fact they are truthful about the longevity of it, although I do wish it lasted slightly longer!

 

I probably wouldn't repurchase this, simply because I do prefer the Stay Matte powder, but I know some people don't get on with that so this may be a good alternative.

 

This is £3.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug.

 



 

Natural Collection Loose Powder

I used to hate loose powders. With a passion. But that was until I stumbled across this loose powder in Boots, and for the bargain price I thought I'd try it out for a change to my usual pressed powders!

 

 

 

 

 

The packaging of this is what you'd expect from a loose powder - nothing too fancy, just practical so that the powder doesn't go absolutely everywhere when you open the lid.

 

This comes in two shades - neutral translucent and warm translucent. I use warm translucent, and I am aware that it looks extremely orange in the pan, but I can assure you it's not when you apply it to your face! The neutral translucent colour is far less orange-looking, but I found that one to be slightly too light for me.

 

The powder is very fine, and is really easy to apply. I normally just tip a small amount of powder into the lid and then apply with my Real Techniques buffing brush. You do only need a small amount of this as it can look a bit cakey if you use too much.

 

Over the top of my foundation, which is quite dewy, this just mattifies the look completely, which is obviously what you want a powder to do! This tends to last just as long as my foundation, so I get roughly 7/8 hours wear from this.

 

I honestly can't praise this product enough. I just love it, and plus it's an absolute bargain!

 

This is available from Boots and is priced at £1.99.

xx

 

 

 



MUA Pressed Power in Shade 1

This is the first MUA product I've bought, and since almost everything in the range is only £1.00 I decided to give it a whirl. I purchased the pressed powder in shade 1, and I have to say, I'm quite pleased.

Shade 1 was the most appropriate for my skin tone so I went with that one. I think they come in shades 1,2,3 and 4.

I don't know what's going on with my skin tone in these, ha, I'm not that red, promise! It's quite suble on me, but I find it works best over your foundation, as it mattifies the look :) You could use it on it's own for a more dressed-down, natural look.

Overall, for £1.00, it's actually really good. I would definately buy it again.

In other news, while I was in Superdrug, I spied some new Barry M nail polishes! Barry M is one of my favourite nail polish brands as there's such a wide range of colours and they're cheap at £2.99 for 10ml, and also they're widely available where I live (unlike Model's Own, which I have to order from the website, boo!). Naturally, I got extremely excited over this but stopped myself from buying any as I ordered 3 polishes from Model's Own this morning (oops). I'll probably end up going back as they had this black polish with like holographic glitter in that I NEED, ha. There was also Barry M Magnetic Polish which I don't know if I'll get as I was disappointed with 17's version. Off the top of my head, I think there was a shimmery blue colour and maybe a greeny one? I don't know, I'll do some research :)