Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation - I feel like a fairy the morning after!

New out is Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation. This claims to give you a 'natural glow' due to its radiance pearls, special peptides and we couldn't forget the vitamin complex could we? so the skin is left looking 'rejuvenated'. This formula also includes an SPF 15 which therefore prevents your skin from ageing - yipee! This comes in six shades: true nude, natural beige, classic beige, soft beige, true ivory and ivory.

I love this eye-catching packaging

By the sounds of things would expect these glorious sounding radiance pearls to make you look like an goddess from above, erm yes well I'm feeling more fairy-like here rather than glowing. Looking at it in the bottle it looks like any ordinary foundation but when swatched you can see the magical pearls. I did find it a bit too glittery but when applied to the face the glitter is not as prominent but you can see the glitter radiance pearls in under the light.

This is shade 100 Ivory

This also claims to have ten-hour wear. Now, eight hours later the foundation is still wearing good enough (Note: I applied face powder over), better than their Match Perfection foundation. The radiance pearls though I feel are a lot less visible.

Also, Rimmel claim that this foundation provides medium to full coverage. Er, no light to medium coverage maybe but nowhere near full. I then had to also use concealer with the foundation. There is a plus side to this though- it feels lovely and light going on so you don't feel caked at all.

It also claims to leave the skin looking awakened and refreshed. This it finally succeeded in doing. Kind of. I did look a whole lot more awake than I actually was but I was expecting a miracle. As if I had just slept for years and now I was full of energy. So, maybe I was expecting a bit too much from the foundation. In that case it did a nice job in making me look awake and no longer zombie-like.

And again...the radiance pearls are slightly visible this time

There is one thing that really put me off this though, the smell. Now, in all fairness to Rimmel, it really could be worse. It smell  like talcum powder at first which I actually do like the smell of but then it goes funny and is almost dodgy-chalk like smell, but luckily you can't get the smell when it's on your face. Although again, it really could be worse.

This is not for those who like very full coverage, but for those who like a bit this foundation is lovely and light  feeling and application is nice and smooth. The radiance pearls do seem somewhat glittery at first but become gently less visible and you are left with a nice subtle glow. Lastly, this does it's main job, it leaves you looking more awakened than you did before and refreshed. This is brilliant value for money and is a winner for me. Definitely for those who don't particularly enjoy getting out of their cosy beds in the morning.

(Currently available in pharmacies nationwide at an introductory price of 6.95, Regular price: 10.95)

Frontcover Top Drawer Is Top-Notch!

This brilliant set contains "six chunky eye pencils in a rainbow of new shades and textures", a black kohl pencil with a smudger on the end and a double pencil sharpener. It also includes tips and tricks about doing different looks and images of each. Right here we go....

There is also directions on the back about how to get this look

These chunky pencils can be doubled as cream shadows which is brilliant as application is nice and precise which is brilliant for people like me who tend to not to have the steadiest of hands. Now there's six shades in this set Moccasin (a soft gold with a slight shimmer, more metallic), Pine needle (a sort of teal colour with no shimmer), Drifter  (a lovely dark-ish blue with a slight shimmer, again more metallic), Purple Durple (a straightforward purple with a very very slight shimmer), Chalk (a very pale icy-blue with a shimmer) and Lemon (at the tip it looks like yellow with glitter but when swatched it is pretty much just glitter).

From l-r: Moccasin, Pine Needle, Drifter, Purple Durple, Chalk and Lemon

I have to admit I am guilty of favouritism here. I am really in love with Moccasin. It is perfect for everyday use because it goes with pretty much everything and right now I am really into tan, white, navy and red clothes together. Don't get me wrong though, the other colours are beautiful and I think I'd rather save those colours for going out as they are quite bright and I'm not really one to wear bright colours on an everyday basis, nevertheless these look amazing on.

Right so there is a few tips and tricks I find useful when applying these. Firstly, you need a base on these as they can tend to slide off (not down your face by the way, they just kind of wear away like any other eyeshadow) when they don't have a base which is due to natural oils and/or leftover moisturiser on your eyelids. I use what is recommended on the inside of the set which is just a light dusting of either plain face powder or I use white eyeshadow (but not too much or then it can look as if you have a sunglasses tan, so just a tad) but I'm sure you could use Urban Decay primer potion too.

And on the left we have a little mirror and tips and tricks and on the right is the pencils in all their glory

These are great for precise application but if you want more of a cream eyeshadow look, not here-I-am-with-my-line-of-cream-eyeshadow-I-just-drew-on, just gently blend the top of the line so that the eyeshadow is evenly spread and there is no harsh line left. I also like to use a bit of eyeshadow of the same colour as the pencil for a bit more shimmer and added staying power. On the inside of the cover is the examples and how-to's of looks. These pencils are really a dream to wear and put on.

Now, the only thing is there is one major downside to these pencils. Don't worry it is in fact nothing to do with the pencils themselves but the packaging. I mean it looks lovely and all but some aspects of it all really aren't cuttin' the mustard. Firstly, these are a fairly decent price (i.e. they aren't exactly cheap as chips but they're not over the top priced) but you would think Frontcover would surely use something more hard-wearing than this card. I can see this getting fairly scuffed if this set follows you in your travels everywhere.

The other bad thing about this packaging is trying to get the pencils out. I think they made the grooves that the pencils sit in way too deep as I spent at least a half-hour on Christmas day trying to get them out. I ended up having to tip the whole thing over and tapping (almost turned into slamming) the back of the box gently (while I still had my patience, that is) to get the surrounding part out and then try squeeze out the pencils. On the bright side it was well worth the effort. I figured out then when you are putting back the pencils just don't press them down fully or else you will have to relive the nightmare of trying to get them back out.

These pencils are really a dream to work with. I have been converted to the cream shadow side. There's no fallout all over your face during application so life is made a thousand times easier. So they aren't cheap as chips but these are most definitely worth the money and it is a really decent price for what you are getting. So really these pencils are gorgeous in colour and a dream to work with - definitely recommended for anyone even the complete novice as they are easy to get the hang of. Off you go now and buy them!


                                     Gabriella x

UPDATE: After Frontcover reading this post and hearing my difficulty about getting the pencils out they have placed semi circular holes to assist removal of the product - yay!! 

First Post - Yay! The Wisdom of Bobbi Brown....

So, I finally decided to take the plunge and embark on my beauty adventure by starting my beauty blog! So here we go...

I decided to do my first post on something that love. My beauty bible. The Bobbi Brown makeup manual. I didn't know lots about Bobbi Brown before I got this (well not as much as I know now anyway). I knew that she was a very famous makeup artist who was very highly respected in the beauty world and had her own makeup brand but to be honest that's as far as it goes. Now you ask? I worship her. This book is just a winner all round.

Right well lets get started, firstly the front cover. Seems like I'm going very deep into analysing this book but don't worry I'm just in love with this cover. To me, I guess it just draws your eye. The colour is so bright and eye catching and i love when I see things like this broken blusher and the crumbled blusher on the brush.

Ta-da! (Sorry about the colour the pink is actually a hot fushia pink!) 

       

So on the inside cover it says "This is the book that all women have been waiting for- Bobbi Brown's twenty-five-plus years of makeup artist experience distilled into one complete, lavishly produced volume" which is exactly what it is.

It covers the things you would expect from a book about makeup how to apply it, how to choose the right shade for yourself, etc. , but there is some aspects of this book which just make it so brilliant.

Firstly, the skincare section actually goes into depth. What I really mean it's not like 'Well wash your face with a bitta soap twice a day and shlap on a bitta moisturiser and you'll be grand' type thing. Nope, it tells you all about those all important vitamins and where you can get them, all about different face washes, how to analyse your skin type, what moisturiser would suit your skin and really helpful things like that.
Also, the part about all the tools and all the brushes is really helpful. There is a whole four pages of just brushes and tools explaining what each and every one of them are used for. There is also a whole section on shopping for supplies and what to go for and what to avoid.

I really enjoyed the second part all about becoming and being a makeup artist but I'll go on about that more later.

My favourite bit though was the pictures. I absolutely loved having a good gawk at the "over-two hundred full colour photos" in this book. They are just absolutely amazing. I love the artistic quality of them. From the smushed lipstick and powders to the exquisite makeup done on models I just absolutely loved these pictures. I just had to include a picture of my favourite page - one I spent at least half an hour on just gawking at and examining every little bit of it. A picture of all the items you should have in your kit if you are a professional. I just love it. So much so that I am even gawking at it right now! There is also a picture of a 'fun' kit with extremely bright colours and things like body paint and extreme false lashes.

My Favourite picture (on the right)

                 


This page is actually taken from the second part of the book. This is all about becoming a makeup artist and being one. It includes great tips if you are an aspiring makeup artist such as breaking into the business and building a portfolio. It also has great tips about what to have in your makeup kit and doing makeup for magazines, celebrities etc. It also includes material from other makeup artists and photographers and bits about Bobbi Brown herself and her career, and and and (I know, you can't believe it, there's MORE!) there is a whole section on the history of beauty and who's who in the beauty world.

Bobbi Brown manages to fit so much into this book but not too much and not too little either it's really a great balance. This book is definitely a must-have for any aspiring makeup artist or professional or any everyday person. With it's breathtaking photography and useful guides this book is a real winner and I have completely fallen in love with it. So all in all.... GET IT NOW!!!!!!

(I bought this for 24 euro in my local bookshop  but it is available off her website bobbibrown.co.uk or amazon.co.uk)

                                                                                              Gabriella x