Well, I have decided that the time has come to face up to the fact that the big 3-0 is around the corner (Eeeek – the end of May signals the end of my not so glorious 20′s!). Instead of continuing to live in denial about it all, I have decided that I have to face up to it and enjoy it the only way I can, by coming up with a lovely makeup look – I will inevitably be wearing a black dress for a meal out with friends and family for the occasion… but that means I can take advantage of being able to use colour and try to look fabulous!

Today is my day off, so after a lovely lie in this morning, I decided to have a play with my lovely colours and see what I could come up with. This is attempt one – I’m intending to do a few looks and I want you all to help me choose a look to see my 20′s out in style…

I’m pleased with how this turned out – nice and summery and bright…

By the way – Ignore the hair! I scrape it back out of the way lol!

Also, for some reason, in the photo’s the colours don’t look as bright as they do in real life… I love wearing orange, yellow and pink shades as I think they make my blue eyes really stand out…

Tools Used – left to right – Body shop eyelash curlers, Face and Body Brush, Bare Minerals “handy buki” brush, MAC 165, Ruby and Millie eye 7mm eye brush (colour placement – cheap dupe of mac 239?), Body shop eye blender brush, random Liz Collinge eye brush I’ve had for years (inner corner and lining lower lash line)

Makeup used

Skin – Illamasqua cream foundation in 125 and under eye concealer (buffed over blemishes and undereyes) in 115, MAC prep and Prime finishing powder to set.

Eyes – UDPP, Illamasqua cream shadow in Honour (sorry I forgot to picture this – its an iridecent creamy white colour) buffed from lashline to brow as a base, Illamasqua powder eye shadow in “Gritique” (pale orange) patted across inner lid to two thirds across; Illamasqua powder shadow in “Gypsy” (darker deep orange) across outer third and above crease, “Predator” (gorgeous deep neon barbie style pink) then placed in crease and outer corner. Then used blending brush to blend the colours. I also lined the lower lashline with the predator shade and dabbed this into the inner corner to add a pop of colour there. I then lined under the lower lash very close to the lash line with Illamasqua medium pencil in the shade “Manic”, a hot pink – these pencils are fab as they can be used on eyes, lips and face (well, anywhere really!).. The eyes were then tightlined and waterlined with black kohl (I used UD 24/7 in Zero), and lashings of Black mascara added to upper and lower lashes… Then I used my Illamasqua pure pigment in “Furore”, which is a creamy, slightly golden shade, (which is so versatile – my favourite pigment ever!) to highlight the browbone, and I also blended the other colours a little more with the remaining pigment on the brush in order to add a glow.

Cheeks – Illamasqua powder blush in “Excite”, (gorgeous hot orange shade – looks so scary bright in the pan, but amazing on the skin and can be built up from a light gow to a full on pop), I then added a little dusting of NARS albatross, (a HG product to me!) across the top of the cheekbone and above the brow.

Lips – I lined the lips with the Illamasqua pencil and blended inwards, which was surprisingly easy – these pencils manage to somehow be creamy but stay put well too…

I then added some Illamasqua sheer lipgloss in the shade “Rouse” which looks neaon pink in the tube but goes on a lovely sheer pretty pink…

So what do you all think? Can I actually carry off colours or do I need to tone things down in my thirties lol…

Hope you like

MizzWorthy xx,

Hi everyone,

So I picked this up for my local Tesco’s recently in a “two for £11″ type of offer… I have an “issue” with always wanting to try new foundations… they usually get a couple of tries before being discarded for my favourites (Illamasqua and NARS…)

My only other foundation experience with Mabelline was with the dream matte mousse, which I HATED! – Dry looking and caked on were the phrases that sprung to mind over that one…

Mabelline claim that this foundation gives a 100% poreless look, an air-brush finish, full yet lightweight coverage, ultra-blendable, comfortable texture and a satin like luminous finish and is available in 8 shades…

Good points
- I liked the fact that this cames in a lighter shade – light porcelain, which is a pale pinky undertoned shade. I usually really really struggle to find shades light enough for me in drugstore ranges, with the lightest shade often still too dark, or worse still orange… I’m not sure how great the range works in the darker end of the spectrum!
-It does minimise pores somewhat, especially when used over my primer (RMK Makeup base…), and I’ve noticed this effect seems to last quite well.
-As with all drugstore brands, the price is a bonus too, with £30 mls for £7.80 ish (although it’s on offer in a lot of places at the mo!)
-It’s easy to blend – I used my fingers to apply this and didn’t find it too bad, needed to be worked in a little more than some higher end products such as chanel pro-lumiere, but did blend ok in the end
-Felt fairly lightweight on the skin… Nice finish too, not too matte, not too shiny. Didn’t highlight any dry patches

Bad Points
- Poor staying power – I used this today over primer and set with mac setting powder and it was virtually completely gone when I got home…
-coverage does not live up to product claim – I found this gave light to medium coverage, but definately not full coverage… slightly buildable, but I found it just started to look cakey rather than higher coverage…

Will I Buy Again?

Hmm, doubtful – I have two bottles to get through, and I do like my high end foundies. That said – I was pleasantly surprised by this foundation. Given how much I hated the dream matte mousse I was fully expecting to hate this – I’ll probably use it up, but I’m sure given the rate that drugstore companies make new formulas there will be something else for me to try by the time these are gone lol! I’ll probably use this for work for more natural looks…

Hope this helps… anyone else tried this?

MizzWorthy xxx

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all fine and dandy!

Pinkneauveau5 Requested a review of a product pictured in my post about my makeup collection, Now I’m not used to doing reviews of anything apart from foundation lol, but I’ll do my best! Usual rules apply and I’ll try to give you an overview of other reviews both good and bad so you can form a better opinion of the product.

MAC Matte gel retails for £12.72 for 25mls here in the UK, which at first look sounds like a very small amount of product. And it is – the tube is probably about the same size as a lip gellee from MAC. However, a little of this product goes a very long way – I use this on my t-zone only as a primer and I use a tiny tiny amount, like less than half a pea size – more like a quarter really! I would expect this tube to last me about 4-5 months… One makeup alley reviewer states that a tube lasted over a year for her.

MAC state the following about the product;

“A matte-ifying cream that acts like a powder, M·A·C Matte adds a sheer, no-shine matte texture in one smooth layer. May be used on bare or made-up skin. Use a latex sponge or a 252 Large Shader Brush to apply over the entire face or in the T-zone to reduce the appearance of shine. Apply M·A·C Matte after moisturiser, but before foundation to prime the skin for makeup. Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation applies smoothly and effortlessly over top of M·A·C Matte. Apply M·A·C Matte to eyelids before applying Eye Shadow or Paints to help increase the longevity of the makeup and reduce creasing.”

I have been using this product for a couple of weeks, and prior to this I have used MAC prep and prime face, which I was frankly unimpressed with – yes it feels nice and light on the skin, but frankly I wanted a product which would make my foundation last longer which prep and prime sadly did not do…

By the way – I do not feel that you need to purchase a special brush for this – I use my fingers and it applies fine. A brush would probably waste far too much product, but each to their own!

The product has a strange texture. It feels like a gel, but is non-sticky and when rubbed into the skin it takes on a consistency somewhere between a silky liquid and a finely milled powder. It seems to have some type of light relective properties, which seems to diffuse fine lines and pores. It won’t perform miracles, however I do notice a difference in the size of my open pores when I use it.

As far as changing the longevity of wear of foundation, I do feel that this product actually makes a difference, and the fact that it is suitable for use on and around the eye area is a convenient point.

However, one major issue some reviewers have found is that they feel that the product doesn’t actually mattify the skin, a common complaint among makeup alley reviewers – which is odd considering that it is called ‘matte’! I only use this around my t-zone which does get very slightly oily – and I find it a plus point that the product is not drying on the skin, so I guess this issue depends on your perspective! This may however account for the reason that only 58% of makeup alley reviewers would repurchase this… I actually would repurchase, but not for mattifying, more for priming the skin and the effect it has on my pores and wear of foundation. I do find that the product forms an effective barrier between any oil and my makeup, so in this way, does prevent the skin looking shiny, rather that mattifying the skin, if that makes sense…

MAC Matte is a silicon based gel, which accounts for its qualities in both smoothing the skin and helping foundation stay on… Some people dislike silicon products, finding that they can block pores etc, however I haven’t found this to be an issue.

If you watch youtube vids, then you might have noticed that a lot of people in the USA are into using a product called Monistat anti-chafing gel-powder as a primer – I have found a similar product here in the UK called Lanacane anti-chafing gel, which costs about £4.50. These both work as primers due to fact that they are silicon based, so could be a cheaper alternative.
The key with these products is to make sure that you cleanse thoroughly and exfoliate regularly to keep pores healthy and unblocked.

The vast majority of primers do in fact work in this way, and are silicon based, ranging from smashbox to GOSH. The only one I am aware of which is silicon free is made by NARS, and as such would be suitable for those who find they are affected by silicon.

I like the MAC product purely because it has been designed specifically for the skin on the face. I would definately repurchase it when I run out, but would actually use Lanacane if for some reason I couldn’t get hold of the MAC version – I have tried it and found it did an adequate job as a primer…

Hope this helps!

If you have any further questions please ask, and I’ll try to help – I’d also love to get any comments or other reccommendations for primers that anyone els might have!

Love MizzWorthy xxx xxx

(PS – Silicon based products do not mix well with tinted moisturizer – the texture becomes rough and lumpy, which is not a look most people are going for!)

Hi everyone,

So I thought it was about time to do another foundation review! This time one of the foundation formulations I’d never previously used before purchasing this – Prior to this, the idea of stick foundations brought to mind visions of thick ‘pan stick’ style old fashioned looking foundation. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one… Once again, I’ll try to incorporate some of the views from makeup review sites so you get a balanced view of the product.

MAC describe this product as;

“A creamy smooth stick foundation with medium + coverage for a natural flaw-free finish. Stick system provides smooth twist-up action: precise application and fast, even touch-ups. Available in 15 shades. Stick with it!!

This product costs £20.55 for a 9g/0.31 US oz stick. Weight for weight, that would make it one of the priciest foundations MAC offer – a typical liquid foundation from MAC retailing for around £20 for 30ml/1US fl.oz. Therefore, budget amongst other things might play a part in your decision to purchase this…

In terms of packaging, the foundation comes in what basically looks like and oversized lipstick tube. It’s simple and to the point, which some people might find a bit boring, but I think the packaging is small and portable enough to carry around in your bag for touch ups through the day. I mean, it is a stick foundation, so there isn’t really any other way it can be packaged lol!

On the popular makeup alley site, 156 people reviewed the product, and of that number 66% stated that they would definately repurchase. As with all MAC foundations, breakouts are an issue – the MAC brand seems notorious for this, so as always if you are prone to breakouts, I’d exercise caution with any MAC foundation, and pay extra attention to cleansing the skin and keeping brushes clean…

I personally find this to be a great foundation for my skin, and would probably repurchase it. In terms of coverage, it can actually be used ina variety of ways to give different levels of coverage. It can also be applied in various ways to the face – ie, you can swipe directly from the tube onto the skin and then blend, you can apply with fingers from the tube or swipe onto a brush and then apply onto the face. I’m pretty sure you could use a damp spong to blend this, but I’m not a fan of sponges – I’m a brush or finger application type personally!

So for a light coverage I’d personally do a swipe on eack cheek, and maybe one on the forehead and a dot on the nose, and then spray with fix+/evian facial spray or similar, and then blend with my 109 brush. For a heavier coverage I would simply do more swipes on the face and blend using the same method. I was actually really surprised how easy I found this foundation to blend – it seems to warm up and melt on contact with the skin to a workable creamy texture.

I personally don’t powder over the top as I love the way it looks without powder – fairly skin like in texture, and similar to the studio tech in this manner, but feels a little lighter on the skin. You could mattify it with powder obviously if you prefer that look.

I find that this has reasonable staying power on my dry combination skin considering I don’t use a powder over it, and it feels quite moisturising on the skin. Oh and, somehow it makes my skin feel really soft to the touch. As it’s in a stick, its easy to carry around with me for on the go touch ups.

A few reviewers on makeup alley mentioned that they use this as an alternative to a concealer, and I would agree with this to a certain extent – it’s probably too heavy for delicate areas such as under the eyes, but is perfect for spot concealing and adding extra coverage to mild blemishes and pigmented areas. For under the eyes I personally like touch eclat or select cover up, as I haven’t found any brilliant colour correcting products for this area yet… For really bad blemishes I’d probably go with full coverage foundation or studio finish concealer, but that’s just me!

I’d say the only real drawback with this product might be the speed I go through it! Especially in the winter when my skin is drier anyway and I tend to prefer a creamier foundation, but even this would not stop me from repurchasing…

So anyway, I hope that some of you found this useful, and as always I’d really appreciate any comments/feedbacks or questions you might want to ask, that I haven’t covered…

Love
MizzWorthy xxx

Yay, it finally came lol!

Hi everyone,

I need help, but not in the way you probably think lol x

So the next foundation I want to review is the MAC studio stick, which I purchased the other day. As you all know I like to do a bit of research prior to posting my reviews so as to give you realistic expectaions of the products rather than just my own opinions…

Prob is, on both specktra.com and makeup alley, there are only a few reviews of it – I personally love the foundation, but like I said, want to give a balanced view

So my question is, does anyone know any other sites where I might find cosmetic reviews?

Thanks in advance xxx

MizzWorthy xxx