Illamasqua Satin Primer (Review)

I am a big advocate of wearing a primer under foundation. The act of placing a barrier between my precious skin and the chemicals found in some products is essential for me to prevent flare-ups of my eczema and reduce discomfort.  

Illamasqua has been doing some amazing things with their foundation range lately but, whilst stopping by their beautiful Beak Street store, it was the Satin Primer caught my eye and I decided to give it a try.   The primer appears as a milky white liquid - but fear not my ladies of colour, it doesn’t apply ashy. A little bit of this primer goes a long way, sinking into my skin to leave an invisible smooth barrier.  For me, a good primer should enable less product to be used through the creation of a smooth surface that doesn’t highlight any dry patches and compensates for my oily T-Zone. Thankfully the Satin Primer did all of this and more! I found that despite me sweating like a Betty on the dance floor (I go hard, what can I say) my foundation stayed put for more than a reasonable amount of time – no walk of shame for me.My skin was not irritated and my nose was not offended by the slight scent provided.  

How I use it

After waiting for my moisturiser to settle down I will apply as few drops of this primer using a foundation brush, as per Illamasqua’s recommendation. After waiting a few minutes I will then go on to apply my foundation of choice.  

The £22.50 price tag may justifiably deter my ladies on a budget but I would recommend it to anyone who wants to splurge on a decent product that does what it states on the bottle.

To prime or not to prime; where do you sit on the primer debate?

Boots No.7 Foundation Match Made Service

 

This week we heard reports that number crunchers have estimated that the ‘Black Consumer’ spending power in the UK was worth a £300 Billion (is that all) it has come to be of no surprise to me that many of the established high-street brands have begun to try and encourage us to spend money in their stores[i]. Step forward Boot’s No.7 who, under the creative directorship of Lisa Eldridge, have developed their range of foundation to include more colours for Black Women in a range of finishes. 

Source

I decided to take advantage of a free lunch break and popped into a Boots in Hammersmith in order to try out their new No.7 Foundation Match Made Service. In order to take some of the anxiety of shopping for foundation, No.7 claim to have developed a device that matches you with the colour in their range. The device quickly takes a number of instant pictures of the skin on your jaw-line and comes up with a recommendation as to which shade you are within their range. As a Woman of Colour I wanted to see if this device would cater to my shade and so allowed the lovely consultant, Thomas, to work his magic. I was placed at ease by how quickly (and painless) the whole process was, he then gave me a run down of the various finishes and benefits each finish provided that was applicable to my skin type and preference.  

The shade Walnut was quickly identified as being the correct shade for me. I opted for the Instant Radiance range as it wasn’t matt and added a bit more dimension to my face. It took a little while for me to get the consistency of the foundation right when applying it and have realised that it works best when I colour correct my dark patches around my eyes prior to application. The finish was excellent and matched my skin perfectly. I received the best ever complement when wearing this foundation from a relative who asked remarked that my skin looked really healthy when I bumped into them at a recent party!

On the whole, I am loving the fact that a high street brand has stepped up to the plate and decided to expand it’s range to include more shades. The Foundation Match Made Service has certainly thrown down the gauntlet to other makeup brands to ensure clients are adequately matched within their range and end the appalling situation where women of any colour, are incorrectly paired to foundations by overzealous sales associates on a counter. 

What do you think of this service,  would you like more brands to adopt a gaget like this?

 

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[i] http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/black-consumers-are-worth-%C2%A3300-billion

Black History Month 2012

October is Black History Month here in the UK and I wanted to take a moment to post a quick (real quick) homage to just a few of the Black Women in Britain I admire. As a History graduate selecting just twelve women was really hard but I wanted it to be diverse and as current as possible.

Row
1. Naomi Campbell -Model
2. Pat Mcgrath -Makeup Artist and Beauty Industry heavyweight;  DR Yana Johnson MBE - Yana Cosmetics; Ruby Hammer - Ruby & Millie
3. Sade- Singer; De'ree- Singer; Beverly Knight - singer who recently launched her own makeup line here in the UK.
4. Diane Abbott - Politician; Baroness Scotland - Politician; Baroness Amos- Politician; Doreen Lawrence OBE- Campaigner; Moria Stewart – Broadcaster.

Rimmel London Lipsticks

I recently picked these Rimmel Lipsticks and thought I would post a quick swatch.

Kate Moss 03 is (pink) nude 

Nude Delight is a peachy nude

Vintage Pink is a blue-toned pink 

 

I love the staying power of these lipsticks. When applied, I noticed that they didn’t slide around or highlight the natural wrinkles in my lips-result!

Have you tried any lipsticks from Rimmel?