Showing posts with label tom ford. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 April 2013

Raise that Eyebrow!!

As I suggested in my New Season Post HERE eyebrows are really on trend at the moment. Personally I have always been a massive fan of eyebrows. From the very first time that I had my brows shaped, their upkeep and appearance became top priority in my beauty routine. I also learnt at a young age that my talent for shaping, tweezing or waxing my own brows was literally nonexistent and for this reason I have always left this element of my eyebrow routine to the professionals.

I do however love my brows to be well presented and maintained. I always think that good brows literally shape the face. I have dark brown hair with a little ombre scattered throughout the ends so I like to go for a rich brown brow. I have found a few products which I love to use on my brows; I alternate between these products depending on the desired look.

MAC Deep Brunette Veluxe Brow Liner Crayon Sourcils

CLICK HERE for Info

This a quick fix for the brows. It is a soft texture pencil that matches my shade perfectly. It fills and shapes the brows. The formula is matt and a powdery rather than a wax texture. It applies really easily and has a good degree of pigmentation which means that it colours well. It also has good staying powder (stays put all day) but is also easily removed with eye makeup remover. One really good aspect of this product is that it has a handy little brow brush on the opposite side that helps to shape and define the brows a little more. This product comes in 5 shades so am sure the whole issue of finding a shade that suits you is not so difficult.

One little negative of using this product is that it wears down rather fast and I found that you need to have sharpener on hand.

Over all I enjoy using this product and it is just a great every day quick solution for brows.

Eyebrow Sculptor By Tom Ford in Espresso

I have been a fan of this product for some time and have included it in my favourites – click here to have a look.

This product has a brow brush on one end and a shaped wax like applicator on the opposite end. The applicator is slanted meaning that application can be really precise as it goes from thin to fatter. The colour is I originally chose was chestnut but this was a little too light for me so I am now using espresso. This is a good product but it is a little expensive and you need to apply a few coats to get my desired look.

MAC Eyebrow Crayon in Spiked

This was my very first eye brow product and I have continued to repurchase it again and again because it is just a really good product and is the perfect shade for me. It provides the perfect tool for filling in, shading and colouring the brows. It needs no sharpeners and it is really long lasting. Available in 6 shades this product is a staple item in my makeup bag.

Want Info then Click Here

Benefits Brow Zings Brow Shaping Kit

For lots of info Click Here

I had read a lot about this product and had been between minds about purchasing it for ages and finally decided to give in to my inner shopper.

This kit contains:

§ pigmented wax for shaping

§ natural-shaded powder for setting

§ discreet tweezers

§ hard angle brush

§ blending brush

§ mirror

Benefit suggests that you have everything you need to create perfect clean brows.

Once you get used to using all the products in this kit am sure it does provide you with all the tools to create your perfect brow look. The pigmented wax is easy to apply and the colour was ok (it has a little too much of a red hue for me to be totally in love with it). The natural shaded powder is good and easy to use. I don’t generally use the tweezers, as I mentioned I leave that whole process to the professional. I find the blending brush a little small so I use an angled brush. I tend to use this product if I have time to be careful and precise. It did take me a few tries (a fair few) to get the hang of this product. If I am being totally honest I like this product but I don’t love it. I do use it but not too often.

MAC Palette

Last but certainly not least is my MAC Palette. I put this palette together myself and I use it most days either for brows or for eyes. I am a real lover of naturals, matt shades and blending and this palette contains all the shades I find perfect for these tasks.

The palette contains (top left to bottom right)

- Omega

- Espresso

- Embark

- Wedge

I use a MAC (OK yes I am a good fan of MAC) 263 angled brush for brow application. I love espresso or a tiny bit of embark to fill in and add a dept to the colour and I like wedge to add a little tone. Really I just love to mess around and try different combination of the colours to achieve my desired brow look.

These are all the products I have tried to create my desired brow look. I have loved some and liked others. I hope you find this post helpful and maybe you too will find a product you will come to love.

Do you have any suggestions on brow products? Any products you love or you hate? Please leave a comment below.

XOXO

P.S don’t forget my competition CLICK HERE

Monday, 31 December 2012

December Likes and Dislikes

Likes

1. Yves Saint Laurent - Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

Shade Beige 30 - fair to light complexions with creamy tan beige undertones

€31 from feeluniique.com

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Yves-Saint-Laurent-Le-Teint-Touche-Eclat-Foundation-30ml

In short I love this foundation. I had been looking for a nice foundation that could be worn daily, that was natural looking, long wearing and skin friendly. So far this foundation has fulfilled these criteria. I had been wearing a tinted moisturiser as I often found full foundation heavy and found that it was difficult to achieve the correct look I was hoping for. This foundation blended really well, could be built upon using powder or bronzer for a more glam look or just a swipe of blush for a natural glowing day look. My skin looked flawless and had a reflective sheen. I had been a fan of the original Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat and this foundation really did not disappoint. I intend to continue using it, I highly recommend it.

2. Eye Brow Sculptor by Tom Ford

Shade = Chestnut

€40 approx / £32.00

http://www.selfridges.com/en/Beauty/Brand-rooms/Designer/TOM-FORD/Cosmetics/Eyes/Brow-Sculptor_450-3001058-BROWSCULPTOR

I had read reviews of this product and had watched a few beauty tutorials so was very curious as to how it would work out. This interest combined with the fact that I rate eyebrow maintenance and appearance as top priority pushed me to treat myself. Once again I am not disappointed. I had been engaging in the usual routine of getting my eyebrows tinted once a month and then using MAC eyebrow in Spiked. I liked this routine as it achieved the look I hoped for, However since using this Tom Ford product the routine is over. Application does take a little practice as the applicator is slanted and you need fill in your brows at a certain angle. You can build upon the colour to achieve a darker shade. It is long wearing and definitely defines your brows. It also has a brow brush applicator on the other end which is excellent for fine tuning your desired look. Admittedly it is one of the more expensive brow products but so far from my experience it is worth it. Highly recommend.

3. Decleor - Aromessence Neroli Serum - 15ml

€44.99 (sale price normally €60.00)

http://www.beautyfeatures.ie/decleor-aromessence-neroli-serum-15ml

I received this face oil as part of a gift set when I purchased a face moisturiser by decleor. I had not paid much attention to the face oil until recently when my skin was suffering from a phase of break outs. Unsure of the cause of the break outs I decided to cleanse and use this oil as at night. My skin has improved so much. This face oil claims that the Aromessences will nourish and prepare your skin with specific plant based moisturisers to treat, hydrate and protect.

Thanks to its natural affinity with the skin, the oil aims to
• penetrates skin upon application to soothe and relax the skin,
• provides immediate comfort and radiance, and be the quickest and most direct Beauty routine available to leave skin visibly smoother, softer and glowing with radiance.

Declor tells you that you should use this oil morning and night. For my skin type which is normal to combination I recommend to only use once at night as the oil is very rich. You only need a small amount so even though this oil is rather expensive it will last for a long time. Skin transformation is just achievable.

4. Kerastase - Elixir Ultime for Colour-Treated Hair

€34

http://www.beautyfeatures.ie/kerastase-elixir-ultime-for-colour-treated-hair-125ml/

Again I received this as an added bonus with the karastase Christmas gift set. I love Kerastase shampoo fro coloured haired hair. I had used well known hair oil before after shampoo and conditioner and had found it to be good. This product however is excellent. Like all beauty oils of any nature you only need a very small amount. I rubbed a small amount of oil between my hands to heat it up and worked it through my hair form mid length to the ends. I stay away from the roots as I want to prevent my hair becoming too oily. I found my hair to be excellent condition, full and very soft. The product claims to promote shine and I have to admit a few of my friends commented on the shine and condition of my hair since I have been using it. I have replaced the oil I had previously used with this product and I like it so much that it is firmly established in my hair care routine.

5. Molton Brown Rejuvenating Body Moisturiser in arctic shajio

€20 approx

http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/store/bath-body/body-lotion-cream/cat0025

These winter days leaves the skin dry and dull and well entitled to a treat now and again. This body moisturiser fulfils this entitlement. Like all Molton Brown products this is rich and nurturing on the skin. It smells fabulous without being too strong. A little goes a long way and has lasting effects. The one problem I have with this product is that as you use the product it becomes increasingly difficult to use the pump on the bottle. I am only half way through my 200ml bottle and on my last use last night I had to open the screw top and shake out the contents. Overall this body lotion is a luxury and has left my skin feeling soft, smelling lovely and in better condition.

NON BEAUTY LIKES

v M&S Calming Infusion camomile, lavender and lime flower

20 tea bags €1.99 approx

This month I stumbled across a fabulous tea perfect for curling up on the sofa after a long day and watching your favourite telly or getting engrossed in your new book or mag. This tea is delicious and soothing. I am a fan in general of camomile tea and this was a lovely variation of taste. I simply <3 this tea.

v T.V programme = Chicago Fire

What more could you ask for, cute men in firemen outfits fighting fire and being all hero like. Also a pretty good story line to follow with likeable characters and solid plot lines. Not the most serious of T.V shows but worth a look for sure.

Dislikes

v L’Oreal Super Liner in Black lacquer

Approx €10

http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Superliner-Luminizer-Eyeliner_1230462/

To the point I really disliked this eyeliner. It is a fluid black eyeliner with a thin applicator. I found the applicator was extremely soft which meant that I found it very difficult to apply this eyeliner with precision or perfect a thin line as I had hoped for. Also the softness of the applicator left it near on impossible to create a long fluid line with not gaps. The liner did have staying power so that was one positive but over all I did not like it and will not be using it again.

Hope you enjoyed my likes and dislikes for December 2012. Here comes 2013, I am really looking forward to stumbling across a FEW GREAT LITTLE FINDS to share with you.

GREAT LITTLE FINDS