Three Products You Need To Try From Wonderland Makeup

I love going through my makeup bag around this time of year because it gives me great joy opening it and seeing lots of shimmery products, festive red lipsticks and all those other bits that are essential for the party season - Whilst I may not be attending as many parties as I used to, I'm still all about the glitz and glam. Recently three new products from Wonderland Makeup have made their way into my makeup bag, two of them I've been reaching for daily and the other one I'm waiting to use for my works Christmas party coming up this weekend - And of course I have to share this with all of you! To be honest Wonderland Makeup is not a brand that I've ever heard of before, but after I was contacted by email to try and test out some products, I headed over to their website and was really impressed. Wonderland Makeup is a cruelty free makeup brand that aim to produce high end makeup at an affordable price, which sounds great. As soon as I saw the Wonderland Makeup packaging on their website, I was practically sold. All of their makeup comes in white packaging, which is not only gorgeous, it also so pretty to photograph - Which is perfect for those flatlays on Instagram!

Blogmas Day 10 - Makeup Revolution Aqua Priming Base

Makeup Revolution Aqua Priming Base* £6.00

When it comes to primers I was always a little bit skeptical about them and questioned myself so many times if they were worth the hype or not. I had spent my money on a few cheap ones and to be honest I wasn't convinced as I didn’t see much difference and just thought thats another layer of makeup to slip off my skin at the end of the day. Fast forward a year or so and you’ll find that now I never apply my makeup without using one first. The reason for this is because I came across the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer and was completely blown away by just how good it was and the difference it made. I think Smashbox primers will always be my favourite as I swear by them, but over the last few weeks I’ve been using another primer along with my Smashbox one that I love the results that gives.

Now the first thing you may be thinking is that it is a little extreme to be wearing two primers at once, but hear me out as I promise you it works. A few weeks ago I came across the Makeup Revolution Aqua Priming Base, which is a primer that comes in spray form that you just spritz all over your face. Whilst this Primer Water can be used on its own, I prefer to use it along side my trusty Smashbox Primer as I find that they both do different things.

The reason why I love the Makeup Revolution Aqua Priming Base so much is that it really adds a touch of radiance to my skin. I have really oily skin, so to combat it I always use a foundation that has a mattifying effect. Whilst this is great as it stops my makeup from falling off mid day, it also means that I can never go for that dewy skin look or use any makeup products that give me one as they just don't work with my skin type. This is where the Water Primer changes things as I find once I’ve applied my foundation over the top of this, my skin almost has a glow to it that certainly wasn't there before.

I don’t have full on dewy skin, but I have to say my skin does look brighter and feels a lot more illuminated every time I use this which is so amazing. I’ve not tried this primer just on its own, so I don’t know how well it sets my makeup in place, as I always rely on my Smashbox primer to do that for me. However I do find that my foundation feels so smooth and bends effortlessly into my skin once I’ve given my face a few spritz. 

This primer is also great for those mornings where I feel extra tried, which at the moment is a lot (pregnancy problems) and find this water based product so refreshing and its that perfect morning pick me up. A few sprays and my skin looks a lot less sleepy. The scent it also really refreshing and doesn't interfere in any way with my sensitive skin. 

Sometimes I like to add a bit more glow to my skin and spray this on my face once my full face of makeup is completed. I know this sounds crazy, but it doesn't make my makeup run and just seems to finish off my makeup look beautifully.

I would really recommend picking up one of these bottles from Makeup Revolution, you can pick one up from their website here. Let me know if you’ve tried any water based primers like this one. Do you think they're as good as this one from Makeup Revolution? Let me know in the comments.

Lots of Love

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Smashbox Photo Finish Primers

I'm pretty sure I sound like a broken record as I'm forever raving about the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I've been using the original clear one everyday for the past year and swear by it. I love it so much that I would say it's definitely reached that holy grail status! If you read my review of this product a little while back you will see that not only does this primer give you a flawless application when it comes to applying you're foundation and other makeup, it also keeps your makeup stay put all day. Ladies you honestly need to see it to believe it to see just how well this primer works.

I know the original primer has been a favourite amongst us beauty lovers for sometime now - Yes I was so late to jump on this train, but since the release of the original primer, Smashbox have released other primers with the same formula which suit different skin tones and create different looks on the skin. For Christmas I received the perfect little Smashbox gift set which contained three small sample tubes of the primer, including my beloved Photo Finish Primer. The other two primers included were the luminizing primer and the hydrating one, both which I have been loving and make me even fonder of the Smashbox brand.

The Hydrating Photo Finish Primer really took me by surprise and having oily to combination skin this is a product that I would never pick up at the shops or think to use. However it's the primer I've been reaching for pretty much everyday this year, which to me just shows how good it really is. Although I have that terrible t-zone that is prone to getting a tad oily and its the one place my makeup is guaranteed to slip during the day, I still suffer from dry skin - Weird right? As much as I don't want to put too many oily products on my skin, there are those days where my skin just feels thirsty and needs moisture put back into it. As soon as I apply this primer in the morning its like my face has had the ultimate hydration boost, my skin feels so amazing. So much so that as soon as this primer has worked into the skin, my eyes look more awake and I can see an instant change in the appearance of my skin - It looks healthy and glowy. 

Whereas the original primer is more silicone based, the hydrating primer feels water based. A little goes a long way and it works into your skin very quickly. It honestly makes such a great base for your makeup to sit on and my foundation glides on whenever I've used this. As for staying power, my makeup does stay put pretty much throughout the hole day, not as well as it does using the original Photo Finish Primer - But I don't feel as though my makeup is running off my face at all. A quick touch up of powder around my nose and forehead is all I need to get my makeup looking perfect again. 

If you have dry skin I would definitely recommend this primer, I promise you that you'll love it, especially if you're already a fan of the Photo Finish Primer. If you have combination skin like me, again this primer would be perfect for you, especially on those days your skin needs that extra hydration boost.

The Luminizing Photo Finish Primer has to be one of the prettiest primers that I've ever used and it creates that gorgeous glow fresh faced holiday skin look. This primer is a little thicker in constancy than the other two primers featured in this post and has a velvet like texture to it and can take a little longer to work into the skin. Once applied it leaves your skin looking so smoothed out and gives you a warm but ever so slight bonzed glow. You're skin really has that luminzied look to it, which makes it appear healthy. 

This primer I know is going to be reached for a lot in the summer, and for best effect I would say that this works great under a foundation that's not too full coverage; One that gives you dewy skin would be perfectly paired with this primer as the gold shimmers would really shine though. 

As with all the Smashbox primers that I've tried, I've found each one to prolong my makeup, fill those fine lines and smooth out the skin. They are honestly the best primers I've tried and I love how there are now so many in the range to choose from - Making them perfect for any type of skin tone and suitable for different times of the year. I would love to try the pore minimising one next, it sounds amazing and one to rival Benefits Porefessional. 

I've you've tried any of the Smashbox Primers, please let me know what one is your favourite in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer £25.00 

If I was to pick one holy grail item in my makeup bag it would be without a doubt the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I know that this much hyped about primer is loved by many, but I was a little late at jumping on the bandwagon to try it. It came into my life this summer and its been an every day stable in my makeup routine since, I actually love this product so much, I don't know why it's taken me this long to blog about it. 

The beginning of this year was the year that I started introducing primers into my makeup routine, and whilst I saw the difference they made in the application of my makeup and they way they made my skin look pretty flawless, I never found one that managed to make my makeup last all day - Until I tried the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer that is...

I had always heard so many amazing things about this primer, but if I'm honest I was a little put off by the £25.00 price tag and I didn't know if paying that much for a primer would be worth it, but I can tell you its probably the best £25.00 I'ver ever spent, this primer is that good.

I am someone who has always had to re-touch my makeup constantly thoughout the day, and I often find that my skin is prone to getting oily especially around my nose and cheeks, which always causes my makeup to slip and slide though the day, and I'm sure many of you are nodding your heads agreeing with me because its just so annoying. Whilst a good powder has always come to the recuse, it can be a lot of faff and I've always wanted to find that perfect product that just keeps my makeup put. I have no idea how it does it, but the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer is that dream product for my skin that really does keep my makeup put, makes my skin look even and flawless and sometimes I don't need any powder touch ups at all, it's seriously makes me go WOW.

The Smashbox Primer is a clear gel that has a silicone feel to it, and you only need the smallest of blobs to cover your face evenly, it this just glides on to your skin so easily - It has a really velvety feel to it and it makes the perfect base for your foundation. I have to say at this stage I don't really notice a huge difference in my skin, other than it feels very soft and it makes my skin tone look a little more even. However it makes applying your foundation or any other base makeup you might use so easy, and blending and working your foundation into the skin becomes effortless.

The real noticable change I noticed using this primer, is that it really does keep my makeup in place pretty much for the whole day. During the summer I had a cheerleading event in London where I was dancing for hours in a parade, I used this primer and my makeup was still perfect, even though it was hot, humid, raining and I was rather sweaty though all the dancing (totally gross I know), but it just gives you an idea at how well this primer is and how well it works for me. It's like it somehow tells the oils in my skin to hold off and puts this barrier up between my skin and foundation. 

I know this primer will be forever in my makeup bag, and if there is one essential beauty product that I could recommend to you, this would be it. If you have a similar skin type to me, I would definitely invest. Smashbox also have such a good range of primers to work for different skin types and I know there is one for minimising pores, I've not tried any of this but I can imagine they are just as good. As for longevity, like I mentioned I bought this in the summer, use it every day and I still have a lot of product left, which I'm amazed at - Your £25.00 really does go a long way.

I totally love this product! I would love to know if your a fan of this Photo Finish Primer from Smashbox and if you've tried any other primers that work just as well - Please let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love

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Pixi Redness Reducing Primer

Pixi Redness Reducing Primer* £20.50

I think a good primer is one of those items in your makeup bag that you either love and cannot live with out, or completely none existent as you've never bothered to purchase one and see what all the fuss is about! Sadly for the longest of time I've been the latter and I've never bought into or seen the hype or fuss around primers - until now that is.

A little while ago before Christmas I won a Twitter competition that the brand Pixi we're running and it was to win one of their Redness Reducing Primers. I was pretty excited about winning and was looking forward to trying and testing out my first primer. I have to say I've been so impressed with the results and I feel that since winning the Twitter competition I've had a little life changing moment when it comes to my everyday makeup routine as I will now reach for this primer every morning without fail!

I love the feel of this primer on my skin as once applied it gives my skin a lovely smooth satin finish and my skin feels so soft. I find that it makes a great base for my foundation to sit on and applying my foundation becomes a much easier and effortless task in terms of blending when I use this Pixi Primer. One thing that I was always worried about when using a primer is that it could possibly be too heavy on my skin and not sit right with my moisturiser and my other makeup that is used once applied the primers been applied. However I was really surprised at just how lightweight this primer is, it was almost like it absorbed into my skin right away and left it looking pretty flawless. 

One thing that I think makes this primer pretty special is the fact that it's a 'redness reducing' primer, which is why its a pale green colour (green beauty products do a great job at cancelling out any redness on your skin). Although the colour is a little bit off putting, as its not the colour you'd normally put on your skin, it does such a great job at hiding any red marks that you may have. In the morning I am terrible for having little blotchy red patches on my skin, especially around my cheeks and nose and this primer erases (until washed off) all of those red patches which is amazing. Not only does it give your skin the illusion of having a great even complexion, but your skin is not left with any green tinge either, which is a huge relief. 

As well as reducing redness this Pixi Primer also contains Vitamins A & E, plus Aloe Vera which is great for soothing and helping calm down any inflammation on your skin. It's a huge plus knowing that this primer is doing some good to my skin as well as helping it to look fabulous.

As for packaging, I have to say I adore the simplicity of it and I love how the colour of the packaging matches the colour of the primer. Pixi is a brand that I've heard a lot about, but have never gotten around to trying until now. I have to say I've been so impressed with this Primer and am eager to try out more products from the Pixi range. If any of you ladies have tried and tested out any other Pixi products I would love to know your recommendations? 

Overall I've been loving this Pixi Redness Reducing Primer and I'm now officially a lover of the primer! I would love to know what primers you love and what ones you recommend!

Lots of Love

Review | Studio Secrets Professional Fibre Mascara Primer

Hello beauties. The other day I posed a Snow Queen makeup look that was inspired by the snow and I had a lot of comments not only about the makeup look itself but the mascara that I used to make my lashes look full and elongated.  So I thought I would share with you my secret!

When shopping for mascara I am generally not fussy and usually go with what’s on offer wherever I am shopping. Thankfully I have been blessed with fairly long lashes which is probably why I take on the attitude that any mascara will do. Although I do like my natural lashes I'm always wanting them to look full of volume and long. I find that they key to achieving this look with any mascara is to use a good lash primer as it will make a huge difference in the way your mascara is applied. 

I've always been a fan of a lash primer, some say it’s not necessary for part of a daily makeup routine and don't get me wrong I don't use it everyday. But for those days where you’re wanting a bit more va va voom lash primer is defiantly the way forward. My favourite currently has to be the Studio Secrets Professional Fibre Mascara Primer - False Lash Effect from L’Oreal (bit of a mouthful!) I have found it works the best and every time I have used it I've always gotten compliments. It retails for around the £10 mark and you can purchase it from Boots 

Some of you may think that this is a tad on the pricey side for a lash primer, but its a lot cheaper alternative to lash extensions and buying high end mascara. This product is also great if your not one for false eyelashes either but want that same effect. You could pair this lash primer with the cheapest of mascaras and still have the false lash effect.  

 Natural Lashes on their own

 Lashes with the primer 

 Lashes with Maybelline Colossal Volume Express-Cat Eyes Mascara | One coat applied 

As you can see from the pictures my lashes have lengthened and became a lot thinker, creating volume. I will be honest and say I am not a huge fan of the Maybelline Mascara in Cat Eyes. Without the primer I personally feel that it doesn't do much for my lashes and when I first took the product out of the packaging thought that the formula had dried up and that I had a faulty one. I now know that this is not the case; the other Maybelline Mascaras in the Colossal Volume Express range are good though, I think its just personal preference. I just don't sway towards this one as much. In the picture I've only used one coat of mascara, but if you were to apply two or three coats you would get an amazing false lash effect using the L'Oreal Lash Primer. 

Studio Secrets Professional Fibre Mascara Primer - False Lash Effect wand

Maybelline Colossal Volume Express-Cat Eyes Mascara and wand

The one thing I do love about the Maybelline mascara though has to be the wand; the curved shape of it makes it glide though your lashes expertly and is great for coating the lower lashes. 

I hope you enjoyed this review lovelies and I would love to know your thoughts and what lash primers you have tried as I am always looking out for new ones to try out.