Tag: primer

Il Makiage No Filter Poreless Base Smoothing Primer – my honest review

I was never one for primers. I’ve got oily skin so I dreaded adding something else to my skincare routine. Over time, it got to a point when foundation just never sat right on my skin.

I’ve been using Il Makiage primer for years now. It doesn’t make my oily skin oilier, and keeps make-up on and skin looking smooth all day.

TL;DR (quick summary)

Pros: Great for all types of skin, even oily skin; makes foundation glide on skin; helps foundation look smooth and last for longer; works well over skincare (like SPF);

Cons: Expensive upfront cost (but can last years); unknown brand; bulky bottle

Why should you use the Il Makiage primer?

The primer is great for smoothing out skin as a preparation step before putting on makeup. If you have fine lines, blackheads or large pores, primer will fill them so anything added on top will be smooth. Foundation added on top looks so much better because it’s got a smooth surface to go on.

Primer also helps your makeup last longer.

I have oily skin and thought primer would worsen it because it’s like a gel, so I thought it’d be oily. It really isn’t. After using for a while, I’m happy to say it doesn’t make me want to tear off my makeup at the end of the day! It helps my foundation feel so light; it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing any.

What I look for in a primer (and how Il Makiage compares)

I want a primer to:

keep my makeup on for longer
make my makeup look better
not bring me out in spots
not make my oily T zone worse
smooth out/fill in pores

As with all primers, it goes on smooth and feels silky. I’m very particular about what I put on my skin, as it’s sensitive in places but mostly oily.

This is what nose holes look like when I haven’t used primer! This is one of the reasons I use a primer – to fill in fine lines, and these blackheads, so when I apply foundation, it goes on as smooth as possible.

It needs to dry here but you can see it’s filled in my pores, helping foundation stay on for longer and look smoother.

I didn’t have great light to show you BUT you can see the difference in my pores. The primer fills them and smoothes the skin. Once dry, you can then apply your foundation which looks better and stays on for longer.

I don’t use a primer if I’m not wearing foundation. I tend to wear foundation if I’m going to work, which is a 10hr+ day including several hours in a car. When I get home, the foundation doesn’t have the same coverage as the morning (understandable), but it still gives good coverage.

How and when to apply the Il Makiage primer (step by step)

Apply primer after your skincare and wait for it to dry before applying makeup. If you don’t wait, your foundation is likely going to look cakey and ‘on top’ of your skin instead of smoothed in.

Step by step:

Apply your skincare and SPF
Wait 5 minutes
Apply primer
Wait 10 minutes – whilst waiting for it to dry, I do things that aren’t on my skin – such as my eyebrows, lashes, and hair.
Apply your foundation and other makeup.

Does the Il Makiage primer work on mature skin?

Yes absolutely. I’m even more invested in using a primer now than I was in my 20s and early 30s. It helps to smooth holes (blackheads) and fine lines so foundation looks better. What’s not to like?

Skin prep is so important when using foundation. If you have skin that’s not been exfoliated in a while, foundation won’t look good and it’ll probably go patchy. I’ve written some tips in my Il Makiage foundation blog, a little way down the page. It includes things like what I use to exfoliate, dermaplaning, cleansing & tretinoin.

How the Il Makiage primer wears throughout the day

I’ve tested it with concealer (Il Makiage F*k I’m Flawless). Working from home, I just want my bags hidden rather than wearing a full face of make-up. I smoothed in the primer to just one side of my face where I plan to put concealer – around/under my eye bag area.

It blends easily and is like a gel. It doesn’t pull skin and goes on like any moisturiser or cream.

Il makiage review - using woke up like this foundation — Putting on the foundation after skincare: starting with moisturiser, vitamin C, SPF then primer. Always wait at least 10 mins before putting on makeup. Sometimes I use a damp sponge to put foundation on and sometimes I use a brush! It depends what mood I’m in. I use Il Makiage’s brushes too, they’re lovely and soft.

This is me after a 17 hour day – including sweating and walking in the rain!

The above shows my skin after a full day out and about – including in the rain and sweating! The acne on my skin is coming through, but you can see just how well the foundation, on the whole, has remained in place.

If I don’t use primer, I barely get to work before my skin starts to flake and look patchy.

Price and where to buy the Il Makiage primer

If you want to try it, buy it from Il Makiage for £36. Use code ‘welcome10‘ for 10% off > ilmakiage.com

Primer is an expensive cost upfront, but can last for years if you only use a few times each week.

Other Il Makiage products I’ve reviewed

So far I’ve tried this primer, F*ck I’m Flawless concealer and Woke Up Like This foundation. I’m very impressed with all 3 products and would recommend them.

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Make up

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Tags il makiage, primer

Skincare

9 tips on how to reduce acne and take care of your oily, hormonal skin

For the past few years I’ve started getting a lot of spots the week before my period is due – bigger spots around my face and smaller ones across my forehead. Not only that, I also get spots throughout the month – on the sides of my forehead, my cheeks and my chin. After a lot of reading and getting advice from friends, my skin looks more glowy and any spots I do get fade a LOT quicker than what they used to.

Here’s my list of my top 10 things to do, and not do, to help reduce the amount of spots you’re getting:

Don’t pop them!
Review what you’re putting on your face
Use clean towels
Use clean pillow cases
Are you removing all your make up?
Clean your make up brushes
What make up are you using?
What vitamins are you taking?
Get a spot clearing gel

Don’t pop spots

You don’t have to tell me how hard this one is. There’s not much else better than popping a good spot and having the gunk ooze out. But this is doing your face no good at all. The white stuff in a spot is actually magical liquid helping to GET RID of the spot. So guess what? By squeezing the white goodness, you are 1. removing the goodness fighting the spot 2. making the bacteria go further into your skin increasing the size of the spot and increasing the time it takes to go 3. probably going to leave yourself a scar.

Tips for leaving your spots alone

Don’t look in a mirror.

When I get in and take my makeup off, my most popular time of day for a good spot-popping session was after my evening shower, after I’d taken my makeup off. Spots look worse after a shower because the hot water makes your pores open.

After a shower, I don’t even go near my (amazing) magnifying mirror. I put my creams/moisturiser on without looking. I don’t see my face all red and by the time I look in a mirror, my face has cooled and any spots have reduced in size.

Review what you’re putting on your face

Be honest – how many products are you putting on your face in a day? When I did this assessment, I realised I was:

cleaning my face with a product (morning)
putting 2-3 moisturisers on (morning)
putting primer on (morning)
putting make up on (morning)
removing make up with a product (evening)
putting 2 moisturisers on (evening)
putting on night cream moisturiser (evening)

So that’s a minimum of 9 different products I was putting on my face per day. Your skin is only thin – it can’t possibly hold this much. I figured something must be irritating it so I started to slowly reduce:

1. how much of each product I was using (1 drop instead of 2)
2. reduce the total amount of products I was using.
3. not putting products on all over my face – taking care to reduce the products added to my oily bits (forehead) in a morning

Now my routine looks like this:

cleansing my face with a product (morning)
add 1x 2 moisturiser including SPF (morning) I’ve stopped moisturising my oily bits in a morning which has done wonders for stopping my forehead being so oily by the evening. SPF still goes on all over, though.
add primer sparingly (morning) not all the time if I’m not wearing makeup
add make up (morning) not all the time
~~removing make up with a product (evening)~~ I use The Body Shop Camomile makeup remover on my eyes, but for my face, I use a reusable Face Halo pad
NEW: cleanse & tone (evening) – cleansing and toning take off every last trace of makeup/dirt from the day
~~putting 2 moisturisers on (evening)~~ any other products such as Retinol 3x weekly – I use the same products but I use 1 drop instead of 2 and I don’t use harsh products on my dry patches like I used to
add night cream moisturiser (evening) unlike the morning, I put moisturisers on my oily patches which can be washed off in the morning and doesn’t make my oiliness worse during the day

My skin honestly feels like it’s breathing again and my spots have reduced from this routine.

Use clean towels

If when you wash your face, you dry it with the closest towel… stop! Your partner could have just used that to dry their feet. Or bum, urghhhh. The towel could have been sat wet for a time, collecting germs.

I never dry my face with a towel. I usually leave it to dry – it only takes 5 minutes. Or if I need to, I dap it with 2 small pieces if toilet paper. I never use something that’s already out, having been used already.

The same can be said if you use a reusable make up remover cloth. If you leave it out damp or wet, it’ll collect mould so it’s the last thing you want to use on your face.

Use clean pillow cases

I sleep for 7+ hours so that’s a lot of time my face is lay on something. If you have spots, the bacteria will rub off on to your pillow and stay there, so the next night, that bacteria will make its way back to your face.

I make sure to never sleep on the same side twice. I have spares so I don’t need to wash my pillow case and dry it before re-using.

Are you removing all your make up?

I’ve used Face Halo for a while now with The Body Shop Camomile butter make up remover to remove not only face makeup but also eye makeup.

The Body Shop Camomile butter – for removing make up

I therefore changed my routine a little. I still use the camomile butter on all my face including my eyes/face, but I also use a toner & cleanser afterwards to remove any last trace of makeup.

Clean your make up brushes

Easily forgotten! If you’re constantly hiding spots, you need to constantly be cleaning your brushes.

I use ISOClean to clean mine which takes literally minutes and they’re as clean as new.

Clean your make up brushes weekly or even daily

What make up are you using?

Do you have new spots appear during the day? If so, that could be a sign your make up is irritating your skin.

Your best bet is to try and see what works for you. Read online reviews and use https://www.skincarisma.com/ingredient-analyzer to check out the ingredients before you buy. It shows you any ingredients that could irritate your skin, in particular if you have spots, dry skin or oily skin.

What vitamins are you taking?

I’ve been taking biotin for hair growth. It works! But at the same time, too much, you guessed it, can bring on spots. I found this to be true. Since I’ve stopped taking a daily biotin vitamin, my spots have reduced. I now take only 2 per week.

Get a spot clearing gel

I’ve used Dermalogica Breakout Clearing Booster for putting on angry spots to help them disappear. I’ve also used Benzoyl Peroxide which kills the bacteria in spots, but it’s very strong and dries out skin, so use sparingly and be careful.

Update: March 2021

I’ve just started using polyester pillowcases which are soft enough to help improve your skin. They don’t soak in the lotions and potions you put on before sleeping, unlike cotton. I’m using them instead of silk, which isn’t cruelty-free. Have a read of my article where I discuss my new polyester pillowcases & show how my hair looks after sleeping. I was happily surprised!

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Thanks for reading :) This article is tagged with:

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Tags acne, advice, Beauty, Camomile, cruelty-free, Face Halo, Moisturiser, primer, review, The Body Shop, Tips, vegan

Skincare

Birchbox ‘Cath Kidston’ Beauty Box April 2018

4/5 cruelty-free products this month from Birchbox!

This months box consisted of 5 products:

ModelCo Baked Highlighter in Moonshine
Beautaniq Beauty – Fill and Tame Brow Gel
Cath Kidston Hand Cream
Whish Shave Cream
Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

Within the box, I got a 25% off leaflet to spend at Cath Kidston.

ModelCo Baked Highlighter

It’s obvious I like a product when I don’t put it back in the Birchbox ready to look at it another day. That product this month is the highlighter by ModelCo. I got to choose out of 2 shades which I’d prefer – and I got my chosen one, ‘Moonshine’. I don’t know if it’s a sample size or full size but at 1.5g/0.05 oz, you don’t get much. Not a problem – who uses that much highlighter anyways? (hello Kardashians) It’s super shiny and goes on like a dream. I used an eyeshadow brush to apply it on my cheekbones (with a few strokes). It stayed on all day too.

The highlighter is NOT cruelty-free, so I personally wouldn’t buy it again – however, ModelCo is slowly going the cruelty-free way, as they have a Vegan section on their website….. check it out here: https://www.modelcocosmetics.com/shop/vegan/

Cath Kidston Hand Cream

After much Googling, I do believe this hand cream is cruelty-free. Fab fab fab!

The smell is beautiful and fresh; it made my hands feel extremely moisturized. Took about a minute to dry which isn’t a bad thing seeing as though I’m typing this after applying. A little seems to go a looooong way and the one I got is 30ml.

Beautaniq Beauty fill and tame brow gel

“Nourishing tinted brow gel”
This looks promising but I use Wunderbrow so I don’t think I’ll use this #soz (unless I run out ofc)

It has an icon on the tube which says cruelty-free – hurrah!

It looks like it’d be useful for those lazy days when I can’t be bothered to perfect my brows but want them styled, shaped and tinted.

Whish Shave Cream

Smells lush; smoothes on the skin like a dream and has a moisturizing effect; it’s slightly shimmery too. I got 22ml which, to be honest with my long legs and big thighs didn’t go far.

On the tube, it says, “tested on us, not animals” – another cruelty-free product! Amazing!

Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

This illuminator is too dark for my skin but has amazing reviews online from ladies saying it, “enhanced my skin” and “gave me a fab healthy glow”. It can be used as a primer, which is handy as well as a moisturizer.

Even though it’s too dark for me, I gave it a whirl by adding it to some other white moisturizer (it helped dilute the colour making it lighter) and I could definitely see a glow. I only put it on my cheeks (as I have an oily forehead) and it made them look plump and fresh.

Cruelty-free again as confirmed on their website https://www.marcelle.com/en/faq

Sign up and save £5 on your first box

Use my referral link (https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/ahoydesigns) to sign up, and get a fiver off your first box. You are welcome!

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Tags Beauty, beauty box, birchbox, cruelty-free, Moisturiser, Pamper, primer, review, vegan

Skincare

Mabel + Meg Lumilixir Serum review

I first found Mabel + Meg Lumilixir Serum through a beauty blogger on Instagram. She put a few blobs on her makeup brush, along with her foundation, and began sweeping it across her face. It seemed to blend perfectly and gave her a dewy glow. I can’t remember who she was, but she was really happy and posted a fab review (not to mention, a bloody gorgeous selfie).

Now I’m not sure about you, but I always think…. “do you REALLY think that….. or are you being PAID to think that?” so I decided to buy some for myself.

When I looked into and read the reviews, it seems it’s not just a primer. It helps to (from their website):

Plumps and hydrates skin
Smooths complexion
Brightens skin
Paraben free
Oil free & non-comedogenic
Fragrance-free
Absolutely no animal testing (hurrah!)

It’s described as something you can use as part of your morning and evening routine, applied over a cleansed and toned face. You can moisturise beforehand, but you need to wait for it to absorb before applying.

It’s vegan and cruelty-free 😀

Mabel + Meg Lumilixir Serum – How do you use it?

It comes in a bottle with a dropper, so you can control how much you’re using (and it looks really professional). I use 3 drops on my fingers or makeup brush, then rub lightly all over my face. Once done and it’s still slightly wet, I apply my foundation. I use The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation which glides on amazingly even. I then add concealer & blusher.

What are your results from using it then?

My skin looks fresher and dewy. I have an oily T zone, which has continued to be oily, so it hasn’t helped it (or made worse) It makes my face feel light, clean and brightened. My makeup also stays on all day, which didn’t before using this.

I get spots on my forehead and chin but since started using this, they’ve reduced massively. I still get them, but they’re tiny and not as noticeable. If I do get a breakout of bigger spots, I use this twice a day (once before makeup and once before bed) and the day after, they’re almost nothing.

Let’s get down to brass tax…

The bottles come in 20ml or 30ml, starting from £29 up to £39 for the 30ml. For me this is very expensive – my foundation and concealer comes to £50 so spending this on top makes me think “jeez, is it really worth it?”. So there’s only 1 way to find out…. coughing up £29 for the smaller bottle!

I bought directly from their website, with £4 shipping fees. I’ve since bought it from Cult Beauty where I paid no shipping (over £40 though).

#TipAlert

If you buy from Cult Beauty make sure you first go through Top Cash Back – at the time of writing, “new online customers” can get 8% back. I’ve used it for years and I’ve had thousands back from it. It’s a cashback site – you visit Top Cash Back and find the brand you want to buy from. You click on it and find out what the cash back available is. You usually get a lower % if you’re already an existing customer of that brand. It takes ages to get paid out but you will eventually get it.

This is a screenshot of my Cult Beauty payout of £3.33 in my Top Cash Back account:

#TipAlert

If you choose to buy it from MabelandMeg.com, look out for the popups where you can get 10% off if you sign up for their newsletter.

Is it worth the money??

Honestly….. I’ll continue to buy Mabel + Meg Lumilixir Serum until I need the money elsewhere. £39 is pricey, so I’ll buy as and when – maybe a couple a year. 3 drops a day will last a good month… or 2. I don’t do as per the instructions and apply in the morning and evening – it wouldn’t last as long (unless I have spots, see above!) and I only want it to help glide on makeup. If I wanted it to stretch, I’d go down to 1-2 drops and only use a few times a week, or on nights out.

If you wanted to use it as a moisturiser then applying morning and evenings would be good for improving your complexion quick, even though you’d use it up faster. Even if it lasted a month, a month’s worth of high-quality moisturiser is well worth it.

UPDATE: 9th March 2019

I still use Mabel and Meg to this day. I usually buy in bulk as that’s when you can get the discount. I still use just 2 drops each morning after I’ve moisturised and before my makeup. It keeps my skin looking fresh, helps reduce spots and keeps my makeup on all day. I love it.

UPDATE: 17th February 2020

Yep… still using it. Had a few months off towards the end of 2019 whilst I was using other things (blogs to come; Beauty Pie, Aurelia probiotic to name a few) but I’m back to using this. It really is absolutely amazing at keeping my makeup on all day. I still get spots during my period week (NOTHING has helped with this, argh) but my oily forehead definitely is better after I use this. I still only use 2 small drops per day. I give it 10 mins to settle on my skin before I put make up on. Love this stuff. Don’t forget to find discount codes from my above tips if you decide to buy! Oh one last thing, the price is still the same – no increase!

I haven’t (unfortunately) been paid or received any goodies for this review. It’s from my own experience so you can believe it’s 100% honest.

• • •

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Skincare

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Tags acne, Beauty, cruelty-free, Make up, Moisturiser, Oil, primer, review, vegan