Wednesday 19 September 2012

Skinfood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB cream REVIEW + SWATCH

I've been running out of the current BB cream I'm using and so I decided to purchase a couple cheapies to try out.

The first is Skinfood's Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB cream in Shade no. 1 Light Beige:
(Phew what a title!)

What it promises: "A long-lasting bb cream that helps maintain bright morning skin throughout the day without darkening or smudging (...) that keeps skin soft and supple."



First of all the packaging is SUPER cute! I love natural tones in everything and the cute honey bees on the packaging make me feel so happy. I also like the cardboard box it comes in, as it further eludes to Skinfood's natural approach.


The packaging itself is TINY! Only 30g of product. The product itself is fairly cheap though online compared to other bb creams and it's not like you're supposed to use a lot anyways! So this could be a good value.


I've seen other swatches for Skinfood and found them to be pretty dark on my fair skin. This however, seems to be okay for the most part! Definitely beige, but not grey like other BB creams tend to look at first.


The coverage for this BB cream is SUPER LIGHT. Almost no coverage save for lightening my lighter freckles and doing well to conceal my pores. This is definitely something you may want to use as a primer for other products rather than using just this. This will probably not completely conceal blemishes and certainly doesn't conceal darker spots like the ones on my cheeks.
I think it provides a nice, natural canvas for the rest of your makeup. On school days I'll likely just use this and powder, but for cosplay or for photos I'll definitely need some more.

The finish of this bb cream is DEWY. People with oily skin may not like it, and I certainly am not crazy about the glowy look, but this is the finish most bb creams come in.

At first you may feel like there is a slight tackiness when you first apply it but that quickly goes away. What is left is the SOFTEST SKIN EVER. Like, I'm talking BABY SOFT here. And this last at least the whole day for me.

There is a definite scent to this product. I don't really know how to describe it; perhaps a black tea leaf scent somewhat? I don't notice it when I'm wearing it, but if you're really sensitive to scents you may want to be careful.

OVERALL I'd give this maybe a 3.5/5. It doesn't really cover anything, covers pores well, leaves me with uber soft skin and comes in a nice package for a decent price. It's cheap and easy peasy to apply as there's no real change in colour as far as I can see. SPF 20 PA+ is always a good thing no matter what time of year, especially for my fair skin.

So depending on your needs, you may want to bypass this one or use this as a no fuss school bb cream if you don't have issues with your skin.

Monday 10 September 2012

Urban Decay NAKED Palette Review + Swatches

Hello everyone! Today I have an overdue palette review for you:

Urban Decay's NAKED palette


I've had this for a while now (since last May), so I've gotten quite a bit of use out of it already! I do not lie when I say that I use this everyday. I work full time in an office setting during the summer, so looking polished everyday is highly important. These could be my future employers so everyday counts. Especially if you're still a student, you want your coworkers to see you not as a young and irresponsible girl, but a refined and respectable young woman.

With this, I fully believe a good neutral palette is a must!

UD's NAKED definitely fits the bill, with 15 shades (13 I'd deem office appropriate) that boast high quality pigments and long wear when paired with the included Urban Decay Primer Potion. This palette also has a (small but great) built-in mirror and a cruelty free eyeshadow brush.

While the NAKED 2 palette has cooler shades, this one clearly features some warm shades. If you have blue eyes like me, you'll love the palette as every colour here will make your eyes pop day or night! The variety is wide - from highlights to shimmers to sparkles, light or dark. Another plus is that each shadow is UD's full size, so you're not getting chinced just because it's a palette! If you do the math, you're saving quite a bit of money as well on shades that will last you a really long time and are suitable for everyday!

Left to right: VIRGIN, SIN, NAKED, SIDECAR, BUCK
Left to Right: HALF BAKED, SMOG, DARKHORSE, TOASTED

Left to Right: CREEP, GUNMETAL
 I'm afraid the case gets very messy, but I've had no troubles travelling with it so far as there are magnets that keep the lid in place. The mirror could be larger, however it's a good quality mirror. If you want to take a different brush with you, just swap the one that comes with the kit! The brush that UD has supplied is pretty meh in my opinion.
Swatches left to right match the order of the palette. Over Urban Decay's Primer Potion
 The shadows themselves are really soft, blendable and semi long-wearing when paired with their primer potion. I find that without the potion though, sometimes there are shades that slide in the crease.. but nothing too bad.

The potion bottle is cute! The wand that comes with it is nice and easy to get the product on your lids. If you apply too much though, I find the eyelids may start to get oily? It's a weird feeling. Definitely makes a difference in the eyeshadows though, I find the colours are bolder when you use this underneath!

Overall I adore this palette and I'm so happy I splurged on this! It will last me a really long time and is perfect for even my cosplays that require bolder makeup. If you're looking for a tried and true palette I would recommend this one!