Dainty Doll Haul: First Impressions

So, if you were incredibly quick off the mark last week you may have been lucky enough to snap up Nicola Roberts' make up range, Dainty Doll, at some unbelievably discounted prices on certain cosmetic websites. I'm talking £1.99 and £2.99 per item, when the RRP's of some of the products are normally £20+. Sounds crazy, right? So naturally I had to snap up a few select items as Dainty Doll is a range I've never crossed paths with before and I was indeed curious.  

I have a complicated relationship with foundations, but for £2.99 I thought I'd give this a whirl as Dainty Doll is designed specifically for very fair skin tones such as mine. Liquid Foundation wasn't available in shade Light, which I thought would be ideal for me, so I took a risk and ordered Very Light, with the thinking that I could always use a tad more bronzer or just save for the winter months when I'm having a very pale period.

So yes, this foundation is VERY light, as you can see. On my first try with it I wasn't too sure, but after setting with my usual powder and applying my usual blush and bronzer, I actually like the flawless finish it creates. I'd say this is a medium coverage foundation, so I'll probably save for when I'm having a good skin day. 

The next item I got was Concealer Hot Pour in 002 Light. I've yet to try this as I'm still using my HG MAC Studio Fix Concealer and am positively addicted, so let's wait and see.

I still have a strange relationship with cream blushers, I need to be in the mood and have time to perfect them. But after 'Orange Country Girl' was dubbed as the 'cream version of NARS Orgasm' I just had to see for myself.

And it actually went on like a dream with a beautiful sheen. Sold! 

I picked up a few powder blushers (I could have ordered all 4, but restrained myself). The first is 'My Girl', a candy pink and is a great everyday colour. I don't own many this bright pink so thought I'd try something a little different. 

'Money Talks' looked such an interesting colour, I just had to have it in my collection. I'm still trying to decide if I should save this for contouring or light bronzing, but nonetheless it's a great winter blush as it's such a muted colour.  

Again, I could have snapped up the entire collection of lipsticks, but decided my purse would appreciate it if I didn't. I stuck to the one, 'Baby Love', as it looked a perfect pinky-nude to compliment the 'Money Talks' blush. I've yet to wear this and give it the all day test but on first impressions it's extremely moisturizing, however the colour pay off doesn't seem great.

Have you tried Dainty Doll?

My Foundation Stash!

 

Now I don't really make a secret of the fact that I am a foundation fanatic! Whenever a new one pops on the shelves I'm always excited to try it. So, I thought I'd do a slightly different post sharing the foundations currently taking up space in my make up bag!

 

 

Max Factor 'Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1' - (Shade - Warm Almond) This is the latest addition to my collection! As far as I know, it's the newest Max Factor foundation, but correct me if I'm wrong! I'm going to do a full review on this, because I've been so so impressed with it. I bought it on a whim in Superdrug where it was on an introductory offer at £8.99 instead of £11.99. It claims to be a primer, concealer and foundation all in one with all day lasting power. I've never used a Max Factor foundation before as I've never been a major buyer of their products, no particular reason! But this is one amazing 'does everything' foundation and I'm currently wearing it every day!

 

Rimmel 'Lasting Finish 25 Hour' - (Shade: Ivory) Now this is my 'sweat proof, transfer proof, night out proof' foundation! I've been using this for years as my staying power essential. You can pick it up in most places for around £5, and for the product you get, that's an amazing price. I can put this on in the morning, work all day, and then carry on through to a night out without having to worry if I'm shiny, cakey or it's rubbing off on my clothes. Highly recommended to those with a busy and hectic lifestyle!

 

Sleek 'Be Beautiful Blemish Balm' - (Shade: Very Light) I've professed my love for this BB cream on a previous post, which can be found here. But in summary, this is a great alternative to foundation, with amazing coverage for those who feel they have something to cover. A great day to day, easy to wear foundation.

 

MAC 'Studio Fix Fluid' - (Shade: NC15) I've also given this miracle worker it's own post over here. This is my high end foundation and one that I can always rely on and will continue to re-purchase! It gives amazing coverage with not a lot of product, and is a perfect daytime foundation with the added SPF. As noted in my post, the only downside is that after around 6 hours I start to look slightly shiny. But, over time it definitely grew on my as a HG product.

 

Bourjois '1 2 3 Perfect' - (Shade: Light Vanilla) When this first came out there were absolutely loads of blog posts about how great it was, another Bourjois foundation that was adored by all. I had a similar experience with it I must say. It's amazing at doing what it says on the bottle - giving a flawless, even complexion. My only complaint with this is that it turned me orange. Before putting the foundation on the skin it was the perfect ivory colour. However, when blended and applied it suddenly turned much much darker?! It's a strange one. I'd be interested to know if anyone else experienced this?

 

Rimmel 'Match Perfection' - (Shade: Ivory) So I might have accidently saved the worst till last.. I was so unimpressed with this foundation. It's meant to 'adapt to the colour and texture of your skin', but it really didn't. It was thick and gloopy, didn't blend, was sticky, went streaky when powder was applied on top.. Just endless problems. Don't think I'll be buying again!

 

What's your favourite foundation?

 

Sleek 'Be Beautiful Blemish Balm' - Review

 

Now, if I haven't mentioned before I am NOT a BB cream kind of girl. It's foundation all the way. I like full coverage and a matte finish. After trying to get on the BB cream bandwagon time and time again, they just weren't for me due to the fact that they were too thin and provided no coverage for my sometimes problem skin.

 

However, then I discovered Sleek's Be Beautiful Blemish Balm. I don't know what it was, but I saw this not long after it's release in Superdrug and I was too intregued not to buy it. I think my attention was primarily caught by the 'full coverage' and 'conealing' description.

 

 

Sleek say: "Be Beautiful Blemish Balm is Sleek MakeUP’s latest multipurpose product that can be used as a primer, tinted moisturiser or can be built up to be worn as a foundation. This multi-tasking wonder balm has countless skin loving benefits:
- Not only works hard to nourish and conceal imperfections but also protects the skin from harmful rays with SPF15.
- Is highly moisturising, has anti-aging properties all whilst providing full coverage.
- Enriched with red algae extract which provides anti-ageing properties and protein peptides that work to repair the skin.
- Contains jojoba oil that provides a moisturising formula, creating a smooth and flawless base, concealing imperfections whilst preventing discolouration and dehydration lines.
- Vitamin E protects the skin from early stages of UV light damage and reduces the formation of free radicals that could lead to premature ageing.
- Vitamin C brightens the complexion leaving your skin with a youthful and luminous finish.
- The range includes 4 shades specifically for fair and darker skin tones."

 

 

I honestly have to say, I am completely won over by this product. After trialing it for around two weeks, I've come to the conclusion that for someone who loves full coverage like me, this is the perfect lighter daytime foundation option.

 

The balm comes in 4 shades - Fair, Light, Medium and Dark. Shade '801 - Fair' is really light and a perfect match for my sun deprived skin.

 

 

 

At first try I wasn't happy with the streaky mess it left when trying to blend on my skin. But, after much patience and lots of blending, the result is a perfected and flawless base and definitely as much coverage as a good high end foundation with the added benefit of being a moisturising balm. I'd definitely compare the coverage to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid. 

 

This being the end result when my usual Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in Translucent is used over the top:

 

 

Pros

 

Really full coverage with the added effect of almost 'blurring' blemishes.

 

Lasts a good 8 hours when used with powder.

 

Creates a flawless and even base.

 

Cons

 

Some people may struggle with 4 shades if you are inbetween-er, a wider shade range could be an improvement for Sleek.

 

For people who prefer a matte finish like me, powder is needed as a finishing touch. But definitely worth it for the long-lasting end result.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Sleek's Blemish Balm is an amazing product that I will continue to purchase as my daytime foundation alternative. I was shocked by the amount of coverage it offers for a BB cream and by the flawless base it creates.  It is definitely a great alternative for a full coverage daytime foundation junkie like myself, who sometimes has a few spots/blemishes to try and cover.

 

What's the best BB cream you've tried?

 

Back... With MAC.

Please accept my mega apologies for not blogging in almost a month, this occured for a number of reasons..

I recently finished uni forever, and so what conceeded was a flurry of applying for jobs, celebrating, getting more hours at work, and celebrating some more. (Yes, with large amounts of alcohol, ahem.) And I suppose I can finally admit I simply lost inspiration, for a lot of things, and obviously blogging.

Anywhoo, I am going to be really good and get back to regular posts as I really have no excuse now, and I somehow seemed to manage it when writing my whopping dissertation at the same time..

When I finished uni I told myself I would treat myself to a MAC foundation and concealer, as I've always wanted to try and I'm a huge MAC fan anyway. Foundation and concealer have to be my favourite buys, as I'm always on the hunt to try different ones and I suppose I'm trying to find the perfect ones. Debenhams conveniently had 10% when I went in, on a positive side note. Watch out for these price events!

When I went into MAC, I already knew what I was wanting as I'd done a lot of research. Good job really, as they weren't really keen on chatting to me or helping me (but I'll save that for another post/rant).

For my skin (Prone to blemishes, oily/extremely combination) and the coverage I preferred (full and matt) I found myself buying Studio Fix Fluid foundation and Studio Finish Concealer. And I was matched (by myself..) to NC15, the lightest shade MAC offer, ghost-like if you will.

First, the concealer. My usual HG concealer is Maybelline 24 Hour concealer, simply because it covers absolutely anything and does infact last 24 hours. However, in this MAC offering I have found my new favourite. My skin isn't half as bad as it used to be when I was a teenager, but I am still left with a very uneven skin tone and the odd blemish/spot. It's a little more than I'd usually spend at £13.50, simply because I use so much of it so quickly, but I have to say I'll be sticking to this from now on. Some days I can even skip foundation and use only this. The big dent I have now created shows how much I love this concealer. Any other industrial strength concealer options people would like to share would be much appreciated!

The foundation I have mixed feelings about... The good points? It offers the best coverage I've ever had in a foundation which is what I love, and it applies like a dream, even and offers an almost airbrushed look. The bad points.. I like my foundation to last a whole day, as about 3/4pm I start looking a tad shiny, so staying power is important for me. At £19.50, this doesn't please me in that department unfortunately. After about 8 hours wear I can wipe a finger down my nose and it will come off (which for some people 8 hours is absolutely fine). However, I've previously been using Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation, and I loved the way that it actually kept me matt for 25 hours. However, all in all I will let this foundation off because of the airbrushed look it creates, it just means going through a lot of powder and keeping this purely for my daytime foundation!

Another note I will make is that if you want the pump, you have to purchase it seperately at £3. Which I think is a little bit of MAC trying to get more money out of you as pouring out of the original bottle doesn't really work.

What have your MAC experiences been like for foundation and concealer? Do share, as I'd love to compare! (Ending with a rhyme, there are no end to my talents.)